152 WHYTOCK—THE CULTIVATION OF 
is as early as may be done to secure good crops. At the 
beginning of forcing, low temperatures must be the rule until 
' the fruit is set. Begin with a mean temperature of 45° to 50° 
and 50° to 55°; when in flower 10° to 15° higher through the 
ay. When peach-trees in a house are in flower, I keep on air 
night and day and regulate the heat in the pipes to get the 
desired temperature. Following this practice I find, if the trees 
are in fair order and have been sufficiently ripened, nearly every 
flower sets without any outer aid in distributing the pollen. The 
fruit being set, increase the temperature to 60° mean and stop 
giving night-air. The fruit will not swell for a bit. When the 
stoning period begins the fruit seems to stand still for some weeks 
and should not in any way be forced, indeed if this is done the 
fruit drops off. Until the fruit begins to swell after stoning, 
the temperature should not exceed 60° at night, but this critical 
period being over you may advance the temperature 5° or even 
10° and swell the fruit to a good size. When the fruit begins to 
ripen, you must give a good deal of air, and expose the fruit to 
the sun by putting aside or removing some leaves. This gives 
_ flavour and colour to the fruit. 
Unless when the trees are in flower syringing and damping 
daily must be attended to, and when the trees get in full foliage, 
heavy syringing twice daily must be given to keep down red 
spider, occasionally using some safe insecticide. Too much 
stress cannot be laid upon the way the syringing of peach-trees 
is done. A mere wetting of the foliage is harmful. If the trees 
are in full foliage, a powerful garden engine should be used, 
going first over the trees oné way then returning upon them in 
the opposite way, this to be done twice daily. You can have no 
successful peach-culture unless you keep the foliage absolutely 
clean and healthy. The damping and syringing is stopped when 
the fruit begins to ripen, and during the ripening period dryness 
with a good circulation of air must be kept on night and day. 
The disbudding and pruning of a peach-tree is of much 
importance in its good cultivation. I have seen peach-trees on a 
roofa frightful thicket of wood, and of course with miserable results 
as to acrop. As soon as the trees have set their fruit it will 
be time to begin disbudding. _ It is injurious to the trees to take 
off too many at first. Take off first only the fore right buds, that 
