Culture of the Peach in the open Air. 71 



another man to follow about half an hour afterwards, and care- 

 fully wash every crevice that had been missed by the first per- 

 son. The composition was applied with a piece of soft cloth 

 or sponge, and used as hot as the hand could be suffered in it. 

 Great caution was necessary not to rub off the flower buds, 

 which at this season are very prominent. Those trees only 

 that were most seriously injured were washed with this mixture. 

 As the season advanced my hopes brightened, and I had the 

 gratification of witnessing the most complete success ; trees, 

 of which there remained but the skeletons of what they once 

 were, the mere remnants of former grandeur, presenting a de- 

 gree of health unexampled as far as my experience goes, clothed 

 with a redundancy of wonderfully large and densely green foliage, 

 and not a curled or blotched leaf visible. The trees washed 

 with lime water were in good condition, but not entirely free 

 from occasional attacks of aphides. The difference in health of 

 those syringed with lime water, and the others that were washed 

 with the mixture, could be easily distinguished the whole length 

 of the garden. Aphides are more particularly generated in dry 

 and clear weather, and I am convinced they cannot exist, much 

 less reproduce themselves, on trees clothed with this composi- 

 tion during the influence of a clear sun. The noxious exhala- 

 tions may probably be the cause of this. Having pointed out 

 the efficacy of this wash to several eminent practical gardeners, 

 they concurred as to its apparent wonderful excellence; therefore, 

 after the publicity which I now give it, it will remain for others 

 to prove its utility. 



In nailing peach trees, I would recommend the use of new 

 shreds, and I have always directed the dark-coloured ones to be 

 selected for this purpose, as presenting by contrast a much 

 neater appearance ; the pieces employed as shreds are generally 

 cut too large, little strength being required, as they are only 

 expected to last one year. I would, however, strongly insist 

 upon all peach walls having copper wire extended longitudinally, 

 and fastened to eyes let into the wall. The wires should be about 

 6 or 7 inches apart, and the trees fastened to them with bast liga- 

 tures. There is much to approve in this, and to recommend it 

 for general adoption, both as regards present as well as ultimate 

 economy : a practical man will at once see the great advantages 

 resulting from such a system, and the uninitiated will soon dis- 

 cover that a man can tie two trees in the same time he could 

 nail one, and his walls will not be subject to the injury of having 

 annually some thousands of nails driven into them. 



Whenever the blossoms begin to be partially developed, I 

 advise protecting the trees with bunting : this will be money 

 well expended ; the bunting will be found very useful during 



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