THE OECHAED-HOUSE. 



129 



A. eristata. — This is a very singular plant, somc- 

 times found under the erroneous name of Tacca 

 integrifolia; it is of dwarf habit, with an under- 

 ground rhizome ; the petioles are purpUsh-black, 

 hearing large ohlong-acuminate leaves, which are 

 Tvrinkled on the surface, and purplish-green. Scape 

 a little longer than the leaves, and like the petioles 

 dark purple, terminating in a four -leaved large 

 involucre of a hlackish - purple hue; within this 

 involucre are numerous dark purplish flowers fur- 

 nished with long tail-like heards. Summer months. 

 Malay Islands. 



THE 



OECHAED-HOUSE. 



Bi' William Coleman. 



M:4N:4GEMENr OF PMACUES A'SB NECTARINES IN 

 THE SECOND TEAR. 



ALTHOUGH fruit-tiees of all kinds are grown 

 in the orchard-house, there is hut little doubt 

 that the Peach and Nectarine stand first 

 in point of interest sind value, and on 

 this account their treatment during 

 their first fruiting season must receive 

 our earliest attention. 



Housing. — Not later than the end 

 of January let all the trees he taken 

 into the house. Wash the pots and 

 examine the drainage to ascertain that 

 it has not been clogged by worms ; then 

 lay the trees on their sides, and with a 

 soft brush wash eve^^' shoot and stem 

 with warm soap-water, to cleanse them 

 from accumulations and the larvae of 

 insects. If scale or spider have been 

 detected, wash a second time, always 

 working the brush outwards from the 

 base to the points of the shoots, so 

 that the buds may not be injured 

 in the performance of the operation. 

 Give each tree a thorough soaking 

 with clear water, and if the house 

 is not otherwise occupied, place them 

 at once in position in the order 

 named in directions for the first year's management. 



Pruning.— The experienced gardener who can 

 distinguish wood-buds from flower-buds will perform 

 this tiifling operation either before the trees are 

 taken under glass, or as soon as they are washed ; 

 but the amateur who cannot distinguish them at » 

 glance will do well to defer pruning until they 

 begin to swell, otherwise he may commit an 

 irreparable error by cutting away the only wood- 

 57 



Pig. 8.— Prait and Wood 

 Buds. 



hud contained on a blossom-bearing shoot, when 

 the shoot will die back to the wood-bud at the base. 

 It may here be necessary to remind the novice who 

 thinks he must commence cultivation by cutting 

 away two-thirds of every shoot, that properly 

 pinched pyramids and bushes require very little 

 pruning indeed, and that it is better to defer cuttiag 

 into shape until the blossoms are well advanced, than 

 to risk the loss of his best fruit -bearing shoots by 

 cutting away the terminal, which is always a wood- 

 bud, at random. In order to prevent the possibility 

 of a mistake the sketch (Fig. 8) wiU show at a. 

 glance the character of the different kinds of buds : 

 a a, are wood-buds; ee, blossom-buds; i, a triple 

 bud, in which the centre is almost invariably a 

 wood or shoot-producing bud, while those on either 

 side of it are flower-buds, as shown. It is gene- 

 rally, but not always, safe to prune to these ; but, 

 all things taken into consideration, deferred pruning 

 of Peaches and Nectarines is the safest course for 

 all cultivators to pursue. 



Having arranged the trees belonging 

 to the different sections — all of them, 

 we may assume, well furnished witli 

 flower-buds — keep tlie house as cool 

 as possible 'by ample ventilation, both 

 by day and night, but do not let the 

 soil in the pots approach dryness. To- 

 wards the end of February will be 

 quite early enough to commence coax- 

 ing the trees into activity by shutting 

 up the house in the afternoon, and 

 perhaps throughout the night, that is, 

 provided artificial heat can be supplied 

 in the event of frost or damp dull days 

 setting in when the blossoms begin to 

 open. If this provision has not berai 

 made, endeavour to escape danger by 

 abundant ventilation, whenever the 

 elements are favourable. A\Tien the 

 earliest flowers begin to show colour, 

 fumigate the house once or twice on 

 calm days with tobacco-paper to destroy 

 aphis, which may have been introduced 

 with the Strawberries, and syringe 

 with tepid water the following morning. 

 If properly performed, two smokings should destroy 

 every fly, when the trees will be safe from this pest 

 until after the fruit is set. If neglected -until after 

 the flowers open the crop wiU be endangered ; as 

 fumigation that will kiU the fly wiU ruin the deli- 

 cate organs of the flowers before they have time to 

 perform their office of fertilisation. 



Temperature. — The Orchard-house in the gene- 

 ral acceptation of the term is not a forcing house ; 



