THE PEACH AND NECTARINE loi 



practically no winter pruning will be necessary. It may happen that one or two 

 strong roots have grown from other gross roots cut back the previous year, pro- 

 ducing correspondingly strong branches. In such a case the best thing to do is 

 to lift the young tree and cut the offending roots as before advised. Some may 

 be surprised at my recommending the young trees to be lifted and replanted so 

 unceremoniously. It is, however, a simple operation requiring not more than 

 half-an-hour to carry out, and is most essential if the coarse roots are to be 

 effectually dealt with. Many good gardeners lift and replant their peach trees 

 every year, this method in some soils being the best to secure satisfactory 

 crops. There will be little to do at the borders during this, the second winter 

 season. Simply remove a little of the surface soil, adding rather more of fresh 

 soil than you take away of old. After the trees have commenced to grow the 

 same routine of treatment must be observed throughout as advised for the first 

 year. If a "set" has been secured (and this should be the case if care has 

 been taken to fertilise the flowers), I should certainly allow each tree to carry 

 at least a dozen fruits. If the tree is in good health these will ripen perfectly, 

 and at the same time will do good to the former. Even to young trees bearing 

 heavy crops of fruit it is astonishing how beneficial is a top dressing of fresh 

 horse manure mixed with an equal quantity of soil. 



Enlarging the Border. — The routine of management in the third year 

 of the tree's life will be very much like that of the second year, excepting 

 that the border, inside and outside the house, must be enlarged by the addi- 

 tion of 2 feet of soil. In adding new soil break down the old turf walls, 

 and remove the soil until the roots are reached. At the end of the third year 

 it will probably be found that there are too many trees in the house, and the 

 question must arise as to the best course to pursue. If all the trees are re- 

 tained it will become simply a matter of hard pruning, for further extension 

 is out of the question. For trees planted out in a good border, to my mind 

 there is not a question of doubt as to whether the restriction or the extension 

 system is preferable. By all means let the trees have room to grow. Where a 

 certain number of varieties must be grown in a limited space there is nothing 

 for it but to have recourse to frequent lifting or root-pruning, thereby restricting 

 the annual growth of the tree without appreciably diminishing its fruit- 

 producing capacity. On the other hand, where fruit of the first quality and in 

 abundance is required, this fact should be considered at planting time, and the 

 tree planted in the centre of the front trellis, as well as that planted in the 

 centre of the back wall, be looked upon as the permanent occupants of the 

 house. The other trees must be lifted and planted somewhere else, or it is not 

 difficult to find a market for them. 



Renovating Old Trees. — It not infrequently happens that old-established 

 trees under glass fall into bad health. It will not be irrelevant, therefore, to 

 offer one or two practical suggestions as to the best way of bringing these 

 into a healthy and fruitful condition. In nearly every instance that has come 

 under my notice the trouble has been at the roots : the border was saturated or it 

 had been allowed to become dry, the soil was poor or needed lime — conditions 

 altogether inimical to the formation of fibrous roots. The best thing is to 



