io8 THE FRUIT GARDEN 



perience is that the trees do not derive full benefit from the heat communicated 

 to the wall by the sun ; the space between the foliage of the trees and the 

 wall allows a cold current of air to pass through, thus effectually annulling 

 any heat the wall may give, and neutralising the wall's usefulness. The 

 objection I have to the wall nail with the lead heads is this, if the lead is 

 pressed hard enough against the young branches of the trees at the winter 

 pruning and training to hold them securely in position, then gumming will 

 be caused before the end of the season by the lead cutting into the shoots. If 

 the lead is not pressed hard enough against the wood in winter, friction 

 and damage to bark will occur through oscillation of the branches. The old 

 way, and the one I recommend, namely, nailing with list shreds (not cloth), 

 certainly secures to the trees the full advantage of what heat the wall may 

 absorb, and this is one of the first objects in planting against a wall. 

 Another important item relating to the successful cultivation of the peach and 

 nectarine out-of-doors is the protection of the bloom from frost in spring. 

 Many different opinions are held on this question ; some advocate no protection 

 at all. Most of the peach walls at the Royal Gardens, Windsor, are protected 

 by portable glass copings, fastened to permanent brackets fixed to the wall. 

 To the copings and brackets are fastened roller blinds, which are let down 

 at night and rolled up during the day so long as danger from frost is feared, 

 they effectually protect the blossoms from any ordinarily severe frost. When 

 this danger is over the glass protection and the blinds are taken down. The 

 former are used to protect salad, strawberries, French beans, early peas, &c., 

 and hasten maturity. The canvas blinds are well dried and carefully stored 

 away ready for use another spring. Another simple and satisfactory method, and 

 the one most commonly practised, is to hang herring nets, two or three folds 

 thick, loosely against the wall. At the Royal Gardens, as I said before, most 

 of the peach walls were protected by glass copings and blinds, but there 

 were also peach walls which received no protection at all, so that I had 

 excellent means of comparing the results from well-protected walls and 

 those , not protected. I am afraid that the statement I am about to make will 

 be received with a smile of incredulity by many. It is, taking an average of 

 five years, that as good crops were produced by trees on unprotected walls as 

 on those well protected. This does not prove much in favour of protection, 

 but it says a very great deal, I think, in encouragement of the more general 

 culture of these delicious fruits, as they may be successfully grown without 

 expensive protective material, or, in fact, any protection at all. 



General Cultural Remarks. — So important as regards the health and 

 fruitfulness of the trees is the danger from the attacks of green and black fly at 

 the time of flowering and immediately afterwards that I must be excused for 

 drawing attention to it again. As a means of affording immunity from their 

 early attacks I would recommend that the trees be washed when dormant in 

 January with a weak solution of Gishurst compound before being fastened to 

 the wall. Disbudding must have timely attention, and overcrowding the 

 shoots strictly guarded against. When the young shoots in the course of the 

 summer are ftilly grown, lateral growths will form ; these should all be cut out. 



