2^2 THE PEACH AND NECTAEINE. 



of suoh a degree of smootlineaa that it is not needful either to break it' 

 with the spade nor trample it down with the feet in the process of filling • 

 up. Should the soil and the weather be of ordinary character, the trees, 

 will need no water in November. Should either be dry, a good watering 

 home, as it is called, is useful. A slight mulching of long litter or 

 manure is useful over the soil to exclude dronght and frost, and the plant- 

 ing is completed. No treading down of the soil over the roots should be., 

 indulged in, time is the gentlest as well as surest oonsolidator. This and 

 the rains or artificial watering does its work well without direct, 

 mechanical pressurOj and never mutilates nor bruises the roots. The- 

 trees should beraade fast to the w;aU with such a loose tie, however, that, 

 it may slip down with the natural subsidence tii the ground without hang- ■ 

 ing the plant. This last is a fruitful cause of root ruptures, and proves a 

 great source of failure. 



As to the trees to plant these are of different sorts, as maidens, 

 trained dwarfs, riders, cordons, and other forms, illustrated and described 

 under our chapter on training. Each may prove beat under certain 

 circumstances and conditions. But as to the age of the trees the 

 younger they are the cheaper, and also the better. Hence what are 

 termed maidens, that is, trees one season only, or at most two, from 

 the buds,, are to be preferred. These wiU only average about a fifth of 

 the price of what are called trained trees, and are in many respects better. 

 The cultivator has the advantage of youthful vigour, and may mould 

 the young tree in accordance with his skiU and fancy. Neither can 

 such trees have been injured by excessive cutting back or other repres- 

 sive treatment often adopted in nurseries to keep trees within saleable ■ 

 size- The result of such measures often breaks forth in gum, canker . 

 or other maladies afterwards. Henc^, upon the whole, maiden trees 

 are the best to plant, and are likely to lead to the most . satisfactory 

 results. 



The distance apart must be largely regulated by the height of the walj,.. 

 the nature of the oUmate, Bind the mode of training adopted. But as 

 trees are cheap, and wall space and garden ground valuable, it is as. 

 well, to plant the trees as thick again, or even more, at first than they are- 

 meant to be left permanently. The first few crops will much more than 

 pay the expense of the supernumeraries and planting, and they can be 

 removed to make room for others. Permanently fan shaped trees should 

 not be planted closer to each other than from 10ft. to 15ft. In localities, 

 congenial to the, peach, some cultivators would prefer 18ft., 20ft. or even , 

 2.4ft,, and on all walla exceeding 9ft. in height, a rider peach with a clear- 

 stem from 4ft, to 6ft. high should be planted midway between the per- 

 manent dwarf trees. "WTieije the wider distances are adopted for the latter,. 



