248 THE PEACH AND NECTABINE. 



same plane as tlie loof, which, as abeady remarked, is doubtless one of 

 the very best of all forms for the trees and the fruit. 



It may be well, however, to note that in this age of superior glass and 

 larger squares it is less necessary to thrust the trees so close to the glass 

 as in the olden times of small squares and green, dull glass. Eighteen 

 inches has been given as a good medium distance. But on roofs glazed 

 with large squares this distance might often be doubled. And on houses 

 built with a sharp pitch or on the curve, the trelUa might be a foot or more 

 further from the glass at the top than at the bottom of the house. The heat 

 strikes such houses with cumulative force as the roof ascends, and it is 

 no uncommon thing to find the tops of peach trees on long roofs eaten up 

 with red spider, fostered by the excess of heat on their crowns. 



Yet another plan of training affords more surface than any other, and 

 proves very successful in practice. Vertical trellises are brought down 

 from each, or every alternate rafter to the ground, or to an ornamental 

 iron rod within a foot or so of the soil. These trellises may finish in an 

 arch over the pathway at the back. The space over the arch and between 

 it and the rafter may be filled in with trellis work it the peach 

 trees are to be trained over the arch. These trees, however, may 

 only be trained on the vertical trellis, reaching from the path to the 

 front lights. These arrangements convert the house into a series of 

 peach stalls. A tree may also be planted on the back wall, in the centre 

 of each stall. The whole of each tree on the vertical trellises is thus 

 -favoured with the full light and heat of the sun throughout some portion 

 of the day, and those on the back wall get more light and heat. The 

 sun also hits the fruit on both sides on the cross trellises, and the 

 results in colour and flavour are most satisfactory. The effect of houses 

 arranged in this way is greatly enhanced if a grape vine is carried over 

 €ach arch and kept closely spurred. In houses of considerable length 

 this becomes highly ornamental, and the clustering grapes, while beauti- 

 ful in themselves, also heighten by contrast the beauty and brilliancy of 

 rosy or pale cream coloured peaches and nectarines. But any that 

 might object to grape vines, even as garniture to peaches, can readily 

 train a peach branch over the arch, and fill in right up to the back wall 

 with bearing wood. 



V. — Standards, Pyramids, and Bushes. 



One of the most striking and pleasing revolutions in modem horti- 

 culture is the introduction of more natural and free modes of treating 

 such trees as the peach and nectarine. As the primary use of glass is 

 to create and sustain artificial atmospheres at will, it follows that by its 



