138 FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



ripen the wood sufiBciently to enable it to bear with im- 

 punity the intense frosts of winter. The Americans 

 raise their trees from stones, and though they grow rapidly 

 into a bearing condition, they are not long-lived. It is 

 not uncommon to find orchards of from 10,000 to 20,000 

 trees belonging to one individual. In the comparatively 

 mild climate of Britain, the peach, even on south walls 

 often suffers severely from frost. This is easUy accounted 

 for by the imperfect ripening of the wood in our com- 

 paratively dull and wet summers. The peach was intro- 

 duced into this country more than 200 years ago, when 

 most likely it was brought from France, where it had 

 been cultivated a long time before that period. In the 

 south of France it succeeds as a common standard ; but 

 in the north it requires to be grown against walls. In 

 Britain it succeeds outdoors only against walls with 

 south aspects; but even under such favourable con- 

 ditions, outdoor crops are very uncertain over the greater 

 part of the kingdom. It is only under glass that good 

 annual crops can be produced. The peach season can, 

 by early forcing and growing it in cool houses, be ex- 

 tended to seven months of the year. I have for years 

 in succession gathered ripe peaches the last week of 

 April, and continued to do so till the last week of October. 



PEACH-HOUSE FOE EAELY FOECING. 



It is needless to occupy time and space with argu- 

 ments to show that for the early forcing of the peach a 

 lean-to house, similar to that recommended for the early 

 forcing of the vine, is the best. In all respects it may 

 be the same except in the trellis-work for training the 

 trees to ; and even in this respect the arrangement may 



