THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 141 



course, nin north and south. The span-roofed form affords 

 a great amount of training surface, and gets the sun morn- 

 ing, noon, and evening. The wires should be fixed at 

 14 inches from the glass, and 8 inches apart. There are 

 some fine examples of span-roofed peach-houses at Floors 

 Castle, 60 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 16 feet high. 

 The whole surface of glass from the bottom of the front 

 lights upwards is available for being furnished with 

 bearing wood, as it gets ample light. For heating such 

 houses, there should be at least three rows of 4-inch 

 pipes round each side and both ends, and a steaming-tray 

 along the front. There cannot be a greater mistake than 

 that of under-heating with either pipes or boiler-power. 

 It is much safer and more economical to err on the side 

 of having too much than too little. It saves fire, and 

 keeps up the required temperature without violently 

 heating the pipes. 



For late crops to be ripened without fire-heat, and 

 when the object is to have peaches on to the end of 

 October, the span-roofed form of peach-house is also 

 best. At the same time, when an existing garden wall 

 can be covered with a lean-to glass roof, it answers per- 

 fectly well. A house of this description — say 11 feet 

 wide, with trees covering the whole back wall, and so 

 far up the roof from the front as not to shade the trees 

 on the back wall — gives great space for peaches. There 

 should be ample ventilation at front and top, kept con- 

 stantly on after all danger from frost is over. I have 

 gathered peaches — Walburton Admirable — as late as the 

 24th October at Archerfield, one of the earliest parts of 

 Scotland ; while earlier varieties in the same house were 

 ripe the middle of August. In a house of this descrip- 

 tion there should always be a flow and return pipe, to 



