THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 1 6/ 



on in February, with more genial warmth, and more sun 

 by day, be started at 55° with fire-heat, after the trees 

 are moving naturally. In bright weather, early shutting 

 up with sun-heat should always be preferred to hard 

 firing without sun. 



VENTILATION. 



The peach dislikes a close, stagnant atmosphere, and 

 should be as freely ventilated as circumstances wiU ad- 

 mit of all through the process of forcing. If the house 

 is kept too close and moist before the blossom expands, 

 such conditions are sure to produce weakly blossom, 

 and also dispose the wood-buds to too much precede the 

 blossom, always an evR to be guarded against. There- 

 fore give air more or less daily, as weather permits, 

 from the time the house is first shut up ; and when the 

 blossom is open, air freely on all dry days, and leave a 

 little on all night, but guard against currents of cold 

 frosty air. Most early forcers of the peach will have 

 observed that wherever cold gusts of frosty air have 

 reached any parts of the tree, at that particular part 

 the process of setting has been the least satisfactory. 

 While a circulation of dry warm air is desirable, it should 

 be admitted in small quantities at many points, so as to 

 prevent the blossoms from being subjected to blasts of 

 it. In the case of early forcing, front ventilation should 

 not be applied, unless the air can first be warmed 

 by some such means as that recommended in the 

 case of vines, at least until the fruit have approached 

 the colouring and ripening stage. Like firing, ven- 

 tilation must be cautiously regulated, according to the 

 state of the weather; and when the fruit are ripe, 



