THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



on the latter, should be frequently examined, and 

 wherever they are pinching the wood, removed, and 

 larger ones substituted, as tight ligatures are a fruit- 

 ful source of gum and canker in the Peach. 



Cleanliness. —This does not only include the 

 destruction of aU insect pests, for which see Insects 

 AND Diseases, but the removal of all dust, soot, and 

 other dirt alike from the walls and the trees. This 

 is the more needful where Peaches are grown in the 

 vicinity of dusty roads or towns. Frequently success 

 is baulked by mere physical pollutions, which a dili- 

 gent use of the hose from the water-main or the 

 garden-engine would have easily got rid of. Peach- 

 leaves are specially porous as well as thin, and con- 

 sequently suffer far more from soot and dust than 

 those of most other fruits, such as Apples, Pears, or 

 even Plums. 



Best Varieties for Open-air Culture. — 

 A good selection of varieties for culture under glass 

 has already been given, and most of these might 

 also be grown with equal success in the open air, 

 with the exception of a few of the latest and the 

 earliest. It may be useful, however, to many 

 readers, to give the following select list of Peaches 

 and Nectarines for the open air, selected by Mr. 

 Carmichael, whose trees and fruits in the Royal 

 Gardens at Sandringham were probably the finest in 

 the United Kingdom. 



Select List of Peaches. 



Abec — ^fruit medium size. 

 A valuable early melting 

 Peach of delicious flavour. 

 Middle of August. 



Alexander — fruit large, 

 handsome, and richly co- 

 loured; flesh juicy and 

 sweet. This is an Ameri- 

 can variety, and ripens 

 very early on the wall. 

 Middle of July. 



Alexandra Noblesse — fruit 

 very large, handsome, and 

 excellent ; a seedling from 

 the old Noblesse, retain- 

 ing all its good qualities, 

 more robust in growth, 

 and not so subject to mil- 

 dew. End of August. 



Amsden June — very fine, 

 early, American Feach. 



Barrington. 



Bellegarde— fruit large and 

 highly coloured ; rich, 

 juicy, and vinous, and 

 very excellent. Middle of 

 September, 



Dr. Hogg— fruit large, melt- 

 ing, and rich; tree vigo- 

 rous, hardy, and prolific ; ■ 

 a first-rate sort. Begin- 

 ning of August. 



Dymond — fruit large and 

 excellent. This is a very 

 hardy Peach, and bears 

 abundantly on the wall. 

 Middle of August. 



Early Groase Mignonne— 

 medium size, very juicy, 

 and richly flavoured; a 

 valuable early Peach. 

 Beginning of August. 



Early York. 



Frogmore Crolden — fruit 

 medium size, very hand- 

 some, and richly coloured; 

 tree very hardy and pro- 

 hfic ; a valuable variety, 

 of exquisite flavour. This 

 is one of the very best 

 yellow - fleshed varieties 

 grown. It was raised by 

 Mr. Ingram, of Frogmore. 

 End of July. 



Grosse Mi^onne — fruit 

 large and highly coloured, 

 and excellent; a fine old 

 mid-season Peach. Sept- 

 ember. 



Hale's Early — fruit large 

 and highly coloured, and 

 of excellent quality; ought 

 to be extensively grown. 

 This is another American 

 variety. End of July. 



Magdala. 



Marquis of Downshire — 

 fruit large and highly co- 

 loured. £aised by the. 

 late Mr. Standish, and is 

 one of the very best late 

 Peaches grown, and very 

 valuable. October. 



Noblesse. 



Princess of Wales — fruit 

 very large and handsome, 

 cream-coloured ; an ex- 

 cellent late Peach. End 

 of September. 



Eoyal George— fruit large, 

 melting, and richly co- 

 loured; a favourite old 

 Peach. , End of August. 



Sea Eagle— fruit very large, 

 pale in colour, and of good 

 quality; a fine late P'eaoh. 

 End of September. 



StirUng Castle— fruit large 

 and very highly coloured ; 

 very juicy, melting, and 

 richly flavoured. This fine 

 Peach was raised at Dun- 

 more Park, Stirlingshire. 

 The tree is hardy and a 

 great bearer ; it forces 

 well, and is one of the 



183 



best. Beginning of Sept- 

 ember. 



Teton de Yenus— fruit very 

 large and richly fla- 

 voured; a very fine late 

 Feach. Bipe at end of 

 September. 



Tippicanhoe— fruit medium 

 size, pale colour, and very 

 handsome. This fine. 

 American Peach is a good 

 and abundant bearer, and 

 fine-flavoured. August. 



Violette Hative— fruit large, 

 melting, rich, and excel- 

 lent. The tree is hardy 

 and prohflc. Middle of 

 September. 



"Walburton Admirable — 

 fruit large and richly fla- 

 voured; a flue late va- 

 riety. End of September. 



Select List of Nectarines. 



Albert Victor— fruit large 

 and handsome, melting, 

 and good. End of August 

 and September. 



Balgowan. 



Elruge— fruit medium size, 

 melting, juicy, and richly 

 flavoured; a well-known 

 variety. End of August. 



Galopin— fruit very large, 

 pale colour, very rich, and 

 sugary; a flue variety. 

 End of September. 



Hardwicke. 



Humboldt-f ruit large,hand- 

 some.end richly flavoured. 

 Trees bear abundantly; 

 a fine variety. September. 



Lord Napier— fruit large, 

 melting, rich, and excel- 

 lent. Best of early varie- 

 ties. Early in August. 



Murray— fruit medium size, 

 an excellent variety and 

 a good bearer ; fine dark 

 bloom. August. 



Pitmaston Orange. 



Rivers' Fine Apple. 



Victoria— fruit large, rich, 

 and sugary; a valuable 

 late variety. End of Sept- 

 ember. 



Violette Hative — fruit 

 large, richly flavoured, 

 and handsome ; one of the 

 best. End of August. 



Insects and Diseases. — Host of these have 

 already been treated of in the in-door culture of the 

 Peach. Various contrivances have been suggested 

 and invented for fumigating plants and trees in the 

 open air, but none of them have been sufficiently 

 convenient and efficient to warrant their recom- 

 mendation with confidence. Outside or in, preven- 

 tion is better than cure, and there are few better 

 preventives than the use of a smothering and 

 poisoning smear or paint, which are mostly com- 

 posed of various proportions of clay, cow-dung, and 

 sulphur, made into a paint with strong decoctions 

 of Grishurst compound, tobacco-water, or quassia- 

 chips. The constituents of such smears are of less 

 moment than their stickiness and thickness. They 

 smother rather than poison, though some add nux 

 vomica, to make sure of sustaining .their latter 

 quality. To be efficient the whole tree must be 

 painted over, working the mixture into all holes and 

 crevices. 



Should aphides appear in spite of such precaution, 

 lose no time in syringing the tree with tobacco- 

 water, or dredging the aphides over with fine dry 

 snuff, when the leaves and branches are wet. 

 Quassia-chip tea or ammonia tea, the latter in the 

 proportion of an ounce to the gallon, will also clear 

 off the aphides. 



