168 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



as long as the roots can supply it. Whilst any 

 moisture is to be found within their reach, they 

 will rapidly absorb it; but when all is exhausted 

 their action must cease, and the condition of the 

 tree must undergo a change for the worse, for it 

 cannot be supposed that the foliage that was in 

 a healthy state whilst evaporation was fully sup- 

 plied, can continue in the same state when that 

 supply is almost entirely stopped. Although 

 the supply of moisture from the roots may have 

 ceased, evaporation will still continue, drawing, 

 to a considerable extent, from the juices of the 

 tree; then it is that the red spider commences 

 its most determined attacks, and this, if not 

 arrested, would almost ruin the tree in one season. 

 In order to conquer this small enemy, much 

 labour must be employed, large quantities of 

 water must be wheeled about, the engine must 

 be kept at work, and, after all, the trees will 

 not be so healthy as those that in properly made 

 borders do not require one quarter of such labour 

 to be expended upon them. In many cases, one 

 year's expenditure in watering and syringing, if 

 laid out in thoroughly preparing the border 

 before planting, would effect an annual saving 

 of nearly an equal amount. 



As much should therefore be done in the first 

 instance towards remedying the natural defects 

 of the border as circumstances will permit. The 

 dry gravelly subsoil ought to be dug out to the 

 depth of 2J or 3 feet. Although the bottom 

 may be dry, yet, with a good depth of soil, the 

 trees will not suffer readily from drought. 

 When soil of the depth of 2 h or 3 feet is well 

 moistened, either by rain or watering, it takes 

 a considerable time before the trees can suffer 

 from drought. 



With regard to the quality of the soil, if the 

 ground is old and worn out, or if trees have 

 long been grown in it, it is not proper for the 

 Peach. If it cannot be changed, it should be 

 refreshed with other soil. If there is a stratum 

 of loam below, let a considerable portion of it 

 be brought up to the surface, and as much of 

 the top soil turned down to the bottom, there 

 to be dug over, mixing it at the same time with 

 a portion of the loam and some broken limestone, 

 or mortar rubbish, in order to ensure thorough 

 drainage of the border, and to supply the tree 

 with carbonate of lime, a large quantity of which 

 is required when the fruit is stoning. The pro- 

 portion of mortar rubbish to be added will de- 

 pend on the character of the soil, and will vary 

 from one to two ordinary barrow-loads to each 

 cart-load, the former for light sandy loam, the 

 latter quantity for more retentive soils. These 



should also have one-eighth part of burnt earth 

 added. This helps to keep the border open and 

 sweet, and supplies potash and other minerals 

 to the roots. 



When black, worn-out soil is turned down in 

 the bottom of trenches with previously undis- 

 turbed yellow loam above it, trees grow vigor- 

 ously as soon as the roots get down to the black 

 soil, although in this, when it was at top, they 

 did not thrive, doubtless in consequence of the 

 small amount of inorganic matter which such 

 soil contains. 



If the soil is poor and sandy, the trees will 

 not find nourishment to enable them to support 

 a good crop; yet, as it can afterwards be en- 

 riched by suitable composts, it is preferable to 

 soil that is too adhesive. Stiff clays are most 

 unfavourable, and the most difficult of any to 

 deal with; in fact, the Peach ought not to be 

 planted in such. The best plan is to remove 

 the whole, and replace with soil of a more friable 

 nature if possible. This may prove too expen- 

 sive an operation for some persons to perform 

 at once, but as much as 4 or 6 feet square might 

 be cleared out where the tree is to be planted, 

 and afterwards an additional portion could pos- 

 sibly be removed in advance of the roots, and 

 exchanged for soil from an open part of the 

 garden, where the stiff soil can be subjected to 

 processes for amelioration which it could not be 

 conveniently made to undergo in a border, and 

 which will render it suitable for some kitchen- 

 garden crops. 



At Montreuil, where the culture of the Peach 

 is extensively carried on, the soil is by no means 

 rich; it appears to be a calcareous sandy loam, 

 of a yellowish-brown colour, and seems to be 

 too poor for corn crops. In the grounds of 

 M. Lepere, one of the most skilful cultivators, 

 the borders are prepared, to the distance of 5 or 

 6 feet from the wall, by trenching 2 feet deep, 

 and mixing well the soil with manure. After- 

 wards, when the trees come to bear heavy crops, 

 a little manure is forked into the border. The 

 success of the Montreuil cultivators, no doubt, 

 depends on the sun-heat being greater, their 

 mode of pruning, and other means which they 

 adopt with the view of promoting an equal dis- 

 tribution of the sap. 



Although there is proof that a border 6 feet 

 wide will answer, yet a greater width will in 

 most cases answer better. We know that 

 Peaches may be grown in pots, and, with the 

 advantage of rich soil, a dozen of fruits may be 

 grown to fair size ; but a well-grown tree against 

 a Avail may bear as many as forty dozens, and 



