180 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



hot sunshine, which has most effect on the stem 

 and thick naked branches; to guard against ill 

 effects arising from this cause, the former should 

 be protected with tiles, slates, or any other suit- 

 able material, the latter by training some of the 

 young shoots over them. 



Peach Culture under Glass. 



With the exception of the Grape-vine no kind 

 of fruit-trees have been so generally grown under 

 glass in this country as the Peach and Nectarine. 

 In the northern parts of the kingdom the fruit 



Fig. 985.— Nectarine. Violette Hative. (J.) 



cannot be brought to full perfection on the open 

 wall, but under glass, with more or less arti- 

 ficial heat, according to the climate and period 

 of the season, fruit both large and excellent can 

 be obtained in the extreme north. The tree 

 requires a good soil, maintained in a proper 

 state as regards moisture, abundance of light, 

 that of the solar rays as direct as circumstances 

 will permit, and a full command of heat suf- 

 ficient for the growth of the trees and matura- 

 tion of the fruit, even when the house is not 

 closely shut up. A free circulation of air is 

 essential for dispelling the moisture, which 

 would otherwise lodge too long upon the foli- 

 age, or upon the blossoms and the fruit; for 

 although the foliage must be washed, and the 

 air of the house rendered moist at times, yet a 

 moist stagnant atmosphere is injurious. 



The border in which the trees are intended 

 to be planted should be well drained, as already 

 detailed under Open-air Culture (p. 167), and 

 care must be taken that by no possibility the 

 roots can come in contact with water percolating 



through the substratum, or stagnant there. If 

 a test-hole were dug to the depth of 3 or 4 feet 

 from the surface, and if in this water should 

 stand for some weeks at any period of the 

 season, then means must be adopted to prevent 

 the roots from ever going down so far. Drain- 

 ing is the best, provided there be enough of 

 fall; if not, concrete or paving ought to be 

 resorted to, if the expense can be afforded. If 

 the bottom of the whole border cannot be con- 

 creted or paved, a portion may be done below, 

 and to some distance from the place where the 

 tree is planted, to prevent at all events tap- 

 roots from forming; and if this be done, 

 the horizontal roots can always be enticed 

 to the surface. 



In the case of bad subsoils it is safest 

 to build Peach and other forcing houses 

 on a terrace. The bottom having been 

 put in a satisfactory condition, the soil 

 may be laid on to a depth of not less 

 than 2 J feet, a mass of this thickness re- 

 taining a steadier supply of moisture than 

 a shallow border. 



The soil ought to consist of good mellow 

 turfy loam, which is substantial but not 

 of a binding nature. If the loam is rich, 

 manure will not be required in the first 

 instance. If the soil is rather strong and 

 adhesive, add mortar rubbish and burnt 

 earth (see p. 168), and some J-inch bone 

 manure will afford a supply of nourish- 

 ment even after the trees come into bear- 

 ing, when of course they require it more than 

 at first. For very early forcing the border 

 should be made so that the roots will be inside, 

 and consequently not be liable to be chilled 

 by cold rains or melted snow. 



The choice of trees partly depends on the 

 position which they are intended to occupy in 

 the structure. The best mode is to plant dwarfs 

 in front, and train on wires from 12 to 15 inches 

 below the glass. In order that forced Peaches 

 and Nectarines may be well flavoured they 

 must not be grown far from the glass. Some 

 train dwarfs planted in front of the house on 

 trellises, curved so as not to intercept the sun's 

 rays from the trees which are trained against 

 the back wall. We have known trees which 

 were trained on a trellis at a considerable dis- 

 tance from the glass; but they did not yield 

 good crops till their branches were raised and 

 trained near the glass; excellent crops were 

 then obtained. It is not the greatest quantity 

 of shoots and foliage that can possibly be grown 

 under a certain extent of glass that should be 



