THE PEACH AND NECTARINE. 



187 



liquid manure thrown on at each turning, the 

 mixture will be improved. It should not be 

 thrown into a large heap or it will heat violently. 

 Great care is necessary in applying this manure, 

 as it sometimes burns the roots if not well 

 mixed and sweetened beforehand. It is, how- 

 ever, very valuable if properly used. The 

 concentrated manures sold in the trade are also 

 valuable for pot-trees if the above mixture can- 

 not be obtained. 



After top-dressing the trees with this they 

 must be very carefully watered, as the state of 

 the roots beneath the manure is not so easily 



Fig. 992.— Peach in a Perforated Pot. 



ascertained. In bright sunny weather pot-fruit 

 trees often require water three or four times 

 per day when in active growth. Sometimes 

 this may be modified by using perforated pots, 

 and plunging them in the borders (fig. 992). 

 The borders in which they are plunged must be 

 porous and properly drained, and be occasion- 

 ally watered near the pots; a mulching of 

 manure will prove beneficial after the roots 

 have taken possession of the border and the 

 fruit is swelling. Trees thus grown must be 

 lifted in the autumn and their outside roots 

 cut off close to the pots after the fruit is 



gathered and the leaves have turned yellow. 

 The surface soil should also be removed to the 

 depth of 3 or 4 inches; this will destroy many 

 surface roots, but that is of no consequence, as 

 others soon form again in the spring. If the 

 drainage of the pots is perfect the trees will 

 need repotting every other year, top-dressing 

 them only in the alternate year. After the 

 foliage is off, the trees and house will require 

 cleaning in the same way as recommended for 

 fan-trained trees, see p. 183. 



A list of suitable varieties is given on p. 194. 



Packing. Peaches and Nectarines require care- 

 ful packing in order that they may not be bruised. 

 Lightness of hand is a great desideratum, as 

 every pressed finger mark will turn black in 

 a few hours. The early varieties of Peaches, 

 such as Early Beatrice, Early Louise, Alexander, 

 and others with very thin skins, which are 

 easily rubbed off when ripe, are the worst. The 

 fruits should be gathered while they are firm 

 if they are to be packed, and must be timed 

 to reach their destination before they are over- 

 ripe. Market salesmen are particular about 

 receiving them while they are hard, so that 

 they will bear handling without injury. 



Boxes must be made to hold one layer of 

 fruit only, with a little packing material above 

 and beneath. A convenient size is 18" x 12" x 3" 

 for medium -sized fruit; for larger varieties 

 they should be 4 inches deep. 



The best packing material is the improved 

 white wood wool, which is soft, odourless, and 

 not liable to get damp after a few days' use, 

 which wadding does. Each fruit ought first to 

 be wrapped in tissue paper, just wide enough 

 to cover two-thirds of the side and fold under 

 the bottom, leaving the top of the fruit exposed ; 

 it may then be placed in the box, which has 

 previously had a thin layer of wood wool spread 

 over the bottom. More of this material must 

 be placed round each fruit, so that it does not 

 touch the sides of the box or any of its neigh- 

 bours. Pack closely together, so that no move- 

 ment can take place afterwards, and fill up all 

 odd spaces with more wood wool. Place a layer 

 of tissue-paper over the fruits, and enough wood 

 wool to fill up to the lid. The latter must not 

 be nailed, but tied with stout twine. If several 

 boxes can be sent in one package, they travel 

 much better than if sent singly. Paper shavings 

 are preferred by some for packing Peaches. 

 Moss, when dry, is also very good for the 

 purpose; it should first be well beaten and 

 sifted to remove all dust and dirt : if not 

 thoroughly dry when used it will spoil the 



