PEACHES 



A ripe Peach is one of the most beautiful of fruits, and, if a 

 good variety, one of the most delicious. In most parts of the 

 British Islands good Peaches can only be grown against a 

 wall in a sheltered position, or with glass-house protection. 

 Peaches are like Strawberries in their lack of keeping qualities 

 after they are ripe; to enjoy them they must be eaten within a 

 few hours after they are gathered. There are many varieties, 

 the differences as a rule being slight. Some of them are re- 

 produced true from seeds. In this country, however, the 

 varieties are propagated by grafting or budding them on 

 to young seedling plants of the Peach, the Almond, and the 

 Plum used as stocks. The Peach is not a long-lived tree, but 

 it grows quickly, and fruits when two or three years old. 

 Careful pruning and protection from cold during the flowering 

 period are essentials to good Peach culture. The preparation 

 of the border in which the plants are to grow is also a matter 

 requiring careful attention to details. Full directions on all 

 these points are given in Chapter VII. 



