HORTICULTURAr. SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



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of the peach tree as practised at Oulton Park. He regards 

 draining of the greatest importance, and also that the soil should 

 not be too rich. A loam about half way between stiff and sandy, 

 he finds the best 3 and in his opinion, the less manure the better, 

 providing the loam be what is termed " Maiden Soil," from old 

 rest land. If any manure be considered necessary, it should be 

 chiefly Bone Manure. If peach trees show signs of weakness 

 after bearing a few years in soil of this description, the author has 

 recourse to top dressing, laying it on heavily in the winter and 

 removing a portion in the spring. If unnecessary luxuriance 

 takes place, he cuts the points of the roots without hesitation, 

 taking care to reduce them in proportion to the degree of super- 

 fluous luxuriance. This root-cutting system he has pursued for 

 seven years at least, and finds it every thing that can be desired. 



In winter pruning, he thins his young wood to a great ex- 

 tent. This plan, with a continual thinning and disbudding in 

 summer, so as to lose no sunshine on the leaves of the shoots 

 intended for the next year s crop, renders the buds plump and well 

 ripened. 



After the winter pruning, he immediately stops every wound, 

 whether from pruning or from accident, with a coat of thick 

 white paint ; this is repeated on all the larger wounds. The 

 wounds being dressed, he immediately stoves the house with 

 sulphur blended with sawdust, and burnt in shallow pans, and he 

 iifterwards dresses the tree two or three times with soft soap, 

 sulphur, and tobacco water, brushing it carefully into every bud 

 and crevice with a painting brush ; this mixture is not made so 

 strong as recommended by some gardening authors, as Mr. Er- 

 rington depends much on the careful brushing and flooding every 

 part of the tree. 



The author next took occasion to advert to the injurious effects 

 in pruning if the gardener preserves a high temperature at night ; 

 he had had his thermometer as low as 34° at night, when the 

 fruit was as large as peas without any injury whatever this 

 was originally through necessity, for in his anxiety to get fruit 

 early, he would probably have kept it to nearly 50° could he have 

 obtained that heat j but he is convinced that it would have been 

 worse for the tree. From the period that the fruit begin to swell 

 off until they commence ripening, the trees have most copious 

 syringiugs and steamings, excepting that in the months of Fe- 

 bruary or March, in cold dull weather, he is a little more nig- 

 gardly of water, taking care especially that if he syringes in the 

 afternoon, it is done early, so as to have the leaves dry by the 

 evening j for a temperature of 34° to 40° by night and a wet leaf 

 would by no means agree. The house is of course fumigated on 

 the first appearance of green fly. As for the red spider, he sel- 

 dom by this management sees one. 



The young wood receives the utmost attention through all the 



