I026 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



There are several other late Peaches, Sea Eagle, for instance, 

 that grow well and produce excellent crops of fruit ; but the 

 quality can scarcely be termed good by anyone, and for that 

 reason alone they are not included here. 



Under Glass. — The system of disbudding and pruning the 

 trees is exactly the same as that already advised for trees out- 

 side. The same advice also applies to the thinning of the fruit. 

 Peaches and Nectarines in pots are annually becoming more 

 popular in the gardens of the wealthy, as very fine fruit can be 

 forced on such plants, and when the crop is all gathered the 

 plants can be stood outside, and a late crop of Tomatoes grown 

 in the house before it is wanted for Peaches again. The 

 varieties already named as succeeding outside are equally suitable 

 for inside culture. 



A compost of good fibrous loam, with a little bone-meal and 

 oyster-shells broken up, or mortar rubble, thoroughly mixed, will 

 suit the trees admirably. Only moderate-sized pots should be 

 used ; in fact, large ones, except for trees of considerable size, 

 <ire a disadvantage. In potting the drainage should be free and 

 good, and the compost rammed firm about the ball of soil and 

 roots, as a firm root-run is essential to success with all stone fruits. 



If early Peaches and Nectarines are desired from planted-out 

 trees, the house should preferably be in the form of a sharp 

 lean-to against a south wall, with four rows of hot-water pipes; 

 in such a structure the cost of heating is not very great, owing 

 to the comparatively small area. Later houses may, with 

 advantage, be more imposing erections, and in the form of a 

 lean-to with raised front, or the roof of curvilinear form, the 

 trees being trained on a trelhs up the roof. Very good fruit 

 indeed is also grown on bush-trees planted out in a span-roofed 

 orchard-house, provided due attention is paid to disbudding, 

 eradicating insect pests, &c. 



In whatever style the trees are grown, and whether forced very 

 early or not, it is very important to start them gradually, or they 

 will cast their buds. A temperature of 45deg. at night, rising 

 5deg. by day, will suffice until the trees commence to unfold 

 their buds; then it may be gradually raised lodeg. Syringing 

 with tepid water in the morning and again early in the afternoon 

 should be practised on all bright days, also damping all the 

 border, and especially near the hot-w^ater pipes ; for unless this 

 is done Red Spider is almost sure to appear. Syringing of the 

 trees ought to cease when they are in blossom ; but immediately 

 the fruit is properly set, syringing well both over and under the 

 foliage is necessary, maintaining a genial atmosphere, and venti- 

 lating carefully on warm days, as the heat in the houses rises, 

 but always closing with a good sun-heat in the afternoon. When 

 the fruit is ripening syringing must cease, but it should be 

 resumed when all the fruit is gathered, and all ventilation possible 



