Book T. 



CULTURE OF THE PEACH-HOUSE. 



659 ~ 



3075. For a late peach-house, dwarfs should be planted in front, to be trained about half way up the roof; 

 and dwarfs, with riders between them, against the back wall, to be trained to the top. In this case, the 

 trees on the back trellis would not be shaded by those in front, provided they be not trained to more than 

 half way up the sloping glass ; and thus the greatest possible extent of unshaded surface, and the greatest 

 quantity of unshaded fruit may be obtained. A house planted in this manner, about forty or forty-five 

 feet in length, may have four dwarfs in front, and four dwarfs and five riders at back; and when in a 

 full-bearing state, would produce a large quantity of nectarines and peaches. If only thirty or thirty-five 

 feet in length, three dwarfs in front, and three dwarfs and four riders at back, would be trees enough to 

 fill it. {Pract. Gard.) 



3076. For an early jyeach-house many consider the plants as safer when trained against 

 the back wall, or on a trellis not nearer the glass than three feet. This is the Dutch 

 practice, and was that of Speechly, and Kyle, of Moredun. 



3077. Season of Planting. Abercrombie recommends November and December as 

 preferable ; or otherwise February and March : M'Phail, " any time when the weather 

 is open, between October and March ;" which practice is also agreeable to that of Nicol. 

 Flanagan plants in the latter end of autumn, or beginning of spring, placing a compost 

 of three parts loam and one of dung immediately round the roots, in order to encourage 

 the plants to strike more freely into the general soil of the border. [Hort. Trans, v. 58.) 



3078. Training. All seem agreed in recommending fan-training for peaches and nec- 

 tarines ; which being the simplest and most natural of all training, we deem it unnecessary 

 to quote opinions at length. 



3079. Pruning. This, according to Abercrombie, may be performed at the fall of 

 the leaf ; but should be completed before the blossom-buds are considerably advanced. 

 M'Phail says, the best season is the spring, when the blossom-buds can be distinguished. 



3080. Nicol, in the case of a newly planted house, heads down the maiden plants, or cuts in the trained 

 trees, about the end of March or beginning of April. " With respect to the dwarfs, the shoots on the 

 lower branches should be cut back to two or three buds, that the trellis may be furnished from the bottom 

 with young wood. The shoots on the upper or farther extended branches may be shortened back to half, 

 or one third of their lengths, according to their strength, provided they have been well ripened, and are 

 ftee from canker ; but if the tree be anywise diseased, let them be cut so far back as to get rid of the can- 

 kered or mildewed part. I mention this as a matter of precaution, but would rather advise that no dis- 

 eased tree be planted, unless of a particular kind, that cannot be easily obtained. The riders need not be 

 headed so much in as the dwarfs ; the object being rather to throw them into a bearing state, than to 

 cause them to push very strong shoots, which would not be fruitful. If they make moderately strong shoots, 

 and if these be well ripened in autumn, a good crop may be expected on them next year. Let the 

 young shoots be laid in, as they advance, at the distance of about nine inches from each other; that, 

 is, of the dwarfs. Those of the riders may be laid in considerably closer, it not being intended they shall 

 grow so vigorously as those of the dwarfs." 



3081. Flanagan says, " If the trees appear to make luxuriant shoots in any part where bearing wood 

 is wanted, the shoots should be stopped at the third or fourth leaf, and if they are still inclined to 

 grow strong, they must be stopped a second time ; this will obtain kindly wood. Two or three times in 

 the spring the v.'hole should be looked over, and the shoots moderately thinned out, leaving those 

 which are most kind and well placed at regular distances for the next year's bearing. The first 

 thinning of the young shoots should be just after the fruit is set, and when they are eight or ten inches 

 long ; when at that length, they must be laid in at such distances as to admit the sun and air to ripen the 

 wood destined to bear in the ensuing season. The principal business of the first season is to keep the young 

 wood regularly laid in, to attend to the top and bottom waterings, and to the free admission of air 

 at all opportunities. If all this has been done, and the plants have been kept clean, they wiU in this 

 season have made plenty of good bearing wood for the next year, and they will have nearly covered half 

 the extent of trellis within the house." {Hart. Trans, v. 59.) 



3082. The winter pruning in a bearing-house is supposed to take place in November; and if the summer 

 shoots have been regularly trained, and laid in at the distances of nine inches in the dwarfs, and 

 rather less in the riders, they will not require much pruning at this time. A few of the shoots may 

 be shortened about the lower and middle parts of the tree, for the purpose of providing a supply of 

 young wood in these parts, and thinning out such shoots here and there as have been left too thick; 

 for others should not be shortened, but sliould be laid in at full length ; that is, such as are short, stout, 

 nearly of an equal thickness, and have a bold wood-bud at the extremity ; as from these may be expected 

 the best fruit next season. " In some parts of the tree, perhaps, or in some particular trees, it may be 

 expedient to cut out such old branches as have but few young shoots on them, provided there be 

 neighboring branches better furnished, whose shoots may be spread out, so as to fill, or nearly to fill, 

 the vacancy occasioned by such lopping. In this case, the shoots, borrowed as it were for this purpose, 

 must be shortened more or less, according to the size of the vacancy to be filled up, and according 

 to their strengths, in order that the plant may appear complete in all parts as soon as possible." 



3033. The summer pruning consists in pinching off all fore-right shoots as they appear, and all such as 

 are ill placed, weakly, watery, deformed, or very luxuriant, leaving a leader to every shoot of last 

 year, and retaining a plentiful supply of good lateral shoots in all parts of the tree. If any blank is to be 

 filled up, some conveniently placed strong shoot is shortened in June to a few eyes, in order that it may 

 throw out laterals. 



3084. The fruit is thinned after the stoning season, as already described in treating of 

 thinning of wall-fruit. (2570.) 



3085. Abercrombie says, " There should be a preparatory' thinning before the time of stoning, and a 

 final thinning afterwards, because most plants, especially such as have overborne themselves, drop many 

 fruit at that crisis. Finish the thinning with great regularity, leaving those retained at proper distances, 

 three, four, or five, on strong shoots ; two or three on middling, and one or two on the weaker 

 shoots ; and never leaving more than one peach at the same eye. The fruit on weakly trees thin more 

 in proportion." 



3086. Nicol concurs with these remarks. " If," he says, " the trees set an immoderate quantity of fruit, 

 which plants not in a healthy and vigorous state will often do (that is to say, such will frequently set more 

 than they are able to sustain or nourish), they should, in that case, be moderately thinned at this time. Also, 

 the fruit on trees in a more vigorous condition should be thinned ; thinning most where health is most 

 wanting, and least where it prevails over sickness. And observe, that for want of timely and judicious 

 thinning, sickness is often induced, and the whole crop lost. In a peach-house in a state of bearing, 

 when the fruit is swelling off, in order that it may attain a greater degree of perfection, such leaves and 

 summer shoots as overhang and shade the fruit are taken off or thinned," 



