718 



PRACTICE OF GARDENING. 



Part III. 



if the blossoms or young fruit are discolored, this operation recovers ihein, provided it be done before the 

 sun comes upon them. He farther says, tliat he has sometimes had occasion to water particular parts of 

 the trees more than once in the same morning, before he could get entirely rid of the effects of the frost. 

 Dr. Noehden remarks {Hori. T?-ans. ii.) " that this operation of watering before sunrise, in counteract- 

 ing the frost, seems to produce its effect in a manner analogous to the application of cold water to a frozen 

 joint or limb, which is injured by the sudden application of warmth." Harrison discovered this method 

 by the following accident : " In planting some cabbage-plants, among the rows of some kidneybeans, 

 very early in the morning, after a frosty night, in spring, before the sun was high enough to come upon 

 the frosted beans, he spilt some of the water upon them which he used in planting the cabbage-plants ; 

 and to his surprise, lie found that the beans began immediately to recover." 



4510. Ripening peaches on leafless branches. Whenever the part of the bearing branch, 

 which extends beyond the fruit, is v^'ithout foliage, the fruit itself rarely acquires matu- 

 rity, and never its proper flavor and excellence. This Knight conjectured to be owing 

 to the want of the returning sap which would have been furnished by the leaves ; and he 

 proved it experimentally, by inarching a small branch immediately above the fruit. The 

 fruit, in consequence, acquired the highest degree of maturity and perfection. (^Hort. 

 Trans, ii. 25.) 



4511. Insects, diseases, &c. The leaves of the peach-tree are ^^I 

 very liable to the attacks of the acarus, its greatest enemy, and also 

 to be devoured by the Cliervies (Jig. 491. a), Aphis {Jig. 491. 

 b), and even a much smaller insect, the Thrips {fig. 492.), 



492 which, in its natural size (c) is hardly perceptil>le with the naked eye. 

 These are to be kept under by the usual means of watering over the leaves, 

 and fumigation with tobacco-smoke. The honey-dew, mildew, gum, and 

 canker, are chiefly to be kept under by regimen : dusting with sulphur has 

 been found to destroy the mildew {Robertson, in Hort. Trans, v. 184.), but 

 the only certain way of removing it is by a renewal of the soil, which will commonly be 

 found old mould long in use and too rich ; and by abundance of air. J. Kirk. {Caled. 

 Hort. Mem. iv. 159.) has tried renewing the soil for fifty years, and always found it an 

 effectual remedy. 



4512. Black spots or blotches are very apt to appearand spread on the young wood of the peach-tree, 

 and these Kinment proved to be produced by over-rich soil. He says, " Some time in the beginning of 

 winter, 1811, I collected together a rich compost-heap (No. 1.), consisting of one third light loam, one 

 sixth strong clay, one twelfth lime, one sixth hot-bed dung, one sixth vegetable mould, and one twelfth 

 pigeon-dung. At the same time, I collected another heap (No. 2.), much less rich, consisting of one 

 half light loam, one fourth strong clay, one eighth earth from scourings of ditches, one sixteenth lime, 

 and one sixteenth hot-bed dung. These heaps I turned over occasionally, in order that they might be 

 well meliorated by the frosts. About the middle of March, 1812, I planted the trees, and applied to the 

 roots of a few of them the rich compost of No. 1. ; but the greatest number of them were planted with the 

 compost No. 2. About the latter end of June, I examined the young trees all over : the shoots that 

 they had made were nearly all of the same size ; but I was no way disappointed when I found those I 

 had planted with the rich mould, sadly infested with black spots ; while those planted with No. 2. re- 

 mained whole and sound. There being only the few which were planted with N^o. 1. infested with the 

 black spots. With my knife I cut the blemishes entirely out ; and about the latter end of September I 

 found the wounds completely whole. Early in the spring, 1813, I cleared off the rich mould entirely 

 from their roots, and supplied the vacancy with No. 2. ; and at the end of last season I had the happiness 

 to see them succeed to the utmost of my wishes, free of black spots." {Caled. Hort. Mem. ii. 79, 80.) 



4513. The wasp (Vespa vulgaris), the large fly {Musca vomitoia), the ant {Formica vulgaris), and 

 especially the earwig {Forficula auricularia), arc enemies to the ripe peach. The three first may be ex- 

 cluded by nets, or enticed by honied bottles, and the last caught by the beetle-trap, reeds, or bean-stalks, 

 laid in behind the leaves, and examined every morning. 



4514. The Montreuil peach-growers water to wash off the aphides ; pick off wrinkled, blotched, and 

 mildewed leaves, and cut out canker and gum, and cover the wound with onguent de St. Fiacre, i. e. cow- 

 dung and loam, " much in the same way," Neill observes, " as is practised in Scotland." 



4515. Gathering. Use the peach-gatherer, and gather one day or two before the fruit is to be used, and 

 before it be dead-ripe, laying it on clean paper in a dry airy part of the fruit-room. See Chap. IV. Sec. III. 

 and Chap. V. Sect. X. 



4516. Forcing, and the use of hot-walls. The peach-tree forces well under glass, (See Chap. VII. Sect. 

 III.) and its ripening may be accelerated in the open air, when planted against a hot- wall, by the application 

 of gentle fires in cold moist weather, in August and September. This will ripen the fruit and wood, but 

 attempts to accelerate the Llossoms early in spring are very dangerous, as without the protection of glass 

 they are almost certain of being cut off. 



SuBSECT. 2. Nectarine. — Amygdalus Persica, var. Nectarina, L. Pec/ie lisse, Fr. 



4517. The nectarine is distinguished from the peach by its smooth and rather firmer 

 and more plump fruit. In other respects the general description of the peach equally 

 applies to the nectarine, both, as before observed, being by the continental gardeners 

 considered as one fruit. Forsyth says, " The fruit is called nectarine from nectar, the 

 poetical drink of the gods." Some botanists, considering it as a distinct species, dis- 

 tinguish it by the trivial name of nuci-persica, from the similitude of the green fruit in 

 smoothness, color, size, and form to the walnut {nux) covered with its outer green shell. 



4518. The varieties axe enumerated in the following table : — 



Free Stones arranged in the order of their ripening. 



Elruge; first cultivated at Hoxton, by 

 Gurle, in 1680 ; (Hook. P. L. & For. 3.) 

 rnedium size; dark-red and pale-yel- 

 low color ; ripens about the middle of 

 August ; and is soft and melting 



Temple's (Lanj^. P. t. 30. and For. 8.); 

 medium size; pale-red and yellowish 

 color; ripens in the middle of Sej)- 

 tember ; flavor rich and juicy 



Fairchild's early (For. 1.); small size; 



round figure; beautiful red color; 



ripens in the middle of August; 



flavor good 

 Peterborough, Late Green, Vermash 



(For. 10.) 



Scarlet (For.i.); small size; fine soar- 

 let and pale-red color; ripens in the 

 end of August 



Violet, Violet Hative (Hook. P. t. 15. 



For. 11.); medium size; purple and 



pale color ; vinous flavor 

 Murry (For. 7.); medium size; dingy 



red and pale green ; ripens in Uie 



middle of September 

 White, Flanders (HooA. P. t. 30. For. 



S. 58.) ; ripens in the beginning of 

 eptember. 



