THE PEACH AND NECTARINE UNDER GLASS. 



113 



the next year's supply of bearing wood. When in 

 the second year the fruit is thinned and swelling 

 freely, the points must be pinched out of all the 

 bearing shoots, and those started from the base re- 

 gularly laid in and again stopped, when they have 

 made six inches of growth, to induce the formation 

 of a successional relay of fruit-bearing wood. As 

 this will require all the light and air that can be 

 given to it, the bearing wood must be cut out as 

 soon as the fruit is gathered ; but the shortening of 

 stronger shoots to a single leaf-bud must be deferred 

 until the winter pruning. Although trees trained 

 and manipulated in this way produce plenty of 

 fruit, the roots in course of time get too strong and 

 powerful for the limited area of the heads. To 

 counteract this and keep them witbin bounds, full- 

 sized trees can be lifted with good balls as soon as 

 the foliage is ripe, and after having all the strongest 

 shoots shortened with a sharp knife, they can be 

 re-planted into a little fresh loam without endanger- 

 ing the succeeding year's crop of fruit. 



Horizontal Cordons are formed by heading back a 

 maiden tree and training two shoots in opposite 

 directions along a trellis wire (Fig. 19), but they are 

 of little use in an ordinary Peach-house, and will 

 not be again referred to. In the Orchard-house they 

 are more useful, and have been noticed. 



Root-pruning (see also Root-pruning of the 

 Apple). — "When young trees are planted in rich 

 borders and trellis-room is hmited, they sometimes 

 require partial lifting to throw them into a fruit- 

 ful state. The best time to do this is as soon as 

 the foliage is ripe and ready to part from the nodes 

 where the fruit and wood buds are properly formed, 

 and not likely to shrink or shrivel after tbe roots 

 have been distrorbed. It is not, however, a good 

 plan to be constantly checking and disturbing the 

 roots if it can be avoided, as the fruit the following 

 year is never so fine, and unless very carefully per- 

 formed, the trees, whose head-room is not increased, 

 in the course of a year or two again become gross 

 and unmanageable. To avoid having to lift the 

 trees, sound, rather tenacious, resisting loam, free 

 from all kinds of animal manure, should be used, as 

 has been advised for making the borders at the 

 outset; the latter should be made piecemeal, well 

 drained, and not too large or deep. Moreover, they 

 should be inside the house, where the roots as well 

 as the wood will get thoroughly ripe before the 

 leaves fall. With these precautions as a guide, 

 combined with judicious cropping and the persistent 

 pinching of gross shoots through the summer, the 

 violent measures we sometimes see resorted to can 

 often be commuted to a moderate check which will 

 answer the purpose. 

 80 



When root-lifting has been decided upon, like all 

 other operations of a similar nature, it should be 

 performed quickly. Take out with spades and steel 

 forks a trench round the extremity of the roots and 

 quite down to the turf on the drainage ; then with 

 the greatest care work steadily inwards towards the 

 stem of the tree, saving all the tender roots and 

 fibres as they are found in the soil. When the 

 strong roots, which have been the cause of the trees 

 becoming too robust, have been found, most likely 

 working in the drainage, raise them carefully, pre- 

 serving all the fibres, and place them on the top of 

 the ball, where they can be kept moist and shaded. 

 Then correct the drainage and stratum of turf, and 

 return a portion of the compost into the trench, beat 

 it firmly and evenly, and spread a little fresh loam 

 over it as a bed for the roots. Cut the points off 

 them as they are relaid but do not reduce them, as 

 lifting alone will produce the required check. Re- 

 place a thin stratum of the old soil with a little more 

 of the new loam, beat it firmly, and flood the trench 

 with pure water. Syringe the foliage if it flags, and 

 defer filling up the trench for a day or two, or until 

 the recently watered soil has become firm. When 

 Peach-trees are root-lifted before they lose their 

 leaves, it is wonderful how quickly they commence 

 making new roots in the yet warm, moist soil, and 

 how kindly they break into growth in spring, when 

 as a rule every blossom opens and sets perfectly. 



Extension-trained trees rarely require root-lifting, 

 as the broad expanse of wood and foliage keeps 

 pace with and properly balances the roots. Neither 

 are trees in elevated, and as a consequence naturally 

 warm borders, or borders which are confined witbin 

 certain limits, likely to grow too strong. What the 

 Peach enjoys is a weU-drained, firm loam, through 

 which an abundance of small fibrous roots will work 

 their way to the undisturbed surface in search of 

 food, supplied in the form of mulching or diluted 

 liquid. When planted in light, yielding soil, a few 

 strong roots run away beyond their limited space or 

 into the subsoil, from which they force up crude sap 

 late in the season; but being sparely furnished 

 with active spongioles, the fruit frequently ripens off 

 when it ought to be commencing the last swelling. 



RENOVATING. 



In course of time old trees become weak, and 

 although they may blossom freely and set plenty 

 of fruit, it decreases in size and quality. If the 

 borders are examined, it will be found that the 

 compost has become inert, heavy, and impervious to 

 the influence of sun and air, and that the young 

 roots made in summer, owing to coldness and sour- 

 ness of the soil, perish in winter. Some twelve to 



