132 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



shunned as a mulch, and on no account admitted 

 as a constituent of a Peach-border in the open air. 



These modes of resuscitating semi- exhausted trees 

 are far less practised than they were, now that young 

 trees have "become so plentiful and so cheap, though 

 only those that have succeeded in re-establishing the 

 health of an old Peach-tree, can have any idea 

 of the enormous crops it will yield, of the highest 

 quality. 



General Culture. — Properly sheltered, planted, 

 trained, pruned, and fed, there seems little more to 

 he done for the Peach, or other fruit. But all this 

 might he done, and yet the cultivator fail, for lack 

 of attention to a few other matters hardly of second- 

 ary importance, such as thorough and regular 

 watering, when necessary, of the tops as well as the 

 roots; the setting, thinning, swelling, colouring, and 

 flavouring, and gathering of the fruit ; the ripening 

 of the wood ; and the winter treatment of the trees. 



As the Peach can only he successfully grown on a 

 porous and well-drained border, there is little danger 

 of over- watering it during the growing season. The 

 finest wall of Peaches and Nectarines ever seen by 

 the writer in England had just had a stream of 

 sewage running over it for twenty-four hours, and 

 a similar flooding of water once a week or ten 

 days, throughout the growing season. During hot 

 weather, too, a deluging over the leaves on the 

 evenings of hot days is of immense advantage. 



Setting of the Fruit. — It may be thought 

 that the cultivator has little power over this in the 

 open air in March. But he may contribute towards 

 it in two ways — by moistening the flowers in very 

 dry weather, and distributing the pollen on to the 

 stigmas. A gentle dewing over about 9 a.m. during 

 dry weather, when the thermometer is not lower 

 than 40°, assuredly assists in the setting of the fruit. 

 And as neither flies nor bees are abroad in March, 

 the imitation of their touch on the blooms with a 

 light hand or brush, at least partially does their 

 work, and sets the bloom. 



The Thinning of the Fruit. — Almost as 

 soon as the blooms have developed into fruit, go 

 over them, and thin and throw off all malformed, 

 awkwardly-placed fruit. In a month or so go over 

 them again, and take off dual fruit, and thin out 

 those clusters that may have escaped before. 



Then leave the matter till the fruit are stoned, a 

 process that not seldom thins the crop rather- more 

 than is either desired or expected. When the 

 stone is sufficiently hardened to hinder a knife from 

 passing freely through it, give the final thinning. 

 To have first-rate fruit the Peaches should hardly be 



closer than an average of six inches. In •practice 

 they vary as widely as from two to twelve, and it 

 is this that prevents the thinning of the fruit to any- 

 thing like mathematical exactness. 



Ripening of the Fruit. — Peaches, and most 

 fruits, have what are termed two swelling periods. 

 The first begins with the setting, and ends with 

 the hardening of the stone of the fruit, or, more 

 correctly, about a month or six weeks before that is 

 accomplished, for during the conversion of the stone 

 from a substance almost as soft as the other portions 

 of the fruit into a substance as hard as we are 

 familiar with in the ripe fruit, the size of the Peach 

 remains stationary. During the first swelling it is 

 no use to apply any stimulating treatment to the 

 soil, an occasional leaf-and-branch sprinkling being 

 sufficient. But during the second swelling it is quite 

 otherwise. So soon as Peaches and Nectarines are 

 securely stoned, their tenure of the tree is insured 

 until they are ripe. From thence there is no further 

 danger of their falling or being washed off. Con- 

 sequently mulchings of solid and liquid manure may 

 be freely used during this period, for the enlargement 

 of the fruit. 



Full exposure to the light is the surest mode of 

 laying on colour, and laying in flavour, to Peaches 

 and Nectarines, and other fruits. In pursuit of 

 these highest objects of a good finish, all superfluous 

 shoots, and even leaves, must be removed or pushed 

 aside. It is certain that Peaches and Nectarines 

 will not lay on a full share of colour, or develop the 

 highest qualities, if overhung with leaves, or shaded 

 with lateral or other shoots. All stimulating treat- 

 ment and foods should also be withdrawn a full 

 month before the fruit ripens. 



Gathering, serving, and packing the fruit have 

 been sufficiently treated of by Mr. W. Coleman. 



The Wood. — Alongside of the special culture of 

 the fruit runs constant care of the wood of the Peach. 

 The rules of stopping for wood and fruit have been 

 clearly laid down in The Peach and Nectarine 

 "under Glass. Out of doors incessant tying-in, the 

 removal of lateral and supernumerary shoots, proceed 

 throughout the season. The nearer the wall the 

 greater warmth, and close and frequent tying pre- 

 vents the shoots from overshadowing each other and 

 the fruit. With the view of stimulating root-action 

 more wood is also laid in during the earlier stages 

 than can be accommodated as growth proceeds. 

 Hence the necessity of stopping some shoots and 

 totally removing others to prevent overcrowding. 

 Great care is also needed to prevent either ties or 

 shreds from biting into the shoots. All ligatures, 

 alike in the old and the young wood, but especially 



