PEACH. 



10. French Mignon P, — Ripens about the begin- 

 ning of September. This has been a great favourite 

 «ver since its introduction by the Hon. Mr. Capel at 

 Kew, a hundred and fifty years ago. 



The leaves are light green, and finely serrate : the 

 flowers large, and carmine coloured ; the fruit large, 

 somewhat oblong, with a lateral furrow ; the skin re- 

 markably soft and velvety, fine red next the sun, and 

 yellowish white behind. The pulp is yellow, juice 

 abundant, with a very rich vinous flavour ; red 

 round the stone, from which the pulp separates 

 freely. Miller extolled this peach, and it has lost 

 none of its character since. When well managed 

 it makes a healthy tree, and prolific withal. For 

 pots and moderate forcing under glass, there are 

 few superior. 



The finest French mignons the author ever saw, 

 were forced in a Dutch pit in Richmond Gardens. 

 The back wall was about eight feet high, and the 

 width nearly the same. The trees were trained to a 

 trellis against the back wall ; a path in the middle 

 separated off an open pit along the front ; and it is 

 for the sake of stating the use this pit was put to, 

 that the circumstance is mentioned. This pit was 

 filled and kept filled with well-worked hot dung ; the 

 heat and steam constantly rising from this, was 

 trusted to, to invigorate the trees and keep them free 

 from insects, which it certainly did. This was a 

 homely way of forcing and steannng; but it was most 

 successful. 



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