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KOl'AL H01tTICULTUE.lL SOCIETY. 



fleshed peach, was also very rich and juicy. Mr. Pearson has a 

 seedling yellow -fleshed peach, raised by himself, much superior 

 to any other variety of yellow-fleshed peach that I have tasted ; 

 it is a fine-looking variety of decided merit and very pleasing 

 appearance. The following were also in fine condition ; but 

 where all are good, it is difficult to say which is the best : — Royal 

 George, Noblesse, Barringtou, Ray Macker, A^iolette Hative. Early 

 Anne, Salway, and Late Admirable. 



Of Nectarines, the Downton was most conspicuous, being very 

 large and fine ; this is a splendid old variety, but is not so much 

 cultivated as it deserves to be, Balgowan, Elruge, Violette Hative, 

 and Pitmaston Orange being very line. In one of the first houses 

 erected here are some very fine specimens of peach-trees, planted 

 out some fifteen or sixteen years since ; they arc standards, 

 about 4 feet in height, with very large heads of the most luxuriant 

 growth, and loaded with dozens of the finest fruit that could 

 possibly be wished for. The borders in which these trees are 

 planted are composed of a light-yellowish loam ; they are never 

 stirred or forked, in fact being quite hard, and are only watered 

 when that operation is deemed necessary. 



The apricots and also the cherries (of which Mr. Pearson has 

 a fine collection in a young state) were over at the time of my 

 visit; but I was informed that they, too, had been very prolific, 

 and had borne excellent crops of fine fruit. Mr. Pearson kindly 

 explained his mode of cultivation of orchard-house trees, which is 

 very simple ; and the result speaks for itself. He commences to 

 look out for insect pests previous to the plants coming into 

 flower ; and, should there be any signs of green fly, the houses are 

 fumigated, and the insects destroyed immediately. After the 

 fruit is set, the trees are kept clean by the use of quassia water, 

 prepared by boiling 2 oz. of quassia chips and 2 oz. of soft soap 

 in one gallon of soft water, which is allowed to get cold before 

 using. The trees are fed regularly with manure-water until the 

 fruit is ripe ; plenty of air is given at all times, and they are also 

 mulched with chopped horse- or cow-dung ; but Mr. Pearson does 

 not recommend the taking away of three or four inches of the 

 surface soil, and filling up with a fresh compost, as recommended 

 by some. There are to be seen here (though not to a great 

 extent) some fine examples of grape-cultivation ; in one of the 

 houses, and trained to the rafters over the peaches, are some half 

 dozen vines, of which one of them, the Muscat Hambro', was a 



