By Mr. Robert Errington. 



of the superior roots through the front arches into the outside 

 border. In the first week of February the tree was dressed all over 

 with a mixture of soft soap, sulphur, and tobacco water, rubbed 

 carefully into every crevice, and when perfectly dry, the wounds 

 caused by pruning were coated over with thick paint. 



Towards the middle of February the water was turned on the 

 house, but the heat for the first fortnight did not exceed fifty 

 degrees by day, and thirty-six by night. The house was steamed 

 profusely morning and night all the season, with the exception of 

 the flowering time, and during the ripening of the fruit. After the 

 blossoms were set the heat was increased slowly, and for some 

 weeks was about sixty degrees by day, maximum, and allowed to 

 sink generally as low as thirty-eight degrees at night ; indeed I have 

 had it as low as thirty-four degrees at night, when the fruit were 

 as large as Peas, without any mischief whatever. 



The tree ripened about eight dozen of very good Peaches in the 

 same summer in which it was planted, and during that with the 

 succeeding seven years, it has produced at least two thousand four 

 hundred large and fine fruit ; the largest Peach I ever gathered 

 from this tree weighed twelve and a half ounces ; I have however 

 gathered hundreds of from nine ounces to eleven ounces in weight. 

 The tree is now, December 1839, exposed to the weather and is 

 full of excellent wood, covering completely the trellis, a surface of 

 four hundred and eighty feet. 



General management of the Peach Tree as practised at Oulton Park. 



I will begin with the root ; and this leads me to remark that the 

 Peach, in my opinion, as well as most other tender fruit trees, is 

 planted in borders far too deep, as well as too rich. It is of course 

 imperative on the planter to take the utmost care that no stagnation 

 of any kind be permitted to take place, not only as regards drainage, 

 but in choosing soil of a proper texture. A loam about half way 

 between stiff and sandy, I find the best ; and in my opinion, the less 



