506 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



to the owner, as few of the fruit are seen, the 

 foliage intervening between it and the eye of the 

 observer. It affords also less training surface 

 than several others ; and however well it may 



INTERIOR OF ONE OF THE PEACH-HOUSES AT DALKEITH. 



is of all forms the best calculated for the admis- 

 sion of light and air to all parts of the tree. In 

 the new gardens at present completing for 

 Lord Panmure from our designs, three large 

 span-roofed houses are to be planted in this 

 manner. 



SELECT LIST OF PEACHES. 



As being more convenient for ready reference, 

 we shall give our selection of peaches first, and 

 the nectarines afterwards. We may, at the 

 same time, observe, that as both are and will 

 continue to be cultivated in Britain either under 

 glass or against walls, a limited number of trees 

 can consequently be admitted into one gar- 

 den. We shall, 

 although with 

 some degree of 

 reluctance, omit 

 those of Ameri- 

 can origin, be- 

 cause we have 

 had so little op- 

 portunity of as- 

 certaining their 

 merits when 

 grown in Bri- 

 tain, and those 

 we have our- 

 selves cultivated 

 have in no case 

 equalledthe best 

 peaches already 

 in this country. 

 We will, how- 



be for low pits, is assuredly the worst for a 

 regular peach-house. The mode shown at fig. 

 469, vol. i., has the back wall and a curvilinear 

 trellis in front only covered, as has also fig. 477. 

 In both cases the highest part of the trellis is 

 too far from the glass, and all fruits produced 

 upon the under side of such trellises are found to 

 be of very inferior quality. Indeed, any modifi- 

 cation of training the peach under glass should 

 have for its leading features, placing the foliage 

 and fruit so that both may be as much exposed 

 to light, air, and sunshine as possible, yet not 

 so near the glass as to occasion burning or 

 scorching of the leaves ; and to secure this, a 

 distance of 12 inches should be allowed be- 

 tween the glass and trellis in houses of the an- 

 tiquated lean-to style, with heavy rafters, framed 

 sashes, and small glass ; whereas in houses built 

 upon the curvilinear or span-roof principle, with- 

 out rafters, and having large glass, from 15 to 

 18 inches will be a good distance. Of all modes 

 of training, where the houses are sufficiently 

 lofty, and constructed with glass to within a few 

 inches of the ground, none are better than the 

 open standard form, the centre ones being 

 wrought as standards or riders, with 4 or 5 feet 

 stems, and those along the sides dwarfs or half- 

 standards, allowing their heads to fill the whole 

 space, and of a judicious thickness of branches. 

 The standard form is that most natural to all 

 fruit trees whose branches, if too vigorous, can 

 easily be constrained to a somewhat pendulous 

 form ; and if kept sufficiently thin of branches, 



ever, append a list of American peaches, mark- 

 ing those most highly spoken of in such works 

 on American pomology as we have had an op- 

 portunity of consulting. One of their authors 

 very sensibly remarks : " It is very desirable 

 to reduce the collection of peaches to rea- 

 sonable limits, because as this fruit neither 

 offers the same variety of flavour or the ex- 

 tent of season as the apple and the pear, a 

 moderate number of the choicest kinds, ripen- 

 ing from the earliest to the latest, is in every 

 respect better than a great variety, many of 

 which must necessarily be second-rate." In 

 regard to the effect of climate on the peach, 

 when grown in France or England, and those 

 grown in the United States, the same very im- 

 partial authority says : " It is worthy of remark 

 that most of our American varieties of the first 

 quality have proved second-rate in England. 

 This is owing to the comparative want of sun 

 and heat in their climate. Indeed, our finest 

 late peaches will not ripen at all except under 

 glass, and the early varieties are much later than 

 with us. On the other hand, many of the best 

 European sorts are finer here than in England, 

 and we have lately endeavoured to introduce 

 all of the foreign sorts of high quality, both with 

 the view of improving our collection, and be- 

 cause we believe they are generally purer and 

 healthier in constitution than many of our own 

 native kinds." The time of ripening is that of 

 the open air in the vicinity of London, unless 

 where otherwise expressed. 



