136 



change towards ripening in the fruit, stop the points 

 of all the young wood, with the exception of a few of 

 the weakest shoots at the lower part of the tree, and 

 these keep growing until the end of the season, in 

 order to get as much sap in them as possible. In 

 the course of their ripening, abundance of air is to be 

 given both night and day, and every leaf which shades 

 the fruit is to be entirely removed. They cannot ripen 

 too slowly ; the slower they ripen, if not absolutely 

 starved, the better. Syringing is of course to be withheld 

 altogether, as well as steaming, but as soon as the last 

 fruit is gathered, the tree should be completely bat- 

 tered with water morning and evening, and the house 

 shut up early in the afternoon, with a thermometer 

 of ninety to ninety five degrees of sun-heat when it 

 can be obtained, and this course persisted in until the 

 leaves turn colour, when the heat by sunshine may 

 range even higher still. By these means the wood 

 is most completely ripened, and in pruning cuts 

 more like oak than peach-wood. During all the 

 ripening process the border inside the house should 

 be allowed to become dry ; in fact, water entirely 

 withheld from the moment the least appearance of 

 change in a single peach is perceived towards ripening. 

 {Hort, Soc, Trans, ii. 362.) 



Watering and Syringing, — One essential for secur- 

 ing vigorous production in the peach-house is to have 

 the roots of the trees well nourished. If these are 



