C58 



Tin: PRACTICAL GARDENER. 



month it should be f^radually raised to 50°, and by the end of 

 the month to 52°. The reguhir keeping of this temperature 

 is of the utmost importance to the wehare of the trees, as well 

 as to ensure a crop of fruit. The times of regulation being at 

 six or seven o'clock in the morning, and eight or nine at night. 

 Until the blossom begins to expand, the trees should be sy- 

 ringed every morning about nine, and every evening about 

 four or five, when the house is shut up for the night. Water 

 should be poured upon the flues at the time that they are suf- 

 ficiently warm, for the purpose of producing a steam, but this 

 will not be often the case, unless near the entrance of the flue 

 from the furnace for some time ; however, as soon as the flues 

 are sufficiently heated to keep up the required temperature, 

 this steaming should be attended to every morning and even- 

 ing. The borders should be kept moderately moist by water- 

 ing, particularly round the flues and where they enter the 

 house, being more apt to become dry there than at a greater 

 distance from the heat. Great caution must be paid that the 

 temperature of the house be not allowed to exceed the points 

 above, for if heated to a high temperature, and then allowed 

 to fall to a lower, the buds would not only push weakly, but 

 would absolutely fall off'. Although we have advised syringing 

 both mornings and evenings, it is not to be done in a careless 

 nor inmioderate manner, but should be done with the finest 

 rose upon the syringe, to act as a dew upon the branches and 

 buds, to soften them, and to render their breaking more regu- 

 lar. The syringe best suited f )r this purpose is that of 7?c'/V/V 

 Patent Si/rin<rc, which can be purchased of any nurseryman 

 or respectable ironmonger. If the garden-engine be used, or 

 any of the coarser syringes commonly in use, too much water 

 will be spilt upon the borders of the house, which should not 

 be deluged with wet, but only kept moderately damp. If the 

 borders be kept too wet, much danger will be incurred of the 

 buds falling off' before they expand, and consequently a failure 

 must ensue. 



Peaches have been forced by means of dung-heat in this 

 country, extensively at Dagenham Park, and are also forced by 

 dimg in Denmark and Holland, but we do not think that the 

 practice merits general adoption. 



