August 6, 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



505 



Out-door Peach Culture. 



* ma naeement, and in a dry situation, there is no tangible 

 L NDff ^^ffir<Spa of peaches should not be obtained in the 

 reason why- ^ c * n f tre £ s grown out of doors, against a south, south- 

 ^jfttt^ U some plants will do fairly well, even 



west ' ? r "TlVtoin amount of neglect should be meted out 10 uiem, uui 

 S^SSdS^ creditable results in the cultivation of peaches 

 i!S^Swessential as to their requirements must be understood 

 S out in practice, and knowledge and discriminating powers lie within 

 a rln Js of the erower. The most important thing to be considered 

 t^^l^itSSbic on the cultivation of this delicious fruit is a 

 nb soil for the roots of the trees. The soil should vary according 

 I he aspert and situation. For a dry locality and a wall facing due 

 loam of a fairly strong character should be selected. In other 

 when the locality is inclined to be moist, a more sandy 

 medium is desirable. In all cases good drainage is indispensable to 

 access for few plants are more impatient of saturated soil around their 

 roots than peaches. The borders should be thoroughly prepared in 

 autumn or early winter by trenching them to the depth of two feet, and 

 ridging the soil. While the work is in progress old plaster, basic slag, 

 wood ashes, or, if that cannot be had, sulphate of potash should be mixed 

 ,.th the surface portion of the border. Where the staple of the border 

 s a good loam, no farmyard manure should be incoporated with it, 

 is this class of fertiliser has a tendency to promote succulent and 

 infruitful growths. Very sandy soils, however, will benefit by its 

 )resence by making them more retentive of moisture and plant food 

 naterials, but the amount employed must, nevertheless, be limited, or 

 more harm than good will result from its use. 



Provided the borders have been' well prepared in early autumn or 

 winter they should be in a capital condition to receive the trees in spring. 

 The first chance of finding them dry should be taken advantage of to 

 level down the ridges and fork over and break up the soil to the depth of 

 a foot. Small trees are most desirable if they have to be obtained from 

 a nursery, as they receive less of a check from the lifting, packing, and 

 travelling than larger ones do. Thoroughly examine the roots before 

 committing them to their permanent quarters, and dress all those that 

 are mutilated by cutting them in a slanting direction from the under-side 

 towards the surface. By cutting the roots in this manner the young 

 otlets, which will afterwards follow, will originate on the top — a decided 

 advantage so far as the healthy and fruitful growths of the trees are con- 

 cerned. The distance between the trees should be determined by 

 the height and length of the wall to be covered. From fifteen to eighteen 

 feet is the usual distance to have the trees apart. Allow a space of three 

 inches between the stems and the wall in order that the stems 

 ef the peaches may not come in contact with the latter in after 

 years, and be damaged. The borders in front of wall are invariably 

 utilized for the production of early vegetables, no matter what 

 irutts they have to support to cover the walls, and this necessitates their 

 oemg manured and dug. This digging destroys all the surface and most 



*UUC roots of the wall trees, and compels them to seek for food in 

 J^er and less fertile layers. It will therefore be seen that if well-grown 

 jacn trees and good crops are aimed at, this practice must not be put 



as^W%^ der M? ed not ne cessarily be given up to the peach trees, 

 * tneir roots will not occupy it for some years. 



should be meted out to them, but 



501 



south a 

 aspects 



or 



w 1 



n 



rn 



Dtrtnnt u 1 "T w ^""kj n auujc yccirs. The better plan, 

 5v« ? Z ? } 6 u° be gulded ^ the development of the trees them- 

 ix St SflJ h n J C ? COVer ' Sa * ei S htf eet, vertically, of the wall, leave 

 ■arttf the I S der the,r roots ""disturbed. The after-manage- 

 tte hea h of L ar °r d th M,?.° ts of the P eaches should be influenced by 

 mealud slha^nf ^ th l V man - ifest signs of weakness bone 

 tbeir roots durinl tf T 0 "' 3 may be a PP lied to the border occupied by 

 1 be fold "ii \ d ° r ^ ant • season of the P lants - Wo °d ash, too, 

 Simulam when th^ f *l e * the Sod is naturall y deficient in potash. As a 

 •'Phate of am mon • j ar - C stomn g> nothing excels equal proportions of 

 * = and a hah- nun- ? n i n,trate of soda » »PP«ed to the soil at the rate of 



^isstimulan win £i „ i W yard ' and washed in with warm water - 

 . . ! .'ant w,U not only aid the trees in finishing heavy crops, but will 



spruce branches, well furnished with leaves. The branches are allowed 

 to remain until all possibility of frost is gone, thereby affording protection 

 from any inclement weather from the time they are put on. The leaves 

 of the spruce branches will remain all through the colder months, and 

 when they do fall will do so gradually, and inure the fruit and foliage of 

 the peach trees to light and the natural temperature by degrees. With 

 movable shading the work and care of a year may be lost in a day or 

 night, for, with changeable weather, the promise of a warm, sunny day 

 or mild night may turn into a very cold one, and the shading having been 

 taken off, and not replaced, the growth and crop is crippled. The same 

 amount of disbudding, tying, and the stopping of gross shoots are as 

 essential to good results with outdoor peaches as those under glass, and 

 should be judiciously performed. Disbudding should occupy something 

 like seven days, and be performed in three operations, allowing two or 

 three days to elapse between each time. Remove about one-third of the 

 buds to start with, selecting one at the base of each shoot and the 

 terminal buds to remain. Where there are blanks to fill either among 

 the younger wood or older stems, eyes, suitably placed, should be left to 

 do so. In cases of latent eyes pushing from old stems the growths 

 should be stopped when they are four inches long. By this stopping 

 three or four growths will push from the current year's shoot, and these 

 will be of a much more fruitful character than would have been obtained 

 had the one from the latent eye been allowed to extend unchecked. 

 Lateral growths sometimes push from the young shoots. These should 

 be laid in to fill space when they are required, and not cut away, as is 

 sometimes done, for their presence exhibits too much nitrogen in the soil, 

 and in retaining them a balance between root and branch is secured. 

 In case of a damp, sunless autumn, it is advisable to stop all the stronger 

 growths at the end of August, t&, if they are still extending, in order that 

 thev may ripen. 



The chief enemies to peaches and nectarines, among insect pests, 

 are green and black fly, red spider, and thrip. If the branches have a 

 couple of dressings during the winter months of such an insecticide as 

 spidacide, none of them are likely to become troublesome. The time 

 they are most at the mercy of insects is during the flowering 

 period. Nothing can be done to check them at that time, and it is then 

 they do the mischief. It would, therefore, be well to see that none were 

 present just before the peaches came into bloom, and if so, apply a 

 dressing of extract of quassia chips. In the event of red spider showing 

 itself on the trees when in foliage, spidacide and a garden engine or good 

 syringe will exterminate it. It might be desirable to use clean water 

 after an application of this insecticide, not that the insecticide would do 

 harm, but as its action is instantaneous, and what remained on the leaves 

 would not prove any prevention for succeeding attacks. Two doses in 

 one week should effect perfect immunity from insects for a time. 

 Blister is a troublesome pest in some localities, and should be kept as 

 much under as possible. When plants have been affected by this fungoid 

 disease, a good plan is to give them and the walls a good coating with 

 sublimed sulphur and lime through a garden engine. For every pound 

 of sulphur add a quarter of a pound of lime ; well mix in water, and 

 make it of the consistency of whitewash. This put on in the winter 

 months, and with some force, to get into all the crevices, will prove of a 

 preventive character. In spring a keen eye will be necessary to detect 

 anv leaves attacked, and when found should be at once removed and 



any 



burned. 



approaches ripeness 

 occu 



When the fruit on the peach trees begins to take on colour and 



some fish net should take the place previously 



pied by the spruce branches, to keep birds off, for where these are 

 plentiful a crop can soon be ruined through their picking propensities. 

 By following the foregoing items of peach culture out of doors, growers 

 may count on good yields four years out of every five. 



Diseased Bedd 



Pelargon 



lx vour issue of July 9 I observe a reply to A. C. R. Faversham under 

 he above heading The losses were attributed to " something wrong in 



*° ^able them n 1 y thC treeS m fimshin & heavy crops, but will the son," me W^r-— ibl ^ave been caused by the 



"■H farmvard SlSL** * "SP ° f *S* f ° r the « -ceeSiAg year. to me to suggest that ^j^^^SS parts of the country, and 



enrich the soil !h ?u e ? an llkewl se be successfully employed to pelargonium disease^whicnjxisis r« ^ ^« ^ ^ 



i hi... , . wnen there is a rail fnr mr*™ f — a u.i / nftpn 1 



I P>t food iT^^^ a ^ U f °. r more - food > bl * this essen ce 



K?» ^d the 



put on in winter, for then the roots 



* ^ iem for loam J Si, u\\ aead \ ( >ne - ood making should 



B* couple of months /n (° r Sandy °? ts two mi £ ht be given, leav- 



5?)** liquid ^^nure wflf S the - timeS of application; As 



*nt in lim, !T2? , w,1 >. Promote organic acid formation in soil 



a year 



1 r ~ _ Arfo j Thp svmptoms of the disease are a gradual wither- 

 often unsuspected. The W t0 f h Iant The roots w hen 

 ing and shrivelling up of the leave ; o j ^ ^ 



examined are above. Afte/the disease has been 



the ground line and for some i gsta ^ ^ 



at work for some time the yfe ^ ^ g Y P , ^ 

 hand, the stem being ^ C J » iyc ( > he ' n ent) short i y after the 



a fungus w ^ h 5^ s i; th e form of small blisters like specks on the 

 stages may J^J^f^ of is to burn the diseased plants carefully 



StC £ Ir. .ot feed f the disease has obtained a good hold, it may be 

 as they are no ced H t ^ some Qth 



necessary to burn the ^toc ^ Some years ago the 



kind of plant in th e borter ^ ^ ^ l 



disease made its ^P£ aran fi u in}ected fe all the stock of Vesuvius, and 

 had sent me from a a« ta ^ f hi h varieties { did away wlt h, bum- 



f^l'ftTr- 8 frUlts '^om frosts and'coJd" a P n T C ;i ng ^ T d ^ Jing different kind of plant, altogether where the 



1**cien 1 ^ ,s tl »at of nole ' 1 ' a " d citing w.nds, but mg the stock and P lanun A tw0 i am R i ad t0 say we are now 



to rcarh f?„ „ ; T f nU e h, ? nches - The P° les are disease had been for l e dsease but u on lv «ot rid of it by drastic 



ft «he op, n f IT f b — They areTasfen^H t0 tbe bord f r ^ ° f the ^^c^^nT?^ Awards which showed 



^^,a5.V y - hooks . ^d a TL L e Z ^ t0p . immediatel y measures ^ ind by ak «t experience may be of use to your 



«aSSte^fc4MS tlCd t0 P° slsd -en into l^tl thS matter with his plants 



a "d aga in Xou [S ma / be n «**»ry twice - 

 *S tl * nt of n'oistJre a be « ,nn,n S of Although peaches are 

 Sp he allowed to t£ t T ?° tS > T t ', ,e >' should under 'no circum- 

 Su' 00 arl '"cial ^ to keep the soil in a favourable 



•«stiber. wat enng may be necessary after a spell of hot, dry 



^^^^^^^t the „ N °^ h ^ idin ^ of Yorkshire, I 

 «ffL¥ ,eR * ra e, I^r Ho / ? f wel1 ' v,z - R oyal George, Hale s 

 • St,rl 'nR Castle. i„ > ^ Condor, Red Magdalen, 



Bff^! nature th eir ^cron^ Pai ' tS ? the , c °uutry, varieties that take 

 5te£° ,d P a «s, like some Lf OM ; th ^ be successfully cultivated, 



Various art S Sfr ° f r Yorkshire - they would be 



?> IWerino • e met hods in force for DrntertimrWrl. ,.n.l 



* re placed okI ine g row er. 



ab °ut two feet apart, and on these are tied long 



N.B 



