THE ELOBAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
143 
THE MANAGEMENT OF PEACH TREES. 
BY A SUBSCRIBER. 
the management of the Peach, it must be borne in mind 
that the Peach is a native of Persia, whose climate is 
hotter than that of Britain; and in order to grow it 
well, it mast have a favourable situation, good aspect, 
soil, and drainage. The most important of these is 
situation ; if this can be provided, the gardener will have overcome 
his great difficulty ; for any locality will furnish a suitable aspect, 
the best of which is that facing the south, or if slightly inclined 
towards the east, so much the better. The Peach should not be 
situated so high as to be injured by cutting winds, nor so low as to 
render the tree liable to be hurt by spring and summer frosts. The 
precise course to be followed, however, must be influenced by the 
circumstances under which the trees are placed rather than by any 
fixed rule. In Cornwall it is easier to produce good fruit under the 
most ordinary treatment, than it is in some localities to produce fruit 
of even second-rate quality under the most skilful management; and 
why ? because the climate of Cornwall is most suitable to the nature 
of the Peach. I have been convinced by experience of this truth. 
The summers of Cornwall are sufficiently long to allow of the wood 
being thoroughly matured, and the average temperature there is less 
variable. The garden of which I lately had charge, was situated at 
the bottom of a wide and beautiful valley in Shropshire, on the banks 
of the River Corve. Here the trees suffered so much from the 
effects of late and early frosts, that it was only in fine hot seasons 
the wood ripened. 
Spring and summer frosts are the worst enemies a gardener has 
to contend with in Peach growing, and any locality susceptible of 
frosts early in autumn must be highly injurious to Peaches, causing 
the leaves to fall before they have discharged the duties of their 
office, the buds in their axils are left unripened, and the shoots on 
which they grow are green and full of unelaborated sap. In such a 
state they cannot be expected to bear with impunity the rigour of 
a severe winter. There should be flued walls in all treacherous 
situations in order that the ripening process of the wood might be 
assisted by artificial means, whenever circumstances required it. 
As a proof that climate much affects the Peach, I may state that the 
fruit produced in the houses in my locality were equal to any I ever 
saw. The late Mr. Knight predicted that peaches and nectarines 
would never do any good in situations like that alluded to, and 
experience confirms the truth of his predictions. I do not mean to 
say that there were no fruit produced in the place I have mentioned, 
but I can say that it was inferior and deficient of that sugary flavour 
so essential to the quality of the Peach. 1 have no doubt, however, 
but that Peaches might have been grown pretty successfully at a 
slight elevation on the south side of the valley. 
Had I continued in the situation I was in, I would have tried the 
May. 
