THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
It should be added that the Royal Horticultural and 
other leading- societies regard the owner of a place and 
not the gardener, as the exhibitor. The gardener is but 
the agent. Unless an understanding exists, as it usuallx' 
does, the prize money, cups or any other premium is paid 
to the owner. Should any doubt exist as to who the 
money should be paid to, the secretary of the society 
would write to the gardener-owner for information. In- 
variably, however, the premiums go to the gardener, he 
being the grower. Some gardeners were encouraged to 
exhibit by their employers, as the prize money helped 
out their all too fragile salary, and this was one way of 
getting somebody else to pay the man ! L)thers encour- 
aged their gardeners purel\' for the renown it brought to 
the employer. We in America have no true conception 
of the Englishman's craze for flower shows. Once, while 
over there, I made a count of the shows that were being 
held around London, all within three or four days in mid- 
summer — thirty-one ! It is no exaggeration to say that 
every little village, as well as big towns, has its own 
show. In Paisley, Scotland, they have pansy shows — 
a cult by itself, upheld by the working men. There is 
even a Pansy and \'iola Society, a national organiza- 
tion. Elsewhere the working people specialize in mari- 
golds. In the north of England the miners have hot- 
houses and grow giant stove plants. In Lancashire the 
cotton spinners specialize in big gooseberries. E.ver 
heard of this cult? Tell you, Ciironici.ites (excuse the 
appellation), you would be amazed were I to relate all 
I know about these Lancashire men and their goose- 
berries. Blood manure, carcases, bring — oh, yes, lots of 
them. They even tie a worsted thread to the stalk of the 
berry, winding it around and giving it a turn rotnid the 
tip, then carrying" this thread down to a jar of water 
under the bush. It is found that this aids the swelling 
of the fruit. Do you know that an annual publication, 
called the Gooseberry Grower's Register, is (or used 
lately to be) published containing a record of the year's 
heavy berries with tabulated lists of the heaviest berries 
ever grown ? Yes ; most exciting. Lancashire, the home 
of cock-fighting, bulldog baiting, and other more or less 
brisk little games and pastimes, has its votaries of Flora 
and Romona. Some day it will be worth while writing 
a tale on the tricks and strivings of the workmen florists 
of the northern industrial districts of the island home of 
the Englishman — not forgetting those greatest of gar- 
deners, the Scotch. Herewith, take notice, I copyright 
the theme. 
Growing Peaches Under Glass 
By Samuel J. Trepass, New York. 
THE peach is considered to be of Persian origin and 
is supposed to have been carried into Egypt dur- 
ing the reign of Cambyses, then into Greece, and 
after a lapse of time into Italy, when it began to be known 
about seven years before the Christian Era. The native 
country of the Peach is, however, still a doubtful point 
and as such we may pass it over. 
A very good house for Peaches and Nectarines is equal 
span running east and west into two lines of ventilation 
on top and one line each side. 
(Propagation) Seed, budding, or grafting, I prefer 
the latter, as you get a tree for planting much quicker, 
using the muscle plum for stock, which I select from 
suckers from the existing trees which send up consider- 
able during the summer. Pot these into small pots and 
plunge outside, leaving them to get some hard freezing 
weather ; afterwards store in cellar or pit till January ; 
bring them into a cool house for starting and by the latter 
part of February they will be in active growth, ready for 
grafting. After this operation put them into a box cov- 
ered with glass or frame in a temperature of 60^, keeping 
them tightly closed for about ten days, when growth will 
have commenced and the union formed. A little ven- 
tilation at this time will be needed, commence first by 
opening the box at night, closing again in the day time 
for two or three days when you can begin to gradually 
remove the glass altogether and removing to a cooler 
house, avoiding direct sunlight for a few days, when you 
will have a splendid foundation for a new tree. 
The border should not be made too rich, use a good 
mixture of green bone, broken or ground to a size of one 
or two inches, well mixed into a good sandy loam three 
feet deep. 
For planting I prefer trees of bush form, as you al- 
ways have plenty of good wood to start with. The trees 
planted crosswise of the house, five feet apart, cut off 
wood, to fit to trellis also in front of the tree, leaving 
each side to tie to trellis, to form the tree. I have al- 
ways found them preferable to trained trees, as they cover 
the space in much less time. 
Peaches and nectarines are very sensitive to too much 
fire heat, when first started. The starting to the inex- 
perienced seems a little slow and tedious, 40 degrees at 
night with a rise of 10 to 15 in the day with sun heat, 
gradually increase this temperature until 50 at night is 
reached with 60 to 65 in the day, which temperature 
should be carried until the trees are in flower, when 
another 5 degrees may be permitted. 
^^'hen the fruit has set then comes a busy time, dis- 
budding, pinching and selection of wood for the follow- 
ing year. This should be done when the shoots are about 
an inch long, leaving sufficient to furnish the tree with 
ample foliage, without crowding. Disbudding and pinch- 
ing should not be completed at one time. Go over the 
trees about three times to avoid any check to the tree. 
Thinning of the fruit should never be neglected. It 
is far better to carry the average crop on your trees every 
year, than to have an over-crop one year with none the 
next as thinning insures quality. 
Borders should be examined frequently, as they require 
an abundance of water, where you have good drainage. 
I have seen crops spoiled for the lack of water. The sur- 
face would appear sufficiently moist but dry below. They 
enjoy alternate watering with liquid manure. 
When carrying the crop ventilation should be given on 
every possible opportunity avoiding draughts, as they de- 
light in an abundance of fresh air. 
Syringe the trees twice a day in bright weather, but 
stop when they are in flower. When the fruit is set sy- 
ringe again twice a day on bright days. After the fruit 
is picked, go over the trees and take out all useless wood, 
to make room and admit light, for ripening the wood for 
tlie following \ear. This is also a good time to take out 
an\- undesirable trees and replacing with those in [lots 
or tubs. 
The Winter pruning will be but a selection of the best 
wood to retain, also any root prtming can now be done if 
the trees have made much rank growth, also a good 
s]iraying with scalecide before the buds begin to swell, 
"^'our trees are then ready for the following year. 
