160 
CULTIVATION OF THE PEACH. 
solid, so as to prevent effectually the roots 
from penetrating in any case beneath it : over 
this place six inches more of open rubble, 
such as brick rubbish, or brick and lime rub- 
bish mixed; and on this, a portion of very 
rough soil, turfy, if it can be had. The drain 
at the extreme edge of the border should be 
laid, with tiles, and filled up with open rubble, 
to admit the water readily which would pass 
from the border. The nature of these arrange- 
ments will be understood better by referring 
to the annexed transverse section of the bor- 
der, showing the position of the principal 
drain. 
Fig. 2. 
The bulk of the soil which is best adapted 
for the Peach, is that known as loam. It 
should be of a good sound holding quality, 
not plastic like clay, but friable, and rather 
greasy to the touch ; it should be used in as 
rough a state as possible, within reasonable 
limits ; the proportion in which it should be 
employed is about three parts of loam to one 
part of leaf mould, and one part of old lime rub- 
bish. These ingredients should be intimately 
blended, and then conveyed to the border, and 
placed above the drainage already spoken of. 
If the natural soil is of good quality, a portion 
of it may be admixed with the compost ; but 
it is preferable, wherever it can be accom- 
plished, to make use of entirely fresh soil. In 
arranging the soil, it should be placed evenly, 
with as little compression by treading on it as 
possible, during the formation of the border, 
in order that it may settle regularly and 
evenly, and not in such a manner as may 
rupture the roots of any trees planted in it. 
It should be put together lightly, not at all 
compactly ; and about a foot extra in thick- 
ness should be allowed for its consolidation, 
which will take place gradually, and should 
never be augmented by unnecessarily tram- 
pling on it at any time. These operations may 
all be performed at any time in dry weather 
during the summer, so that the border may 
be ready for the reception of the trees early 
in the autumn. 
The time of planting should be just as the 
leaves are falling; they may be planted at any 
other time, but this is the best, for at this time 
every part of the plant is stored with elabo- 
rated food, and the roots are as perfectly as 
they can be, in an inactive state; consequently, 
if their removal is effected when they are in 
such a state, they will sustain the least pos- 
sible check or injury by removal: the young 
fibres will be stimulated to make an effort, in 
consequence of being moved ; and they will 
thus become developed just in that form and 
at that time in which they will be ready to 
grow away uninterruptedly, on the approach 
and return of the spring ; and the more visible 
organs of the plant — its leaves, will be enabled 
to commence and carry on their peculiar func- 
tions, for they will be duly and constantly 
supplied with the elements of nutrition. 
The spring has sometimes been recom- 
mended for the season of planting, especially 
on heavy and wet soils; but on soils such as 
these, it is useless to plant the Peach-tree 
at all, whilst they are in that state ; and if 
any due preparation is made for them, as 
ought to be done, the supposed reasons for 
spring planting will be done away with. The 
principal objections made to autumn planting, 
consist in the supposed liability of the young 
fibres to become injured by the act of trans- 
plantation, and thus to remain in a damaged 
and mutilated state during the whole of the 
winter. If, however, the transplantation has 
been effected so early in the autumn as we 
have recommended, and the soil dKd border 
have been properly made for their reception, 
the young roots will have abundant time 
to establish themselves anew before the 
commencement of severe weather; and the 
branches being thereby placed in communica- 
tion with the moisture of the soil, they will, 
immediately on the approach of warmer wea- 
ther, draw up an increasing supply of food 
from the soil, by the capillary action of the 
spongioles; and this will act as a counter- 
balance to the parching influence of evapora- 
tion from the branches, caused by the in- 
creasing heat and brisk winds which prevail 
in the spring, and necessarily cause a shrivel- 
ling in the branches and a contraction of the 
vessels, if these are not kept distended by 
means of the action of the roots in the soil. 
It cannot be too strongly expressed, or too often 
repeated, that a soil which is not rendered 
perfectly free from the stagnation of superflu- 
ous moisture, by a system of thorough drain- 
age, is not only unsuitable for the growth of 
such tender fruits as the Peach and Nectarine, 
but is also unfit for the reception of any trees 
or plants which are not absolutely aquatics. 
Plants can no more live without food than 
animals; they cannot receive nourishment if 
their food is presented to them in a state unfit 
for their peculiar organization; neither can 
they live and thrive if they are supplied only 
with unwholesome food. Now it cannot be 
denied that the elements of the food of plants 
