April 9, 1835. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
285 
they fall from the tree the fine brisk aroma is gone. I make it a 
rule to go over the trees every day. and with the fingers and 
thumb catch the fruit at the back. If nearly ripe a gentle pull or 
pressure will separate it from the tree, and a little practice soon 
enables one to see which is likely to be ripe. If they are wanted 
soon place them on a warm shelf, and if not they will keep in 
the fruit room eight or ten days. I generally cover a table in the 
fruit room with cotton wool, on this place tissue paper ; placed 
on this they will keep well, and thus treated are far better for 
packing and also for eating than when left to fall from the 
tree. 
Insects .—The worst of these is red spider. I have had trees 
that never had a trace of it, but once on the trees they are 
difficult to get rid of. The best preventive is a liberal use of 
the syringe, but this must be discontinued wh n the fruit begins 
to ripen, and then they increase with alarming rapidity. When 
the fruit is gathered I have syringed with compounds, such as 
Fir-tree oil, lemon oii, and once with petroleum. This latter 
certainly killed the spider, but I think somewhat injured the 
trees. I think softsoap and tobacco water the best and safest 
remedy. In the winter cleaning of such infested trees I have 
tried all sorts of compounds for painting the trees, but never 
found any painting effectual. I dissolve softsoap in tobacco 
water, and with a brush dipped in this scrub all the old wood, 
and with a sponge dipped in the same mixture run it up from 
the bottom to the top of the young shoots ; this makes all clean, 
and keeps the pores of the bark open. Mildew in some places 
is also troublesome, but I have never been troubled with this on 
Peach trees under glass. Scale is also found on the Peach tree. 
The best cure I have found for this is when the trees are pruned 
tie them in bundles, dissolve a few lumps of lime in water, stir it, 
and when hot apply it to the trees through the jet of the 
syringe until they are well smeared over with the lime, leave it 
on for a day or two, and then wash it off. Black and green 
aphides are often troublesome, but gentle fumigation or syring¬ 
ing with tobacco water will destroy them. 
Ventilation .—This requires great care, and I do not know any 
more tantalising work than attending to it during a day when 
there is a bitter cold wind with blinks of bright sunshine. 
Speaking generally, I like to ventilate early so that the tempera¬ 
ture may rise after the air is given. I make it a rule to give a 
little air in front as soon as there is the least indication of sun¬ 
shine, increasing the supply as the temperature rises. I prefer, 
on the whole, to give the chief ventilation at the front or bottom. 
A small opening at the top lets out a large quantity of heated air, 
and by having the larger opening at the bottom there is not so 
much danger of cold draughts. I like to close the house early, 
and, as it were, bottle up the sunbeams, but it will not do in the 
earlier stages to close with too high a temperature. I have seen 
Peaches considerably injured by doing this. 
Forcing .—Having now alluded to a few points in connection 
with the cultivation of the Peach, I will say a few words respect¬ 
ing early forcing. I have for several seasons gathered ripe 
Peaches as early as the last week in April, and once as late as 
the 14th November. The Peaches introduced by the late Mr. 
Rivers are valuable in point of earliness, and that I consider 
their chief merit. Early Beatrice is prolific, but very small. 
Early Louise is good-looking, but I have never been able to get 
anything like a full crop. Eai’ly Rivers is a very fine-looking 
pale Peach, but the stones often split just as the fruit is nearly 
ripe, and the quality of the three varieties is only second-rate. 
The Nectarine named Lord Napier is a most excellent variety, 
and considerably earlier than Elruge, and will, I feel sure, be 
largely cultivated for early work. The early trees are generally 
pruned, cleaned, and tied, &c., early in October. I usually fork 
in a little bonemeal, and sometimes add a little fresh soil to 
the borders, and shut up about the middle of November. If the 
weather is mild very little fire heat will be required. 1 like to keep 
the night temperature low, say 40° to 45°. I am no stickler for 
uniformity of temperature, but prefer to be guided by the state 
of the weather. When very severe I would rather see the morn¬ 
ing temperature at 35° than 45°. I like to raise the heat 
during the day, especially if there is a little sunshine. At 
this stage very little air will be wanted ; I consider it useless 
to increase the fires and then open the ventilators to let in the 
cold air. The syringe must be very carefully used—only when 
there is sunshine, and then very gently, keeping the surface of 
the border moderately damp. Towards the end of the year the 
blossom buds will begin showing colour, when an increase of 
temperature may be given, say 5° to 7°. When the trees are in 
bloom I have dusted them with a camel’s-hair brush. The 
last few years I have used a rabbit’s tail tied to a small piece of 
twig, this is a much more expeditious and equally effective 
instrument. I have also for several years, when the tree have 
been in full bloom and the sun shining, given them a gentle 
syringing, and this is the best of all plans. I am not sure that 
these operations are really necessary ; a gentle shake of the trees 
two or three times a day when in bloom would probably be all 
that was necessary Then follows the disbudding and thinning 
of the fruit, and with the lengthening days the syringe may be 
more freely U3ed. I often think we dash the water on them with 
too much force. I do not care to syringe much in dull weather, 
but twice a day when fine "When crops are heavy we mulch the 
border with manure. This supports the tree, keeps the sur¬ 
face moist, axid helps to keep the roots near the surface. The 
stoning period always seems a long and anxious time ; when that 
is passed there may be a considerable increase of temperatxxx’e 
if the fruit is wanted as soon as possible The trees will re- 
quire copious supplies of water ; and of various manures to assist 
during the swelling period thei'e is nothing better than liquid 
manure fi'om a farmyard diluted with water. I do not let the 
boi’ders get anything like dry when the fruit is ripening or ripe, 
being convinced that dryness does not add to the Savour. When 
the fruit is all gathei'ed the syringe may be freely used. I fear 
we often forget this. All through the summer and autumn they 
want attention, especially in watering, as most of the roots are 
pi'oduced after the fruit is gathei'ed 
In looking back over the past thirty years I am convinced 
thei’e has been a very decided advance in the cultivation of the 
Peach. I am, however, fully convinced that there are yet un¬ 
developed capabilities in the tree, and to young men, who possess 
advantages in many ways that were not available to some of us, 
and who are imbued with an ambition and determined to achieve 
success in their profession, I would say, While practising all 
you already know, experiment, think for yourselves, leave the 
beaten track, not by fits and starts, which are too cimmon, but 
with that quiet steady determination that never falters or is 
discouraged. Acting in this spirit and with these resolves not 
only will you worthily sustain the present high standard of 
cultivation, but a willing and fruitful tree will resp :>nd to your 
care, kindness, and attention by producing fruits that will excel 
any that we have yet seen 
ANEMONES AND POLYANTHUSES. 
I do not think it is so generally known as it should be, that 
beds of these form one of the rarest attractions of spring in the 
garden. The Anemones are considered as requiring a warm 
climate in order to induce them to bloom satisfactorily through¬ 
out the early spring, but provided a sheltered spot be chosen, no 
flower, not even the Snowdrop, adapts itself to circumstances 
more bravely than these. The way to cultivate them is to buy a 
3d packet of seeds, then prepare the soil by mixing a layer of 
cow and horse dung from 6 to 9 inches in thickness with the soil 
by digging. In the beginning of April sow the seed very thinly 
over the surface of the ground, give a slight raking, and finish 
by sprinkling some dry soil and Mushroom-bed manure over the 
surface. The after culture consists in keeping down weeds and 
thinning any plants which are growing too closely together; 
6 inches apart is a good distance. A few blooms -will be pro¬ 
duced through ordinary winters, and in spring the flowers will be 
thickly thrown up. If seed is not wanted, the plants maybe dug 
in when the flowers are past, the succeeding year’s plants being 
again secured from a fresh bed. Anemones are of great utility 
for vase-furnishing when cut. Double Anemones, though lack¬ 
ing the grace of the singles, are well worth growing. The good 
sorts are very brilliant in colouring,such as L’Eclair, Feu Superbe, 
and the double form of A. fulgens. 
The Polyanthuses are managed in exactly the same manner 
as the Anemones. Strong plants which produce abundant 
blooms can be raised and flowered within the twelve months, 
only high culture is necessary. The least tendency to neglect 
on the part of the grower will be resented by the plants. A 
damper cooler situation than that chosen for Anemones should 
be selected for these. A slight mulching of dung in the autumn, 
or if not given then, in early spring, will be found most beneficial. 
It must be understood that I am at present keeping entirely 
out of view the Polyanthus of the florist, which, from the deco¬ 
rative point of view, is altogether inferior to self-coloured and 
fancy kinds, which are procurable from a good strain of seeds. 
Some of the yellows are extremely lovely, ranging from creamy 
shades to those approaching orange. 1 have also selected some 
white forms during past seasons which are very pretty. Then 
we have many shades of rose, crimson, maroon, some quite self 
in colour, many with silver edges like Picotees, and mottled 
forms, which are very attractive to some people In fact, it is 
dangerous to condemn any of the flowers, for what one may con¬ 
sider as worthless, another will at once select as pleasing in 
