July 17, 1890. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
41 
I T is questionable if the demand for this delightful fruit during 
the London season, or from April to July, is by any means fully 
^appreciated by the gardening public generally. It is very well 
known to some of our enterprising growers of produce for market, 
and of late there has been a great extension of provision for 
increasing the supply of Peaches and Nectarines of home growth 
for meeting the requirements of purchasers in London and other 
large centres of population. 
For a considerable time past large importations of French 
Peaches have found a ready sale in this country, but it is very 
■certain that the Continent will not be permitted to establish a 
monopoly in the supply. Our neighbours across the Channel have 
never been able to compete with British growers in the supply 
-of Peaches of the highest class early in the season. For Peaches 
and Nectarines equal to those which win first prizes in the 
t»est competition there will always be a demand, for occasions 
are always arising when the best that can be produced is sought 
for, regardless of cost. But Peaches are wanted for other 
purposes than supplying sensational dishes at public banquets and 
Lrilliant dinner parties. There is a general as well as a special 
demand, the former being enormously the greater. This is not 
for superior fruit regardless of price, but for the best that can 
be obtained by a moderate outlay. French Peaches are not the 
best by a very long way, but they can be procured at compara¬ 
tively low prices, and therefore have a large sale. It is in com¬ 
petition with these that home growers find they have an oppor¬ 
tunity, and there is every reason to believe that the demand for 
Iiome-grown Peaches will increase considerably, because of their 
superior quality, when they can be brought within the means of the 
great body of consumers. 
Peaches and Nectarines of medium size are in great demand in 
hotels and the better class of restaurants, also for large garden and 
other parties. A limited number of large fruits do not meet the 
requirements on such occasions nearly so well as does an unlimited 
supply of comparatively small examples, and by heavier cropping 
than is generally the rule in gardens these can be produced at prices 
that command sales, yet prove remunerative to cultivators. One 
of the most extraordinary crops of Peaches and Nectarines for 
market that has come under our notice is at Bexley Heath, grown 
under glass by Mr. T. Burton, horticultural builder. Instead of 
glass structures standing empty on his premises, he planted two or 
three of them with trees a dozen or more years ago. They have 
yielded so abundantly that there is scarcely a doubt that Peach 
growing has been more profitable than greenhouse building. One 
house is a span-roof 200 feet long, about 12 feet wide, and just 
high enough for the trees, which are trained to wires more than a 
foot from the glass, to be passed under conveniently. They are 
not large trees, the distance from each other being 10 or 12 feet, 
yet so productive are they that 3000 fruits were taken from one of 
them in thinning, and the crop now ripening is quite remarkable. 
A “ fruit to each square foot of trellis ” is the orthodox advice, 
and for growing fine fruit in private gardens is very good advice, 
but on many parts of the trees in question it is safe to say there are 
nearer ten fruits than one occupying the space indicated. Over a 
large area there is not more than an inch or two of space between 
the fruits, and in the case of many scarcely room for the insertion 
No. 525 .—Vol. XXI., Third Series. 
of a finger between them. The wood is small and hard, and the 
leaves small too. But the fruits swell to a good saleable size. The 
most remarkable thing is that the crop is such as the trees bear 
regularly year after year. They have never failed, and a similar 
crop is expected next year. 
In a wider and loftier house, very light, with what may be 
termed a flat roof, or only with sufficient pitch for carrying off th9 
water satisfactorily, Peach and Nectarine trees were planted along 
each side of the central path about fifteen years ago, and have been 
allowed to assume their natural habit. They may be termed bush 
orchard trees, and are similar to those grown in Peach gardens in 
the Southern States of America. The crop is enormous ; indeed, 
“ sensational ” is not an inappropriate descriptive term to apply to 
it. So heavily laden are the branches that they would break down 
but for the support afforded by cords attached to them and the 
roof above. The trees only make moderate growth, as may be 
expected, and require very little pruning. The crop keeps the 
growth in subjection, and the marvel is that they endure the 
strain year by year. If all were ripe at once a bushel could be 
gathered in five minutes or less. From one of these trees upwards 
of thirty dozens of Lord Napier Nectarines will be gathered—good 
saleable fruit of one of the best Nectarines in cultivation. The 
Downton and Elruge are bearing similar crops, some of the fruits 
of the latter being 9| inches in circumference. Twelve hundred 
dozens of Peaches and Nectarines were sold by Mr. Burton last 
season, and in all probability the number will be considerably 
exceeded this year. Between three and four hundred dozens have 
already been sold, the prices ranging from 25s. a dozen downwards ; 
but the earliest, and consequently the higher-priced, were grown 
on trees in pots, now removed to the open air. 
But though the main object in view is the production of the 
greatest number of good saleable fruit, large specimens have been 
grown. The largest was staged among some others at the Colonial 
Exhibition a few years ago, its weight being 21 ozs., and a dozen were 
ordered to be sent to America. Several fruits hare been gathered 
weighing 18 ozs. each, and twelve weighed in Covent Garden 
Market turned the scale at 10i lbs. Such fruits, however, do not 
represent the character of the produce under the present high 
pressure system of cropping. This gives the samples that are most 
in demand during the London season for the purposes above 
mentioned, and Mr. Burton says his supply has never been too 
great for the requirements, but, on the contrary, has often been 
inadequate. With such crops as his there can be no doubt that 
the culture must be profitable even at moderate to low prices, and 
the lower these are the greater is the number of purchasers. 
No special borders are made for the trees ; the ordinary soil is 
merely broken up, and manure is applied on the surface. It is a 
sandy loam full of pebbles and rests on gravel, therefore naturally 
well drained, and any amount of water and liquid manure can be 
given without any risk of souring the soil. The trees are dug 
round periodically, and produce a mass of fibres within a radius of 
4 or 5 feet from the stems. It goes without saying that the 
houses are suitable for the purpose to which they are applied, and 
are efficiently and quickly ventilated. The heavily cropped trees 
are worthy of inspection, and this is readily accorded to anyone 
who is interested in the cultivation of Peaches and Nectarines for 
home use or market purposes. 
We believe Dartford is the nearest station to the Peacheries, 
but we had a pleasant run of forty minutes by rail from Cannon 
Street, through some of the Hop gardens and Strawberry and 
Raspberry fields of Kent to Bexley, for a call on Mr. William 
Marshall. Always actively engaged in something, this ardent 
horticulturist was found busy among flags, and—no, not jam pots— 
but coloured glass receptacles which had been employed the night 
previously in illuminating his grounds, and making a beautiful 
wood more beautiful still with the object of attracting visitors and 
securing half-crowns for a church-building fund. After a glance 
No. 2181. —Vol, LXXXIII.. Old Series. 
