266 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 7, 1802. 
partly adheres to the stone; the fruit is smaller than either of the 
precediag, but is handsome and of good quality, ripening several days 
after Alexander. These, with Advance Nectarine, should be grown in a 
house by themselves, so that when the stoning is completed, as it now is, 
the fruit may be accelerated in ripening by an increased temperature, 
but it is not advisable to exceed 65° at night or 70° to 75° by day from 
fire heat, because the growths are liable to become attenuated when the 
atmosphere is warm, moist and close. It is different under sun heat, as 
evaporation is going on and assimilation taking place to a much larger 
extent ; therefore the temperature may be kept through the day at 75° 
to 85° from sun heat, ventilating at the top of the house at 75°, and 
opening the front at 80°, so as to secure a circulation. It is a good plan 
to leave a chink of air at the top of the house constantly. Close the 
house at 80°, and sufficiently early to allow of a rise to 85° or 90°, the 
trees being well syringed and surfaces well damped so as to secure 
atmospheric moisture, which will cause the fruit to swell to a great size, 
Alexander and Waterloo reaching 10 inches in circumference. Employ 
clear rain water, and have the fruit dry before nightfall. Syringing the 
trees must cease directly the fruits commence ripening, otherwise their 
skins may become rough or cracked, and then they are spoiled in appear¬ 
ance and have a musty flavour when ripe. A genial condition of the 
atmosphere should be maintained for the benefit of the foliage by damping 
available surfaces twice a day and keeping the mulching or border 
surface thoroughly moist. 
The varieties Hale’s Early, A Bee, Early Alfred, and Eivers’ Early 
York, which are of the same race, started at the same time as Alexander 
and Waterloo, have scarcely finished stoning, and they must not have a 
temperature exceeding 60° to 65° at night, and 70° to 75° by day with 
gleams of sun. Allow 5° to 10° more from sun heat, and a free circula¬ 
tion of air. Stirling Castle, Royal George, and Crimson Galande are 
still later in stoning ; therefore, when a number of varieties are grown 
in the same house the temperature must be regulated so as to suit the 
later varieties. All points considered, there is no Peach to equal Royal 
George for forcing, though some prefer Stirling Castle. These are six weeks 
behind Alexander in ripening in the same house. Pay particular atten¬ 
tion to the watering; keep the surface of the borders mulched with 
sweet, rather lumpy manure, not more than a couple of inches thick, 
and afford liquid manure where necessary, but avoid encouraging sappy 
growths by excessive and needless supplies. Stop or remove all gross 
shoots before they have time to draw the supplies of sap from the 
weaker parts of the tree ; but allow leading shoots, particularly of young 
trees, to extend over uncovered parts of the trellis, pinching out their 
points when the fruit begin to take the last swelling, or they may be 
left their full length when sturdy and short-jointed. Remove the leaves 
over or in front of the fruit, and turn the latter up to the light by thin 
laths placed across the trellis, with the apex pointing in the direction 
of the most light, so that the colour may be there most pronounced and 
the fruit highly flavoured. 
Trees Started at the New Year. —The prolonged cold weather 
experienced in March retarded the crop considerably ; nevertheless 
the days have been sunny and the fruit is advancing, the disbudding 
completed, and the shoots that are to succeed those now fruiting have 
been laid in. In performing the latter care must be taken to leave 
plenty of room in the ties, and it is not a good plan to keep the shoots 
very closely tied downfor some time yet. No more growths should 
be allowed to remain than are necessary for next year’s fruiting, the 
extension of the trees, or for attracting the sap to the fruit. Gross 
shoots are best removed, as they appropriate more than a fair share of 
sap, often falling a prey to gum, and it is highly important to maintain 
equal vigour through the branches of the tree. Laterals should be 
pinched at the first leaf. Shoots retained to attract the sap to the fruit 
ought to be stopped in the first instance at three or four joints of 
growth. Endeavour to provide an equal distribution of foliage that will 
shade and protect the strong wood from the direct rays of the sun as the 
season advances, as they are liable to become sunburnt or dried, and the 
channels that convey the sap are thus contracted. Avoid overcrowding 
the foliage, not permitting more shoots to be made than can have full 
exposure to light and air. Admit air early, but carefully, avoiding 
depressions of temperature and cold currents of air. Thin the fnrits 
where too thick, not overdoing it. With the trees in good health, and 
not over-luxuriant, the prospect of stoning a full crop of fruit is more 
likely than when the trees are overburdened, whilst deferring thinning 
only takes so much size from those fruits that are ultimately allowed to 
remain for the crop. Inside borders must be duly watered, and may be 
mulched with short, sweet stable manure, but not too fresh nor too 
thick. 
Irees Started Early in February. —Disbudding must be attended to 
frequently, commencing with the strongest parts of the trees, reserving 
a shoot at the base of the current year’s bearing shoots. A growth on a 
level with or above the fruit must also be reserved on each bearing 
shoot, and be pinched at three or four joints, leaving no more extensions 
than are necessary for furnishing the trees with branches, which should 
be 12 to 15 inches apart. On last year’s extension branches the growths 
for next year’s bearing should be left 15 to 18 inches apart. Attend to 
thinning the fruit, removing the worst placed, reserving a few more 
only than will be required for the crop. One fruit to every square 
foot of trellis covered by the tree is ample, but vigorous trees may 
have the fruit left a little closer, and weakly trees be correspondingly 
thinned. 
Syringe early on fine mornings, admit a little air shortly afterwards, 
gradually increasing the ventilation with the sun’s heat, and syringe the 
trees again about 3 p.m., closing the house so as to insure a rise from 
sun heat. 
Trees Started Early in March. —These are now out of bloom, and 
should be closely scrutinised for aphides ; if any are observed fumigaition 
may be had recourse to on two or three consecutive evenings. Care, 
however, must be exercised in fumigating Peach and Nectarine trees, 
as their foliage and young fruits are highly susceptible of injury, an 
overdose skeletonising the leaves, and causing the fruit to fall. Similar 
remarks apply to insecticides, which, if used too strong, may prove 
as injurious to the leaves and crop as to the insects. Syringe the 
trees in the morning and early afternoon on fine days, whilst in dull 
weather damping available surfaces, as paths, borders, and walls, will be 
more advantageous than keeping the trees long dripping with water. 
Water inside borders as required, always affording enough when any is 
needed to thoroughly moisten the mass of soil through to the drainage. 
Proceed with disbudding gradually, a little each day, and observe the 
same rule in respect of thinning the fruit, rubbing off the smallest and 
badly placed, as soon as the most prominent show signs of taking the 
lead. Ventilate freely on all favourable occasions, closing early with 
a view to husbanding the sun’s heat. 
Latest Iloxbses. —The trees are advanced for flowering, and are pro¬ 
mising well, though the wood was not over-ripe from the cold and sunless 
weather of last year. The danger in such cases is that the trees will 
rush into growth and impoverish the flowers. This can be obviated to a 
great extent by free ventilation, so as to cause liberal evaporation, and 
it benefits the blossom and the growths by insuring sturdiness and high 
concentration of the forces on the parts developing. Merely use fire 
heat to exclude frost, and to insure ventilation through the day. When 
the anthers show turn on the heat in the morning so as to raise the 
temperature to 50° by 8 A.M., and keep at that through the day with a 
gentle circulation of air, turning off the heat early in the afternoon, so 
as to allow of the pipes cooling before night, and the temperature falling 
to its night minimum of 40° to 45°. This is quite safe, and ought to be 
secured after the blossoms expand, with a little air to prevent the 
deposition of moisture through the night on the flowers. Impregnation 
may be effected by shaking the trees, dusting the flowers with a rabbit’s 
tail mounted on a small stick, a camel’s hair brush, or a plume of 
Pampas Grass, but the best aids to a good set are free ventilation and a 
genial atmosphere. 
Unheated houses should be very freely ventilated in bright weather, 
but, when the anthers appear clear of the corollas, it is necessary to 
secure a genial temperature by day, ventilating at and regulating it so 
that the temperature will not fall below 50°. As a safeguard against 
frost the house may be closed rather early, enclosing sun heat up to 65°. 
Do not use any water about the house after noon, and this will prevent 
moisture condensing on the flowers through the night, or a little air 
will allow it to escape. Scrim canvas over the roof is useful on frosty 
nights. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Asparagus. — No favourable opportunity should be missed for 
putting the beds in order for the season. Where the old-fashioned plan 
of heavily surfacing them with manure in the autumn has been adopted, 
and the still more doubtful practice of chopping down the sides of the 
bed in order to have soil to spread on the manure is followed, the time 
has arrived for reducing this dressing somewhat. Fork it over care¬ 
fully, throwing out all stones and other hard rough material that may 
be found, and then make level so as to bring a good covering over the 
sides and mutilated roots. Do not dig between the beds, as this would 
destroy many valuable roots. Beds that have not been touched or 
manured since last autumn should be hand-weeded, and the surface 
lightly loosened with a fork, though not deep enough to touch the 
crowns. A dressing 2 inches or more in depth of good short manure 
would now act beneficially, and the least that can be done where the 
crowns are very shallow is to top-dress with as rich a compost as can be 
collected and mixed, taking care, however, not to use any soil or decay¬ 
ing material that is likely to be full of weed seeds. 
Salting Asparagus Beds. —A dressing of salt would be quite 
correct in all cases where the soil is not of a clayey nature, but would 
do much more harm than good to the latter. Enough may be used 
at one time on light soils to quite whiten the surface. Salt and guano 
in mixture answers well on medium soils, this being applied at the rate 
of 8 lbs. to the square rod, while for heavy soils either apply special 
mixtures or else guano, the latter at the rate of 6 lbs. to the square rod ; 
second applications to foliow in all cases in May or early in June. 
A dressing of newly slaked lime, 2 bushels to the square rod and lightly 
forked-in, might do more good than anything else that could be given 
to richly manured beds. 
Sowing Asparagus Seed. —It is yet too early to transplant 
Asparagus to form fresh beds, but the ground is in admirable condition 
for sowing, and seed may well be sown at once. The plan of sowing the 
seed where the plants, or at any rate the requisite number of them, are 
to remain, answers well, and is economical of labour ; but if this cannot 
be done, then sow the seed thinly in shallow drills 15 inches apart. On 
many soils Asparagus could be grown very satisfactorily without any 
special preparation, or other than is made for a bed of Onions, raised 
beds being dispensed with. In this case, what are intended to be 
permanent rows should not be less than 3 feet apart, but others may be 
sown midway between them, and the plants, as well as many from 
between those to be left permanently, be transplanted elsewhere in the 
following spring. Where Asparagus has to be forced extensively, or 
