March 29, 1889. J 
257 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
soil, and in the autumn when the trees are rejxitted these roots can be 
cut off close to the pot without the slightest injury to the tree 
I' or growing for market, when quantity and not quality is desired, and. 
the soil is thoroughly well suited, it is possible that more fruit may be 
produced by planted-out trees ; but of this I am quite sure, that more 
fruit will be ripe at the same time than it is possible for a private 
family to consume ; it will be therefore necessary to lind a ready market 
for the surplus. 
I will, however, take both systems. When I speak of planted-out 
trees I do not mean trees trained to trellises, but trees planted with 
untrained heads like Apples, or orchai-d trees, and allowed to form round 
heads, the starting point of the branches being about 5 feet from the 
^•ound. This will give, in a house 14 feet high in the centre, about 
space for the head of the tree, which should always be kept 
about 2 feet or more below the glass. The tendency of the Peach is to 
excessive growth until checked by the production of fruit. It is 
therefore necessary to vigorously check those shoots which grow with 
superabundant vigpur. To effect this without disturbing the balance of 
the tree, and causing a quantity of small shoots, the leaves should be 
removed from these strong-growing shoots, and a ring made round the 
terk ; when the growth of the lower branches has been established 
these shoots may be removed altogether. The great point to be settled in 
pruning standard trees is that they should have flat beads, admitting air 
and sunshine. There is certain to be fruit enough, as the Peach will 
S(»n destroy itself by overbearing if allowed. Another great point in 
the culture of planted-out trees is that the soil in which they grow 
should be as l^rd as a barn door. When my trees were planted, now about 
thirty years since, this was stirred to the depth of about 2 feet; manure 
was inixed with it; it was finally trodden down, and so it has remained 
ever since. It is a hard calcareous clay, solid with the daily tramping of 
the workmen. Faggots of wood have teen taken from the trees, which 
are roughly pruned as I have described, and which give annually 
large crops of fruit, and are apparently ready to go on for an indefinite 
time, as they are in perfect health and vigour. A surface dressing of 
manure is given to them annually in the spring, and they are dosed with 
water ateut once a week, as they get none from the sky. As they are in a 
hou^ with pot trees they of course come in for the .syringing. 
Potted trees are, however, the trees for amateurs, the pots being above 
the surface are always absorbing the dry and warm air of the house, 
and the trees seem to appreciate this condition. Naturally more atten¬ 
tion is required, but I fancy that Cucumbers and Melons require quite 
as much, and it always seems to me that more labour is wasted on 
than would suffice to produce a multitude of Peaches 
and Nectarines. However, both are necessities of the garden, and I 
cannot quarrel with them, but I am, as perhaj s some may know, a 
memter of the Fruit Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
and it has been my lot for many days to sit at the meetings of the 
Committees, to judge of the merits of seedling Melons. In the early morn- 
Melon, good and bad, is rather trying to the digestion, 
liouse which I am now describing, and the proportions of 
which I think are test adapted for the supply of fruit fora large family, is 
now set out for the summer. This work is only just completed. The 
trees, although far from blooming, are showing their pink petals, it 
contains of Peaches and Nectarines alone 107 trees, thirty-one pyramids, 
^®®*'18-inch pots, ranged inthreerowsdown the eentre 
ot the house, and seventy-six half-standards and bushes on both sides, 
ranged in two rows alternately, the pots being 3 feet apart. As the half¬ 
standards are about 5 feet high, the pots are partly sunk in the grouiiil 
but not plunged, in order to give room for the heads of the trees. These 
tiees are intended for permanent summer residents, and have, as I have 
^id before, protluccd nearly 4000 fruit annually for the last twenty- 
live years, and will, I hope, do the same again this year and for some 
time yet. Now in addition, the house will hold and protect against 
frost an equal number of Pears, Plums, and Cherries, all of which can 
te removed to the open air about the end of May. Up to this time no 
difficulty will be felt in overcrowding, as the cultivation is identical, 
arm the trees will not have made sufficient growth to incommode each 
other. 1 think the advantage of thus utilising an orchard-house will be 
at once seen, as sometimes there is a general wreck of outdoor fruits, 
and entire destitution can te thus escaped. I may here remark that 
the floor of the house is made gay with bulbs and Wallflowers up to the 
end of April. The effect thus given is very charming, but the introduc¬ 
tion of Roses or any shrubs likely to introduce ins ct pests must be 
absolutely and strictly forbidden. 
(To be continued.) 
FREESIAS. 
I Ew plants have become so popular in such a short time as Freesia 
rcfracta alba, and certainly no flower better deserves to be widely 
known. It is very beautiful, with a delightful scent. 1 have heard of 
a few failures with Freesias, but as a rule most persons who grow them 
succeed fairly well, and the success recorded by R.” goes to prove 
that their culture is very easy. I have grown a few pots for two 
seasons, and thought 1 had done fairly well, but I have not been able 
to get from twenty to thirty spikes out of eight bulbs. Jly bulbs, 
however, are much stronger the second year than they were the first, 
and 1 hope to do better in future. There is one important point in con¬ 
nection with Freesias—that is, the long period over which it seems 
possible to have them in flower. “ R.” had them in flower at the 
beginning of the year. I recently saw plants that looked promising to 
flower about May. We have bloomed ours during March hitherto, i but 
some were potted early in February ; they are now starting freely, and 
if all goes on well they should flower about July or August. It is said 
Freesias can be had in flower from January to June, but it appears as if 
we might have them all the year with a little management, but this 
may not be desirable. In my opinion the winter months are the most 
suitable in which to have them in flower, and how charming they would 
be the Easter decoration. F. Leichtlini does not attract so much notice as 
F. refracta alba, but it is, according to my taste, little inferior. It is a 
stouter grower, the colour of the flowers creamy white with a tinge cf 
orange red in the lower petals.—E. B. 
TECOPHYLiEA CYANOCROCUS. 
Messrs. R. Veitch & Son of Exeter e.xhibited plants of this beau¬ 
tiful Chilian bulbous plant at South Kensington early in March this 
year, and accompanying them were plants of a variety named Leichtlini 
(fig. 31). T. cyanocrocus has flowers of a brilliant blue colour, a rich 
and pure tint that is very rare amongst cultivated plants, and though of 
Fig. 3!.—Tecophylffia cyanocrocus Lei< Iitlini. 
small growth it is a favourite with many who have tried it. A light 
sandy loam suits it, and it requires to be grown in a cool house or frame. 
The variety Leichtlini requires similar treatment, and is distinguished by 
its flowers being white in the centre, edged with blue, and very fragraiB. 
In some favoured districts these bulbs might be grown out of doors, but 
it is not a safe experiment in most places, and under any circumstances 
the flowers eannot develope so well as they do under glass. 
PEACH TREES CASTING THEIR BUDS. 
“ J. W. W.,” page 169, invites discussion on this subject. I have 
never had the least trouble with buds falling, and as I have had a full 
crop of Peaches for the last nine years, a few notes on the management 
maybe of interest to “J. W. W.” and other readers of the Journal. 
The early Peach house here is a lean-to due south, 36 feet long, with an 
inside border 12 feet wide. There are six trees in the house, three in 
front trained on a trellis, and three trained on wires to the back wall. 
To commence with, the house is closed the last week in November, and 
no fire heat is applied so long as the thermometer keeps at 50°. That 
temperature is maintained until the trees come in flower, and they 
are syringed twice every day until the beginning of January when 
the first flowers open. The temperature is then kejit at 55“ at 
night and 60° through the day, allowing 10° more with sun hca'. 
Except when there is frost a little ventilation at the top is on 
night and day. After the Peaches are set the trees are syringed 
twice every day at 8 A.M., and a little before one o’clock to allow the 
foliage to be dried before night. From the time the Peaches are set until 
stoning is completed a night temperature of from 57° to 58° with 60° by 
fire heat is kept in the day. The border has a thorough drenching when 
the house is closed, and 240 gallons every four weeks after, until the 
