442 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r May 31,. 188 a. 
branch where necessary to insure a generally even growth. We 
have not only to prune for the pi'esent, but for the future, and by 
cutting back a few of these branches we induce the formation of 
young growth much nearer the stem that will furnish a supply of 
shoots to cover naked places and keep up a supply of bearing wood 
over the whole surface of the tree. If this is carried out when the 
trees are in full foliage a better judgment can be formed of the 
quantity of wood required to cover the trellis. Crowding in un¬ 
necessary wood that cannot get well ripened is one of the greatest 
evils connected with this fruit. From 4 to G inches is a rule with 
me, and at the winter’s pruning I prefer to shorten these according 
to their strength, varying from G to 18 inches. In the majority of 
cases we only take one fruit from a shoot, and two at the most, 
sufficient fruit buds remaining to select from, and by shortening or 
reducing the number, those remaining are stronger in consequence, 
remembering the stronger the bloom and the more perfect set we 
obtain the finer will be the fruit; and further, it induces the shoots 
to break stronger at the base to give us a shoot to fruit the following 
season. 
The trees should be taken down and tied in bundles, and the 
house thoroughly washed in every part with soap and water, and 
the trees thoroughly syringed with a mixture of soap, pretroleum, 
and water I never use, nor would I recommend, any of the 
mixtures used by some to paint their trees. This is waste of time, 
and in many cases the insects are only covered for the winter, 
coming out as soon as the trees start in spring and puncture the 
young leaves. The trees arc returned to their proper places, the 
surface of the border being cleaned and pointed up with a fork, 
then given a light covering of fresh loam. 
The house is ready for starting any time after the 1st of 
December, a'mording to the time fruit is required. My earliest 
house is started on the Ist of January, and brought on gradually, 
applying fire heat about the middle of the month. Trees that are 
accustomed to start at this season are easily excited and wifi, soon 
be on the move. The cultivator must keep one object in view, and 
that is, to bring out a strong healthy bloom wdiilst the wood buds 
make but little progress until setting is nearly completed. This is 
of far more importance than manj’ imagine, but those who pay 
strict attention to trees at this stage obtain the best results. One 
of the greatest errors frequently committed during the earliest 
stages is exciting the wmod buds at the expense of the flowers by a 
high temperature and an excess of moisture. The house should be 
started with a temperature of 45° at night, dull days 55°, and G0° 
with sun heat, a free circulation of air day and night at all seasons, 
avoiding cold draughts, especially when the trees ai-e in bloom. I 
nsver use the evaporating troughs, nor do I practise syringing 
the trees, except on bright days, until after the crop is set and 
the petals falling freely ; if the house is kept moist in every 
part it is sufficient during the eirliest stages. When the flowers 
begin to open the temperature should rise 5° more all round, but 
no hard-and-fast rule can be laid down, we must be guided by 
the external atmosphere, as during a spell of mild weather and an 
atmosphere loaded with moisture a few degrees more are necessary 
to bring the pollen iqto a fit state for fertilisation, or, on the 
eontrary, when hard firing is necessary during severe weather such 
as prevailed this spring from the 7th of February until far into 
April, with the thermometer outside standing at 30° during the 
day, with from 4° to G° of frost at night, and very few hours’ sun¬ 
shine. Five degrees less during the day, and 10' at night, will give 
better results under such cii’cumstances. A rather drier atmosphere 
should be maintained during this period, but avoid carrying it too 
far. The house should bo damped on the afternoons of fine days, 
and I prefer to go over the trees on alternate days a t noon with a 
camel-hair brush. With this aid I have never found any difficulty 
in obtaining an even set on such varieties as Barrington, Walburton 
Admii’able, Noblesse, and Princess of Wales with the pollen carried 
from the smaller flow'ered varieties. After the fruit is set and 
swelling suitable temper itures are 55° at night, G5° on dull days, 
and 75° from sun heat. These figures must not be exceeded until 
stoning is completed. 
Thinning the fruit must commence as soon as they can be 
pronounced safe, or before they reach the size of peas, and with a 
liberal hand at this stage, followed up at intervals as the fruit 
advances. When they attain the size of Hazel nuts the fruit will 
swell rapidly until the stones begin to harden, and the healthiest 
trees will feel the strain of any excess of fruit left on them. 
I like to leave 20 per cent, to be thinned finally after stoning is 
completed. If trees are allow^ed to be shaded with shelves used 
for Strawberries, Beans, &c., they are liable to cast their fruit at 
this period. As a rule trees do not s’ned their fruit under proper 
management. If they do this to any extent it is due to over¬ 
cropping, either in the current or preceding season. My rule is, 
a Peach to each square foot. This is a good annual crop, and 
one fine fleshy Peach will give better satisfaction than three ill- 
flavoured small fruits, and we invariably find the s-tone as large 
in a small fruit as in a large one, hence the difference is made up in 
flesh. 
Disbudding must be followed at intervals with c.are and 
judgment from an early stage, taking care not to give old or 
weakly trees a check by operating too early or removing too many 
shoots at one time, pinching those with fruit at their base or where 
spurs are required on permanent wood. A free and steady growth 
should be encouraged until the stoning period is past. After this 
time the trees will make rapid growth, and the future work of the 
season will consist of tying in sufficient suitable wood and stopping 
terminal growths if not required to extend when they have grown 
8 inches or a foot. The .syringe may be used freely every after¬ 
noon when the air is reduced to keep the trees free from insects.. 
The maintenance of a moist atmosphere, a steady temperature from 
G0° at night, with a rise to 80° from sun heat, with plenty of air in 
the daytime, and the usual chinks left top and bottom on at night, 
will encourage a free and short-jointed growth. 
When the fruit shows signs of ripening syringing must be dis¬ 
continued, but the stems and surface of the border may be kept moist 
until on the point of finish, when a comparatively cool temperature,, 
with abundance of air, is necessary to assist the perfect ripening of 
the fruit. Peaches or Nectarines must not be allowed to fall nor be' 
gathered before they are ripe. Trees should be examined daily, and 
twice during hot weather, morning and evening, but morning, 
should be preferred when the fruit is fresh and cool ; nets may be- 
put up to catch any that may fall, otherwise the fruits would bo 
useless. 
Careful root watering must be attended to. Peaches must 
never be allowed to feel the want of water at any time. Duties 
press hard on all sides and at all seasons ; but our fruit trees under 
glass, after we have secured the crop, must not be neglected.. 
The surface of the border, where hard, shou’d be pointed up 
with a fork and receive a thorough soaking of water. Diluted 
liquid or any other artificial manure should be given to old or 
weak trees that have felt the strain of a crop. Root-action is 
brisk at this season, and any lack of food or moisture will lead 
to bud-dropping. Although this arises from immature w'ood 
through the roots having wnandered away in unsuitable soil, rich 
borders, and over-cropping, still in the majority of cases it can be 
traced to dryness. Borders should be frequently examined and 
kept moist. 
Trees should receive a good watering six weeks before they are 
started, and the final watering must be given a month at least 
before the fruit is ripe. Water given after this time might cause 
the fruit to fall. A certain amount of vigour in the trees must be 
kept up by applications of stable liquid, or Beeson’s manure as a 
top-dressing, or mixed with water and applied during active 
growth. Whilst I am recommending stimulants to assist the trees 
in perfecting their crop of fruit, I would at the same time urge 
the cultivator to guard against overfeeding, as stone-splitting and 
bud-dropping, and in numberless instances barrenness, is the result of 
over-feeding. This tendency to cause an over-exuberant growth,, 
especially in late districts, not favoured by sunshine, must be 
avoided. 
Last but not least is root lifting, this being the teynote to all 
success. No w'ork pays the fruit grower better than this when 
carefully carried out at the proper time— i.e., when trees have or 
should have completed their growth, and before the leaves fall. I 
have been accustomed to lift some portion of our trees every 
autumn. I have one tree of that well-known but shy-bearing 
variety Walburton Admirable, which owing to the limited space of 
trellis, has been subjected to this treatment every alternate season 
for the past six years, and has never failed to finish a crop of fine 
fruit. Trees that have a disposition to rush off into growth as soon 
as the sap rises in spring, and continue to make strong sappy 
growth late in the autumn, are the kinds to be dealt with, shorten¬ 
ing all strong roots and placing them in firm soil, free from manure, 
in a horizontal position near the surface, which they should never 
leave. This operation increases the number of feeding or fibrous 
roots and brings them within reach of food and warmth. In fact, 
trees that occupy limited spaces of trellis cannot be kept in a 
healthy fruitful condition for any length of time where root¬ 
lifting is neglected. Trees thus treated make clean and healthy 
wood, and are rendered less liable to become a prey to insects and 
diseases so prevalent amongst these fruit trees. With plenty of 
fibrous roots and good feeding when necessary annual crops of fine 
fruit will be the result. But it is useless to feed where there are 
no roots, or rather where they are out of the reach of food given to 
them, and the more we seek to make ourselves thoroughly 
acquainted with the condition and requirements of our trees the- 
more successful we shall be. 
