100 
TEE COTTAGE GARDEN E R. 
Xovninrn 10. 
or glazed muslin bags. I previously mentioned the case 
of an amateur, who, in a house crammed with plants, by 
means of the former of these mediums, kept Grapes in 
good order until after Christmas. Even with these 
coverings, as moisture repellents, it would be advisable 
! to examine the Grapes now and then, to sec there were 
no rotting or damping berries, as one would soon 
destroy the whole. 
In relation to the first query, respecting preserving 
Peach-trees on the back wall of a greenhouse-vinery, 
the propriety of this will greatly depend upon the 
objects chiefly aimed at, and the arrangements of the I 
interior of the house. Some years ago, advice was j 
asked, under similar circumstances, in two or three 
cases; and in these, respectively, I have been informed j 
what fine Peaches they have had. But, in two cases, i 
though the house was a lean-to, facing the south, the ! 
stage was low, made as if to fit a hipped, or span roof; i 
the tallest being in the middle, and then the others j 
placed lower on the north and south side. The prin¬ 
cipal walk was between the Peach-covered north wall 
and the stage; and the north side of the stage was 
thus chiefly kept lor plants in bloom, or requiring a 
little shade, -while the south side was filled with those 
requiring full sunlight. In the other case, the stage i 
sloped in the usual manner, hut was so low at the back, j 
that the rays of light struck the back wall to within a 
short distance of its base. The Vines at the distance 
from each other spoken of would not injuriously inter¬ 
fere with this. We have had good PSaches on a hack- 
wall, with the Vines four and five feet apart. In the 
spring of the year, where artificial heat seldom exceeded 
4o 0 , with a rise of 10° or 15° from sunshine, the Peaches 
would be in bloom, and set, before a higher temperature 
was needed for the Grapes; and then, independently of 
the light passing between the Vines at all times, the 
curtailing of the laterals of the vines early in autumn, ! 
would allow more light to pass freely to consolidate the 
Peach-wood and perfect its buds. With a stage in the j 
contemplated house so high as to shade the hack wall, 1 
the first crop from wood ripened this autumn will he all 
that could be depended on ; and after that, the sickly 
state of the trees from unripened wood would occasion 
more trouble and drawbacks than all their advantages. ' 
Used chiefly as a preservatory of plants, from the middle j 
of October to the middle and end of April, and with a i 
platform not so high as to shade the wall, and with a 
command of air at the top of the house, good Peaches 
may thus he obtained, and only inferior to those in a 
regular Peachery, where air and sunlight may be had at 
command when the sun shines. Wher - e profit as well 
as pleasure is an object, I should be sorry to root out 
J such trees from the back wall of such a bouse, as even ! 
if disliked, or a change wished for afterwards, they ' 
. would yield you some returns, in the way of fruit, for a 
season or two, before the Vines came into bearing. A 
| friend, who thought of thus enclosing a piece of wall, 
was doubtful of the Peach-tree sending hosts of fly 
among his Geraniums, &c., but the Peach is just as 
i easily kept clean in-doors as a Geranium, as the tempe- 
J nature that suits the plants will just suit them before 
J B )e fruit is set; and afterwards, they will quite enjoy 
either the temperature of a greenhouse or a cool vinery. 
In the latter case, it it be wished to keep the house as a j 
whole, rather close, when the Grapes are swelling, a i 
little air left on the top of the house constantly will be j 
the best security for the health, and freedom from | 
insects of the Peaches, and, I may add, of the Vines 
likewise. 
The second question, then, as to having a combina¬ 
tion ot Vinery and Peachery has also been so far 
answered. There can be no question of its practi¬ 
cability when it is desirable, as in a small parsonage 
garden, to obtain much in a small space ; or where 
variety and quantity of an average useful character aro 
deemed greater indispensables than fewer objects, but 
these of first-rate quality. No one with various houses 
at command would ever think of mingling the two as a 
system. Independently of other considerations, the 
simple fact that the Peach, in all its stages, will enjoy 
a temperature of from 5° to 10° lower than the Vine 
would rejoice in, should lead those having various 
houses to have a house for one thing. Besides, the two 
fruits require different treatment at very particular 
periods of their well-being. For instance, supposing 
that all has gone on well until the Peaches are approach¬ 
ing maturity, abundance of light, and plenty of fresh 
air, are the essentials for giving that fruit first-rate 
colour and flavour; but just at that time the Grapes 
will be swelling fast, and beginning to change colour; 
few sorts, indeed, would be perfected; and, therefore, 
the free admission of more air, and the removing of 
laterals freely, to give light to the Peaches, would so far 
check the swelliugof the Grapes, that you would run the 
risk of having colour and good quality at the expense of 
size. When, therefore, the mingling method is attempted 
in places of some extent, a clear preponderance in the 
necessary treatment should be given to one over the 
other; for instance. I have just cut down two Muscadine 
Vines in an early Peach-house, some fifty feet long, ten 
feet wide, and the back wall as much > above the front 
wall plate, the roof sloping, therefore at an angle about 
45°. Trees are trained against the back wall, and on a 
low trellis in front, the back of that trellis being two-and- 
a-balf feet above the front wall plate, and three-and-a-half 
feet from the back wall, so as to allow plenty of room 
for a pathway. At the back of the trellis there is a 
narrow shelf, another shelf is suspended overhead for 
Strawberries; and, about the middle of the roof, a single 
wire is stretched lengthwise, on which these Vines were 
trained; sometimes primed on the spur system, and 
sometimes on the single rod system; and, in either 
case, producing heavy crops. Now, any one with bis 
pencil, forming a right angled triangle, and supposing 
the hypothenuse line as the glass, through which the 
rays of light are to pass, will at once, according to the 
sun’s altitude, see bow far these shelves, when stored 
with pots and the Vines together, would obstruct the 
light from the back wall. It will be evident, that 
as the Peaches approached maturity, say in the end of 
May, the whole of the shelves could be cleared, and the 
suspended one removed altogether; but, of course, the 
Vine could not be touched. We were glad to put up 
with a partial shading of the lower part of the back 
wall at a time it required most light, because, not 
forcing a vinery early, we could get a fair supply of 
Grapes by the time the Peaches were getting thin. 
But as Grapes can .now be obtained elsewhere as early 
as wanted, I have pretty well resolved to grub up these 
good old servants of Vines, that there may be no future 
hindrance to the full maturing of the wood and fruit to 
the bottom of the back wall. An amateur, observing 
these Grapes during the summer, was surprised that I 
did not have the Sweet-uater instead of the Muscadine, 
as it ripened somewhat earlier. My objection to that 
fine fruit, in such a position, would be, that it requires 
fully 5° more heat to set it freely than the Muscadine. 
Even with the Muscadine, in such circumstances, a 
little scheming was not thrown away—such as fastening 
the rods very near the glass when the Peaches were 
started, where, consequently, they were kept cooler; 
suspending them about two feet from the glass when 
the young shoots were two or three inches long, and 
thus keeping them in a more equal temperature, and 
then raising them to within fifteen inches of the glass 
when the flowering was over. In such a case, where 
the Vines are a secondary object, the hardiest, such as 
White Muscadine, Black Hamburgh, and Black Prince, 
