I January 8. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
223 
there is as good loam for the Peach within two miles of 
him. There is no occasion to make so much fuss about 
colour, although most practical men consider a yellow, 
or light hazel, as most pure: be that as it may, the 
texture is the main thing, and we prefer it exactly inter¬ 
mediate between what is termed very stiff loam, and 
sandy loam. It is good practice to place a layer of 
half-decomposed old linings in the bottom, on the 
drainage, about four inches thick ; we have always found 
a valuable body of fibres nestled in this stratum. As 
material for mixing with the loam, there is nothing 
better than the last year’s hotbed, chopped up coarsely 
with a sharp spade, and by no means too much decayed. 
This, and some gritty material, as sand and charcoal 
grit—that is, small but not dusty—are eligible; the 
object in using imperishable materials being to secure 
j openness in the soil in a permanent way; for without 
the introduction of such materials, if the loam be rather 
adhesive in character, a free percolation of moisture 
cannot be established in a durable way. 
We have thus planted a Peach of some ten years of 
age in the last week—one removed from the walls to the 
peach-house—and the materials alluded to were filled in 
regularly: one man tossing in the loam, another the 
J manurial matter, and a third the materials to open the 
texture. A very little long littery dung from the stable- 
door was strewed continually, iu thin fragments, as the 
lilling proceeded; the litter continues in a state of elas- 
I ticity for some years, which is of much benefit to the 
j roots of trees. The tree in question has branches nearly 
i ten feet long, and roots of a corresponding length, and 
the situation of the bole inside the house allows the 
roots to extend about three feet outside the house, 
through a couple of arches. The soil outside is prepared 
in like manner; but we have only half-filled the excava¬ 
tion outside, intending to apply a body of fermenting 
manure over the roots immediately—that is, a fortnight 
; before closing the house ; it being now December 24th. 
The trees growing in the house will require a little 
attention at the root: the surface of the border always 
becomes powdery, and, of course, loses both texture and 
quality. This should be all removed by loosening it an 
inch or so, and sweeping it clean off. It may be re¬ 
placed with the loamy compost recommended for planting 
the new tree in; and on this we lay a coating three 
inches thick of fresh horse-droppings; thus leaving a 
rich and pervious surface. Pruning, if not hitherto 
performed, must be speedily accomplished; and a few 
general hints must suffice. In the first place, in-door 
Peaches seldom require the amount of pruning those 
out of doors require, and that for two reasons. In tire 
first place, their wood is, or ought to be, perfectly ripe ; 
if any be unripe, it is most likely those robbers, or very 
gross shoots, which unfortunately were not growth- 
pruned ; and in the second place, most in-door Peaches 
have more attention bestowed on them during the grow¬ 
ing season, and there is less superfluous spray. Short¬ 
ening back, therefore, must be resorted to with much 
moderation; indeed, the chief reasons are to induce a 
liberal supply of successive shoots, and to remove 
portions crossing each other, or for which there is no 
room. Where there is trellis space to be occupied, the 
shoots may be laid in full length, unless they appear 
spongy; when as much as appears immature may be 
cut away, remembering to prune to a wood-bud, or to 
buds in threes. A recent paper on the pruning of the 
Peach and Nectarine may be studied by the uninitiated; 
this will save needless repetitions here. Of course a 
judicious thinning-out will be practised, and the lowest 
shoots in the “ forks ” cut pretty close back for succes¬ 
sion wood, not allowing the latter to bear. 
Dressing. —The application of a dressing, applied all 
over the shoots, is as essential as with the Vine. It 
is to be presumed, let the previous treatment of the 
Peach be ever so excellent, that the scale, the red spider, ' 
and the aphis, lurk unseen in some parts of the trees: 
this must always be taken for granted, and measures 
adopted accordingly. The moment the pruning is com¬ 
pleted, a sort of quarantine may be performed, as with 
the vinery, by stoving with sulphur; at least, such is 
our practice. This, however, is not a forty days’ affair, 
as in nautical matters; half-a-dozen hours should suffice. ’ 
Every plant with a living leaf must be removed from 
the structure, and a handful or two of sulphur, mixed 
with a good deal of dry sawdust, thrown over some hot 
coals at each end of the house, closing, of course, every 1 
aperture; this over, the dressing may proceed. Some 1 
use lime, soot, and sulphur; we have been in the habit 
of using sulphur and soft-soap, the latter beat up three i 
ounces to the gallon, and to this we add clay-mud, so as I 
to thicken it to a paint. A gallon of water may receive 
four handfuls of sulphur. This, well mixed, is rubbed 
into every crevice, and over every portion of the tree ; i 
and we give a second application. Any amount of lime 1 
may be added with impunity; and for the first coat, at 
least, it will be well to do so, as it will show the operator, I 
when it is dry, any portion that may have escaped his 
notice. The latter coating may have the glaring colour i 
subdued by mixing a good deal of soot with it. 
To conclude the operations, the trees being duly 
trained, the house should be lime-washed, or otherwise 
cleansed, using much sulphur in the lime-wasli, if any. 
As for painting, it may he done, but it is better done in i 
the autumn as soon as the leaves fall. 
Elues, boilers, pipes, &c., of course, will be set in high 
working trim; and now, let us examine the first steps of 
the Peach forcer. Like other forcing, the more gradu¬ 
ally the buds are allowed to develope, the more regular 
will the trees bud, and the stronger will be the bloom. 
It must be remembered, that under all circumstances, it 
requires a certain time for the blossom-buds to open 
their folds, and develope and augment their parts, and 
that any severe infringement on this law of Nature is 
almost certain to produce either deformity or imper¬ 
fection of parts, leading either to abortion or to utter 
destruction. By all means, then, let the Peach forcer 
take time enough in the unfolding of the buds. During 
the germinating period little more is required than to 
sustain a permanent, though moderate, amount of 
atmospheric moisture, and a thermometer of 50° to 55°. 
There is little occasion to make much distinction be¬ 
tween day and night until the first symptoms of leaves 
appear. If, however, a very low temperature exist out¬ 
doors, do not attempt to keep up a prescribed amount 
of heat; let it sink to 40° if needs be, it will rather be 1 
beneficial than otherwise. 
The Peach has a great aversion to a saturated atmo¬ 
sphere, yet loves a genial, moderate, and continuous 
amount of air moisture, whilst the germination is pro- 1 
ceeding. Fermenting materials, or a course of air 
moisture, is preferable, in our opinion, to much syring¬ 
ing ; and herein we agree with the Dutch school of Peach 
forcers, who have ever been notorious for this mode of 
proceeding. Where no chance of introducing fermen¬ 
tative materials exists, we advise that all floors, walls, j 
&c., be sprinkled as frequently as possible, early in the j 
morning, at mid-day, and at night, which, so far from 
being an injury, proves of immense service. We do not 
say sprinkle your Jiues, and “ raise a steam,” as it is j 
termed—this is another affair; such may suit the 
regular bibbers of the vegetable world, but will not be | 
found a consistent course of practice with such sen¬ 
sitive subjects as the Peach and Nectarine, beneath the 
murky skies and damp air of Britain, during the dead 
of winter. As before observed, the Peach, if we under- i 
stand it aright, is equally averse to a continued humid, 
and by consequence, stagnant air, as to a dried one; 
a moderated, yet permanent degree, therefore, is best. 
