February 15, 1908. 
x 04 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
GROWING . . . 
- Peaches - 
In a Lean-to 
Greenhouse. 
Peach growing can be recommended as 
one of the best means of utilising a back 
wall in a lean-to greenhouse. They are 
one of the easiest fruits to grow, and they 
come earlier into bearing than perhaps 
any other tree fruit. Very free from dis¬ 
eases' they, with ordinary attention, bear 
good crops for many years ; indeed, the 
chief difficulty at first is to keep them 
from growing too vigorously. There is a 
common impression that in order to grow 
Peaches successfully a fire is required. 
The Peach, although a native of a much 
warmer country than Britain, can stand a 
severe winter provided it has protection 
when the flowers are opening and the fruit 
forming. Consequently, if means are 
taken to give protection a't this time it 
could afterwards quite well ripen its fruit 
in the open air in any ordinary season. 
It is better, however, in growing Peaches 
in this way to avoid late varieties, as there 
might be some difficulty in colouring 
them in a late season such as that of last 
year. The writer has a Royal George 
Peach tree, planted six years ago, growing 
against a wall in a greenhouse, from 
which about a hundred fruits have been 
obtained each year for several years with¬ 
out fire heat, and last season the fruit was 
thinned by two handfuls of fruit being 
taken off when they were the size of Peas. 
The following is a method by which 
good results may be obtained. A maiden 
tree, or, if quicker results are desired, a 
fan-trained tree should be procured as 
soon after October as possible and plan¬ 
ted in turfy loam with some leaf mould 
and a few spadefuls of old lime. No 
manure should be used at this stage ex¬ 
cept, perhaps, some ground bones, as the 
tendency of young trees is to grow too 
vigorously and thus prevent fruiting. The 
attention for the first year or two should 
be more given to forming a well-balanced 
tree than to fruiting trees. The branches 
should be well trained out like the ribs 
of a fan and plenty of air given, and water 
occasionally. 
When the flowers are fully out they 
should be touched lightly with a camel- 
hair brush, to distribute the pollen. After 
fhe fruit is set the first thinning may be 
done. When in clusters the fruit may be 
reduced to two or three, the object being 
to distribute the fruit as evenly as possible 
over the’tree. A second thinning may be 
done when the fruit is larger, removing 
the badly placed fruit. The final thin¬ 
ning should be made after the stoning 
process is completed, leaving about one 
fruit to a square foot of tree. If more are 
left they will not be so large, as this is 
as many as the tree can well bear. Liquid 
manure may be given when the tree is 
bearing a heavy crop; also occasional 
syringing with clean water to freshen the 
leaves and dislodge any insects, but this 
should be discontinued when the fruit is 
colouring. When ripening it requires 
watching, as wasps and other insects have 
a liking for it. 
After the fruit is gathered it is a good 
plan to cut the tree free from the trellis, 
brushing away withered leaves and allow¬ 
ing plenty of air to ripen the wood. The 
great secret of a good crop the following 
season is to have well matured wood. The 
tree may be left free throughout the 
autumn and then the best placed and 
strongest shoots tied in, the weak and 
badly placed shoots being cut away. With 
this treatment a Peach tree will continue 
to bear good crops for many years. 
W. B. O. 
Edinburgh. 
Report of the R.H.S. 
The report of the Council of the Royal 
Horticultural Society for 1907 (price is.) 
states that the one hundred and fourth 
year of the society’s existence has been 
marked by quiet, steady progress. The 
most important feature of the year’s work 
was the completion of the Laboratory and 
Scientific Research Station at Wisley, 
which it is hoped will be productive of 
far-reaching results, and help to solve 
some of the problems affecting plant life 
and plant disease at present confronting 
and baffling the gardener. About 10,000 
persons visited the gardens during the 
year, this in spite of the wet summer. 
—- Q. W. - 
Prize Competitions. 
GENERAL CONDITIONS— Competitors must 
write on one side of the paper only. Regular 
paid contributors to THE GARDENING 
WORLD or other gardening journals are de¬ 
barred from entering, but occasional con¬ 
tributors may compete. The name and ad¬ 
dress of the competitor must appear on each 
article sent for competition. The Editor’s 
decision is final, and he reserves the right 
to reproduce, in any way! any article or photo¬ 
graph sent for competition. The conditions 
applying to each competition should be oare- 
fully read. 
WEEKLY 
PRIZES. 
A PRIZE OFTEN SHILLINGS will be given 
for the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, such as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propaga¬ 
tion or cultivation of flowers, fruits or vege¬ 
tables, eradication of pests, etc. The para¬ 
graph or article must not exceed a column, but 
value rather than length will be considered in 
making *-he award. Mark envelopes “ Com¬ 
petition,” and post not later than the Monday 
follr wing-date of issue. Entries received later 
th m Tuesday (first post) will be left over until 
the following week. 
Two prizes of 2s. 6d. will be awarded each 
week for the two best letters, not exceeding 
150 words, on any interesting gardening sub¬ 
ject. 
RESULTS OF 
LAST WEEK’S 
COMPETITIONS. 
Some of the best papers in this competition 
are too long, and we desire readers to keep 
within a column. 
The prize in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “M. 0. Greene” for the artlole 
on “Roses at Christmas,” page 78. 
In the Prize Letter Competition a prize 
was awarded to “T. H. ” for the article 
on “ The Seed Order ” : and another to 
“J. Nibbs” for the article on “Forcing 
Tulips,” pages 80 and 86. 
. . The Culture of . . 
The Tuberose. 
The Tuberose is much admired for its 
rich fragrance, and as it may be had in 
flower during the greater part of the year 
by forcing successional batches of bulbs, 
there is no reason why there should not 
be plenty of its deliciously fragrant blos¬ 
soms on hand at almost any time. 
The culture of the Tuberose is very 
simple. The bulbs when received should 
be potted at once, for if left bundled up 
in paper for any length of time they are 
liable to become mildewed at the bottom, 
much to their detriment. Should this 
happen, the bottom of each affected bulb 
should be gently rubbed over with finely- 
powdered charcoal or with fresh slacked 
lime. They are usually furnished with a 
lot of small offsets, which should be 
picked or cut off before potting, as if left 
they grow up all around the main stem 
and rob the plant of nutriment, often to 
the extent of preventing the main stem 
from developing. They should be placed 
in 4^ or 5 in. pots, according to their in¬ 
dividual size, in a compost of equal parts 
of good loam and leaf mould, with a little 
sand intermixed. A little sand placed 
under and around the bulb will encourage 
the emission of roots. The crown of the 
bulb should be just under the rim of the 
pot, and the soil cover only about one 
half the depth of the bulb. Water once 
and stand the pots on ashes in a cool, dr) 
house or shed. A single potting may be 
made to supply plants for forcing over t 
considerable period, as they may be taker 
out as required, and will be making root: 
in the meantime. Owing to the amoun 
of water the plants require, drainage 
should have special attention. 
Start the plants with a temperature o 
60 to 70 degs. bottom heat, which can be 
obtained by plunging the pots in boxe: 
with wire bottoms, filled with cocoanu 
fibre, and placing them over hot-wate 
pipes or on a hot-bed formed of ferment 
ing manure, tan, or leaves. 
When the foliage begins to appear fron 
the crowns of the bulbs, water may be 
given moderately and increased as th 
leaves expand. At the same time, the pot 
which up till now is only about half ful 
with soil, should be filled to within ai 
inch of the rim with a compost of dr 
cow or sheep manure and loam in equa 
parts, making it firm. Progress will noi 
be rapid and water cannot be overdone a 
the roots. The atmosphere should als 
be well supplied with humidity, and th 
foliage be drenched daily with tepi 
water, otherwise red spider and thrips wil 
put in an appearance and work havoc wit 
the foliage. The value of the Tuberos 
for cut flowers and for grouping wit 
Euphorbias, Ferns, Palms, etc., is ir 
estimable. 
There are several varieties, differin 
chiefly in stature, and in freedom c 
flowering. The most favoured is th 
Pearl, on account of its dwarf habit an 
double flowers. The double African i: 
however, in favour with many, because ( 
its more precocious habit of flowering. 
J. M. T. 
