477 
June  7.  1900.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
the,  house  planted  withl'Tomatoes,  and  these  would  be  cleared  soon 
enough  for  filling  the  house  with  Chrysanthemums.  When  early 
crops  are  produced  from  trees  planted  out,  the  house  is  too  long 
empty  during  the  best  months  of  the  year  to  render  it  as  profitable 
as  it  should  be. 
Crops  which  ripen  at  the  end  of  June  and  during  July  need 
little  fire  heat,  and  the  most  profitable  way  of  growing  them  is  in 
large,  wide  span-roofed  houses,  or  in  wide  three-quarter  spans  erected 
on  a  sharp  sloping  bank.  In  either  instance  the  ordinary  precise 
methods  of  training  should  be  abandoned.  After  the  trees  are  planted 
out  in  good  soil,  either  the  natural  soil  trenched,  or  a  border  specially 
prepared,  the  shoots  would  need  a  certain  amount  of  shortening  back 
for  a  couple  of  years  to  secure  an  evenly  balanced  tree,  and  should 
then  be  allowed  to  grow  on  the  extension  system,  simply  thinning  out 
the  shoots  to  admit  light.  A  row  of  short  standard  trees  planted  in 
in  which  late  crops  were  grown  in  the  south  of  England,  but  further 
north  it  would  be  necessary  to  pay  more  attention  to  training  and 
keeping  the  shoots  thinly  disposed  in  order  to  secure  well  ripened 
wood.  Of  course  houses  already  in  existence  could  be  turned  to 
account  for  Peach  growing,  and  the  orthodox  method,  training  the 
trees  to  a  trellis  fixed  to  the  roof,  would  in  such  instances  answer 
admirably ;  but  when  houses  are  specially  built  for  the  purpose  that 
method  of  training  is  not,  in  my  opinion,  the  wisest  one  to  adopt 
from  a  commercial  point  of  view. 
Largo  quantities  might  also  be  grown  in  the  open  air  by  utilising 
vacant  spaces  on  walls,  buildings,  and  fences  having  south  or  south¬ 
west  aspects ;  an  east  aspect  is  not  often  suitable  for  Peaches  except 
in  very  warm  localities,  as  the  cold  winds  of  spring  blister  the 
leaves  so  badly,  and  the  risk  from  frost  when  the  trees  are  in 
blossom  is  great.  la  all  instances  a  coping  board  and  canvas,  or  a 
Photo  hy  Mr.  G.  A’.  Ring, 
Fig.  128.— the  TERRACES  AND  LAKES,  ST.  FAGAN’S.  (See  pa^fe  485.) 
the  centre  of  a  span-roofed  structure  would  in  time  fill  the  whole 
available  space,  but  supernumerary  trees  trained  in  pyramidal  shape 
ought  to  be  planted  around  the  sides.  These  could  be  kept  within 
bounds  by  periodical  root-pruning,  and  when  necessary  removed 
altogether.  Trees  grown  in  the  above  way  produce  immense  quantities 
of  fruit,  and  seem  to  succeed  as  well  as  Apple  trees  do  in  the  open  air, 
with  this  advantage —viz.,  that  a  crop  may  be  secured  with  unfailing 
regularity  each  year.  In  dealing  with  a  hip-roofed  house  the  trees 
should  be  planted  at  .the  back  and  loosely  trained  to  a  strong  trellis 
erected  over  the  border;  this  trellis  ought  to  be  at  least  3  feet  from 
the  glass  for  the  convenience  of  fastening  the  fruit,  as  well  as  for  the 
benefit  of  the  trees,  which  thrive  well  and  are  so  easily  kept  free 
from  insects  w'hen  kept  at  a  good  distance  from  the  roof.  In  wide 
houses  a  row  of  trees  could  also  be  grown  along  the  front  and 
trained  to  a  semi-circular  trellis. 
The  above~methods  would  also  be  suitable  for  unheated  houses 
double  thickness  of  fish  netting,  ought  to  be  regularly  used  as  a 
protection  from  frost  at  night  while  the  trees  are  in  bloom.  If 
strong,  healthy,  transplanted  trees  were  procured  to  start  with, 
and  the  extension  method  of  training  adopted,  walls  10  feet  in 
height  could  be  quickly  covered,  and  if  the  results  over  a  series 
of  years  were  noted  the  return  would  well  repay  the  labour  and 
expense  entailed. 
Let  it  be  clearly  understood  that  I  do  not  suggest  that  either 
walls  or  fences  should  be  built  for  the  purpose,  but  that  the  greatest 
advantage  should  be  made  of  those  which  exist,  and  that  in  many 
instances  shelter  worn-out  or  worthless  trees,  which  do  not  produce 
fruit  enough  to  pay  for  the  labour  of  pruning  and  training.  If  an 
outlay  can  be  made  in  building,  let  it  be  expended  on  glass  houses, 
whether  heated  or  not,  as  there  is  then  a  sure  return  for  the  expense 
involved,  as  the  production  of  a  crop  is  within  the  control  of  the 
cultivator. — II.  D. 
