150 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  16,  1900. 
The  Cnltivation  of  Peaches. 
(Concluded  from  page  100.) 
A  SUITABLE  soil  for  Peaches  is  a  rich  loam  inclined  to  be  retentive 
rather  than  very  light  and  porous.  If  the  loam  be  naturally  rich 
no  manure  should  be  added.  After  planting  a  dressing  of  well-decayed 
farmyard  manure  will  keep  the  roots  moist  and  greatly  assist  the  tree 
in  its  growth.  When  planting  young  trefs  it  is  a  great  mistake  to 
mix  partly  decayed  manure  with  the  soil,  as  it  is  apt  to  favour  the 
production  of  large  sappy  wood  and  no  fruit.  I  append  a  good 
selection  of  Peaches  arranged  in  their  order  of  ripening. 
Alexandra. — A  large,  handsome,  and  richly  coloured  fruit ;  flesh 
juicy  and  sweet;  ripens  about  the  middle  of  July. 
Waterloo. — A  fine  American  Peach  of  medium  size,  and  valuable 
on  account  of  its  earliness.  I  have  not  been  altogether  successful  with 
it  under  glass,  but  it  is  a  splendid  outdoor  Peach  ;  ripens  about  the 
middle  of  July. 
Hales'  Early. — A  great  favourite  of  mine  both  outdoors  and  in  the 
houses ;  of  medium  size  and  handsome,  it  is  one  of  the  best.  It  ripens 
at  the  beginning  of  August. 
Br.  Hogg  — Good  both  outside  and  inside ;  large  and  richly 
flavoured  fruit ;  ripens  at  the  beginning  of  August. 
Grosse  Mignonne. — One  of  the  best  midseason  Peaches  in  culti¬ 
vation,  either  for  forcing  or  open  air  culture;  fruit  large  and  highly 
esteemed;  ripens  at  the  end  of  August. 
Royal  George. — One  of  the  best  known  Peaches ;  it  is  well  adapted 
for  forcing ;  a  free  bearer,  and  a  good  outside  Peach  ;  it  has  the  fault 
of  being  subject  to  mildew;  fruit  large  and  of  e.xcellent  flavour; 
ripens  at  the  end  of  August  or  at  the  beginning  of  September. 
Noblesse. — A  valuable  variety  ;  fruit  exceedingly  juicy  and  rich ; 
forces  well,  and  is  a  good  outdoor  Peach  ;  ripens  at  the  end  of  August. 
Violette  Hdtive. — One  of  the  hardiest  in  cultivation,  and  forces 
well;  very  prolific,  the  fruit  being  rich  and  excellent;  ripens  about 
the  middle  of  September. 
Barrington. — A  large  and  excellent  sort,  ripening  about  the  end 
of  September ;  a  vigorous  grower  and  a  good  bearer. 
Sea  Eagle. — One  of  the  best  late  Peaches ;  large  and  highly 
flavoured  fruit. 
Princess  of  Wales. — A  valuable  late  Peach  with  very  large  fruit, 
which  ripens  the  end  of  September. 
Other  varieties  could  be  named,  but  my  endeavour  has  been 
to  enumerate  fruits  which  will  ripen  from  the  middle  of  July  to  the 
end  of  September,  and  thus  expend  the  season  as  long  as  possible. 
Of  Nectarines,  or  smooth-skinned  Peaches,  I  also  name  a  few  in 
order  of  ripening. 
Lord  Napier. — A  large  and  handsome  variety  that  ripens  early  in 
August ;  the  fruit  is  tender,  rich,  and  of  an  e-Kcellent  flavour ;  one  of 
the  largest  and  best  Nectarines. 
Stanwick  Elruge. — A  seedling  raised  from  a  cross  between  Stan- 
wick  and  Elruee  ;  ripens  about  the  middle  of  August. 
Violette  Hdtive. — A  good  variety  for  either  outdoor  culture  or 
forcing  ;  ripens  at  the  end  of  August. 
Humboldt. — A  very  highly  coloured  and  richly  flavoured  fruit ; 
free  bearer  ;  ripens  early  in  September. 
Pineapple. — A  rich,  exquisitely  flavoured  Nectarine  ;  ripens  at  the 
middle  of  September. 
Victoria. — An  excellent  late  Nectarine.;  ripens  about  the  end  of 
September. 
Other  good  varieties  are  Dryden,  Elruge,  Hardwick  Seedling,  Pit- 
maston  Orange,  and  Spencer. 
The  worst  enemies  of  these  kindred  fruits  are  aphides,  but  now 
that  such  good  insecticides  az’e  j  rocurable  no  harm  need  be  done  by 
them.  When  a  tree  is  infested  wiih  fly  of  any  kind  the  leaves  begin 
to  curl,  and  if  not  attended  to  at  once  will  turn  yellow  and  tall. 
Arnong  other  injurious  insects  are  Anarsia  lineatella,  a  small  moth 
which  in  spring  or  early  summer  deposits  its  larvae  on  the  tips  of  the 
leaves  or  branches ;  the  maggot  plays  havoc  by  boring  into  the 
growths  and  eating  the  pith ;  the  autumn  brood  eats  into  the  fruit. 
Earwigs  and  ants  are  destructive  of  ripe  fruit.  The  former  may  be 
trapped  by  laying  pieces  of  hollow  Bean  stalk  among  the  branches, 
looking  over  them  frequently,  and  destroying  those  found  within. 
The  ants  can  be  reduced  in  numbers  by  pouring  hot  water  into  the 
nests  or  dusting  soot  amongst  them  ;  chalk  also  they  will  not  pass. 
Red  spider  and  thrips  can  both  be  kept  down  by  occasional  applica¬ 
tions  ot  XL  All,  using  1  gallon  to  40  of  water,  and  by  the  frequent 
use  of  the  syringe  through  the  growing  season.  Mildew  should  be 
promptly  attacked  with  flowers  of  sulphur. 
Peach  borders  should  never  be  allowed  to  become  dry,  though  at 
certain  times  more  water  will  be  required  than  others.  In  making  a 
border  old  mortar  rubbish  is  an  excellent  thing  to  mix  with  the  scil, 
as  it  will  help  to  keep  it  sweet,  and  also  assist  the  fruit  during  the 
stoning  process.  I  have  only  referred  to  the  cultivation  of  fruit  under 
glass  very  briefly,  as  my  principal  object  is  to  try  and  revive  the 
outdoor  cultivation  of  the  Peach,  and  secure  it  its  proper  treatment* 
I  am  certain  that  anyone  who  has  command  of  any  protection,  and  will 
give  it  a  fair  trial,  will  be  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  result.  No’ 
plants  can  be  grown  successfully  without  care,  and  everything  worth 
growing  is  worth  growing  well.  In  the  preparation  of  these  notes  I 
had  recourse  to  several  authorities,  especially  to  Mr.  Simpson’s  work 
on  Peach  culture,  and  to  all  of  these  I  would  tender  my  acknowledg¬ 
ments. — {Paper  read  by  Mr.  G.  Carpenter,  West  Hall,  Byfleet.') 
- <♦#.> - 
Pyrethruins. 
There  is  no  question  that  single  Pyrethrums  are  preferred  to  tho 
double  varieties  for  their  simplicity  and  brightness  of  colour,  the 
florets  exhibiting  the  striking  distinctness  of  tint  around  the  goldem 
disc  with  an  elegance  of  form  which  renders  them  uselul  when  far  in 
advance  of  the  double  varieties.  The  effect  of  the  single  forms  when 
in  a  mass  is  very  striking,  and  they  lose  nothing  by  being  seen  under 
artificial  light.  In  brief,  the  single  Pyrethrums  are  in  early  summer 
what  the  single  Dahlias  are  at  a  later  period,  not  the  least  of  their 
charms  being  their  handsome  Fern-like  foliage,  and  they  are  even 
hardier  and  more  free  growing  than  the  double  varieties.  If  the  single 
varieties  are  beautiful — and  they  have  only  to  be  giown  to  be 
appreciated — the  double  varieties  are  indispi  nsable  m  every  garden 
for  producing  a  grand  effect  in  June;  whilst  for  cutting  they  are  in¬ 
valuable,  whether  for  associating  with  other  flowers  in  vases  or  as 
specimens  in  glasses.  The  flowtrs  are  far  more  handsome  than 
Asters,  albeit  they  are  not  rivals,  as  they  come  in  so  much  earlier  and 
are  in  June  what  the  Chrysanthemum  is  in  November. 
Pyrethrums  will  not  grow  in  every  soil  or  in  every  position,  in  a 
wet  or  heavy  soil  they  will  not  succeed,  and  in  shade  or  in  shrubbery 
borders  they  are  useless.  It  is  no  use  planting  in  a  wet  soil  without 
first  draining  it,  or  where  the  soil  is  heavy  without  making  it  p  irous  by 
the  addition  of  old  lime  rubbish,  sand  and  gravel;  nor  in  shruobery 
borders  unless  the  situation  be  sunny  and  the  soil  not  permeated 
through  and  through  by  the  roots  of  the  trees  and  shrubs.  Pyrethrums¬ 
like  a  good  friable  loam  and  liberal  treatment,  watering  with  liquid 
manure  Ireely  in  dry  weather.  In  autumn  a  top-dressing  should  be 
given  of  decayed  manure  or  thoroughly  decomposed  matter  from  the 
rubbish  heap,  and  in  March  it  may  be  neatly  p  inted  in.  Early  in 
May  a  good  watering  .should  be  given  if  the  weather  be  dry,  and  the 
surface  mulched  with  manure  a  couple  of  inches  thick,  with  good 
supplies  of  water  or  liquid  manure  once  a  week  unless  the  weather  be- 
wet.  When  extra  fine  blooms  are  desired  the  stems  should  be  thinned 
as  soon  as  they  show  their  flowers,  leaving  the  strongest  and  most 
promising  only.  After  flowering  remove  the  old  stems,  and  the 
second  growth  will  be  strong,  some  of  it  continuing  to  give  flowers  in 
late  summer  up  to  fiost.  Slugs  are  very  partial  to  the  growths,  eating" 
them  oft  wit  da  the  ground  during  the  winter.  Where  these  pests 
abound  it  is  a  goi  d  plan  to  remove  the  soil  about  the  crowns  in 
autumn,  dusting  with  quicklime,  and  apply  a  layer  of  sharp  ashes. 
Propagation  is  effected  by  division  in  the  spring.  Each  part  taken 
off  with  a  portion  of  roots  will  grow  if  duly  attended  to  with  water. 
The  rootless  portion  may  be  potted  singly  and  plunged  in  ashes  in  a 
cold  frame,  kept  close  and  shaded  from  sun  until  established,  when 
they  should  be  gradually  hardened.  The  best  means  ot  propagation,, 
however,  is  by  cuttings  in  the  summer  directly  after  flowering,  at  which 
time  the  plants  form  frcsti  growths.  Take  off  each  cutting  with  a 
portion  of  the  root  stem,  and  insert  it  to  the  base  of  the  leaves  in 
light  sandy  soil  in  S-inch  pots,  pluriging  them  in  ashes  in  a  cold 
frame,  keeping  them  moist  and  shaded,  damping  them  every  morning 
through  a  fine  rose.  A  little  ventilation  may  be  given  in  dull  weather, 
and  when  rooted  and  growing  freely  gradually  harden  them.  The 
plants  so  raised  may  be  placed  out  in  September  in  prepared  beds  or  in 
the  borders,  or  they  may  be  wintered  in  a  sheltered  position  plunged 
over  the  rim  of  the  pots  in  ashes,  transferring  them  to  the  flowering 
quarters  in  spring ;  but  the  plants  are  best  put  out  as  soon  as  they  are 
well  rooted,  allowing  18  tp  24  inches  between  them. — G. 
An  Immense  Fire. — The  Athens  correspondent  of  a  daily 
contemporary  writes  : — “  Skalossia,  the  finest  and  most  extensive 
Pine  forest  in  Greece,  situated  between  Mount  Pendelioos  and  the 
Laurium,  has  been  completely  destroyed  by  fire.  The  confiagration 
burst  out  suddenly,  and  spread  with  such  rapidity  that  in  little  time 
the  whole  of  the  immense  forest  was  ablaze.  A  force  of  250  soldiers 
and  firemen  were  sent  to  the  spot,  and  by  their  efforts  the  fire  was 
prevented  from  spreading  to  the  adjacent  forest  of  Pendelioos.  It  is 
estimated  that  over  600,000  trees  have  been  destroyed.” 
