918 PKACTICE OE GAEDENING. P a r t IU-
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_ 4 ^ 0 . P ro p a g a tin g to p ro c u r e n ew sorts. T h e peach is raised from the stone ; and this mode is pursued
m America, even for procuring trees for common purposes. T h e peaches in the table, mentioned as nro-
duced b /K n ig h t, were thus originated. The parent trees were dwarfs planted in large pots: these beinc
brought into a state of vigorous health, th e pistils o fth e blossom of one sort were impregiulted with the
pollen of an o th e r; only three peaches were suffered to remain on each tree ; and from sowing the stones
of these, th e Acton Scott, the Spring grove, and other varieties, were produced
4401. K n ig h t has some remarkable observations on this subject in various papers published in the H o rt.
T r a n s .; but especially in his Observations on the Method o f p ro d u c in g n ew a n d e a rly F ru its , a n d o n .some
Varieties o fth e Peach (vol. i.). In the la tte r paper he thus concludes : — “ I entertain little doubt that
Uie peach tree might, in successive generations, be so far hardened and naturalised to the climate of
England and Ireland., as to succeed well as a standard in favourable situations. The peach does not
like many other species of fruit, much exercise the patience of the gardener who raises it from th e seed •
for It may always be made to bear when three years old. I will not venture to decide whether it might
not possibly produce fruit even a t the end of a single year. In prosrauting such experiments I would
recommend the seedling peach trees to be retained in pots, and buds from them only to be inserted in
older trees ; for their rapid and luxuriant growth is extremely troublesome on th e wall, and pruning is
death to them.” He afterwards succeeded in producing blossom-buds the first year : the means used
were, leaving on the laterals near the extremities of the shoots, and exposing the leaves as much as possible
to the sun, in order to promote the growth and ripening of the wood.
4402. P ro p a g a tio n to p e rp e tu a te varie tie s a n d tra in in g in the n u r s e r y . The peach is generally budded
qn damson plum stocks, and some of the more delicate sorts on apricot stocks, or old apricot trees cnt
down, or on seedling peaches, almonds, or nectarines. Knight recommends growing almond stocks for
th e finer kinds of nectarines, and apricots, as likely to prevent the mildew, and as being allied to the peach
Ho says, “ almond stocks should be raised and retained in th e nursery in pots, as they do not transplant
well. ’ Du B reuil recommends the plum as a stock for a clayey soil, and the almond for such as are Imht
chalky, qr sandy. The same opinion is held by the Montreuil gardeners, who use almond stocks where
the soil IS dry, and plum stocks where it is strong and black. The l^emish nurserymen graft both the
peach and the nectarine on the Mirabelleplum. (SeeGrtrtf. Mag., vol. i. p. 384., and vol. ii. pp. Ifi? 1G8 )
“ Perform the budding in July or August, in the side of the stock, one bud in each, inserted near the
bottom, for principal ivall trees ; and at the height of .3 ft., 4 ft., or .5 ft., for riders. T h e bud will shoot
th e following spring, and attain the length of 3 ft. or 4 ft. in the summer’s growth. After the budded
trees have ripened the first year’s shoot, they may either be planted where they are to remain or he
trained in the nursery for two, three, or four years, till in a bearing state. Whether the plants’be removed
into the garden at a year old, or remain longer in the nursery, the first shoots from the budding
must be headed down, either early in June the same year, to gain a season, or in the autumn or not later
than Janua ry following, to four, five, or six eyes, to produce lateral shoots, with one upri-dit leader to
begin the formation of the head in a fan-like expansion : the second year’s shoots should also be shortened
to a few eyes a t the return of June or a t the fall o fth e leaf; and those also of the third year in such
degrees as may seem expedient.” Cameron sows kernels of peaches, nectarines, or apricots under the
walls, where they are to remain, and either buds them in the August of the same year, or grafts them in
the March of the year following. He prefers grafting, and finds the operation most successful when the
scion has a quarter of an inch of two years old wood at its lower extremity. Trees thus raised bear the
second year from the graft, while the fruit is of a superior flavour to that produced by trees budded on
plum stocks. W hen budding is employed, the point of the shoot produced by th e bud is pinched off
after It has grown 6 in. or 8m. in length, and only five buds are allowed to push; the five shoots produced
by these buds are shortened with the finger and thumb to .5in. or 6 in. in length, and these boim?
disbudded, so as to admit of only two shoots from each, a complete fan-shaped tree is produced in oim
season. la r th e r details of this very excellent plan will be found in Garrf. Mag. vol ii p 149 Mr
M'Martin, an excellent kitchen-gardener, has inserted buds of the peach in the branches of Moorpark
m Y Y ™ ¥™ 'i 9 5 ¥ superior to that produced by peaches budded on plum stocks. (G a rd .
440K Soil. A good soil for peach trees, according to Abercrombie, “ is composed of three parts mellow
unexhausted loam, and one part drift sand, moderately enriched with vegetable mould, or the cooler
dungs. lo rsy th says, “ peaches require a lighter soif than pears and plums, and a light mellow loam
IS best. Harrison prefers a loamy soil, somewhat adhesive, as do most of the experienced gardeners of
t ic present day. T h e depth qf such a soil may vary from 18in. to 2ft., according to the climate - the
object bemg to adjust the depth to the penetrating influence of the sun’s ravs durmg during summer.summer A A shallow
shallow
loamy soil, with a 'd ry bottom, will produce short-joYnte'd'and welbripened’ w ood;“a d e e p .'rich 'so ir'tl
contrary. Many gardeners do not manure their peach borders for some yea—vood; • a deep,- rich . soil,’ the
.
years after they have been made,
1 order to prevent the trees from running too much to wood.
4404. Choice o f p la n ts . Most authors agree in recommending the choice of trees, two three or four
years trained. Forsyth says, “ they should be procured in the latter end of October, or bemnnina of No
veniber, as soon as the leaf begins to fall.” Some gardeners prefer maiden trees, and a few recommend
sowing the stones where the tree is finally to remain, in Mr. Cameron’s maimer {§ 4402 )
4405. F in a l p la n tin g . Peaches are almost universally planted against walls in Britain • in some few
warm situations they have been tried as dwarf standards, and Knight (H o r t T ra n s vol ii n 210 1
•• thinks they may be groivn in some cases, as iow as espaiiers but this isveryprobiematic'al,'unless in
th e warmest parts of the south of England, ’
4-lOG. Mode o f b earing. “ AH the varieties of the peach and nectarine bear the fruit upon the
wqqd of a year old, the blossom-buds rising immediately from the eyes of the shoots. ILie sam«
young
seldom bears after the first year, except on some casual small spurs on the two years’wood which same is shoot
to be counted upon. Hence, the trees are to be pruned as bearing entirely on the shoots o fth e 'hich precedinfr
is not
nor
year; and a full supply qf every year’s shoots must be trained in for successional bearers the following
tyason. (A b e rc rom b ie .) It is remarked by Mr. Thompson, that the peach tribe in the climate of Britain
in order to exist in vigour for any length of time in the open ground, must have their shoots shortened
every winter. _ This, by increasing the power of the roots relatively to th e branches, tends to the produc
tiou of shoots in the follqwing season, fahortening occasions th e «levelopment oflmds on th e lower part
of the shoots which wonld otherwise remain dormant. ^
4407. The F rench m odes o f p r u n in g a n d tr a in in g the peach tr e e KTQ now generally wllowed to be the best •
and th at practised by M. Le Père is generally preferred to all th e others. M. Le Père is a cultivator of
poach trees m P a n s ; _and his mode of managing them is so generally approved, that he has manv
pupils, who ¿ t e n d at his house on certain days, and receive lessons from him, each person paying three
iraiics (2s. fid.) a lesson. M. Lc Pôre’s mode of training, Mr. Thompson observes, “ is considJred an
improvement on th e Montreuil system.” According to this system the branches of tlie peach tree were
divided into two equal portions, which were spread out diagonally, leaving the centre coinpletelv open
somewhat in the form of the letter V ; the two principal or mother branches (branches m è re s) heina a t ’
tached to the wall an angle or45°_. (See G a rd . M a g ., vol. iii. p. 57.) But, as Mr. Thorapsofi observes
branches taken from the under side of the motlier-branches invariably became too weak, whilst thosè
allowed to grow at the same time from th e upper side soon exceeded the original main branches in
point of vigour. T h e under branches frequently died, or became useless from weakness, and those
above them had to be lowered in their places.” ( J o u r n . H o r t. Soc., vol.ii. p. 228.) The common practice
m 1 ranee « to plant a stock of the almond or plum where the future tree is destinea to remain. In the
summer after planting, two buds, nearly opposite each other, are inserted in the stock: these produce
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