Peaches And Nectarines

Culturally, these delicious fruits count as one, whether grown out of doors or under glass. They are not really so hardy as Apples and Pears, but then they are very rarely grown quite in the open, they have the shelter of walls. Even so they may fail if the position is exposed to cold winds, because when chilled by draughts they are predisposed to the attack of a disfiguring and often deadly fungus, known in gardens as blister, and to scientists as Exoascus deformans. Large, reddish swellings form on the leaves, which presently shrivel and fall, leaving the tree bare. Neither a Peach nor any other tree can be robbed of its leaves without suffering; it often sustains so severe a shock as to die outright. While pointing out that protection from cold wind is the best preventive of blister, I would add that the spores of the fungus are probably always on hand, and that they can be destroyed by a copper sulphate without the tree being injured, so long as lime is added in sufficient quantity. Here is a recipe:

Bordeaux Mixture For Destroying Fungi

1/4 pound of sulphate of copper.

1/4 pound of quicklime, freshly burned.

2 1/2 gallons of water.

Dissolve the copper in a little water in a wooden vessel, reduce the lime to powder by sprinkling it with water, and then let it stand in a vessel of water for a few hours; pour the two mixtures together through a piece of sacking, and make up to the full quantity of water. The mixture can be sprayed on in February and March, and it will kill the spores without hurting the trees.

Good Peaches

Early Alexander *Hale's Early.

Grosse Mignonne.

Dymond.

Royal George.

Sea Eagle.

Barrington *Princess of Wales.

Good Nectarines

Early Rivers.

Cardinal *Lord Napier.

Dryden.

Stanwick Elruge.

Humboldt.

Pine Apple *Victoria.

The varieties are arranged in the order of their ripening; those marked * may be chosen if two of each are required. Dymond, Sea Eagle, and Lord Napier might be chosen for outdoor culture.

Outdoor Peaches

An opportunity should be taken of going over outdoor Peach and Nectarine trees, in order to prune out old wood which has borne fruit, and fasten in young shoots with shreds and nails for bearing in the current season. If growth has been vigorous, some of the young shoots may have to be cut out as well as the old ones. The grower must try and calculate how much room each shoot tied in will require, given the understanding that the leaves of one must not overlap those of its neighbours, and prune accordingly. If, when examining the trees, he sees that the shoots made in the previous year are numerous, and exceed two feet long, he will be wise to make a trench in a semi-circle about four feet from the wall, and prune any strong roots which are found. Signs of growth in the form of swelling buds are more welcome to the inexperienced amateur than the old stager. Early bloom is likely to be destroyed by late frost unless protected. It is not a bad plan to retard the opening by shading the trees in sunny weather during February.

Peaches In Bloom Under Glass

Peach trees that are grown in a warm house with a view to the production of early fruit may be in bloom" in early February. It is a help to cross fertilisation if a camel's-hair brush is drawn across the flowers when they are fully open, as that distributes the pollen. When the flowers begin to fall, a good syringing is beneficial. I spoke of disbudding in the January chapter, and I would here add that it should be started early, so that the superfluous growths may be got rid of before they have time to extend far.

Birds And Fruit Buds

Chaffinches, bullfinches, and house sparrows are apt to destroy fruit buds; and as a preventive, as also a check on insects and a destroyer of moss, the lime-and-salt wash recommended in the early part of the present chapter may be sprayed on now.

The waterglass, which is one of its components, is used in the preservation of eggs, and can be bought at a chemist's.