CULTURE OF THE PEACH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2231, 27 February 1886, Page 2

CULTURE OF THE PEACH.

The peach and the nectarine, although classed as two distinct fruits, owe their origin to one and the same parent, and the mode of cultivating them is indentjcal, The solection of a proper soil js an important mattor in the culture of'"tlie peach. A 'rich,' mellow, "somewhat adhesive loom! taken from near tlie Burface of an old pasture, without the aid of artificial enrichment, together with what vegetable matter may exist on it, !b the best for all moderately good climates. A light sop may be in; a/cpld 'Tfie. m'ppV'pf propagation is usually by. budding. This is performed in July. Sometimes the old stock is planted against the wall in its permanent position a.nd budded thero, but generally they are budded in the nursery. The bud is introducted at about six inches, frpn) th,e ground. It repjns, (lormant until the"'succeeding spring, when tlie head pf the stick is cut off close ab«ve the bud, and tho wound pared off neat, in order that the returning san may heal and skin it over, It js a good practjqe to apply some whjte lead, or similar ipteriaj, in prsjer to exqlude the fH> and moisture. During the summer the bud will produce a shoot of some three or four feet in length, and this is headed back in the succeeding sprin? to about flvo or six eyes, thus leaving about four or five Inches of the base of the shoot. The bud generally produces laterals during the first summer, especially towards the upper end; and the point where these commence branohing generally indicates the point to whero they are out back. In the summer following they will produce four or five shoots, which must be kept carefully trained and perfectly free from insects, and in the succeeding autumn the tree is fit for removal to a wall. There is no better stock for peach typing tjisji f|ie nton}, a kjud. caM %' mussel being;'vefy'generally usecj. ' The peaoh may be also raised from the stone. Tlie stoneß may bo either sown on heat, to expedite them,.or otherwise. They should be cleaned and dried at,the ripening period, and sown late in the autumn, care being taken to preserve thorn from the mice. The seedlings must be carefully -transplanted to the nursery immediately after one summer's growth, unless sowed to remain, The prun 4 IPK m'u.st'be performed as with ollr sticks, and/their subsequent' culture is similar.The sap in all erect young treei,"of'which the peaoh is one; will flow Into and through those channels that' occupy tho most vertical position - next the root, and the strongest shoot will form at the point bud. But if a branch be placed in a horizontal position,' the strongest 'shoot will be produced; in the moat vertical bud nearest the base, and the point-bud will form the weakest shoot. Proteptintf the blossom is an Important- branch of peach culture. The tender leaveß and young Bhoots require protection from lite apring

frosts, and also front the cold evaporating effects of an east wind, The most effective, and at the same, time the mpsfc economic protection for all fruifc-treeajto openwalls, is a nine-inch wdodenflj|v jectmg portablo coping,- secured to per-, nianent iron brackets, built in .the walls close under the stone coping. , When the . seaaou of spring protection °is over, the boarding can be removed and placed under cover until again required: As Boon as the fruit of the peach begins io change color towards ripening, ■the's'e' wooden copings are again put on to. keep the trees, and particularly the'fruit, dry, and also to prevent its beingdriven.off by the lieavy rains of autumn, as well as to assist in ripening the wood, Thinning the'\ fruit is a necessary precaution to attendjf to. As a general rule, one fruit on each* bearing shoot, or two at the most, are all ' that should be left. By leaving too. many, the size of the fruit is diminished, and the tree becomes materially weakened.