Nectarine
The Nectarine is a form or variety of the Peach, distinguished from it in general characters only by the fruits having a smooth instead of a rough skin. For example, the same tree has, at times, produced fruit of both kinds on the same branch; and even a closer relationship has been recorded in a single fruit being half a Nectarine and half a Peach. Nectarines are, however, sufficiently distinct, in flavour and general appearance, to be constituted and considered as a separate fruit, both for dessert and for exhibition purposes.
Propagation. Nectarines and Peaches are propagated from the stones or seeds; by budding; and sometimes by grafting. The first-named method is employed for raising new varieties, and also for growing stocks whereon other sorts may be worked. Seeds may be sown under a wall, in a warm position, in autumn, or may be stratified throughout the winter, and sown in early spring. On a small scale, or for special purposes, they may be inserted in pots at the last-named season, forwarded in a little heat, and the seedlings then planted out where they are intended to remain. As stocks, they often grow large enough for budding the first year, and, if properly treated, they may be expected to bear fruit when three years old. When seeds of either the Nectarine or Peach are sown, it is uncertain whether the product will be a form of the one or the other; consequently, named varieties cannot be perpetuated by this method. Budding is the best and most largely-adopted plan for propagating the fruits under notice. This is practised with what is termed a "dormant" bud in July and August, or a "pushing" bud in April or May. Some shoots with buds must be retarded for use in spring, by being cut early in the season, and buried in sand, under a north wall. It is necessary that only wood-buds be selected and employed: the embryo blossom-buds are useless.
Grafting may be successfully practised in spring. The scions should be firm and short-jointed, and be taken early in the season, with a portion of two-year-old wood attached; they must be retarded until the sap in the stock begins to move. On dwarf stocks, whip-grafting may be practised; and, after the mutilated parts are fitted, and covered with clay, the latter should have earth heaped over it, to preserve a uniform moisture. If it is desired to graft standard stocks that are much larger than the small dwarf ones, the method of crown-grafting may be adopted, the grafts being inserted at any height desired.
Nectarines and Peaches may be budded or grafted on the seedling stocks of the Peach, the Almond, and the Plum. The Peach stock is insufficiently hardy, and is not much used, as, although the buds take freely, and do well for a time, the trees do not long succeed without being overtaken by a disease termed the "yellows." This is, however, much more prevalent in America than in this country. The Sweet Almond belongs to the same genus as the Nectarine and Peach, and all the varieties of the two last-named fruits succeed well on it as a stock, usually in preference to the Plum, which is, however, much more extensively employed. The Almond stocks are raised like the Peach, and may be budded when one year old. Tall standard stems may soon be grown, by keeping the plants tied upright and allowing them to grow away at will. Plum stocks are those generally used, and they answer better in various localities, on account of their hardiness. The Mussel, St. Julian, Black Damask, and White Pear Plums, amongst others, are used as stocks for Peaches. Some of them are stronger-growing than others, and varieties of fruits budded on them have similar peculiarities. By many of the French growers, the Black Damask is preferred; and this, with the St. Julian, Mussel, and White Pear, may be considered the best.
Situation and Soil. The climate of this country will not admit of the Nectarine and Peach being cultivated in the open ground; except in the most favoured localities, a wall with south aspect, or even glass protection, becomes a necessity. The trees may possibly live, and make some growth; but, for fruit production, it is all-important that the wood annually made should also be thoroughly ripened in autumn. Some protection against the evil influences of frost and cold easterly winds on the early-expanding blossoms, is also necessary, in spring, and this is most readily applied over trees on walls. In the warmest parts of the country, where the situation is not too much exposed to wind, or, on the other hand, to cold fogs in spring, Peach or Nectarine-trees may be planted against walls with an east or a west aspect; but a situation fully exposed to the south is that which is necessary in the majority of cases. In the general arrangement of kitchen gardens, the principal walls should be built so as to receive as much sunshine as possible, and the very best position has usually to be accorded the fruits under notice. The special preparation of fruit borders throughout entails considerable labour at first; but the results generally repay the trouble, both by the better success attending the trees planted therein, and also the important crops continually succeeding each other in the cultivated part farthest from the wall. Fruit borders, to be of use for other crops should not be less than 12ft. wide, as nothing should be planted, nor even the ground kept dug, within 3ft. of the wall, supposing the trees are there. A soil enriched with manure is not desirable, as it tends to produce an undue, sappy growth, which lacks blossom buds, and, moreover, does not become ripened. An open, loamy soil is the most appropriate, not too light, on account of being easily dried up, nor, on the other hand, composed of stiff clay: the trees cannot possibly succeed in this latter. Good drainage is all important; it must be provided artificially, if the subsoil will not conduct water away readily. When necessary, this can best be accomplished by placing a drain, with a proper outlet, parallel with the wall, and near the outside edge of the border. It should be deep enough to take all superfluous water--say, 3 1/2ft. from the surface--otherwise, the trees will not thrive. About 3ft. depth of soil, of a fairly good description, should be provided, and it is advisable that the border should incline from the wall, thus allowing the part where the trees are planted to be the highest and, consequently, most efficiently drained. Old borders are not suitable for planting Nectarine or Peach-trees in without the addition of some new soil around the roots. Where other conditions are favourable, sufficient might be placed round each tree to give it a good start, and more could be added afterwards, if it were required. A compost of loam and manure, mixed with the natural soil of the border, will always greatly improve it, and do more good to fruit-trees than manure alone. Charred rubbish, old crushed mortar and brick, or burnt clay, should be freely intermixed where soils are inclined to be adhesive; but they are much better not to be of this description, if it can be avoided. The chief points requisite under this heading are, therefore: a favourable position against a south wall for planting; a good depth of soil; and efficient drainage, secured either by natural or by artificial means. Without these provisions, Nectarines and Peaches will rarely succeed satisfactorily.
Planting and After-treatment. The autumn is, undoubtedly, the best season for planting, as, in spring, rootaction and vegetation take place early in the trees, and they cannot be removed at that season without receiving more or less check. As early as convenient, after the leaves drop, is, perhaps, the most desirable time for planting. All the roots should be carefully laid out at full length in a hole of sufficient size for their reception, and, after a little fine soil has been shaken amongst them, the remaining space should be filled with a prepared compost, as already recommended. About 6in. of space should be allowed between the wall and the tree, and the roots should not be placed at a greater depth than that to which they have previously been subjected. It is advisable to cover the surface with stable litter, so far as the roots extend, and not to secure the branches, except very loosely. until all the new soil has properly subsided. More than ordinary attention will be necessary in watering, mulching, &c., for the first season, or, at least, until the effects of transplanting are over, and the ordinary growth is resumed. Passing on to trees that are established, and in bearing condition, reference may be made to the protection which the blossoms require in spring. Gardeners not unfrequently err in applying too thick a covering, or in keeping it over the trees in mild weather, when it would be better away. Cold storms and easterly winds are most to be guarded against; frost oftentimes does not cause so much injury, unless the flowers become actually frozen, and bright sunshine appears on them while in this state. Movable coping boards, about 18in. wide, should be fixed on brackets near the top of the wall during the time the trees are flowering, and removed about the end of May. From the edge of these boards, ordinary nets of double or treble thicknesses, frigi-domo, tiffany, or whatever may be at command, may hang down. If any substance is used which excludes light, it will be necessary to remove it on all favourable occasions. In May, or about the beginning of June, syringing may be practised daily, preferably with the garden engine. It will, at times, be necessary to thin the fruits; but, as a rule, the crops of Nectarines and Peaches which set on trees outside are not much greater than what healthy trees should be expected to ripen. Caution must, at any rate, be exercised in thinning only those parts where the fruits are unduly thick, or where they are unevenly distributed over the surface of the tree. Untoward circumstances may cause a large number of fruits to drop off before the stoning period is past; in fact, a greater or less proportion invariably do so, on trees both indoors and out. Fan-trained Peach and Nectarine-trees that are intended to be permanent should be planted at from 16ft. to 20ft. apart. If a standard and a dwarf are planted alternately, they may be closer to each other than the distance named; or others may be put in between temporarily, with a view to removing them afterwards.
Pruning and Training. Pruning Peach and Nectarine-trees is work which requires frequent attention; not only in winter, when the leaves are off, but also throughout the summer. It should be practised only by persons who understand the habit of the tree on which they are to operate, and, above all, its mode of bearing. The fruits each season are borne principally on wood made the previous year; they are also sometimes produced from short side shoots or spurs, which are, as a rule, well furnished with blossom-buds. The chief aim in pruning should be, therefore, to annually introduce as much young wood as space will admit, without any part being unduly crowded, or detriment caused to the crop of the current year, and, in the winter pruning, to cut the old fruit-bearing wood away, and allow the new wood to take its place. Medium-sized, short-jointed wood is always most satisfactory; and this can only be obtained by allowing sufficient space for the development of the young shoots under a full exposure to sun and light. Buds are formed at each node as growth proceeds, either singly or in twos or threes. They are very differently constituted, and are termed respectively wood-buds and fruit or blossom-buds. The former are thinner and more elongated than the latter, and contain a growing point, surrounded with leaves in a rudimentary state. Fruit-buds contain rudimentary blossoms only, and, in pruning, no shoot should be cut back to a node where these only are present, as it would eventually die back to a wood-bud, whence a new shoot might proceed. Young trees are, as rule, naturally inclined to the production of a preponderance of wood-buds; while, in older-established specimens, fruit-buds usually predominate. In the training of Nectarine and Peach-trees on the fan system, it is important that the head should be evenly balanced by the branches on either side of the centre stem from the very earliest stages; otherwise, the tree will always be irregular, the stronger branches will rob the weaker ones, and the upper part, whence the sap most readily flows, will soon succeed in rendering the lower branches weak and unsatisfactory for fruit-bearing. A maiden tree consists of a single shoot, which grows from the bud the first season. When intended for fan training, it is planted either against a wall or in the open ground, as in nurseries, where temporary stakes are inserted, on which to eventually train the branches. In the autumn, it should be cut hard back to within about three eyes of the place where the bud was inserted. Shoots from two of these eyes should be encouraged to grow, one on either side of the stem, and, if they succeed with equal vigour, the other will not be required. The flow of sap may be checked eventually, should there be a tendency on the part of one leading branch to grow stronger than another, by merely bending the point down, or bringing it into a more horizontal direction. At the same time, the weaker one should be brought more upright, and an opposite effect will be the result. Other shoots, which are intended to form leading branches, will, in due course, be obtained from the base of those already referred to, and these should also be disposed so as to balance the head as evenly as possible. The centres of young trees should be kept clear; it is never difficult to get them filled at almost any time, when the branches that are required to be at an angle are properly established. A central shoot, allowed to grow upright, would, in any case, be certain to grow too stong. Winter pruning of Peach and Nectarine-trees may be practised, in favourable weather, at any time when the leaves are off, but before the buds expand in spring, and training may follow immediately after. The leading branches should first be placed in position, and secured, the subsidiary ones being arranged afterwards. Experienced cultivators remove weak and misplaced branches at almost any season, when it is seen they are not likely to be of use for fruit-bearing, and train new and better shoots to take the places of those removed. This may be practised more especially so soon as it is certain the fruits are set, and the strongest and best-placed ones can be selected for bearing. Disbudding is annually of great importance in Peach and Nectarine culture, the number of new shoots which appear in spring being tenfold more than can be accommodated with space. A further reference will be made to this when treating of trees grown under glass.
Cordon training possesses advantages in many respects over the fan method, as it is much easier of accomplishment, a wall may be covered in a much shorter time, and a larger number of trees, and, consequently, of distinct varieties, may be planted in a given space. Single cordons, trained in an oblique direction, represent the system usually practised in this style with the Peach and Nectarine; they may be planted as near as 2ft. apart. Maiden trees, if well ripened, need not be cut back very much, if they are furnished with lateral side shoots throughout, and a good wood-bud is present for shortening to. These laterals should be regulated as equally as possible, on either side of the leader, and be nailed in: the leader must be specially attended to, until its limit is reached. It should, meanwhile, be pinched once or twice during the season, so as to encourage plenty of side shoots, any of which, if not required, may have their points pinched out. All the wood made by established trees on the cordon system, should be intended for fruit-bearing; and, if new shoots are encouraged from the base of the laterals each year, and receive proper attention, by exposure to light, and stopping them from the top of the tree downwards, as they reach their limit, nearly all the old laterals may be taken off, after the fruit is gathered, immediately above the place whence the new ones proceed.
The foregoing are somewhat general remarks respecting the pruning and training of Peach and Nectarine-trees--work which is amongst the most important in gardening operations, and which, moreover, the most lengthy and minute details in books would but imperfectly teach. There are few subjects amongst fruit-trees that require such frequent and timely attention, especially under glass; and, if cultural success would be attained, these operations must be conducted only by persons who are fully acquainted with what is conducive to that end, and are capable of exercising forethought and discretion, which, in this case, must be the outcome of personal experience in performing or assisting with the work.
Cultivation under Glass. There are few gardens where fruit-trees of any description are forced, and the Peach and Nectarine not included. Next to the Vine, their fruits are, in general, the most important; and, if forcing is not resorted to, the trees ripen crops under glass at any season that are far superior to those secured from outside. In the northerly and unfavourable parts of the country, too, glass protection becomes a necessity in order to get fruits to ripen at all. This is sometimes provided in the shape of what are termed glass cases. They consist of upright sashes placed at a sufficient distance only from wall trees to allow of the latter being attended to. The sashes are sometimes made movable, by being placed on rollers at the base, and the portion of roof which connects their tops with the wall should be provided with ventilators. Trees grown under glass are usually trained to a wire trellis--represented by the dotted line in Fig. 658--either fixed or movable, and situated about a foot from the roof. They are also sometimes trained to the back wall; and a combination of both systems may be practised, by limiting the top growth of those at the front part of the house, and planting trees with tall stems at the back. Peach and Nectarine-trees lift readily in autumn, even when of large size, if care is taken in the operation; consequently, it is a good plan to prepare them elsewhere, and transplant into permanent positions when they are nearly or quite ready for fruit-bearing. It will be necessary to prepare a border inside the house--at least, for those intended to be forced; the roots are also far more under control when thus restricted at all seasons. Efficient drainage must be provided, and a depth of about 2 1/2ft. of soil is recommended. This should be a prepared compost of fairly good loam, some crushed 1/2in. bones, and plenty of mortar rubbish, well intermixed. The borders should never be allowed to get dry, but, of course, more water will be required at different seasons, according to the various stages in which the fruits may be. Many of the tenderer varieties of mid-season and late Peaches and Nectarines only succeed satisfactorily under glass protection, and all the best are well worthy of it. A Peachhouse in which forcing is to be conducted is best constructed as a lean-to, and the roof should preferably be of a steep pitch, and either carried down low at the front, as shown in Fig. 659--a style that would also answer for constructing as a glass case over trees on walls--or be provided with front sashes for the admission of light. It should, at any rate, be provided with some method of free ventilation, and, if possible, the roof-sashes made movable, in order that the trees may be subjected to full exposure each year after their fruits are gathered. Fan-trained trees, on dwarf, and also on tall, "rider" stocks, are the shapes most favoured for indoor culture. Cordons are well suited for planting in houses intended for mid-season and late supplies, as an opportunity is thus given of including many fine varieties in a limited space, and excellent fruits are also invariably obtained under this system of training. Sorts thoroughly adapted for forcing are far from numerous; consequently, it is not advisable to rely on any that have not been thoroughly proved. Elruge is, perhaps, the best of all Nectarines for early forcing; it seldom fails in producing a crop, if proper treatment is given. Supposing a good tree of this, and another of an Early Grosse Mignonne Peach, were planted in an Early Grosse Mignonne Peach, were planted in an early house (these varieties succeed admirably together for the purpose), the Nectarine should be accorded the warmer end, if there is a difference, as it will always bear more heat than the Peach. Standard Peach-trees are sometimes grown in orchardhouses, in pots, and also planted in the borders. This style of training is, however, not much favoured by cultivators, and is not here recommended, on account of such a number of fruits being shaded with foliage, and consequently but imperfectly ripened, and of poor quality in comparison with others fully exposed to sun and air during the whole of the time they are swelling and ripening.
The habit assumed by trees bearing stone-fruits--of which the Nectarine and Peach are important examples--may be briefly referred to, as it is by no means well understood. The terms, too, in use respecting various stages through which the fruits pass, have but little significance, unless the meaning of each be explained. So soon as the flowering stage is over, and the fruits are set, what is termed the first swelling begins. After a time, stoning, or the formation of the kernel in the fruit, commences; and, during this process, the latter remains stationary, so far as enlargement is concerned. When stoning is completed, the fruit swells, and, in due course, ripens off. These several stages are termed respectively the flowering, first swelling, stoning, second swelling, and ripening, periods. The seasons for giving assistance to the trees, either by adding a top-dressing of manure over the border, or by an application of liquid manure water to the roots, are naturally those when the fruits are swelling, as, at such periods, a larger amount of nourishment is requisite, and the effect is more marked, than at other times. Forcing. For obtaining early Peaches and Nectarines, forcing operations may be commenced in November, or early in December. The trees should have been previously well ripened, pruned, and properly tied in position to the trellis, or nailed to the wall, as the case may be; and the house, sashes, &c., should also have been thoroughly cleaned. A mere closing of the ventilators will be sufficient for the first few days, as no trees are more sensitive to heat; and from this arises a danger of the blossoms dropping prematurely. A temperature of 40deg. to 45deg. by night, with a little air and a rise of 5deg. by day, is quite high enough at first; and, if this can be maintained until the flowers expand, by employing a heap of fermenting material, instead of fire heat, it will be far preferable. In any case, fire heat must only be very cautiously applied, until after the fruits are set, as much more harm is to be apprehended from a high, than from a comparatively low temperature, provided this latter does not reach the freezing point. As the flowers expand, a circulation of air, and a drier atmosphere, must be maintained; exposure to the full sun and light must also in no way be hindered. To assist in, and insure, the fertilisation of flowers on early forced trees, many cultivators use a camel's hair brush on each, or a rabbit's tail, lightly drawn over them all, answers equally well. This operation should only be performed when the pollen is quite dry.
So soon as the fruits are set, a heavy syringing with tepid water should be given, to dislodge the fading blossoms; and daily syringings may also be practised from this time onwards. Gradually raise the minimum night temperature to 50deg., and the day to about 65deg., or even higher, by sun heat, and maintain this steadily until the stoning period is over, or the raising of the mean temperature outside, by sun heat, suggests a similar rise under glass. Light and air should be freely admitted during warm weather, in spring, and also when the fruits are ripening; but airing must be cautiously managed during the prevalence of easterly or other cold winds. A good watering will be necessary at starting time, especially if the sashes are not movable so as to admit the early autumn rains. After flowering is past, it should be practised as circumstances require in different cases, at intervals of, say, three weeks or a month. A thorough soaking should be given when watering becomes necessary: the application of only a few canfuls will always prove misleading, in making the surface appear wet, while the roots underneath may possibly be in a much drier medium than that which is desirable. If the roots of early-forced Peach and Nectarine-trees are entirely in outside borders--an arrangement not recommended--they will usually be wet enough from rain--at least, up till the time of the second swelling of the fruit. A thick covering of litter should be kept on the surface of such borders, and also on those partially outside, from starting time until about May, when it should be removed, part at a time.
Thinning the Fruit. Nectarine and Peach-trees in a healthy state, and under proper management seldom fail to set far more fruits than it is desirable should be allowed to remain on them, as not only would the crop be composed of inferior produce, both in size and quality, but the trees would soon become exhausted; the fruits would also drop off in large quantities during the stoning period. So soon as they are about the size of marbles, thinning of such as are underneath, also others off weak shoots, and where they are too thickly placed, should be commenced, and the operation many times repeated at intervals, rather than reduce too severely at once. The fruits finally left should be those as evenly distributed over the tree's surface as circumstances admit. A few frequently fail in stoning, even on healthy trees, and allowance must be made for such; but not to too great an extent, or the evil would be thereby encouraged. An average of one fruit to a square foot of the surface covered by the tree is sometimes recommended; but established healthy trees will bear a much heavier crop than this, if they are fed at the roots when the fruits are swelling. It is not unusual for a good large tree to ripen from twenty to thirty dozens of excellent fruits, not only in one year, but in many. To do this, however, it must be well cared for in every respect, particularly in the thinning, training, and thorough ripening of the wood. Disbudding. This operation must, of necessity, be largely practised on Peach and Nectarine-trees, as they produce such an enormous quantity of shoots, for which it would be impossible to find space. As before remarked, the fruits are chiefly borne on wood made the previous year, and a supply has annually to be laid in all over the tree for the special purpose of fruit-bearing, and with a view to afterwards cutting it away, except when required for permanent branches for enlarging the tree. Fruits may also be allowed on the small side shoots or spurs, which should be stopped for their encouragement when enough leaves are formed beyond to cause a free circulation of sap. Disbudding has for its object the removal of all superfluous shoots at an early stage, retaining the best-placed ones for forming the new wood, and pinching the remainder, to encourage the enlargement of the fruit. It should be performed by degrees, rather than remove a quantity of foliage at one time, and so cause a check to the trees by obstructing the flow of sap. If a good shoot can be obtained from the base of that of the previous year, it should have preference, and be encouraged; the latter (if there is a fruit on it) may have the remaining shoots pinched for the season until the fruit is ripe; it may then be cut away, and the new one take its place. Overcrowding must specially be prevented, by disbudding and pruning; otherwise, neither the wood nor fruits can get sufficient sun and light to ripen them. A few leaves should be drawn aside for allowing a full exposure of each fruit to the sun, when the second swelling begins; and, when ripening, a net, hung loosely to the trellis, underneath the tree, is a good plan for preventing any fruits from falling and becoming bruised.
Diseases, Insects, &c. In America, much more than in this country, a disease called the "yellows" attacks Peach and Nectarine-trees. It is most prevalent amongst trees worked on the Peach stock, and the almost exclusive use of the Plum and Almond is, consequently, the best preventive. The leaves turn yellow, gradually become smaller, and eventually the tree dies. Gumming is much to be dreaded, as, in bad cases, there is little chance of a cure. See Gummosis. It is greatly encouraged by an over-rich soil. Blistered leaves are chiefly caused by draughts, cold winds, or too much exposure of the young and tender foliage. Mildew is sometimes destructive to the growing points; the immediate application of flowers of sulphur is the best remedy. Any sorts of Aphis may be destroyed by fumigation; and Red Spider and Thrips, great enemies in Peach and Nectarine cultivation, are best kept down by a frequent use of the syringe, or, better still, the garden engine, and by the damping of the soil, more especially near hot-water pipes. Earwigs and Ants are at times most destructive to ripe fruits; the former may be trapped in hollow pieces of beanstalk, placed amongst the branches, and the Ants may be greatly reduced by frequently disturbing their nests, and pouring water or dusting a little soot amongst them. See also Peach.
Sorts. Nectarines and Peaches cannot, as a rule, be properly distinguished by the appearance and flavour of the fruit alone; consequently, other characteristics, observable in the different varieties, are adopted by pomologists, to form classes into which the whole number may, according to their several distinctions, be placed. The chief characters on which the classes are founded are: (1) the size of the flowers; (2) the fact of the fruit having a melting flesh, and parting freely from the stone, or a firm flesh which adheres to the stone; (3) the absence or presence of glands at the base of the leaf, or on the petiole (their shape being given in the latter case), and on the leaves being either serrated or crenated. Varieties with free, melting flesh, are termed Freestone, and those with firm flesh are classed as Clingstone. The former are far more numerous than, and superior to, the latter, which, in consequence, are not much cultivated. An entire fruit, and also a section with the stone left intact, of a Clingstone Nectarine, are represented in Fig. 661. The flesh adheres to the stone by the stringy-like substance shown in the illustration. It is also similar in fruits of Clingstone Peaches. The different shapes of glands, and the size of the flowers, termed respectively "large" and "small," are, at times, so near alike as only to be with difficulty distinguished from each other. The following is a selection of the best and most esteemed Nectarines, all of them belonging to the Freestone class.
Albert. Flowers large. Fruit very large, roundish, ripening early in September; flesh yellow, pale red near the stone, of excellent flavour; skin greenish-white, pale red next the sun. Leaves crenate, with kidney-shaped glands. A fine variety, requiring a warm position, or glass protection. Albert Victor. Flowers small. Fruit large, flattened at the crown, and mottled with red next the sun, ripening outside about the middle of September; flesh juicy, and of brisk flavour, very red near the stone. Glands round. Balgowan. Flowers small. Fruit very large, broadest at the base, dark red next the sun, pale green, mottled with dull red on the shaded side, ripening at the beginning of September; flesh rich and melting. Leaves crenate; glands kidney-shaped. A remarkably vigorous and hardy variety. Byron. Flowers very large. Fruit large, roundish, rich orange-yellow, mottled crimson, tender, and richly flavoured, ripening outside from the middle to the latter end of September. Leaves with kidney-shaped glands. Downton. Flowers small. Fruit large, roundish-oval, deep red on the exposed side, ripening in August and early in September; flesh pale green, melting, juicy, and rich. Leaves crenate; glands kidney-shaped. A vigorous-growing and good bearing variety.
Elruge. Flowers small. Fruit of medium size, roundish or somewhat oval, dark violet-red next the sun, pale green in the shade, covered with small brownish specks, ripens outside in August and at the beginning of September; flesh whitish, melting, and of the highest class flavour. Glands kidney-shaped. One of the best Nectarines in cultivation. It is an abundant bearer, and, perhaps, the best of all for forcing. STANWICK ELRUGE is a large Nectarine, of excellent flavour, raised from Elruge and Stanwick. The fruits are exactly like those of the last-named parent, and are ripe about the same time, or a little earlier, than Elruge.
Hardwicke. Flowers large. Fruit very large, nearly round, dark purplish-red next the sun, ripening in August; flesh greenish, with reddish tinge next the stone, of excellent flavour. Leaves serrated, without glands. A hardy, free-bearing variety.
Humboldt. Flowers large. Fruit large, with pointed apex, bright orange-yellow, streaked and mottled with crimson on the exposed side, ripening at the latter part of August; flesh orange colour, tender, and richly flavoured. Glands round. A fine free-bearing variety of the Orange Nectarines. Hunt's Tawny. Flowers small. Fruit medium, or rather small, pale orange, deeply coloured next the sun, marked with small russety specks, ripening about the middle of August; flesh deep yellow or orange, red next the stone, melting and juicy. Leaves serrated, glandless. A useful early variety, of hardy constitution.
Lord Napier. Flowers large. Fruit very large, ovate, depressed at the apex, of a deep very dark crimson colour on every part exposed, ripening outside early in August; flesh white, tender, and of a rich and excellent flavour. Glands kidney-shaped. This is one of the largest and best, and, withal, the earliest variety of Nectarine. It was raised by Mr. Rivers, of Saw-bridgeworth.