peaches, apricots

206 Pages·2013·5.25 MB·English

PEACHES, APRICOTS
by
JUSTIN BROO
FAB~R AND FABER LIMITED
24 Russell Square
London
PEACHES, APRICOTS
AND OTHER STONE FRUIT
Young Early Alexander peach in bloom
Young Early Alexander peach in bloom
First published in mcmlj
~ Faher and Faher Limited
24 Russell Square London W.C. I
Printed in Great Britain by
Latimer Trend & Co Ltd Plymouth
All rights reserved
Acknowledgement is made to Mr. Patrick Synge for per
mission to reproduce the frontispiece; and to Messrs. Reginald
A. Malhy and Co. for permission to reproduce all other
photographs.
..
CONTENTS
°
0 ';'
'l!_'-PA' ,"' '> /~
Foreword .-..,; ~ ~ •• ;;.:p'age:r-f
1. Fruit Growing on a Specialist Farm 13
II. General Observations on Peaches 20
III. Suitable Sites for Peaches 26
IV. Recommended Varieties of Peaches 32
V. Planting of Peaches 36
VI. Cultivation and Manures 40
VII. Thi'nnin~ of Peaches 47
VIII. Picking and Marketing 52
IX. The Effects of the Severe Wirter of 1946-7 59
X. The Effects of the Mild Winter of 1948-9 63
XI. Pests and Diseases 67
XII. Peaches in tne Op~n and Peaches on Walls 76
XIII. Cropping of Peaches 81
XIV. How to Deal with Peaches and Apricots which
are not Marketable ~7
XV. Nectarines 94
XVI. General Observations on Apricots 98
XVII. Recommended Varieties of Apricots 103
XVIII. Greengages 105
XIX. How to Control Silver Leaf 119
XX, Cherries 124
XXI. The Pruning of Stone Fruit 136
XXII. Recommended Root-stocks for Stone Fruits 150
XXIII. Marketing of Small Quantities of Stone Fruit 157
Index 161

ILLUSTRATIONS
Young Early Alexander peach in bloom frontispiece
I. Poorly grown Peregrine peach facing page 16
2. Peregrine peach within fifteen yards of PI. 1,
showing strong growth 16
g. Y Dung peach bushes bearing full crop J 7
4. Mature cropping peach-bush 17
5. Young peach on ploughed-up meadowland 20
6., Seedling peach 20
7.: The same tree as PI. 5, five years later 2J
8., Mature peach-bushes planted 18 ft. by 18 ft. 28
9. Another pat:_t of the orchard shown in PI. 8 29
10. Fan trained peach allowed to grow without sh~plllg 48
J I. Same peach as 'Pi. 10 after vigord~s pruning \ 48
12, Ig, 14. Three stages in the thinning of peaches ' 49
15. Mature bush insufficiently thinned 64
16. Mature bush correctly thinned 64
17. Home-made peach grader 65
18. Leaf curl on an unsprayed peach 68
19. Young Early Rivers Nectarine in bearing 69
20. Apricot bush 69
Z6
21. View of the apricot orchard
7f
22. Another view of the same orchard
23. Damage caused by birds to greengage bush 7'7\
24. Young greengages on own roots 96
25. Greengage bush o~ Brompton and on own roots 96
26. Cure of silver leaf by splitting bark 97
27. Close-up of the trunk showing treatment 112
28. Czar plum cured of silver leaf 1 13
29. Results of very heavy pruning in 1944 128
30. Peach not sprayed during the season 1945-6 128
31. Morello cherry orchard 129
9
Contents
32. Young fruiting Peregrine peach bush facing page 129
33. Peach leaves showing glands 144
34. Symptoms of dieback 144
35. Blind wood 144
36. Pruning apricots 145
37. Maiden Peregrine peach,es on peach stock in the
Nursery 145