To guard against the effects of hoar-frosts falling per pendicularly, some make a temporary coping of boards, to project a foot or eighteen inches over the tree at the top of the wall. Hitt recommends, that, in what are called black frosts, the borders opposite to the trees should be watered every night, affirming that he perceived advantage from this. So it might be ; but he is, no doubt, wide from the true rationale, when he ascribes the good effects to;some thinning of the glutinous juices, &c. Perhaps the latent caloric evolved in the freezing of the newly moistened sur face, may preserve a higher temperature immediately around the plant.
85. We now proceed to the consideration of the dif ferent species of fruits cultivated within the walled gar den, and the principal varieties of each. The order in which these are treated of, seems to be of little moment : the fol lowing arrangement is adopted, partly on account of the importance of the fruits, and partly because of natural al liances : Peach, and • Nectarine ; rinzygdalus.
Almond, Apricot, Plum, Prunus.
Cherry, Apple, Pear, I.Pyrzts.
Quince, Vine,— Vitis.
Fig,—Ficus.
Mulberry,—Mbrus.
Medlar,—ilksin/us.
Red Currant, Black Cur rant, Ribes.
Gooseberry, Raspberry,—Rubus.
Strawberry, six species,—Fragaria.
Some other hardy fruits and nuts, which are planted exterior to the garden, will afterwards be noticed ; as also the pine-apple and the melon, which require a constant high temperature, and the orange, lemon, and shaddock, which are rather inhabitants of the green house.
All the common, fruit trees and fruit-bearing plants are extremely well known, both here and on the con tinent ; any botanical description of them seems there fore unnecessary. The generic and trivial names given 86. The Peach tree is the ..4nlygdalus Pcrsica of Lin limns, belonging to the class and order lcosandria Monogy nia ; and natural order Rosaceze of Jussieu. This species is by Linnxus divided into two varieties ; 1. \Vith downy fruit, the 2. With smooth fruit, the nectarine. Peaches and nectarines have sometimes occurred on the same tree ; in a few cases, on the same branch ; and one instance is on record, of an individual fruit partaking of the nature of both. Yet they are generally considered as dis tinct kinds of fruit, and they shall here be spoken of sepa rately.
A good peach possesses these qualities: the flesh is firm ; the skin is thin, of a deep or bright red colour next the sun, and of a yellowish green next the wall ; the pulp is of a yellowish colour, full of high flavoured juice ; the fleshy part thick, and the stone small. Those varieties, the flesh
of which separates readily both from the skin and the stone, are the proper peehes of the French, and arc by our gardeners termed free-stones. Those with a firm flesh, to which both the skin and the stone adhere, are the the French, by our gardeners named cling-stones. The lat ter require more shelter and better seasons to bring them to perfection than the former. In countries possessing sufficient climate, as in France and the warmer states of North America, the pavies are preferred : in this country, the preference is generally given to the free-stones, pavies being chiefly planted in forcing-houses, where the climate can be made.
87. Parkinson, in his Paradisus, enumerates twenty-one kinds of peaches, several of which, particularly the Old Newington, are still cultivated. Miller gives list of a thirty-one, with their characters; but as these are taken only from the fruit, without any notice of the bud, blossom, or leaf, they sometimes prove unsatisfactory. The follow ing are the names : colour, and the flesh white to the stone; melting, juicy, with considerable flavour; ripening in August ; the tree sometimes succeeds on the open wall, even in North Bri tain.
The Red Magdalen, however, is altogether a superior fruit; it is large, round, and of a fine red next the sun; the juice very sugary, and of exquisite flavour ; ripening in the end of August : the tree is a free grower and great bearer : the blossoms are small. Nicol recommends the red mag dalen as the " best peach we have, either for the open air or the hot-house." In doing so he is justified by the ex perience of Scottish gardeners ; for the peach commonly known in Scotland by the name of red magdalcn ripens well, in ordinary years, even in the northern districts of the country. This we believe to be the same which goes by that name in the south; but we have reason to think that the same name is applied,• in some parts of Eng land, to another peach ; fur English horticulturists some times complain that the red magdalcn does not succeed well.