ut four shillings a dozen. Messrs.
Rivers' stock of =maiden peach-trees= and =nectarines= is unsurpassed, and
many of the best kinds obtainable have been raised by them, and are of
worldwide fame. Regarding that oft-debated question of protecting the
blossom in spring, they do not advise anything in the nature of bracken to
be used, this often doing more harm than good. If possible, =a glass
coping= should be placed along the top of the wall, from which tiffany
can depend on cold nights; unless this be done, it is best to leave them
alone. Fine crops are often obtained in the south and west of England
without any protection whatever, the good seasons amply compensating for
the bad.

It occasionally happens that the amateur has an advantage over the market
grower. This is particularly the case where one wants to curtail the
=depredations of birds=; it pays to protect a few yards of fruit, but
where it is a case of several acres, the trees have to take their chance.
=Cherries= have to be watched very carefully in this respect; it is very
desirable to keep the =Morello cherries= hanging long, as they then become
sweeter and make good tarts. These trees do very well on north walls.

=WANT OF FLAVOUR.= One great fault noticeable in fruit-growing of recent
years is that everything is sacrificed to size and appearance, flavour
being at a discount; the shows have had a great deal to do with this; in
the old days, when they were fewer in number, the test of a fruit was its
taste. =Strawberries= in particular have deteriorated in this way, the
huge kinds now seen often being absolutely devoid of the luscious flavour
generally associated with them. Of course we have =better keeping
varieties=, and they can be obtained much later than was once the case. If
the culture of the perpetual varieties is extended strawberries will be in
season many weeks longer, and this will be extremely good news for
invalids, who find it as a rule one of the easiest fruits to digest. =The
cultivation of strawberries is fairly easy=, but their wants must be
regularly attended to. Once in three years the old plants must be taken
up, and new ones (the "runners" issuing from the old) planted instead; in
the summer a good mulching of strawy manure should be placed between the
rows, as this helps to keep the fruit clean, besides enriching the soil.
Plants which are expected to bear a good crop of fruit must have all their
runners cut off as fast as they appe