142 THE GARDENER. [March 



RECOMMENDING NEW FRUITS. 



It is in no spirit of carping criticism tbat these remarks are penned ; 

 nor are they specially brought to mind Ijy the discussion of the pro- 

 perties of ]\radresfield Court Muscat Grape in your columns the last 

 two or three months, but have been thought about for some time. 

 My principal object is to attempt, though humbly, to impress on the 

 minds of our most representative men the responsibility they incur in 

 recommending the public to purchase the different new fruits brought 

 out from time to time before they have had really sound experience as 

 to their being improvements ^on existing varieties or not. I notice that 

 Mr Cramb has on two or three occasions of late, both in your columns 

 and in those of a contemporary, used the influence his name gives in 

 condemning the above-named Grape. Whereas, in the ' Gardener ' for 

 iSTov^ember 1869, in describing the gardens at Madresfield, he uses that 

 same influence in bringing before the readers of the ' Gardener ' the 

 good properties of this Grape. I am not practically in a position to 

 say which of the two opinions is correct, as, though I have on several 

 occasions seen the Grape growing, I have not myself grown it. Still I 

 cannot but feel that before men of such standing in the Horticultural 

 world as Mr Cramb speak in laudatory tones of any new fruit, they 

 should either have had practical experience with the subject, or have 

 seen it growing under different conditions. It is far from my object 

 to in any way depreciate the skill and ability of the raisers of our 

 new fruits generally (personally, I rejoice in their number); but as 

 many gardeners are led to recommend their employers to purchase the 

 different new fruits brought out on the strength of some well-known 

 name, I think it would prevent many disappointments to all con- 

 cerned if our '' leaders " in these matters were to exercise a little more 

 discretion in their recommendations. Moreover, those who are the for- 

 tunate possessors of any really good thing would lose nothing by the 

 delay in allowing their good properties to be brought to proof ; and the 

 extra vigour gained in the time would insure their being in a position 

 to supply more vigorous plants when brought out, instead, as is often 

 the case, the constitution of an otherwise good thing being damaged for 

 some time, by the quick way they are propagated and got up for sale. 

 I could quote other instances besides Mr Cramb's where men of influ- 

 ence in the gardening world have written in glowing tones of a new 

 fruit, and then in a year or two's time have condemned it. 



January 6, 1873. H. C. G. 



