October M, 1887. 1 



JOURNAL OP nOUTICOLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



307 



CROSSING DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF FRUIT 

 IN 1807. 



i?tT ^>-ri? 



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AVING hiul the advantages 

 icre of a glass-cased wall, 

 used as an orcliard-liouso, 

 niid nontaiiiing nearly three 

 lundrcd fruit trees of dif- 

 ferent kinds in pots, I have 

 tills spring devoted some time to rrossing the best varieties 

 of Peaches, Pears, Plums, Cherries, and Apples. 



The trees on the back w all arc planted out in the border, 

 and consist principally of Peaches and Nectarines, with a 

 few trees of the best sorts of Cherries and Pluins. All the 

 kinds have borne excellent crops this year, and the fruit 

 was of large size and of good flavour. The Walburton 

 Admii'able Peach is still (October lithi, in season, and 

 some young trees of the Salway Peach will Iceep up a 

 succession for a month longer. The fruit trees in pots 

 are placed in front in a row of nearly nno feet in lengtli, 

 and being secure from the elibets of spring frosts and lieavy 

 rains, the fertilising the blossoms operated upon with plenty 

 of good pollen was easily accomplished. All tho diifcrent 

 trees were accui'ately labelled, and the names of the sorts 

 which furnished tho pollen were put on small labels, and 

 tied to the branch below the fruit where crossed. 



Commencing with tho Peaches on the back wall, Violette 

 Hiitive and Royal George were crossed with the Malta, a 

 incdium-si/.ed pale-coloured Peach of the Noblesse type, 

 but one of tlie most juicy and delicious-flavoured of 

 all the Peaches grown here. Walburton Admirable, an 

 exccUont late pale-coloured Peach, was crossed with the 

 Purple Peach of .Vngers, a verj- large liigh-coloured French 

 Peach. A very line large Peach, under the local name of 

 the Ossington, is grown in tho midland counties, and this 

 variety furnished me with pollen to fertilise the blos- 

 soms of the ^■ioletto Hative, Galande, and Barrington. 

 Tlic Monstrueuse de Done, one of the largest of French 

 Peaches, I crossed with the Barrington in iy<l."). and have 

 now some seedlings from tlmt cross, which will fruit in a 

 year or two. 



Witli respect to Nectarines, I have not attempted to 

 raise new sorts : for it is almost impossible to hope to raise 

 a finer or higher coloured variety than the Elruge when 

 well grown. I have growni a seedling raised from it for 

 tlie last five years, and nearly identical, but if anything 

 darker coloured. Mr. Rivers's new Nectarine, the \'ictoria, 

 also leaves nothing to be desired in seeking further for a 

 juicy and high-flavoured late-keeping variety ; and then we j 

 have tho Downton, the Pitmastou, and Stanwick, all first- 

 rate sorts. 



With Pears in pots. I began crossing the Citron des | 

 Carmes with tho Doyenne d Etc and the Yat, a small per- | 



No. 313.— Vol. XUI., New Semip. 



fumed early Pear. The Suffolk Thorn and Marie IjOUJsc, 

 both high-llavoured Peai's, furnished pollen to fertilise the 

 blossoms of Benrre Musque, Beurre Giflard, and Flemish 

 Beauty. Louise Bonne and Vicar of Winkfiold I crossed 

 with Van Mons Leon Leclerc and Beurre Clairgeau. 

 Leon Leclerc de Laval, a variety that will keep as hard as a 

 stone until .Tune or .Julj', was crossed with Beurri; de Ranee 

 on purpose to try and raise a very late-keeping variety 

 with melting qualities. The largest of all melting Pears. 

 Grosso Calebasse, was crossed with Van Mons Leon 

 Leclerc and Beurre Clairgeau. 



With Cherries in pots, I only crossed the Black Tarta- 

 rian with Jlay Duke, and tlie Bigarrcau Napoleon with 

 tho Cleveland Bigarreau, wiiich is an excellent ^Vmerican 

 vai-iet)'. 



Having a large collection of Plums grown in pots, some 

 of the largest and best varieties were crossed as follows : — 

 Goliath with Kirke's. Cox's Emperor with Ivirke's, the 

 .Tefferson with Washington and Victoria. Goes Goldea 

 Drop with Magnum Bonum and Cloth of Gold, Prince 

 Englebert (an excellent large purple Plum), with the 

 Orleans. Ponds Seedling, and Fellemberg. 



The few Apples grown in pots consisted of the best- 

 flavoured varieties, and were crossed as folluws ; — The 

 Ribston Pippin with the Margil, one of the best-bearing 

 and richest-llavoui-ed sorts, and the tree free from canker ; 

 Kcddleston Pippin, an exceedingly rich and brisk-flavoured 

 Apple, with Cox s Orange Pippin ; the Northern Spy with 

 Court of Wick and Cox's Orange Pippin : and Cox's Po- 

 mona with the pollen of Gloria Mundi, taken from a tree 

 in the borders. The fruit of this cross are very large and 

 liigh- coloured, some of them measuring IM and 14 inches 

 round. 



With both Apples and Pears I have found the firuit 

 crossed with large vigorous varieties to be larger in size 

 than those on the same bushes uncrossed. I mean to grow 

 the stones and seeds of all the above Idnds of fruits in pots, 

 on piupose to confine their roots to make them fniitful as 

 soon as possible, and the most promising will be giafted 

 or budded on established trees on the walls or borders. — 

 Wii.i.i.VM TiLi.KHV, Welbeck. 



THE PEACH SEASON. 



The sudden change in the temperature forbids us to hope 

 for much success in maturing good autumnal Peaches this 

 ycnr. October sorts are always uncertain in quality in our 

 latitudes : nor. if you take up the leading continental cata- 

 logues, will you find many even cultivated at t bis late season. 

 For example, in a catalogue before me. I find that out of 

 about 141) sorts only fourteen are October varieties. Of 

 these two are recommended as good and reliable (which 

 they really ai-e), three as occasionally so (m exceptionally 

 warm seasons, and when well attended foi, and tlie rest are 

 rated as " third quality,"— that is to s-iy. for I know tliem 

 mostly, that they are uneatable, and of no value whatever, 

 at least in Europe. 



Our list for orchard-houses is better than this ; and where 

 the temperature can be regulated many line sorts can bo 

 Mo. sac— Vol. XXXTIII., Old Sejuxs- 



