JOUENA.L OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 21, 1877. 



the average temperature during March and April has ranged 

 between 60° and 70'. Owing to the abaence of aun and the wet 

 weather no excesaive flnotuationa of heat have occurred. As 

 these Peaches become better known gardeners will, I think, 

 appreciate their value. 



In the same house with the same treatment the Koyal George 

 and Grosse Mignonne will not, I think, ripen for a month to 

 come. My trees are in pots, and without conceit I may aay 

 they are a charming sight, covered with healthy and luxurious 

 vegetation. The house in which the trees are grown ia a 

 small span-roof, 150 feet long by 15 feet wide, and contains 

 150 trees in pots all in fruit. I cannot help regretting that all 

 the trees are not the four early sorts I have named. Next in 

 order come Elvers' Early York and Condor, and I have found 

 them the beat two in sucoescion for forcing. Lord Napier 

 Nectarine ripena with Early York, and ia an excellent forcing 

 Nectarine, large, of good colour, and exquisite flavour. 



The cold orchard houses present a refreahing contrast to the 

 wall Peaches, which here look wretched with blistered and 

 starved leaves, and an entire absence of fruit. I hope other 

 districts are more fortunate. The orchard-house trees, on the 

 contrary, are full of health and fruit. There can, I think, be 

 hardly a question but that the climate north of London is 

 much adverse to the Peach tree, which appears to require 

 not only shelter for the flowers when expanded, but shelter 

 lor the wood during the winter, and a dry soil for the roots. — 

 T. Francis Eivees. 



PRETTY FLOWER BEDS. 



There is no accounting for the difference of taste in flower 

 gardening : some like high colours and strong contraats, and 

 some prefer harmony and reat, and employ retiring colours. 

 The difficulty with the gardener is to meet and satisfy the love 

 of novelty which is implanted in the mind. Many years ago 

 I had a large flower garden to make gay, and had but few 

 plants to do it with. Two beds, about 18 feet long and 5 feet 

 wide, were planted all over with Cerastium, and ten plants of 

 Tropteolum Eclipse were planted here and there amongst the 

 Ceraetium. I never saw such charming beds, nevtr planted 

 beds that give half so much satisfaction or pleased so many 

 people. They were charming carpets without a pattern. The 

 leaves of the Tropfeolum were hidden and lost in the Ceras- 

 tinm, but its scarlet flowers just rose abo'^e and seemed to rest 

 on the white Ceraatium foliage. Fortunately the aoil of the 

 beds was poor, otherwise the Tropieolum plants would have 

 run too much to leaf. The beds were really fascinating beyond 

 description. — A. P. 



APPLE CULTURE. 



The many articles — not one too many — on this subject arc 

 calculated to do much good, and we seem to be advancing to 

 Bome certain and defined poEition. The amateur must in 

 future receive trees from nurserymen true to name. This I 

 place first, for how can we talk or write about trees unless we 

 are sure of their names ? Whatever the causes may have been , 

 whether carelessness of the men, or trust to appearance of the 

 trees, or error in labelling, therosult ia disastrous — a tree with 

 a wrong name, no identification, no accurate knowledge. My 

 plan ia never to go to that nuraeryman again who sends me 

 any tree wrongly named. A minor grievance, but still a 

 grievance, is receiving trees not ordered, but sent because the 

 trees ordered were not in atock ; the result is, that an amateur 

 gets more trees ripening at one time than he requires, and his 

 course of rotation ia put out. It is better for the nurseryman 

 to procure elsewhere the required variety ; or I should even 

 prefer waiting a year than have a tree not wanted. One writer 

 has mentioned that he has always received trees true to name 

 from Mr. Rivers. I can say the same in regard to Mr. Richard 

 Smith of Worceater, and no doubt others can aay the same for 

 other nurserymen. 



Now in order to attract greater attention to fruit culture I 

 must make a auggestiou which I should like to see carried 

 out. The thought came into my mind when I this year 

 received the beautifully illustrated catalogues of Messrs. 

 Sutton and Carter, known as Sutton's " Amateur's Guide in 

 Horticulture," and Carter's " Vade Mecum." The thought was 

 this, Why should not our great fruit-growers do for Apples 

 and Pears and other fruits what these seedsmen have done for 

 flowers and vegetables? Take, for instance, the Worcester 

 Pearmain ; that ia au Apple worthy of the draughtsman and 



the ooloutiat. If the two great fruit-growers I have named 

 would bring out such catalogues aa I have referred to, with 

 such admirable illustrations, some coloured and othera plain, 

 a great impetus would be given to practical pomology, for 

 the eye being attracted by good form and fine colour, a desire 

 to cultivate would arise, and accuracy of knowledge would 

 come too, for buyers would know Apples by sight. The cul- 

 tivation — I mean the intelligent cultivation of fruit trees with 

 au eye to increasing for the market and for private use, tho 

 best looking, and the best keeping kinds— is a subject which 

 ia very important. Apple trees are cheap, and landlords would 

 do well to increase the value of their cottage property, and also 

 keep good tenants, by planting their cottage gardens with 

 useful and ornamental varieties of fruit trees, of Apples especi- 

 ally. This is an expense which in no case ought to be borne 

 by the tenant. 



Carefulneaa in packing fruit trees ia also very necessary, but 

 I have never had any reason to complain of the want of this. 

 There is also a fault sometimes in the trees coming in too 

 dry a state, as if aome had been " lifted " for some days before 

 sending off. Then let me observe as to planting — get in your 

 trees at once, or if impossible, say they arrive on a Saturday 

 afternoon, put them in " by the heels." Another cause of 

 failure is that gardeners, and especially jobbing gardeners, will 

 dig close to the roots and down among the roota of fruit treea, 

 and out off or wound the roota. So alao among Kaapberry 

 canes. This is a great cause of mischief, for down pierce the 

 remaining roots into some hungry subsoil. I have had this 

 brought before me strongly of late, where wall-fruit trees have 

 been thus injured, and new trees bought again and again. 

 Now the cauae ia discovered and there is a good chance of a 

 remedy. 



It would, I fancy, be difficult to send trees from the nursery 

 with such permanent labels as zinc, and they might wound the 

 branches ; but something better might be attempted than the 

 mere alipa of thin card, with the thinnest of string attaching 

 them to the trees. Slips of parchment would be better and 

 last longer, and very fine copper wire would be more durable 

 than string. Still the new owner ehould at once, directly alter 

 planting, put on hia zinc labela. With the name I add the 

 time of ripening, thus^ 



New HiWTHOBNDEN. 



(Dec— Feb.) 

 K. 



This helps the memory, and will prevent confusion in the 

 fruit room. The letters, D or K, dessert or kitchen, prevents 

 a servant from wrongly using the fruit. 



No doubt there is much excellent advice given by " C. M." 

 as to only a few, and those the known best Apples, being cul- 

 tivated ; but there is in human nature a love of experiment, 

 and alao a love of old friends ; so, luckily for both sellers of 

 Apple trees and sellers of Rosea, very many different sorts 

 will be in constant demand. I own I am always experiment- 

 ing in all sorts of things, and at the same time dearly love 

 tried and proved old friends, whether they be Hawthornden 

 and Irish Peach in Api:lea, or Blairii No. 2 and William 

 Griffiths among Itoses. That certain Apples are very superior 

 there can be no doubt, but very few are equally good in all 

 climates and soils. 



My situation is in North Wilts, and not above a dozen miles 

 from Bath, as the crow flies less, hence a capital fruit climate. 

 My soil ia a good loam, with a not over heavy sandy olay sub- 

 soil. I mean a clay which readily iu most parts breaks in the 

 hand, and iu a few years becomes, if brought to the surface, 

 good enough garden soil. There is now a fine bloom on all my 

 Apple pyramids of two-years planting, and some of one year ; 

 alao most of the two-yeara-planted Pears, and a few of the last 

 year's. Aa to the older trees, Plums if early are utterly ruined 

 by bullfinches. Apples are promising and Pears fair. The 

 BuUace which failed last year will retrieve hia deserved good 

 name this. Shropshire Damson, a fair bloom only. Strange 

 to say the Kerry Pippin, finely grown, proved year after year 

 an utter failure ; once only in twenty years had I a decent 

 crop, so this winter I out it down. The bullfinehes have 

 utterly stripped the Medlars here. A sure bearing Apple 

 with me, and hence reliable for kitchen purposea, ia Lewia'a 

 Incomparable ; and another, a large-grown and bearing tree, 

 which comes in just after, called locally a Pomoroy, but most 

 certainly not a true Pomeroy. I sent ita fruit to be named 

 by our Editors, but the reply was, " Not known." It ia very 

 general in this district. The Devonshire Qnarrenden comes 

 hard and flavourless; the Old Hawthornden magni&oent ia 



