November 19, 18G9. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAIUJENEir. 



377 



gained, and is giining annnally ; but in a climate bo variable 

 as that of Eojldnd it must be so. Those who advise people 

 to plant Pear trees in waste places are sorry advisers. 



The Apple trees in the Seaford garden are all very healthy. 

 There are rows and acres of the popular sorts — six hundred 

 Sturmer Pippia, four hundred Duchess cf Oldenburg, five 

 hundred Dumelow's Seealing, and n-any hundreds of trees of 

 other popular sorts, all free from canker and full of blossom 

 buds. Thej have not, however, as yet bnme freely, owing to 

 the ravages of the grubs of the Winter Moth, which in spring 

 has denuded the trees of blossoms and leaves, thus weakening 

 their system. This pest sefims peculiar to 'Worcestershire, as 

 I have never heard of its ravages in our southern fruit gardens. 

 There is no drabt but that this fine and well-planted fruit 

 garden will in the course of a few years become of great value, 

 for Mr. Varclen is regrafting all his trees that do not suit the 

 climate, with varieties that he has fonnd to do so. The follow- 

 ing accurate description of the garden has been drawn up by a 

 resident at Seaford Grange ; it seems to me iuteresting and 

 worthy of publication. — Tnoius ErvERS. 



THE FBUIT GARDENS AT SEAFOED cnASGE. 



Neab Pershore (Worcestershire), is one of the largest fruit 

 gardens in the kingdom. It was commenced fifteen or sixteen 

 years since on a comparatively small scale by the owner of the 

 land, Mr. Varden, to afford him occasional relaxation from the 

 duties of civil engineering, which were pressing too much on 

 his health. He afterwards retired from his profession, and has 

 since entirely occupied himself with farming and fruit culture. 

 The garden has gradually been increased to 120 acres ; and as 

 in that neighbourhood land is cheap (30s. per acre), and manure 

 dear (10s. per ton), the high cultivation adopted near London 

 and the large towns is not attempted, but something between 

 it and ordinary orchard culture is practised, and with inter- 

 mediate results both as regards cost of cultivation and value of 

 produce. 



The leading idea was, that if fruit were gi'own without vege- 

 tables the rich, deep, high-priced lands which are practically 

 necessary for the latter might be dispensed with ; heavy loams 

 at 20s. or 25s. per acre being really better adapted for the 

 growth of Apples, Pears, and Plums than the light soils at from 

 £3 to £5 per acre generally selected for market gardens. 



The soil before bei-Dg broken up was 1 fool of brown loam 

 and 2 feet of yellos- loam resting on blue clay. The loams 

 contained 75 per cent, of sOicites, 10 per cent, of alumina and 

 peroxide of iron, and 2 per cent, of carbonate of Mme. The 

 blue clay contained 37 per cent, oi carbonate of lime, and only 

 6 of alumina and peroxide of iron, so its mixture with the 

 loams would he beneficial ; bat as it occurred at too great a 

 depth to be brought up by ordinary double-digging, this only 

 occurred to a small extent. When converted by deep thorough 

 draining from a substance like soap into a friable mail it 

 becomes well aiapted for the deep roots of large fruit trees, 

 and is by no means an unfavourable subsoil. An analysis of 

 the water which escapes from the drains (4 feet deep), shows 

 that in each gallon there are present 21 grains of sulphate of 

 lime, 10 of carbsuates of lime and soda, 6 of common salt, 4 of 

 sulphate of magnesia, and 15 o' organic matter. 



The soil is one of the middle beds of the lower lias, with 

 little or no alluvial deposit en the surface, and in its unim- 

 proved state in 1851 was worth about 16s. or 17s. per acre. 

 Now that it is cleaned, thorough-drained, and useless hedges 

 are removed, and the p.-»nie produced by the repeal of the com 

 laws has subsiled. it is worth about 30s. per acre. It slopes 

 towards the east from a brook 40 feet above the level of the 

 sea, to the summit of a hlU 114 feet above the sea level. But 

 the gardens do not extend into the lowest ground ; they com- 

 mence at 15 feet above the level of the brook. None of the 

 lucky orchards of the neighbourhood are less than 30 or 40 feet 

 above the bottom of the valley. 



From the above sketch it is to be expected that the defects 

 of this site for fruit-growing will be more in climate, resulting 

 {rom lowness, than in soil. The latter is evidently well suited, 

 even in its unimproved state, to large hardy sorts of Apple and 

 Pear trees ; and in the gardens (all of which have been deep- 

 drained and donble-dag). Walnut frees and some of the stan- 

 dard Pear and Plum trees have in fifteen or sixteen years 

 attained the height of 20 or 25 feet with every appearance of 

 robust health. A moderate application of manure will supply 

 its deficiencies, and adapt it to the growth of the less vigorous 

 srta and of the Gooseberry and Currant bushes, which con- 



stitute the undergrowth. At firct stable manure from the 

 towns was employed for this purpose, but latterly soot has 

 been substituted, the eflect of which on lias soils is remark- 

 ably good. 



Hoar frosts are very injurious to the lower portions of the 

 plantation up to the level cf 30 or 40 feet above the brook, and 

 it is to mitigate or counteract the effect of these that attention 

 should chieQy be directed. Mr. Varden has latterly diminished 

 the number of his trees per acre, partly with the view of allow- 

 ing them as standards to attain their full height and grow 

 above the level of the most destructive frosts, and partly to 

 lessen the labour of daubing round the stems every third or 

 fourth day in November and December, to check a particular 

 blight — the caterpillar of the Winter Moth, which has infested 

 the Worcestershire fruit districts, especially those round Per- 

 shore and Evesham, for the last twelve years. He appears 

 satisfied with the result of this, and experience shows Lim that 

 there are sorts of fruit which suit his soil and mode of culti- 

 vation, and fairly resist the frosts even cf his lower ground, 

 and the number of these sorts being small is no disadvantage. 

 The likes and disUkes of the different varieties may be humoured 

 in private gardens where the object is to produce fruit irre- 

 spective of profit, but in commercial gardens profit is indis- 

 pensable. Not only must the peculiarities of soil and climate 

 be more closely studied in the latter, that the produce may be 

 raised at small cost, but peculiarities of markets and means of 

 transit be allowed due weight. For instance, the highest class 

 of fruits, requiring both good climate and abundant manure, 

 are best raised in the metropolitan district, where those united 

 advantages are attainable at smallest cost, and where London, 

 the chief maiket for such fruit, is within carting distance, so 

 that the damage caused by shifting from road to rail and from 

 rail to road is avoided, and the fruit taken in a ripe instead of 

 an immature state, as is necessary when it goes by railway. 

 Gardens in the midland counties are almost excluded from this 

 branch of fruit-grovring ; and the cheap rate at which Apples 

 and moderately good summer and autumn Pears are produced 

 in the farm orchards which extend over large portions of the 

 counties cf T/orccster, Hereford, Gloucester, Somerset, and 

 Devon partially excludes them from growing those descriptions 

 of crop also. The province of commercial fruit gardens in the 

 midland counties seems to be the production of a class of fruit 

 between these two — i. e., the very good, and the very cheap ; 

 and even this has to be accomplished subject to apparently 

 capricious arrangements of railway charges, the inequalities of 

 which cannot be foreseen nor controlled. Thus, from the 

 neighbourhood in question the Great Western Railway can 

 convey fruit northward to Liverpool and Manchester, and south- 

 ward to London. The former is the longer distance, yet the 

 charge for Plums, Gooseberries, and Currants is only 60 or 65 

 per cent, of what it is to London. The whole of those fruits 

 which are sent out of the district go northwards, hence for the 

 present the proprietors of Worcestershire fruit gardens have 

 only to consult the wants and tastes of the northern popula- 

 tions ; but whether the opening of the new Midland line into 

 London may, by competition, loirer the rates southward and 

 aUow an entrance into the London markets, remains to be seen ; 

 but even if it should, only such fruits as can bear the rough 

 usage consequent on changing from road to rail and back again 

 will suit the trade. 



The limitation of varieties which must result from the com- 

 bined effects cf natural and commercial causes can in no case 

 be exactly foreseen. Experience is always neces=ary to deter- 

 mine it, and this Mr. Varden has now had. The numerous 

 sorts of Apples, Pears, and Plums with which he commenced 

 his plantation (some only experimentally), are being reduced to 

 very few, the names of which I need not partictilarise, but will 

 rather allude to those which have been discarded. 



Among Pears usually considered hardy as standards, the 

 Summer Franc Eeal, Knight's Monarch, Aston Town, Louise 

 Bonne of Jersey, and Bishop's Thumb are all deficient in vigour. 

 The cause of this is no general unsuitableness cf soil to the 

 growth of Pears, as the Crawford, Grey Beurre, Welbeck Eer- 

 gamot, and Winter Crasanne are in robust health and bear 

 well ; it rather points to the former varieties requiring more 

 heat or nourishmeut. Other sorts, such as March Bergamot, 

 Figne de Naples, Ne Plus Mearis, Eroompark, Dnnmore, Shob- 

 den Court, and Citron des Carmes grow well and bear mode- 

 rately, bat not sufficiently for profit. Similar results attend 

 Apples. The Gooseberry Pippin, Coort-Peadu-Plat, Gloria 

 Mondi, all do badly, and Sturmer Pippin doubtfully; while 

 Duchess of Oldenbiugh, Dumelow's Seedling, New Hawthorn- 



