April 23, 1668. ) 



JOUaNAL OP HOBTIOOIiTUBE AND OOTTAQE GABDENEE. 



307 



FRUIT TREES ON OPEN WALLS AT THE 

 MOTE, MAIDSTONE, 



THE SEAT OF THE EARL OF ROMNEY. 



UGH has been said and written as to the 

 respective merits of orchard houses, heated 

 walls, glass casings, and last, though not 

 least, open walls, with regard to tlie cidtiva- 

 tion and successful development of many of 

 our exotic fruits, and as any notes of success- 

 ful culture combined with economy must 

 ever be acceptable to the public, a few re- 

 marks on the wall fruit trees at the above- 

 named place may not be unwelcome. 

 The kitchen garden, which is a parallelogram, running 

 from east to west, and gently sloping to the south, is nearly 

 7 acres in extent, :ii acres of wliich are enclosed by a waU 

 Vi feet high, well clothed ^^^th a fine collection of fruit 

 trees, consisting of choice kinds of Peaches, Nectarines, 

 Apricots, Plums, Pears, and Cherries, all of which are 

 placed with a due regard to giving each kind its most 

 suitable aspect. 



The Plums and Cherries are trained both in the fan 

 shape and also horizontally. Fine examples of both 

 methods of training may be seen, more especially amongst 

 the Plums, of which there is a choice collection, not only 

 of sorts but of specimens, some of them extending nearly 

 40 feet in width. 



The Pears, with but few exceptions, are trained hori- 

 zontally. Amongst them may be named a fine example of 

 Gansel's Bergamot, covering -17 feet of this 12-feet wall 

 with its beautiful tapering anus — beautiful nt aU seasons 

 of the year — in the spring with its mass of blossom, in the 

 summer and autumn witli its almost invariably tine crop 

 of fruit, and in the winter as an example of a close 

 approach to perfection both in pruning and training. 

 Taken as a whole tliis tree may be quoted as a model of 

 what a horizontally-trained tree should be. 



But it is concerning the Peaches and Nectarines that I 

 would speak more particularly, and this brings to mind 

 the question of orchard houses versus open walls ; and 

 knowing, as I well do, what splendid examples of both 

 Peaches and Nectarines are annually produced by the trees 

 on these walls, I cannot help feeling a doubt as to the 

 necessity for orchard houses, at least in our southern 

 counties. Doubtless in all the northern counties, and 

 probably in some of the midland counties, and also in 

 Scotland, orchard houses are a great boon to the gardener ; 

 but, generally speaking, in gardens enjoying the more 

 genial climate of the south, and given the proper soil, 

 good walls, healthy trees, and the requisite skill for their 

 cultivation, I venture to affirm orchard houses may be 

 considered an expensive luxury. They may be a very 

 enjoyable promenade in all weathers, and they may present 

 the fruit more agreeably to the view in all its stages of 

 growth, but so far as the supply of Peaches and Necta- 

 rines is concerned, I think they are not to be considered 

 as indispensable adjuncts to the garden. And surely it 

 must be more pleasing and satisfactory for the gardener 

 to produce, and tis employer to hav« a supply of these 



No. 8«B.— Vol. XIV i-'sw Series. 



delicious fruits for the dessert without incurring the 

 expense of a costly glass structure. Let us be honest 

 about this. We all, doubtless, desure to have as much 

 assistance from glass houses as possible, but if A can 

 produce a supply of fruit in tlio open air, for which B, 

 possessing equal advantages of climate, &c., requires glass, 

 the only inference which can be drawn must be that B is 

 simply deficient in cultural skill, or, possessing it, faila to 

 apply it properly. 



To return, however, to the trees in question. I may here 

 mention that the whole of the Peach, Nectarine, and 

 Apricot walls have a projecting board, level with the top 

 of the wall, supported by and screwed on to stout iron 

 brackets, which, passing over the top of the wall, are 

 fastened by stout staples to the back of the wall. These 

 boards, which are never removed, are 1.5 inches mde by 

 U inch thick, and it is calcidated that they are put on the 

 wall, painted, and finished complete, at a cost of Is. per 

 foot run. 



As the treatment of one tree will suffice for the whole, I 

 will proceed to notice what might be described as the 

 monarch of the whole collection. This splendid tree is 

 a Royal Kensington Peach,' and is about thirty years old. 

 Its history is as follows : — 



In the year 1845 these gardens were remodelled, and 

 this tree, which had been planted about three years, and 

 had made a vigorous growth, was, with many others, taken 

 up, and its branches cut ofi' : it was planted in the open 

 garden, where it remained, having but very little notice 

 taken of it, till the autumn of 1S47, by wliich time the new 

 walls were built, and the borders in readiness for the trees, 

 most of wliich were maiden trees. As this tree, however, 

 appeared healthy, its present position was assigned to it, 

 and it now covers 4."i(i square feet of wall, being -'i^ feet 

 wide by 12 feet high. It has eight principal or leading 

 branches, and is in a most vigorous state of health, having 

 an abundance of lino bearing wood fi-om bottom to top. 

 I may also state that the crop of fruit taken in the years 

 ISfiO and 1807 together, gives a total of ninety dozen of fine 

 fruit ; and tliis year, as the fi-uit has set so abundantly 

 and the ti-ee is so vigorous, it is intended to allow it to carry 

 fifty dozen ; so that up to the present time each year has 

 witnessed an increase of its vigour and fruitfulness. 



The treatment to which this tree has been subjected 

 presents nothing original or uncommon. The branches are 

 all unnailed in the autumn, with the exception of enough 

 shreds being left to keep them from being broken by the 

 ■wind ; tliis is done as soon as the leaves have fallen, 

 which process is sometimes assisted by lightly passing a 

 broom over them as soon as signs of decay are visible ; the 

 tree is then carefully dressed with a strong mixture oi soft 

 soap and sulphur, and it is pruned and nailed early in 

 February. Till withm the last thi'ee or four years the 

 Nottingham netting was used to protect the blossoms and 

 foliage from frost; this, however, has been entu-ely dis- 

 continued, as the projecting board is found to afford all the 

 shelter that is reqidred, and the netting is n ot now used 



• I give tlie name by which the tree has always been called, althongh 

 it may be a syuonyme of Grosse Mignonne 



No. 1021,-VoL, XXXIX., Old Seeies. 



