50 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE QABDENEB. 



[ Jannai; 20, 1876. 



the same progrees of mischief that follows less severe prun- 

 ing. An old tree cannot endure severe amputation. Our 

 hospitals, like our orchards, prove that with the aged surgical 

 operations are likely to prove fatal ; the old Apple tree might 

 continue to do good service if left alone for several years, but 

 subject it to the surgical operation of the pruner and it gradu- 

 ally succumbs. It is for this reason that old trees during the 

 latter part of their fruit-bearing lifetime are in general left 

 alone in the orchards in Kent, and the knowledge that it is 

 best to do BO has not been arrived at without plenty of failures 

 in pruning and attempting to improve the appearance of the 

 trees. I may say, as the result of much practice and ob- 

 servation, that in general neither the knife nor saw ought to 

 be used to an Apple tree during the last ten years of its life, 

 assuming it is expected to arrive at the age of forty or fifty 

 years. Of course there are plenty of trees in a fair bearing 

 state older than this, and many are old and worn out before 

 that time, so that some discretion is required to judge when 

 to cease the pruning, and the practised eye can eaeily tell this 

 by the appearance of the trees. 



Much has been said of the thickness of the centre of an un- 

 prnned tree. I have an opportunity of seeing hundreds of 

 unpruncd Apple trees, and their centres invariably consist of 

 naked limbs ; it is nearer the outside where the thicket really 

 is. Supposing an aged tree is left alone a number of years, 

 the densest part of that tree will be found within 3 feet of the 

 extremities of the branches ; and what fruit there is, much in- 

 side the outer ends of the branches is never of any account. 

 Generally there is plenty of room for a heavy crop on those 

 branches that project outwards, and the bulk of the fruit will 

 be found within 2 feet of their extremities. " Opening out the 

 centre of a tree " seems to me a process only required in very 

 young trees. Nature doing it for us in the old. Those who 

 want to hasten the decay and death of an Apple tree, however 

 young, cannot do better than persistently follow up the prac- 

 tice of finger-and-thumb pinching in summer ; their tree will 

 be on the rubbish heap before their neighbour's which has 

 been let alone has fairly arrived at its best, and the produce of 

 the latter will probably have been many fold that of the former. 

 My final advice on the subject of old Apple trees is either to 

 let them alone or destroy them entirely, for I have found no 

 middle course satisfactory. — J. Eobson. 



KEPORT ON CELERIES 



GROWN FOE TKUJL By:THE. FEUIT AKD VEGETABLE COMMITTEE 

 OF THE EOYAL HOETICTJLTUEAL SOCIETY AT CHISWICK 

 1674-5. 



The seed for this trial was presented by Messrs. Carter and 

 Co. ; Messrs. Barr cS: Sugden ; Messrs. Minier, Nash, & Nash ; 

 Messrs. Harrison & Sons ; Messrs. Osborn & Sons ; Messrs. 

 Stuait & Mein ; Messrs. Veitoh & Sons ; Messrs. Vilmorin et 

 Cie. ; Samuel Simpson, Esq.; Mr. E. Dean, and Mr. A. 

 Parsons. 



There were forty-seven reputed varieties received, of which 

 twenty-three were red and twenty-four white. These the Com- 

 mittee by the detection of numerous fynonjms reduced to 

 twenty — viz., seven red varieties and thirteen white, which 

 have been decided to be distinct. 



The seed was sown early in March in heat, and the plants 

 pricked-off and planted-out early in June in single trenches, 

 and treated after the ordinary manner. The plants were 

 frequently examined by the Committee whilst growing, and 

 again when fully grown, and a portion of each sort was left to 

 test their capabilities of standing the winter. 



The season of 1874 was a particularly favourable one for the 

 growth of Celeries, eo that the trial was a satisfactory one. 



1. BED VAEIETIES. 



1. ManchebtekKed [s;/no)!)/?ns,Laing's Mammoth, Radford's 

 Pink, Sulham Prize Pink, Hooley's Conqueror Prize, True 

 Manchester, and Giant Bed] . — Plant of strong and vigorous 

 growth, attaining an avtrage height of 3 feet -1 inches. Leaf- 

 lets broad green. Heads compact, average girth 12 inches. 

 The outer leafstalks are moderately broad, slightly shaded 

 with red. Heart very solid; the stalks, broad, thick, and 

 fleshy, blanching for about 12 inches. A very excellent sort, 

 Btands the winter well. This is the largest variety. 



2. Ivery's NoNsrcn [syns., Violet de Tours, Osborn's Select 

 Bed; London Market Red]. — Plant of strong and vigorous 

 growth and habit, average height 3 feet. The leaflets are 

 broad, deep green, the pinn.'c more widely situate than in 



other varieties. Heads compact, average girth 12 inches. 

 The outer leafstalks flat, of a deep rosy-red colour. Hearts 

 very solid, blanching for about 13 inches. Stalks very solid, 

 broad, thick, and crisp, of a fine nutty flavour. A very ex- 

 cellent sort, and one of the best to stand the winter. 



3. KiMBERLEt's Bed [syns,. Improved Solid Red; Stuart 

 and Mein's Solid Bed] . — Plant of regular but somewhat spread- 

 ing habit of growth. Height 2 feet 6 inches. Leaflets broad, 

 deep green. Heads compact ; average girth 11 inches ; the 

 outer leaflets narrow, rounded, and slender, of a deep rosy red 

 colour. Hearts very solid, blanching for about 12 inches ; the 

 stalks broad, thick, and crisp, of a fine nutty flavour. 



4. Caeteb's Incompaeable Crimson [syns., Carter's Incom- 

 parable Dwarf Crimson ; Hood's Dwarf Bed]. — Plant of close 

 compact growth. Height 2 feet G inches. Leaflets rather broad, 

 pale green. Heads very compact ; average girth 11 inches. 

 Outer leaflets narrow, deep rosy pink. Hearts very solid, 

 blanching for about 11 inches ; the stalks thick and fleshy, 

 and of fine quality. This is the dwarfest red Celery, and a 

 good hardy variety to stand the winter. 



5. Webster's No. 1. [sj/n., Webster's No. 4]. — Plant of 

 somewhat slender growth. Height 2 feet 10 inches. Leaflets 

 broad with short petioles, giving it a bushy compact appear- 

 ance. Heads compact, average girth 10^ inches ; outer leaf- 

 stalks slender and narrow. Heart solid, blanching for about 

 12 inches. The stalks solid, thick, very crisp, and of good 

 quality. 



0. Leicester Bed [s?/ns.. Major Clarke's Solid Red, Tarn- 

 moss Bed, Eamsey's Solid Bed]. — Plant of erect compact 

 growth, presenting a very uniform appearance when growing. 

 Height 3 feet. Leaflets rather small, deeply serrated, of a 

 shining green colour, with a sort of silvery shade. Heads very 

 round and compact ; average girth 12 inches. The outer leaf- 

 stalks are rather narrow or rounded, of a clear rosy pink 

 colour. Hearts very solid, blanching well for about 12 inches ; 

 the inner stalks broad and thick, very crisp, and of a fine nutty 

 flavour. One peculiarity of this Celery is, that of the core 

 rising about 2 inches in the heart, as if it were to run to seed. 

 This core portion is by many considered the best part. This 

 variety from its close compact growth blanches easily, and is 

 the best Celery for autumn or early-winter use, but it does not 

 stand the winter well. 



7. Weight's Improved Grove Bed. — Plant of the same ap- 

 pearance as Leicester Bed, but somewhat dwarfer. The heads 

 are also larger, being IS^inches in circumference. Hearts large, 

 very solid, and good. This is a very excellent sort. 



2. WHITE VAEEETIES. 



8. Grove White. — Plant of strong and robust growth. 

 Height 2 feet 9 inches. This is an exact counterpart of the 

 Grove Red, but white and possessed of the same excellent 

 qualities. Does not stand the winter so well as other sorts. 



9. iNcoiirAEAELE Dwarf White [syns., Pleiu Blanc Court 

 Hatif, Saudringham, Dean's Compact WJiite] .—Plant of very 

 dwarf and compact growth. Height about 24 inches. Leaflets 

 small, pale green. Heads very compact, average girth about 

 10 inches. Outer leafstalks broad and deeply ribbed. Hearts 

 solid, blanching about 10 inches, and of a pure white. The 

 stalks broad, thick, fleshy, crisp, and of fine quality. This ia 

 one of the best sorts, its close dwarf growth renders it easy to 

 blanch with remarkably little earlhing-up. It is good for 

 early use, and also stands the winter well. 



10. Plein Blanc. — Plant of dwarf compact habit. Height 

 24 inches. This is much of the same character as the preced- 

 ing, but smaller and inferior. It is useful for an early supply. 



11. A CocrER. — Plant small, height about 24 inches. Leaf- 

 lets small. Heads small, outer leafstalks very narrow. This 

 is not of much use only for very early work, the small heart 

 blanching very quickly. It soon runs to seed. 



12. TuRc Grand. — Plant of robust growth. Height 2 feet 

 G inches. Leaflets large, broad deep green ; outer leafstalks 

 broad, much ribbed. Heart small. It may be useful for an 

 early supply, but soon runs to seed. 



13. Seymour's White [syns., Goodwin's While; North- 

 umberland Champion White] . — Plant of somewhat spreading 

 habit of growth. Height 3 feet. Heads large, 12 inches in 

 girth. Outer leafstalks Iroad, very deeply ribbed. Hearts 

 solid, blanching to nearly 14 inches. The stalks broad, thick, 

 and fleshy. This is the largest-growing white Celery, and apt 

 to become pithy if very strongly grown. 



14. Peizetaeee White [syn., Yeitch's Silver White]. — 

 Plant of somewhat slender growth. Height 3 feet. Leaflets 



