332 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ AprU 23, 1874. 



excellence as a musician. That nobleman, as Tusser wrote, 

 " was my founder," and power be had to bo so, for he was a 

 Secretary of State, and had been ambassador to the Court of 

 France, whose king said of him, " Yonder is the man I can 

 deny nothing to." Henry VHI. made him an executor of his 

 will. He probably obtained Tusser's appointment to the royal 

 choir. 



This accounts for his subsequently becoming a student of 

 Cambridge UniTersity, for the rule prevailed in that choir, 

 " When anye of these children come to eighteen years of age, 

 and their voyces change, ne cannot be preferred in this chapelle, 

 the nombere being full, then yf they will asseuto, the King 

 aseynethe them to a college of Oxeford or Cambridge of his 

 foundation, there to be at fyndyng and studye bothe siiffy- 

 cyently, tylle the King may otherwise advance them." 



That his university education was owing to his being one of 

 the lung's choristers he seems thus to notice : — 



"Since being once at Cambridge taught, 

 Of court ten yeai-e I made assay ; 

 No musick then was left untaught," 

 Such cai'6 I had to eerve that way." 



EXPEEIMENTS IN HYBBIDISING. 



Peevious to the year 1865 I was frequently trying to cross 

 the Clinton Grape with the best exotic varieties we had, but 

 was unsuccessful, having to keep the pollen in a phi.al for some 

 time, on account of those under glass blossoming in advance 

 of those in the open air. 



In 1864 I grew plants in pots of Clinton, Creveling, and 

 Hartford Prolific. In the spring of 1865 I set those plants 

 under glass, arranged so that I could retard or advance the 

 blossoms by raising or lowering the temperature of the house. 

 When they were sufficiently advanced I removed the stamens 

 of about one-third of the blossoms from about two bunches on 

 each plant, the remaining were removed entirely. I fertilised 

 the Hartford Prolific with pollen from Black Hamburgh, the 

 Creveling with White Sweetwater, and Clinton with Golden 

 Chasselas. (As I kept no record of the experiment I must 

 write from memory.) There was about equal success ; they 

 were almost full bunches. But unfortunately a hen got at the 

 Crevehug and Clinton, and destroyed the most of them ; from 

 the Creveling I grew three plants, two of which were so tender 

 in foliage as not to be worthy of trial. One being a very fine 

 plant, I thought it almost perfect; it disappointed me, having 

 imperfect blossoms. From the seeds of the CUnton I grew five 

 plants. The thrips lived on them as long as there was a leaf 

 left. 



From the seeds of the Hartford Prolific I grew over fifty 

 plants. They had the greatest difference imaginable in foliage ; 

 many of them would not resist the mildew, while some would 

 curl from the effects of the sun. A few, however, are promis- 

 ing to be worthy of trial or cultivation. Nos. 18, 20, and 25 

 are white, and Nos. 5, 19, and 20 are black. The above 

 varieties are all large in bunch and berries, hold their fruit 

 well, and appear to have good foliage. 



In 1807 I crossed Allen's Hybrid with Delaware ; got about 

 twelve plants, only two of which had foliage that would justify 

 me in continuing the cultivation of them. One has fruited 

 this year [1873] ; produces a white Grape, or rather very light 

 amber colour, with the flavour, foliage, and wood resembling 

 that of the Delaware. 



I have frequently made efforts to cross the different varieties 

 of Pear in the blossom, always using bags made of tarltan to 

 prevent the blossoms being fertilised by natural means. I 

 think it a very poor protection. I have several seedlings pro- 

 duced in this way in 1869; nearly, or quite all of them are 

 perfectly thorny. The varieties used were Beurro Clairgeau, 

 Beurn'i d'Anjou, Passe Cohnar, Fondante de NoUl, &a. ; but I 

 kept no account of the experiment, and which varieties were 

 used as male, but have a record of the varieties of the fruits 

 that the seeds came from — the female. I budded from fifty- 

 eight of the most promising of tho plants the same year from 

 seed (or in 1870), in a bearing tree, none of which have fruited 

 or shown fruit buds as yet, but nearly all are thorny. 



In 1870 I experimented largely with tho Pear ; as I had been 

 gaining experience I expected success. The Pear blight took 

 every branch except oue that was operated on, and that was 

 Osband's Summer crossed with Duchesse d'AngouK-me. I only 

 got one plant ; that oue is not thorny, it shows distinctly in 

 the foliage and wood the habit of both parents. 



In 1871 I planted some seeds of the Bartlett and Flemish 



Beauty Pear, intending to use them for stocks ; one plant 

 resembled the former, and appeared to grow fine. I grafted the 

 tops in a bearing tree. Last spring, one year from graft, '. 

 had one bunch of blossoms that had so great weight, with the 

 help of a little rain, the branch broke ; it has now over forty 

 blossom buds. I only mention this as an exception to the rule 

 laid down by some authors — seventeen years from seed for a 

 Pear to fruit. 



After so many years of failure I adopted the theory laid 

 down by Mr. Rivers in his " Miniature Fruit Garden," to root- 

 prune some of my Pear and Apple trees. I differ with Mr. 

 Kivers in the time to perform the job ; he does it in the fall ; 



1 prefer the month of April, as soon as the frost is out and the 

 land sufficiently dry to work. I take the tree up, shorten all 

 the roots that extend deep into the earth, and those side roots 

 that are growing too strong, and plant in the same place, being 

 careful to raise the roots as near the surface as possible. 

 Manure on the surface. I prefer to commence with a tree one 

 year from bud or graft, and transplant each alternate year. 



By this process, and summer pinching or pruning, wo can 

 bring a tree into fruit when three years from the bud, and nearly 

 2J or A feet in height. I planted some trees in pots, tubs, 

 boxes, &c., such as were convenient. 



The advantages in having these small trees are : First, we 

 can operate on the whole or a part of the blossoms as we 

 please, only remove those not required. Secondly, we protect 

 them by making covers of newspaper or any refuse paper, by 

 cutting them away the shape of the tree, and paste together, 

 and place them over it. If there comes a rain, as it so often 

 happens, these covers are supported by the ends of the 

 branches, and the blossoms effectually protected. A strong 

 wind will destroy them when wet ; they must be carefully 

 looked after, and replaced with others when anything happens. 

 The third advantage should not be lost sight of. We take 

 the tree up, and plant by the tree bearing the variety of fruit 

 we wish to use for the male. A large tree should always be 

 chosen for this purpose when it can be had. The east side of 

 the tree should be chosen where possible to plant ; in this way 

 we can operate without any protection, providing there are no 

 other varieties very near. I had last spring twenty Pear trees 

 prepared as above. On some I used the protectors, and others 

 were planted as described above. They ranged in height from 



2 to 5 feet. I operated on the blossoms with great suoooss ; the 

 results I give : — 



No. of trees No. of No. of 



in fruit seeds 



operation. Female Blossoms. Male Blossoms. obtained, obtoiued. 



1 Seckle BeaiTi- Clairgeau 27 6 



1 Baitletl; „ d'Anjou 15 76 



2 Beurrt- Clairgeau Duchesse d'Angouleme 23 139 

 1 „ „ Flemish Beauty IJ 99 

 1 „ „ Jost phine de Malines 2 16 

 1 „ d'Anjou Duchesse d'AugouIrme 7 45 

 1 Doyennt- Boussoch Duchesse d'Angouleme 11 44 

 1 Belle Lucrative „ „ SO S7 

 1 Seckle „ „ 2 2 

 1 Joseplune de Malines Flemish Beauty 3 19 

 1 Winter Nelia „ „ 10 

 1 Duchesse de Bordeaux Duchesse d'Angouli'-me 1 5 

 1 Madame Beauford „ „ 1 10 

 1 Osband'rt Summer „ „ 87 880 

 1 Flemish Beauty „ >, 15 

 1 „ „ BeuiTc Claii-goau 2 9 

 1 A new variety, import- \ 



edlB71;uamel0Bt; j^g. ^^j^jl^jij^^g 1 1 



a very line Deoem- 



ber Pear, large. ) 

 1 Doycmn- du Cornice Flemish Beauty failed. 



1 Flemish Beauty BeurrL- Hardy failed. 



1 Belle Lucrative Louise Bonne Had one Pear, lost. 



As the trees were all exposed during the whole of the 

 season, some of tho fruit were blown off in September; they 

 were all saved, but not separated ; there were nearly one hundred 

 of them, with about five hundred seeds. 



I have made several efforts to cross the Pear with the Apple, 

 and the Apple with the Pear, but always failed till this year 

 (1873), and this remains still to be tested, the seeds being in the 

 ground. In preparing for the experiment I selected seven small 

 Apple trees, grown on Pommier de Paradis stock, planted in 

 pots, boxes, and tubs, everything I had that would do. The 

 varieties selected were CeUini, Lord Burghley, Lord Derby, 

 Lord Duncan, Ecklinville Seedhng, Margil, and Cox's Orange 

 Pippin, mostly new varieties, and all imported. Pear trees on 

 Quince stocks were treated and planted the same as the Apples. 

 Had one tree of Duchesse de Bordeaux, and two trees of 

 Josephine do Malines. The trees were all set under glass 

 about tho 1st of April; they came in blossom about three 



