■October 28, 1S7S. ] 



JOUHNAL OP HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAUDENER. 



375 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



Day Da? 



ol ! of 

 Blontb Week. 



28 



S9 



80 



31 



1 



2 



3 



OCT. 28— NOV. 8, 1875. 



Th Alpbouse de Candolle bom, 1806. 

 P 



S I 



SdN , 23 SONDiY iFTEn Tkiniti. 



M 



Ta I Krempfer dit^l, 1716. 



W I 



Son 



Seta. 



h. 



89 at 4 



Moon 

 Risea. 



Moon 

 Seta. 



m. b 

 57 at 5 



7 I 22 



26 8 ; 39 



41 9 1 1 



61 10 83 



54 11 14 



after. 11 

 I 



tn. h. 

 Oaf 4 



MOOD'B 



Ago. 



DavH. 

 20 



o 



1 



2 

 3 

 4 

 5 



Clock 

 after 

 Sun. 



m. s. 



16 7 



16 11 



16 14 



16 17 



16 18 



16 19 



16 19 



Day 



of 



Year. 



801 



802 

 303 

 804 

 305 

 806 

 807 



37.0'. 



From observations taken near London during torty-thraa years, the average day temperature of the week is 54.2'; and its night temperature 



NOTES ON THIS YEAR'S FRUIT CROPS. 



NE of tlie most remarkable thiiigis in con- 

 neetiou with the pre.sent year is that while 

 it has been one of the coldest and dullest 

 on record, it has at the same time been one 

 of the most frtiitful, and outdoor fruits, with 

 iTt^^if^ the exception of Pears, have been good as 

 ^^§;/ well as plentiful. 



Peaches, Nectarines, and Figs, which 

 usually do not flourish here, have all been 

 abundant. I have still (October 20) some 

 fine fruit of Walburtou and Late Admirable Peaches on 

 the trees. Plums on walls have been abundant, and ex- 

 ceedingly fine in appearance and flavour. Coe's Golden 

 Drop, now hanging on the trees, is as good as I ever 

 tasted it. Impi'ratrice is not quite so good as it is some- 

 times. Plums always do well in our heavy moist soil, 

 provided the blossoms are not cut off by the frost, and 

 this year being moister than usual they have done pro- 

 portionately better. They are also in a very promising 

 condition for the coming season. I wish I could say the 

 same of the Red and White Currants. We had abun- 

 dance of fruit, and that for preserving and culinary pur- 

 poses in the earlier part of the season was good, but 

 towards the end of August the fruit remaining on the 

 bushes began to shrivel ; most of the fohage also dropped- 

 off soon after, leaving the bushes almost b.arc, and with 

 .small unripe wood. I do not think they will ever recover 

 their former luxuriance. The only chance I have with 

 them is to prune-back to the wood which is ripe, and iu 

 most cases that will be to the growth of last year. I am 

 glad to say I have one kind which has withstood the cold 

 soil and cold atmosphere, and has kept its leaves to the 

 present time and ripened its wood — it is that known as 

 Eaby Castle ; and I need not say that for the future all 

 other Reds, excepting a few of an earlier kind to be 

 planted on lighter soil, will have to give way to this one. 

 Perhaps it might not succeed so well on a light soil ; of 

 that I have no experience, but I recommend those having 

 a cold heavy soil to give a trial to Raby Castle. 



Black Currants have done very well ; they like mois- 

 ture. Lee's Prolific is as superior to other Black Currants 

 as the Rough Red Gooseberry is to the Roaring Lion — 

 ■nay, more so, for it has both size and quality to recom- 

 mend it : it has a sweet and delicious flavour altogether 

 different from other Black Currants, and is quite fit for 

 any dessert table. I do not know if it is superior to others 

 for cooking purposes ; for the best-flavoured fruits are not 

 .always the best for cooking, the action of the fire changes 

 their character considerably, and they often only deserve 

 a second-class place in the kitchen and still-room. This 

 13 notably the case with Strawberries, the old Grove End 

 Scarlet being when raw a very inferior fruit, but cooked 

 in any way, there is no other Strawberry with which I 

 am acquainted half so good either in appearance or 

 flavour. 



Gooseberries have done well, especially Warrington. 

 I should be glad if some one would recommend a light- 

 No. 761.— VuL. XXIX , Ne-it Series. 



coloured Gooseberry of good appearance and flavour 

 which will keep to the end of September or later. Any 

 other colour than red will do. 



Apples are abundant, and where they were severely 

 thinned are fine, otherwise they are small and worthless. 

 There is no dessert Apple in its season — early autumn — to 

 be compared with the Kerry Pippin. At the present 

 time King of the Pippins is the best I have. 



Pears are neither good nor abundant. Jargonelle, 

 Williams' Bon Chretien, Fondante d'Automne, Suffolk 

 Thorn, and Beurre Hardy have been fairly good in qua- 

 lity; the last named only remained in condition five 

 days. Thompson's, which was so good last year, is this 

 season so spotted as to be unfit for table ; still, its flavour 

 is very good. Marie Louise from a south wall was bitter 

 and useless, and from an east wall and standard it is 

 very little better. Hacon's Incomparable from a south 

 wall has no flavour whatever ; but Van Mons Leon Le- 

 clerc from the same position promises to be, as it always 

 is, Al. 



The season, too, has had its effect on indoor fruits. 

 Good Melons with me have not been plentiful ; they 

 have been thin and light in weight, and not up to the 

 usual quality in flavour. The only kind tolerated here 

 is Meredith's Cashmere, and it, perhaps more than any 

 other Melon, requires a good season as well as good 

 cultivation. 



My usual practice with Muscats and other winter 

 Grapes has had to be departed from, or I should not have 

 had the wood ripened satisfactorily. In ordinary seasons 

 if asked at what temperature I kept my Vines I could 

 answer. From .50° to 95" ; but as the day temperature 

 very rarely reached the higher figure this season, I found 

 it advisable to keep a higher night temperature. It takes 

 a certain mean temperature to ripen Grapes and Vines, 

 and if it can be kept up by solar heat so much the better 

 for the pocket and the health of the plants ; but when 

 it is not produced naturally it must be had in another 

 way. It is not a few degrees higher or lower occasionally 

 that is of so much consequence as is the average tempe- 

 rature : .55° for a limited time will not harm the tenderest 

 variety of Gr.ape in cultivation, neither will 05' by solar 

 heat when the ventilation is skilfully attended to ; but 

 either of these extreme temperatures kept continually 

 would ruin both Grapes and Vines. It does no barm for 

 a few hours iu the day to maintain a high temperature 

 when there is abundance of light ; and, on the other hand, 

 the night temperature ought never to be sufliciently high 

 to excite the plants ; but, as I have already said, a certain 

 average temperature must be maintained, and if the sun 

 fails to do it, then it must be produced by the aid of fuel. 

 In practice this season I have found it the most econo- 

 mical to keep a rather higher night temperature than 

 usual and give le.<i3 ventilation by day — in other words, to 

 keep on forcing all the summer. 



Where this forcing has not been done it would be 

 advisable even now to apply fire heat, with air, where 

 Vines have not lost their foliage, to assist the maturation 

 of the wood. In the case of the many amateurs and 



No. ms.— Vol. LIV., Old Sesies. 



