Novemiev 11, 1876. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



423 



which was floating in his own mind, and it was a Bnocessful 

 one. Bat it may be puehed a little farther than Mr. Maule 

 has carried it. Wo all know that iu many instances the scion 

 influences the stock as greatly as the stock does the scion ; and 

 we see no reason why there may not be a graft-hybrid produced 

 in this case as in many others which would have the power of 

 resisting the disease. The transfusion of the essences of dis- 

 tinct plants is not conveyed exclusively by the pollen grains ; 

 and we believe it (juite possible, by frequent repetition of the 

 grafting experiment, to change in some important respect the 

 constitution of the cultivated Potato so as to render it more 

 disease-resisting. 



It will be very interesting to know what the result of this 

 experiment of Mr. Maule's turns out. We hope Mr. Maule 

 has preserved the tuber with the intention of planting it next 

 season. It would be well to cut it into sets and graft some of 

 the plants produced from these with Solamim nigrum, leaving 

 others in their normal condition. 



OPEN STANDARD OR BUSH PEACH AND 

 NECTARINE TREES. 



Alldsiok having been made to the growing of Peaches and 

 Nectarines on open standard, or rather bush trees, and cases 

 mentioned where fruit has ripened during the past season on 

 such trees, it would be well to take a retrospect of the past 

 and ascertain what has been attempted in this way in years 

 gone by, and we may possibly be able to form a tolerable 

 correct judgment of what is likely to be aocomphshed in the 

 futurCv 



Fine warm summers, which now and then occur, favouring 

 the growth and maturing the fruit of many things that do not 

 generally approach that condition in ordinary years, usually 

 tempt the inexperienced into the belief that because they have 

 ripened Grapes against a wall and Peaches on open standards 

 these fruit can always be done so. This is a mistake. These 

 fruits require more sun than the average temperature which 

 our summers afford, and it is only on those very warm sea- 

 sons that they really ripen well, and it is questionable if they 

 are in reality as likely to do so in a general way as they were 

 a century or more ago. An occasional hot summer or two 

 following each other may be adduced as evidence against this ; 

 but two or three years is not sufficient to found a conclusion 

 upon. I well remember the dry sunny seasons of 1857, 1858, 

 and 1859, the last two especially being thought half-tropical, 

 and it was imagined that many fruits and plants would flourish 

 in the open air that are but rarely met with under that mode 

 of culture. Pine Apples were tried in more places than one 

 and reported favourably of, and some sanguine spirits went 

 the length of asserting that England might be independent of 

 foreign countries in the matter of the port an4 sherry con- 

 sumed ; while Sorgham and other half-tropical green foods 

 were to take the place of those in common use amongst farmers, 

 and certainly some very fine growths of the latter plant in the 

 summer of 1859 did promise well of it ; but, alas ! the cold 

 wet season of 1860 set aside all expectation of this and other 

 plants becoming generally useful, and the ripening of Peaches 

 and Grapes was out of the question altogether. For some 

 years after this ungeuial summer it was urged that Peaches 

 could not be depended on anywhere except under glass, and 

 an impetus was given to the erection of orchard houses, and 

 we have since heard but little of standard trees of the kinds 

 named until the present fine autumn has in a measure revived 

 the subject again by some fairly good fruit having been pro- 

 duced on such trees in favourable situations. Although the 

 cultivation of the Peach as an open standard tree has been 

 recommended I would hardly advise anyone planting a whole 

 orchard of such trees, for the seasons in which they succeed 

 will come so seldom that I fear the disappointments would far 

 exceed the successes. 



I think it was about 1858 or 1859 that Mr. lUman, a nursery- 

 man at Strood near EocUester, ripened Peaches and Nectarines 

 on open standards ia big nursery, and pyramid Peach trees 

 for gardens as well as for lawns were strongly recommended 

 at that time. In the latter position they were expected to be 

 equally ornamental in spring while iu flower, as they would be 

 useful later on when ripe fruit greeted the eyes of the owner 

 or visitor. But somehow they have never become popular, 

 and I believe what few were planted have produced but little 

 fruit, and have fallen short of the ornamental character ex- 

 pected of them, the growth being irregular and at times ram- 



pant, while the difficulties in protecting the fruit blossom from 

 the spring frosts was so great that comparatively little reached 

 the ripening period, and that little has been small and under- 

 sized ; that there is certainly but slight encouragement to 

 embark extensively in planting many trees of the character 

 named, although by way of experiment, and iu a favourable 

 site, the practice is worth trying on a limited scale. 



While on this subject I may ask, What success has attended 

 the cultivation of two other fruits of different habits, but each 

 requiring something different to the treatment given to our 

 ordinary hardy fruits — namely. Figs and Apricots ? Many years 

 ago — I think it was about 185() — I planted several young Apri- 

 cot trees in what I thought was a favourable situation, and 

 they grew and flowered very fairly, but I never obtained much 

 fruit from them. About that same period I ceased pruning or 

 doing anything but now and then fastening up a large limb 

 against the wall of two large Fig trees, and they now straggle 

 across the border, and in favourable years produce good fruit ; 

 that near the ground on the branches resting upon it being as 

 good as on the top of the trees. I should be glad if those who 

 have been successful in the growth of these two fruits to be 

 good enough to give us the particulars of their practice, more 

 especially if they have succeeded in perfecting them without 

 the aid of walls. — .T. Eobson. 



THE POMEGRANATE OUT OF DOORS. 



In an interesting article on the above in your issue for 

 October 14th, page 338, it is stated that this plant does not 

 produce fruit in this country. Perhaps, therefore, it may 

 interest you as well as others to know that a plant of the 

 Punioa granatum bears fruit annually here, which in some 

 favourable seasons fairly ripens. 



I have forwarded you some specimens of this season's growth, 

 but I would mention that those sent are not nearly so ripe as 

 we usually have them, in fact all the fruit that is on the plant 

 has set since the third week in August ; neither has the fruit 

 been so plentiful nor the flowers so abundant as in former 

 years, which can be accounted for by the excessive fall of rain 

 we have experienced here this season. The growth of this 

 plant, or what I will term the breastwood, in ordinary seasons 

 is from 9 inches to a foot in length, whereas this season it is 

 more than double that length, and much stronger than usual. 



The plant in question is growing against the kitchen wall, 

 which has a south-west aspect, and is well sheltered. The soil 

 is a light sandy loam, which no doubt is greatly impoverished 

 by its close proximity to some large Hollies and other shrubs. 

 The subsoil is sand. It has grown to the height of 32 feet, and 

 covers the wall 21 feet in width. On the highest part the 

 largest quantity of flowers are produced, and only at the ex- 

 treme points fruit is perfected. 



This plant fully corroborates all that jou have stated as to 

 its requirements, which are a warm sheltered site, with a poor 

 light well-drained soil. 



At a short distance the Pomegranate has the appearance of 

 a Myrtle, and I have heard many a visitor at first sight exclaim, 

 "What an immense Myrtle you have here! " Such was the 

 exclamation of one lady in particular last season ; when a 

 second rejoined, " Its great size is not its only novelty, as it 

 actually bears scarlet flowers and fruit." — Thomas Foote, 

 Gardener to Sir Arthur Elton, Bt., Cleveclon Court, Somerset. 



[The specimens sent were small, but one was nearly ripe,— 

 Eds.] 



HARTHAM PARK, 



THE RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM HENEY POYNDEE, 



ESQ. 



If we pursue the Bath road for about three miles west of 

 Chippenham it brings us into the parish of Corsham, a wide- 

 extending parish embracing many hamlets, one of which all 

 must pass through on their way to Bath — viz., Pickwick. I 

 notice this to correct a very general but erroneous impression 

 that Charles Dickens took the name of the hero of his first 

 important work from this place. The tale goes that putting 

 his head out of the window of the coach on his way to Bath 

 he asked what was the name of this place, and received for 

 answer " Pickwick," and that the jingling rhyme of the word 

 caught bis ear. This, however, is only a case of " as the story 

 goes." The truth, according to Mr. Foster, is that Dickens 

 saw in Piccadilly the Bath coach with the name of " Pickwick, 

 proprietor," upon it, and that the name hit his fancy. In- 

 deed, though Dickens visited Bath in later years almost annu- 



