Revieiv of London'' s Gardener^s Magazine. 265 



the Golden pippin has been a fertile subject of discussion among or- 

 chardists during the last thirty years, since Mr. Knight first suggested 

 the idea of its degeneracy from old age. The following remarks by 

 Mr. Rogers are then given : — 



"Tlip Golden [jippin beii)<r one of our most useful and esteemed Imrdy 

 fruits, the author trusts lie will be forgiven for entering more at large; into its 

 history and mtmagement llian lie lias thought necessary in the preceding no- 

 tices of otiier inferior kinds of a|)ples, ei-|)eclally as there has been, lor several 

 years past, an idea prevali-nt, tiiat this country was about to lose this fine 

 Iriiit for ever. In Rlr. Knight's Treatise on Orcliard Fruit, the doctrine was 

 first broached, that all our varieties and subvarieties of fruits have but a 

 temporary existence. They are raised from seed, flourish li)r an imcertain 

 number of years, and, afrer arriving at their maximum of health and fertility, 

 gradually sink to decay, and at length disajipear. Taking this idea as a rule, 

 the golden pippin was judged to be in this last stage of existence ; and it was 

 predicted, that not only were the old full-grown trees to disappear, but all tlie 

 young ones, lately worked from them, would perish also. It must be admit- 

 ted, that a great majority of the old Gohlen jiippin trees in Herefordshire, 

 and in other parts of the kingdom, were, about ihe time Mr. Knight wrote his 

 treatise, in an apjiarent state of decay ; and, moreover, that young trees of 

 the same sort could but with ditliculty be made to growand bear so treelyas 

 they had previously done. These f-iilures, however, were accounted for in 

 another way than that j)ropounded by Mr. Knight. It was observed, that the 

 old trees, having [irobably all been jilantefl about the same time, and lia\ing 

 arrived at their natural period of healtiiy existence, were, like all other trees, 

 falling to decay from sheer old age; and that the contemporaneous weakness 

 and del)ility of the young lately planted trees were caused by a careless 

 choice of grafts, by working them on impro|)er stocks, and planting them in 

 old worn-out soil, instead of in fresh, well-trenched, light, loamy situations. 

 This latter opinion was the more feasible, because there were many middle- 

 aged trees in different parts of the kingdom, which were in full vigor and 

 bearing; and though young plants pitted in old gardens and orchards were 

 unthrifty, such as were properly planted in newly broken-up ground, provided 

 they were worked on the best crab stocks, succeeded as well as ever. 



" This being the opinion of the author respecting the failure of the old 

 Golden pippin, and other old sorts of apjdes, he gave the subject his best 

 consideration, and set about proving how fiir his own conjectures were well 

 or ill founded ; and, after the experience of forty years, he has come to the 

 following conclusion ; viz., that if crab stocks be raised from the most healthy 

 wild trees, properly treated, and planted out in the nursery, and worked with 

 the tnost healthy moderate sized scions, cut from the top of .sound healthy 

 trees, and, when fit for final transplantation, be placed on well-trenchcti light 

 fresh loam, having a dry bottom of rock or chalk, the trees will assrredly 

 prosper without fear of disappointment. On the other hand, if the grafts be 

 taken indiscriminately from any tree, or from any part of a tree, and placed 

 either on free or paradise stocks, the young trees so raised will, nine times 

 out of twelve, be in some respect or other defective ; and partiridarly if they 

 be not afterwards jilanted in their favorite soil, where their wood would not 

 be sufficiently ripened. 



"The Gulden ijippin rerpiires a dry and moderately warm climate. The 

 best fruit are produced in Normandy on the (^mtinent, in Sussex in Eng- 

 land, and on walls in Scotland. The south of France is too warm, and 

 the richer counties of England and Ireland are too moist. This apple is 

 siifiposed to have been fust raised at rarham Park, on the south Downs of 

 Sussex. 



"It has been noticed of late years, that neither the Gulden pippin nor 



VOL 1.— NO. VII. K K 



