4 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



of fruit. Thos. Hitt (1757), John Abercrombie (1767), and 

 William Forsyth (1791) still further added to the literature 

 of fruit culture. In 1796 Thomas Andrew Knight pub- 

 lished his work entitled a Treatise on the Culture of the 

 Apple and Pear, and he raised some fine Pears, of which 

 " Monarch/' of first-class Bergamot flavour, ripening in 

 February, is the only variety in cultivation ; it is very 

 liable to drop its fruit. Its keeping qualities render it 

 valuable for those who have suitable fruit stores, as good 

 Pears in February are scarce. 



In 1831 Ronalds published his Pyrus Mains Brentfor- 

 diensis, which contains well-executed plates of the best 

 Apples of his time, with descriptive and cultural notes ; 

 some of these varieties are still valuable. Following his 

 lead, the London and provincial nurserymen began to make 

 a speciality of fruit-tree production, such names as Lee of 

 Hammersmith, Osborn of Fulham, Wilmot and Chaundy 

 of Lewisham, Dancer of Chiswick, Paul of Cheshunt, Garra- 

 way of Bristol, Glendinning of Chiswick, and Luccombe 

 and Veitch of Exeter being amongst the trade pioneers. 

 Thomas Andrew Knight of Worcester and Lord Scudamore 

 of Holme Lacey, Hereford, succeeded in making their 

 counties eminent for both cider and table fruits, whilst 

 Braddick of Thames Ditton introduced many good varieties, 

 including Marie Louise Pear. At the same time Devon and 

 Somerset imported fruits from Brittany and laid the foun- 

 dation of the cider industry. Most of the old orchards in 

 these counties may date from this period, as many of the 

 Pears are certainly 150 years old, yet the trees are as 

 healthy and lofty as English Elms. 



The middle of the nineteenth century marked a great 



