APORETICA 



57 



APPLE 



a larger rhizome than A. fettestrale, covered at the 

 growing point with a few small scales. Madagascar. 



,, ro'seum. See A. DISTACHYUM ROSEUM. 



spatha'ceum ju'nceum (B. M., t. 6399). t. Pinkish. 

 Autumn. S. Africa. 1879. Half-hardy. 



APORE TICA. A synonym of Schmidelia. 

 APO RUM. See DENDROBIUM. 



APPLE (Pyrus Mains). It is hardly necessary to 

 record that the Apple is most extensively grown and the 

 most useful of aU hardy fruits. Varieties are very 

 numerous. It is recorded in the 1868 edition of this 

 book that there were 1496 varieties, and since that time 

 many more have been added. The Apple in its wild 

 state exists in most countries of Europe, and is generally 

 known as the Crab. The English Crab is supposed to 

 be one of the original parents of the fine varieties we now 

 have ; yet it appears that we are indebted to Normandy 

 for some of the Cider apples, and to Holland and France 

 for some of the dessert and kitchen varieties. From 

 the immense number of varieties now cultivated it is 

 difficult to make a selection. Many of those given in the 

 old edition remain favourites, but many fine varieties 

 have been added since ; except where they have been 

 fully tested it will be better to keep to old standard sorts. 

 The following is a selection from those recommended 

 by the leading authorities on fruit culture, most of which 

 the writer is also acquainted with, but it must be re- 

 membered that sorts which succeed well in one locality 

 fail in another, and before planting extensively local 

 authorities should be consulted. In the list the time of 

 ripening is given as near as possible, but some allowance 

 must be made for position ; seasons also have a great 

 influence. And the various authorities differ in the times 

 given for ripening. Apples are ready to gather when 

 the pips (seeds) are of a dark brown or blackish colour, 

 but some require to be kept for a time after they are 

 gathered ; while others are of better flavour if eaten as 

 soon as gathered from the trees. 



VARIETIES FOR DESSERT. July-August. Beauty of 

 Bath, Juneating (sometimes written "Joaneting") 

 white, Juneating red (syn. Margaret), Irish Peach, Mr. 

 Gladstone, Early Harvest; August-September. Devon- 

 shire Quarrenden ; Kerry Pippin, Miller's Seedling ; 

 Lady Dudeley, Yellow Ingestrie ; Worcester Pearmain ; 

 Red Astrachan ; and Langley Pippin. Sfptember- 

 October. James Grieve, Pine Golden Pippin ; September 

 Beauty, Golden Reinette, Washington, Cornish Aro- 

 matic, and King's Acre Pippin. October-November. 

 American Mother, King of the Pippins ; Scarlet Non- 

 pareil ; Ribston Pippin ; Margil ; Blenheim Orange, 

 and Wealthy. November-December- January. Adam's 

 Pearmain ; Cox's Orange Pippin ; Charles Ross ; Mab- 

 bott's Pearmain, Christmas Pearmain, Aldington Pippin, 

 and Gravenstein. January-February-March. Boston 

 Russett, Court Pendu Plat, Lord Hindlip ; Mannington 

 Pearmain, Reinette du Canada, Claygate Pearmain. 

 March- April-May. Allen's Everlasting, Brownlee's 

 Russett ; Cockle's Pippin, Duke of Devonshire, Feam's 

 Pippin, Lord Burghley, and Reinette du Canada. 



VARIETEIS FOR KITCHEN (cooking purposes). Ausust- 

 September. Lord Suffield, Keswick Codlin, Duchess of 

 Oldenburgh, Lord Grosvenor, Stirling Castle, Frogmore 

 Prolific, and Pott's Seedling. October-November. Beauty 

 of Kent, Cellini, Cox's Pomona, Ecklinville, Emperor 

 Alexander, Hambling's Seedling, Peasgood's Nonsuch, 

 Golden Noble, The Queen, Worcestershire Pearmain, and 

 Grenadier. November - December - January. Bismarck, 

 Blenheim Orange, Lady Henniker, Lane's Prince Albert, 

 Gascoigne's Seedling, Tower of Glammis, Newton 

 Wonder, Jubilee, Sandringham, Norfolk Beauty, and Dr. 

 Harvey. February-March-April. Alfriston, Bramley's 

 Seedling, Wellington, King of Tomkins County, Annie 

 Elizabeth, Northern Greening, Warner's King, Lord 

 Derby, and Mere de Menage. 



APPLES FOR SMALL GARDEN. Dessert. James Grieve, 

 Juneating, Red Quarrenden, Cox's Orange Pippin, 

 Miller's Seedling, Braddick's Nonpareil. 



FOR KITCHEN USE. Cellini, Lord Suffield, Cox's 

 Pomona, Lane's Prince Albert, Newton Wonder, 

 Stirling Castle, The Queen. Bismarck, and the old 

 favourite, Keswick Codlin, may be added. For cottage 

 gardens, if limited to a few sorts, James Grieve, Cellini, 

 Lord Suffield, and Cox's Pomona should be included. 



Where only a few trees are grown it will be found more 

 satisfactory to plant early varieties. And for market 

 purposes a limited number of sorts which follow in suc- 

 cession will be found more profitable than growing a 

 large collection. 



CULTURE. In a dictionary it is not necessary to go 

 fully into cultural details, except to give a brief summary 

 of the various methods of propagating, and the different 

 modes of training, pruning, &c. The increasing of stock 

 is the first thing to be considered. From seeds, of course, 

 appears to be the most natural means, but since we have 

 such a great number of varieties of garden origin, there 

 is no reliance to be placed on getting any sort true from 

 seeds. Yet those who have the space and time may find 

 it interesting to raise seedlings, and by cross fertilisation 

 some improved varieties may be raised. Fertilising 

 should be done systematically. Taking two dessert 

 varieties, one may be of good growth and a fair cropper, 

 but wanting in quality. Fertilise from one of better 

 quality which may not be so robust, but keep to sorts 

 which come in at about the same time and which appear 

 to have some affinity to each other. The same remarks 

 apply to kitchen varieties. After a selection has been 

 made keep persistently to the same varieties, and if on 

 fruiting they show cross fertilisation has been effected, 

 but not quite satisfactory results are obtained, work 

 again on the seedlings, or raise more seedlings from the 

 first without re-crossing. Seedlings may fruit earlier if 

 grafted on the Paradise stock, and it will do no harm 

 to cut back the young trees to provide the grafts (or 

 scions). The time of bringing seedling Apples into fruit- 

 ing trees varies considerably, but from three to four 

 years is the earliest that they can be expected to bear 

 fruit. The seedlings should be transplanted when about 

 a year old, and this may be done as soon as the leaves 

 are off in the autumn. Pruning will depend upon growth, 

 but generally the terminal shoot may be shortened back, 

 and if the trees are given plenty of room the laterals will 

 make flower-buds much earlier than where the trees are 

 crowded together. And more satisfactory results will be 

 obtained by growing on a few carefully selected crosses 

 than growing a larger number which have not been 

 properly cross-fertilised. Propagation may be affected 

 from cuttings, but this is rarely done except to provide 

 stocks of the Codlings and Paradise for grafting on ; these 

 may also be obtained from layers. Most of the stocks 

 grown for grafting or budding on are raised from seeds of 

 the Crab. For standards the seedlings may be encouraged 

 to grow freely, removing all side branches until the stem 

 has reached from 6 to 8 feet high ; they may then be 

 budded with the desired sorts. This should be done in 

 July or August. Great care should be taken that the 

 wood used does not get withered during the process. A 

 wet cloth should be used to wrap the wood, from which 

 the buds are to be taken, up in. Where large quantities 

 are done, it would not be advisable to wait for the 

 weather, but where possible the budding should be done 

 on a dull, damp day. It may be added that younger 

 stocks may be budded and the stems formed from the 

 variety to be grown. The bush and pyramid trees may 

 be grown from budding on young seedlings. In the 

 choice of stocks much depends upon varieties to be 

 grown, and for what purpose. For fruiting early the 

 Paradise is the best ; there are several varieties of this, 

 which originate from Pyrus prcecox ; the broad-leaved 

 Paradise is recommended as one of the best. The Crab 

 or native Pyrus \Ialus is the best for producing 

 strong-growing trees as standards. Seedlings raised 

 from the Cider Apples, and other hardy sorts, are also 

 used. 



GRAFTING. This method of propagating is not so 

 general as it was in years gone by; but where it is 

 desirable to increase a variety as rapidly as possible no 

 wood must be wasted. The stocks must be well estab- 

 lished. There are many different methods of grafting for 

 Apples, whip or " tongue grafting " is perhaps the best 

 method (see notes on GRAFTING). The scions (or grafts) 

 should be taken in December, cut in suitable lengths, 

 tied in small bundles, and buried in the ground under 

 a north wall or other cool and shady position this will 

 retard them. The grafting should be done in March 

 and April ; the sap in the stocks will then be rising and 

 ready to give support to the scions. Success depends 

 greatly on having a very sharp knife and making quite 

 clean cuts both on the stock and on the scion. Formerly 



