HOME GARDENS FOR SMOKY TOWNS. 357 



more particularly in the valleys that slope from the 500 

 square miles of the perpetual ice desert of the Justedal 

 down to the Sognefjord, latitude 61 to 61|, considerably 

 to the north of the northernmost of the Shetland Islands. 

 The cherry and currant trees are marvelous there. 



In the garden of one of the farm stations (Sande) I 

 counted 70 fine bunches of red currants growing on six 

 inches of one of the overladen down-hanging stems of a 

 currant bush. Cherries are served for dessert by simply 

 breaking off a small branch of the tree and bringing it to 

 the table the fruit almost as many as the leaves. 



This luxuriance I attribute to two causes. First, that in 

 that part of Norway the winter breaks up suddenly at about 

 the beginning of June, and not until then, when night 

 frosts are no longer possible, do the blossoms appear. It 

 was on the 24th August that I counted the 70 bunches of 

 ripe currants. The second cause is the absence of sparrows 

 and other destructive small birds that devour our currants 

 for the seeds' sake before they ripen, and our cherries im- 

 mediately on ripening. These ara preceded by the bull- 

 finches that feed on the tender hearts of the buds. of most 

 of our fruit trees. Those who believe the newspaper myths 

 which represent such thick-billed birds eating caterpillars, 

 should make observations and experiments for themselves 

 as I have done. 



In our canvas conservatories neither sparrows nor cater- 

 pillars, nor wasps, or other fruit-stealers will penetrate, 

 nor will the spring frosts nip the blossoms that open out 

 in April. All the conditions for full bearing are there ful- 

 filled, and the ripening season, though not so intense, will 

 be prolonged. We shall have an insular Jersey climate in 

 London, where the mean temperature is higher than in the 

 country around, and, if I am not quite deluded, we shall 

 be able to grow the choicest Jersey pears, those that best 

 ripen by hanging on the tree until the end of December, 

 and fine peaches, which are commonly destroyed by putting 

 forth their blossoms so early. All the hundred and one 

 varieties of plums and damsons, greengages, etc., that 

 can grow in temperate climates will be similarly pro- 

 tected from the frosts that kill their early blossoms, and 



