1010 



Gardening for Amateurs 



October ; Marie Louise, a popular variety, 

 yellow, distinct flavour, juicy, not so reliable 

 as the previous one ; Thompson's, a rather 

 small Pear, light yellow, considered to be 

 second only to Doyenne du Cornice in flavour, 

 November ; Williams' Bon Chretien, probably 

 no Pear is so widely grown as this, it is of 

 good size, yellow and pleasantly flavoured, 

 September. 



In the following list the Pears above-men- 

 tioned are given in their order of ripening : 



Plum. As a culinary or kitchen fruit the 

 Plum is second only to the Apple and Pear 

 in value, and as a dessert fruit it is of first 

 importance in its season. We all differ in 

 our likes and appreciation of choice fruits ; 

 but is there anything more delicious than the 

 old Green Gage or Coe's Golden Drop when 

 fully ripe ? Many Plums are very beautiful 

 fruits and show a wide range of colouring, 

 from golden yellow to the deepest purple, 

 with innumerable intermediate shades. 



When grown in the open quarter of the 

 garden the pyramid is the best form of tree, 

 for, like the Pear, the Plum naturally assumes 

 this form of growth. If planted in a plot 

 by themselves they should be put 9 feet 

 apart, that is to say, 9 feet between tree 

 and tree in the row, and the same distance 

 between the rows. A convenient position 

 to have Plums is by the side of walks at a 

 distance from it of 10 feet. The Plum does 

 not seem to respond well to the espalier and 

 cordon forms of training. 



It is propagated in the same way as the 

 Pear, by budding. The subsequent success 

 of fruit trees depends verv much on the way 

 they are manipulated and trained when 

 young. As a rule, when amateurs undertake 

 this work, they generally make a failure of it, 

 and, therefore, we advise our readers to buy 

 young trees from responsible fruit tree nur- 

 serymen. The pruning of the Plum is carried 

 out on similar lines to those described in deal- 

 ing with the Apple. 



Plums on Walls. No fruit responds so 

 well to the warmth of a wall and the superior 

 cultivation generally given to trees in such a 

 position as the Plum. Especially do the 

 Gage Plums need a wall. They thrive on 

 an aspect of south-east, south, south-west 

 or west. 



VARIETIES The following are among the 

 best dessert and cooking varieties of the 

 Plum. Dessert : Abricot de Braunau, 

 yellow, good flavour, crops freely and 

 regularly, ought to be more widely known ; 

 Coe's Golden Drop, probably the most 

 delicious of all Plums, best on a west 

 wall, should be allowed to hang until late 

 in September, yellow, dotted with red ; 

 Comte d'Althan, reddish-purple, mid-Sep- 

 tember ; Denniston's Superb Gage, greenish, 

 August ; Early Transparent Gage, yellow, 

 spotted with red, August ; Golden Trans- 

 parent Gage, yellow, late September ; Green 

 Gage, green, late August ; Jefferson, yellow, 

 marked with red, early September ; Kirke's, 

 purplish-blue, early September ; Oullin's 

 Golden Gage, light yellow, August ; Reine 

 Claude de Bavay, greenish-yellow, Septem- 

 ber ; Stint, yellow and red, August. Culin- 

 ary : Archduke, purple, September ; Czar, 

 purple - black, August ; Monarch, purple, late 

 September ; Pond's Seedling, reddish, Sep- 

 tember ; President, purple, late September 

 and early October ; Victoria, reddish, Sep- 

 tember. 



Quince. Besides being useful as a stock 

 upon which to graft or bud Pear trees, the 

 Quince forms a quaint and characteristic 

 small tree for the lawn or shrubbery. It is 

 especially attractive in autumn, when the 

 large golden Pear-like fruits are ripe. These 

 are appreciated when made into jelly, and 

 are also often used in cookery to give flavour 

 to Apple tarts. The Quince may be grown 



