THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



161 



Fruit Register. 



HARDY FRUIT TREES. 

 The admirable paper of Mr. F. W. Burbidge (p. Gl j, 

 vol. iii., 3rd series), is too good to be marred by inac- 

 curacy, however innocently incurred. As it is one of 

 the papers that students of history will refer to, and 

 has therefore a permanent value, I am tempted to 

 offer a correction. "I believe I am right," says Mr. 

 B., " in saying that our English Apples, as taken out 

 by the earlier settlers in America, as also the fruits 

 imported from France by theearlycolonists of Canada, 

 did not succeed as it was hoped they would do, and it 

 was only after the importation of the hardier varie- 

 ties from Russia and other parts of Northern Europe, 

 and the rearing of seedlings from these, that the 

 present fine race of Apples in America was pro- 

 duced." Further on the point is made that "the 

 Newtown Pippin does not thrive nor attain the 

 flavour in Europe that it does in New England." 



So far as I know — and I think I have been in a 

 position to know — there have been no attempts 

 during the period referred to to introduce hariy 

 varieties of Apples from the North of Europe or from 

 Rifssia, nor any attempt at all to improve the race 

 of Apples by systematic rearing of seedlings. "Within 

 the last ten years Russian Apples have been intro- 

 duced, but these have not had time to have any 

 influence whatever on the race of Apples popular in 

 America, if they ever will. With the exception of 

 Alexander, Tetoffsky, Duchess of Oldenburg, and 

 Red Astrachan, we have no Russian Apple of any 

 consequence known to cultivators, and these have 

 not been used specially for seedlings. In looking 

 over our list of popular Apples I do not note one 

 that I can suspect of having had a Russian variety 

 enter into their parentage. And the popular varieties 

 certainly have not, but are either " English varieties," 

 that is, varieties imported here from English nur- 

 series, or accidental descendants — varieties that have 

 6prung by accident from self-sown seeds, without 

 the slightest design on the part of any fruit raiser to 

 improve the race. 



Let us take Canada, or at least that portion known 

 as Ontario. The most popular Apples there that 

 our pomologists in their technical language would 

 " double star" are Baldwin, Northern Spy, Duchess 

 of Oldenburg, Red Astrachan, Ribston Pippin, and 

 St. Lawrence. The last is believed to be some 

 foreign kind, introduced without a name, or name 

 lost, and a new name given to it in consequence ; 

 the next three are Old World introductions, while 

 Northern Spy is an accident found near Rochester ; 

 and Baldwin, another accident, found no one knows 

 certainly where, but believed to have had the 

 Spitzenbnrg for its parent — certainly no Russian 

 kind. 



In reference to New England — this is rather a large 

 district, hut if we take Massachusetts as a central 

 point in this district we find the "double-starred" 

 varieties are : — Baldwin ; Coggswell, an accident 

 found atGriswold, Connecticut, in 179S; Gravenstein, 

 an old Dutch importation ; Hubbardston Nonsuch, a 

 very old accident found at Hubbardston, Mass. ; 

 Hurst Russett an accident found years ago at 

 Concord, Mass.; Porter, an old accident found at 

 Sherburne, Mass. ; Red Astrachan, an ancient, full- 

 blooded Russian ; Roxburg Russet, a very old accident 

 from its namesake Roxburg ; and Rhode Island 

 Greening, another accident (I do not even know 

 where it was first found); Sweet Bough, a very old 

 accident with an unknown home ; Talman Sweet, a 

 Rhode Island accident ; and Williams' Favourite, 

 another accident from near Boston. 



Then as to the association of Newtown Pippin 

 with New England, it is not grown anywhere there. 

 Indeed it is no more reliable anywhere in America than 

 in Europe. It is grown only in a small part of the 

 State of New York, which is not in New England, 

 and is not " double starred" even there. 



I cannot say that, on the whole, the American 

 chance seedlings, which go to make up our great list 

 of varieties, are any hardier than the foreign intro- 



ductions. There are some that are undoubtedly 

 hardier, and more productive, and do better, in 

 general terms, than their European brethren ; but 

 this may be expected when we have so many 

 thousands of accidental plants to select from against 

 the few score varieties introduced from the Old 

 World. " Providence is usually on the side of the 

 heaviest battalions," Napoleon used to say. 



In Pears we have a few American seedlings that 

 have risen to prominence ; but European intro- 

 ductions, like Williams' Bon Chretien, Duchesse 

 d'Angouleme, Beurre dAnjou, Winter Nelis. Belle 

 Lucrative, Flemish Beauty, Vicar of Winkfield, and 

 similar familiar Old World favourites rule also here. 



I trust my friend will pardon this essay at cor- 

 rection. He has evidently been misled by some 

 flippant writter— a class of which here, as elsewhere, 

 there is always a full crop. Thomas Median, German- 

 town Nurseries, Philadelphia, U.S.A. 



Home Correspondence. 



Jgp™ Correspondents will greatly oblige hy sending early 

 intelligence of local events likely to he of interest to 

 our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to 

 bring under the notice of horticulturists. 



Photographs or drawings of gardens, or of remarkable 

 plants, trees, <$~c, arc also solicited. 



Useful Inventions, 



SOCKET RINGS FOR HOT-WATER PIPES. 



Fhom Messrs. Stanley Morrison & Co. the 



patentees, 9, Gracechurch Street, London, E.C., we 



have received samples of moulded rough socket rings 



in indiarubber for hot-water pipes, for which the 

 makers claim that they are superior to those at 

 present in use, because they are stouter, being made 

 in one piece, so that there is no joint to allow the 

 water to enter ; and that being rough on the surface 

 (not shown in the illustration, tig. 18), they get a good 

 grip on the pipes. It is also stated that by using 

 these rings any man can himself take his pipes to 

 pieces and put them together again, saving both time 

 and labour. This would, of course, necessitate the 

 staying of the pipes in some manner to keep them 

 firm. 



HOMERIA COLLINA. 



This is a " Cape bulb," better known to our fore- 

 fathers than to the present generation. Its general 

 appearance is shown in the accompanying illustration 

 ( fig. 19), but the size and colour of the flower are subject 

 to variation. In the present instance the flowers were 

 of a bright orange-salmon colour, and although indi- 

 vidually of short duration, yet, as they are produced in 

 succession they are very effective in a mass. It is 

 generally grown as a greenhouse plant, but Mr. David- 

 son, to whom we are indebted for the drawing (fig. 19), 

 found the plant to be quite hardy last winter at the 

 foot of a wall— a situation where, doubtless, many 

 South African, Mexican, or Californian plants would 

 be equally at home if protected from excessive wet. 



MILNE'S PATENT SADDLE BOILER.— It is ir 

 summer time usually that the nurseryman and gar- 

 dener alike, who intend to make alterations in theii 

 heating apparatus, make arrangements according!) 

 It need hardly be said that all such work should, 

 where possible, be done at a time when the fires are 

 least needed, and no time is so well fitted as summer 

 and autumn. The large number of boilers now 

 offered by the trade makes the matter of selection 

 of a boiler for any given purpose a difficult one. In 

 a great majority of cases the saddle boilers are deci- 

 dedly in favour" and, having had an opportunity quite 

 recently of inspecting a new form of saddle boiler, I 

 may be* permitted to point to some of the chief im- 

 provements in the new-comer. Before doing this it 

 may not be out of place to remark that Mr. Milne, 

 the' inventor, is a nurseryman and a practical culti- 

 vator, carrying on business at New Hampton, in the 

 county of Middlesex. The peculiarities of Mr. Milne's 

 situation render it necessary to have a powerful 

 boiler compact in form and one which does not re- 

 quire too deep a stokehole in which to set it. 

 Having very extensive ranges of glass devoted to a 

 few specialties for market purposes, heated by boilers 

 of various descriptions, none of which were quite up to 

 Mr. Milne's ideal of perfection, he very practically set 

 to work to try if he could make what he wants 

 for himself. The inventor chose the saddle form of 

 boiler as the basis of his endeavours, the particular 

 form being pierced with side and crown flues, which 

 run through it from front to back. The direction 

 of the flame is regulated as follows :— Passing first 

 through the fire-box it passes through to the boiler ; 

 at the back of the boiler the flame is deflected by an 

 iron plate at the summit of the back casting, and 

 traverses the side flues, being then directed by means 

 of another plate at the front of the boiler to the crown 

 flues ; again passing through the boiler to the brick 

 flue at the sides, and thence to the chimney. The 

 flue tubes passing through the boiler considerably 

 quicken its power of getting up heat, and at the 

 same time conduce to economy in the use of fuel. 

 The flue tubes in the boiler are readily cleaned by 

 passing a brush through them. The joints of these 

 tubes are caulked from external surfaces at front 

 and back, thus affording special facilities for repairs 

 or renewal, any or all of which may be replaced 

 without taking out the boiler. There are two return 

 and two flow pipes, which facilitate the circulation, 

 the latter being, moreover, materially assisted by the 

 boiler being set with an inclination of 2 inches from 

 front to back. It has the advantage of a terminal- 

 end saddle, in that the fire passes throughout its 

 entire length, acting also on the ends. The hori- 

 zontals low-placed flows are an acquisition 

 in places where water lies near the surlace, 

 as in Mr. Milne's case. In compactness and 

 heating power combined, it is quite remarkable ; 

 and as at present made, with waterway backcasting. 

 it is capable of heating from 2500 to 3000 feet of 

 4-inch piping, and when set is contained in a cubf 

 of 4 feet by 4 feet, this allowing ample rise through 

 the long range of glasshouses. The inventor has 

 two of these boilers in operation, affording perfect 

 satisfaction, and which he will have pleasure in 

 showing to any person who may desire to learn 

 iurther" particulars about them. J. [Our corre- 

 spondent kindly accompanied his note by a sketch 

 of the boiler and its flow and return pipes. We 

 know that this form of boiler — a modification of 

 that of the locomotive — has the advantage of 

 quickly getting up heat. The retention ot heat is a 

 matter of stoking, which includes, of course, proper 

 attention to dampers and ashpit doors. Ed.] 



HYBRID POTATOS.— The products of the inter- 

 esting crosses between some of the Potatos of to-day 

 with "the original species, Solanum tuberosum, 

 which the Messrs. Sutton & Sons carried out 

 at Reading a few years since, may now be seen 

 growing in the London Road Nursery grounds, and 

 for the first time since their production, it would 

 seem as if the disease-resist ing properties of these 

 Potatos were to be tested. The mischance which re- 



