September 15, 1888.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



293 



unanimously declaring it a measure affording the 

 occupiers of land full security for the whole of the 

 capital invested by them in the improvement of their 

 holdings, was urgently needed in the interests of the 

 tradesmen, labourers, and the community at large. 

 For many years in the fruit-growing county of 

 Kent there had been this want of security which 

 had prevented farmers commencing or extending 

 that important industry. Travelling through the 

 States to Canada he found farms growing as many 

 as twenty acres of Apples, and when he asked 

 the probable market the reply was, " We are growing 

 chiefly for the old country," meaning England. 

 Those tillers of the soil in the States were owners of 

 the soil, and therefore they had full security for their 

 capital and no fear of landlords raising their rents 

 upon improvements or of confiscating their property. 

 He was not blaming the landlords ; the blame rested 

 on the tenant for not having sound and good laws to 

 protect himself. They were only human beings, and 

 if he were a landlord probably he should be worse 

 than some others. At present, land which ought to 

 be capable of transfer in an easy and inexpensive 

 manner was too dear for the farmers to buy and culti- 

 vate at a profit. They must therefore have an altera- 

 tion in the laws. Several Agricultural Holdings 

 Acts had been passed professing to remedy the 

 grievance, but none had gone to the root of the 

 evil. 



Lord Beaconsfield's Act of 1875 was of no use 

 to the fruit-grower, as it excluded him from its 

 provisions; neither was it of any use to the pure agri- 

 culturist. He farmed under three landlords, all of 

 whom contracted themselves out. The Act of 1884, 

 passed by Mr. Gladstone, though profressing good to 

 the fruit-grower and farmer, did not accomplish 

 more than the Act of 1875. He (Mr. Bath) would 

 suggest an Act of Parliament, under which the 

 tenant might carry out whatever improvements he 

 wished without the consent of the landlord, and 

 when leaving his farm offer them to the landlord or 

 the incoming tenant by what was called " free sale," 

 and if the tenant planted good sound sorts of fruit he 

 would get the value for his outlay. He had taken a 

 holding on that principle, and found it very satis- 

 factory to the outgoing tenant and to himself. 



LORD SUDELEYS FRUIT FARM. 

 Mr. J. W. Beach (Brentford) gave a description 

 of farm extension on Lord Sudeley's estate, He said 

 that Lord Sudeley had five farms at Toddington, 

 Gloucestershire, under fruit cultivation to the extent 

 of from 800 to 900 acres, viz., Norton Field, Home 

 Farm, Hales Farm, New Town, and the Leys. The 

 aspects were west, south, and south-west; and was 

 sheltered by the Cotswold Hills, the soil in some parts 

 being heavy, of the blue lias, others of a light friable 

 loam. One field occupied 1(50 acres, beingplanted with 

 standard fruit trees in rows, 16 feet apart, and the 

 same distance asunder, in some instances extending 

 to the length of J mile. Space being strictly econo- 

 mised in the market garden style, the intermediate 

 space was filled up with Currants, Gooseberries, 

 Raspberries, and Strawberries. Bush Damsons were 

 also planted in addition to the other standard trees. 

 There were forty-four varieties of Plums, comprising 

 about 300,000 trees, Damsons about 30,000, Rasp- 

 berries also covered about 200 acres, Strawberries 

 from 120 to 130 acres, Black Currants 212 acres, 

 Cherries and Apples to the extent of about 70 acres, 

 and Red Currants 50 acres. The fruit trees were 

 very productive generally, with the exception of a 

 few portions where they were attacked by blight when 

 in blossom this season. The greatest quantity of the 

 fruit was used in the manufacture of jam, a large 

 factory being erected at Norton Field Farm. Lord 

 Sudeley was also giving his attention to the cultiva- 

 tion of flowers for market purposes, having erected 

 a number of Belgian glasshouses, which were also 

 suitable for growing Tomatos, Cucumbers, Grapes, 

 &c, and any kind of fruit which required protection. 

 The baskets were also made upon the spot from the 

 Osier beds on the banks of a stream running through 

 the estate. 



IMPROVING ORCHARDS BY GRAFTING. 



Br Mr. J. Miller, Gardener to Lord Foley, 

 Roxley Lodge, Esher. 



Where old fruit trees that are healthy and full of 

 vigour are worthless for the market in a monetary 

 sense, no time should be lost in grafting upon them 

 new heads of an improved variety. 



If the system of stock-grafting was better under- 

 stood, especially out of the fruit-growing districts, 

 worthless sorts will seldom be seen in the market, 

 their place being taken by more profitable fruit. 

 But to expect this to be done by the tenant, upon a 

 yearly tenancy, is out of the question. To meet the 

 difficulty to a certain extent, industrious tenants 

 should be supplied with trees from the home nursery, 

 or could be supplied by the trade at small cost, the 

 tenant being under an agreement to protect them. 

 Stock-grafting is easily done, but the system requires 

 to be known. As done in the fruit districts by local 

 grafters, each workman bears a degree of merit as to 

 his success. When once known, none need be afraid 

 to cut off the third part of a worthless tree any time 

 during the winter months, cutting it ship-shape in 

 order that the grafter has little to do when the season 

 comes but to square the ends of the branches and insert 

 his grafts. The season for grafting large trees is rather 

 an unsettled question. I may state that we had great 

 success last year at Ruxley Lodge in grafting old 

 trees, and the strong shoots which I exhibit speak 



Flii. 37.— BASKET FOR PACKING KKAPES. 



well for the system. The heads were cut off the 

 trees in the month of February, and grafts were 

 secured about the same time, and laid by the heels in 

 a shady place to prevent any premature growth. The 

 grafts for this require to be clean, and free from 

 American blight and canker, from two to three years' 

 growth, and in size about the thickness of one's 

 second finger. The specimens of shoots which I 

 produce were simply short grafts a year ago last May, 

 the whole of the grafting being done in the last fort- 

 night of the month. The work has only been done 

 about sixteen months, yet the shoots have had "two 

 seasons' growth, and reach nearly 10 feet in length; 

 some of the stronger sorts are even longer. Upon 

 a close examination some of the strongest shoots 

 may be seen to be showing fruit buds, and if we 

 should be favoured with a fruitful season next year 

 I have no doubt, from present appearances, we shall 

 have a fair show of fruit. Stock-grafting does not 

 require to be commenced so soon as small whip or 

 tongue grafting. The general order is — Cherries 

 first, Plums next, finishing up with Pears and 

 Apples. 



The tools which are required for the purpose are 

 but few — a pocket knife, a shoemaker's knife, a 

 tenon saw, and a small mallet. 



A branch 2 inches in diameter requires two grafts 

 to thoroughly unite the end of the branch ; one of 4 

 inches, three grafts ; and so on in proportion. A 

 stock or head of 9 inches requires seven grafts in 

 order to keep the head living until the leading 



shoots form the new tree, then all weakly and ill- 

 placed shoots can be cut away. There is no particu- 

 lar secret in manipulating the end of the branch to 

 receive the grafts further than shaving away a por- 

 tion of the rough bark, so that it may better match 

 the thin or inner bark of the scion, which ought to 

 be placed so as to accurately face each other. Daub- 

 ing or claying up the grafts is no doubt of some im- 

 portance, especially for small grafting. For trees 

 grafted upon the stock principle the daubing material 

 may be of a coarser nature than for the whip or 

 tongue grafting. Good clay with a proportion of 

 tough hay, well compounded together, and thoroughly 

 worked in and round the grafts to prevent its being 

 washed off by the weather, is all that is required for 

 stock-grafting. I may here state that heading the 

 trees at the proper time and securing and properly 

 keeping the grafts is of quite as much importance as 

 carrying out the work. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. A. Dean (Bedfont) opened the discussion by 

 proposing on behalf of the Executive Committee a 

 vote of thanks to those gentlemen who had kindly 

 read papers. He did not think fruit-culture would 

 save agriculture from drowning, but it would do 

 something to help it to swim. If they were to 

 believe the statement that £250 per acre could be 

 made by fruit-growing, such a sum represented an 

 Eldorado. It had been mentioned that the Royal 

 Agricultural Society proposed to offer prizes in con- 

 nection with certain fruit-products at their Windsor 

 show. That might be advantageous, but he could 

 have wished that the Society had offered prizes for 

 something better than such wretched products as 

 cider and perry. They had heard a striking eulogy 

 about their continental brethren in regard to their 

 preparing and packing fruit for the market. English- 

 men, he thought, had been in the past a little too 

 egotistical, and he trusted they would gather lessons 

 from the facts placed before them. 



Mr. A. H. Pearson (Chihvell) said the great idea 

 seemed to be Covent Garden, but it was a great 

 mistake to rush their fruit into one centre. He 

 could obtain a better price for his fruit, milk 

 potatos, and other produce, than if he sent them to 

 markets already too congested. He concluded by 

 seconding the resolution. 



Mr. Fowler (Aylesbury) urged that it was of great 

 consequence that some means should be adopted 

 for the preservation of fruits. He referred to what 

 Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell had done in this 

 direction, and produced for inspection metal, glass, 

 and stoneware airtight vessels. They need not 

 despair in fighting the foreigner in every way. 



Mr. P. Veitch regarded the Chairman's paper as 

 giving a right basis for discussion ; but if the Chair- 

 man had given them a hint as to what fruit to grow 

 on fairly good soil, he would have done them a 

 service. Mr. Dean had spoken severely of perry 

 and cider, but cider apples gave a good return to 

 the farmer. He (Mr. Veitch) had no doubt that 

 calling attention to artificial manures would do a 

 good deal of good, especially if such manures could 

 be obtained at anything like a reasonable price, so 

 that they could be used on an extensive scale. 



Mr. Read (Weybridge) thought they should grow 

 such fruits as would yield the quickest return for 

 labour. 



Mr. James pointed out that there were thousands 

 of acres of English land at present lying unculti- 

 vated ; and until an alteration in the land laws had 

 been effected, they would not see the state of pros- 

 perity that every one desired. He would like to 

 see conferences of this kind at every flower show. 



Mr. J. R. Hale (Thornton Heath) attributed 

 present difficulties to the extraordinary tithe ; and 

 the sooner the tithe question was fairly met and 

 settled, the better for fruit-growers. 



Mr. Reed (Norwood) said the eternal slumber 

 which had settled upon the British farmer was in- 

 comprehensible. He trusted this would be the fore- 

 runner of many assemblies of the kind. 



Mr. D. T, Fish (Bury St. Edmunds) wished the 



