Septejiuek 29. 1888.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



355 



matter of colour no Apple at present seems to excel 

 Colonel Vaughan, small trees being here and there 

 laden with blood-red fruits, although Worcester 

 Pearmain runs it hard for colour and prolificacy ; 

 as does also the new and beautiful Lady Sudeley. A 

 beautiful Apple, yet little known, is Okera, a Swedish 

 variety, the fruits resembling the Dartmouth Crab, 

 but much finer, and richer in colour. This is of good 

 flavour and should make a popular dessert variety. So, 

 too, Histon Favourite is another yet comparatively 

 unknown kind, not unlike the Stirling Castle, but is a 

 much better keeper. The new things in Apples 

 found at Allington are so good generally as to in- 

 dicate how needful it is to be cautious in assuming 

 that old kinds are essentially the best. Mr. Bunyard 

 is much pleased with Laxton's Schoolmaster, as a 

 fine early free fruiting kind, and one which we may 

 well wish to see very universally abroad. A collec- 

 tion of dwarf bush trees in pots plunged in litter in 

 a sheltered place, all grandly fruiting, affords evi- 

 dence of the way in which the finest samples may be 

 obtained, especially if run in under glass to finish 

 up. Of these Potts' Seedling, Golden Noble, Tippet's 

 Incomparable, like to the Costard, but much finer, 

 and deeper coloured ; Cox's Orange Pippin, and many 

 others, are in full fruit. 



In the orchard-house a few trees of Emperor 

 Alexander, in pots, carrying wonderful fruits, show 

 what glass protection will do to enable Apples to 

 finish. 



But we must turn to some other fruits, for in the 

 course of our perambulations, as an eminence is 

 reached overlooking a wide area of trees, Mr. Bun- 

 yard with a wave of the hand, as though he were 

 a general commanding his legions, points here to a 

 big regiment of thousands of Victoria Plums, there 

 to another of The Czar or Diamond, still further to a 

 high quarter of Cherries, and anon to vast numbers of 

 Pears or Apples, or perhaps to huge breadths of 

 stocks mustered here, till we almost expect to see 

 the whole army assume the movement of great 

 Birnam Wood and proceed to active evolutions. 

 Happily the illusion is soon dispelled because we are 

 instantly hurried away to see such breadths of 

 Peaches and Nectarines, Plums and Pears, and 

 Apples too, trained as cordons or for walls and 

 espaliers. The former trees are all fan-shaped, of 

 course, and superbly wooded stuff; the latter are 

 chiefly horizontal or single cordons, the horizontal 

 trees showing from two to six tiers of branches, to 

 suit an) one's pocket; indeed with half standards a 

 Pear or Plum wall might be covered almost at once. 

 In the orchard house a grand lot of standard Peaches 

 show what may be done also for furnishing the tops 

 of high walls, or rather high Peach-houses. Pears are 

 not in such good fruiting form as Apples this year, 

 •but still many kinds have capital crops. Pitmaston 

 Duchess, Beurre Clairgeau, the latter full of rich 

 colour, are fruiting heavily. The trees, however, show 

 no lack of vigour — even on the maiden breadths the 

 growth is excellent. Large breadths of both Apples 

 and Pears as maidens on Paradise and Quince, not 

 only show grand growth, but really wonderful takes, 

 and this excellence Mr. Bunyard attributes chiefly to 

 the great care exercised in growing stocks, as well 

 -as in selecting them. The bulk of the stocks are 

 raised at home, hence it is easy, especially in the 

 case of the dwarfing stocks, to eliminate any 

 which, prior to budding, may appear to be of an un- 

 satisfactory character. 



One little matter, apparently trifling, yet suddenly 

 leads conversation into the realms of chemistry. 

 Mr. Rivers' recently advocated an analysis of soils 

 •ere planting fruit trees. Mr. Bunyard pointed to a 

 row of maiden Apples, adjoining a breadth of Plums, 

 and invited us to remark upon their specially strong 

 growth. " Now," he said, " I have found/wherever we 

 have unwittingly planted a Pear stock amongst 

 Apples, or an Apple stock amidst Pears, or where 

 rogues have, as it were, dropped amongst honest rows 

 — that the rogue always in such case grows stronger 

 than would result if amidst his own fellows. " Why 

 so ? " we ask And the reply is, " Without doubt each 

 kind of fruit abstracts some diverse constituent from 



the soil ; and although most soils, if well cultivated, 

 contain the needful constituents for all, yet when a 

 single tree is planted amidst others, as in the cases 

 mentioned, that one has a monopoly of those elements 

 which it needs to promote growth, and is conse- 

 quently all the stronger (or that monopoly. Pos- 

 sibly the action of the more largely grown variety 

 assists the single rogue in getting a good share of the 

 needs of existence by thus causing other elements 

 to become converted into vegetable fibre." 



Of course, this fine nursery out on the Kentish 

 hills is not entirely devoted to fruit culture ; we 

 are rather surprised to find Conifers and Rhodo- 

 dendrons, Roses, and forest trees, alike thriving 

 remarkably well. We may, however, only stop to 

 notice that beautiful silvery-blue Conifer, Abies 

 nobilis glauca, of which there are some handsome 

 specimens, as one worthy of special regard ; and the 

 very pretty little dwarf Spinea Bumalda, neat little 

 bushes, covered with rosy-pink flowers, and not more 

 than 12 inches in height — a real shrub gem. Bat 

 just now, what with essays and conferences, speeches 

 and meetings, the horticultural air is replete with 

 talk about fruit culture, and as Mr. Bunyard is essen- 

 tially a fruit cultivator for the million in the matter 

 of trees, the subject of hardy fruits dominates every- 

 thing else. Therefore, having had a peep into that 

 delightfully cool, thatched fruit room, and secured a 

 little very needful rest in the adjoining office, where 

 the telephone puts us into communication with the 

 shop in the town, 2 miles away, there is a temporary 

 settling down to serious talk, and Mr. Bunyard 

 meekly submits to be put through his paces on the 

 subject which is just now uppermost. 



The first query we put is as follows : What has 

 been the general effect of the two seasons now pass- 

 ing on the fruit trees, so far as can be seen now ; and 

 did the drought of last year check growth appreciably ? 

 " The effect of the drought of 1887," replies Mr. Bun- 

 yard, "was to ripen up the wood unusually well, and 

 the result is seen in many Apples bearing crops on 

 maiden trees. Apples grew late also, and felt the 

 drought less ; but Pears and Plums felt it much more, 

 the growth being considerably less than usual. With 

 respect to the effects of the passing season the great 

 moisture has induced wonderfully fine growth, but 

 because of the hard ripened nature of the maiden 

 wood, or that of last year, the growth of this season 

 is firmer than might have been anticipated. Cold 

 nights and drier weather now are also checking it, and 

 I anticipate that by leaf-fall it will be very firm and 

 ripe." The next query is : At what particular period 

 of the year do you most favour the transplanting of 

 trees to orchards and gardens ? " November is natur- 

 ally the best month for the purpose, but if the winter 

 be fairly open transplanting may go on with perfect 

 safety up till March, provided the land has been duly 

 prepared, and it be not too wet. Young trees well 

 set with fruit-buds should, however, always be planted 

 early in the winter, for it is not generally known that 

 even during the winter considerable root-action takes 

 place." Then we ask, Having regard to your wide 

 knowledge of fruits, not only in your own nurseries, 

 but also over a large portion of Kent, can you suggest 

 any newer or less known varieties of Apples, Pears, 

 and Plums, specially for garden culture, and secondly 

 of market orchard culture ? 



Mr. Bunyard, whose knowledge of fruits seems to 

 be illimitable — for he has the sorts literally at the 

 tip of his tongue — favours us with a good list of 

 Cherries ; for is he not in the midst of a grand Cherry 

 district, also of bush fruits, and specially enjoins the 

 planting, both to crop and provide shelter, that won- 

 derful Damson, Farleigh Prolific ; whilst the Frog- 

 more Damson is warmly recommended as a fine 

 cropper. Just one other question, and we have 

 done. Have you found any special good qualities 

 amongst the newer sorts of fruits ? " Yes," was the 

 reply, " I strongly commend of new dessert Apples 

 Cooling's Beauty of Bath, Lady Sudeley, Wealthy, 

 Tyler's Kernel, Baumann's Brunette, and Howard's 

 Pearmain ; and of culinary Apples Bismarck, 

 Graham's Royal Jubilee (very distinct in growth as 

 we saw), Belle I'ontoise, Lady Hamilton, Newtown 



Wonder, Sandringham, and Schoolmaster. Of Pears 

 good new kinds are Belle Potanges, Beurre Baltet 

 pere, Madame Leroy, and Aspasie Aucourt. Of 

 Plums Grand Duke, Monarch, and Late Transparent 

 Gage ; whilst of Cherries I think much of Emperor 

 Francis." 



And now, being rested, and the train nearly 

 due Mr. Bunyard kindly escorts us by yet another 

 path back to the station, and we take leave of the 

 nursery and its estimable proprietor very much 

 the wiser for our all too short visit. 



UESINIA PULCHRa. 



This is a very pretty annual, better known, 

 perhaps, under the name of Sphenogyne speciosa. 

 Its dwarf habit (stems 12 — 18 inches), elegantly cut 

 foliage, and creamy-yellow flower-heads, like those 

 of a single Chrysanthemum, which are produced in 

 profusion and in long succession, render it a very 

 desirable plant. It is probably a native of South 

 Africa. Our illustration (fig. 47) was taken by Mr. 

 Weathers from a plant which has formed a conspi- 

 cuous ornament on the rockery at Kew during the 

 whole summer. 



The Apiary. 



THE OUTLOOK. 

 The outlook for the future is not very encouraging 

 except to bee-keepers who have been feeding vigor- 

 ously. Syrup-feeding ought to end with September. 

 Should October be warm, and the bees deficient in 

 food, they may perhaps have a little syrup given 

 them for the first few days. After syrup-feeding is 

 done, get some American cloth, and cut it into 

 pieces to fit the hive. Then put two or three pieces 

 of felt, or carpet, over this. I am going to take 

 additional precautions this time by cutting a hole in 

 the American cloth, and putting a basin of dry 

 sugar over each stock of bees. This will, no doubt, 

 be of use to them. Once before I mentioned the 

 Sussex plan of putting a few pounds of brandy-balls 

 on the top of the hives before closing up for winter. 

 This plan is doubtless very good, but we prefer the 

 dry sugar. Sometimes I have not used a basin for 

 the sugar, but laid it all over, and pressed it down. 

 Thi8 is recommended by Mr. Simmins, of Rotting- 

 dean, and all will acknowledge him to be an au- 

 thority. We prefer the basin for several reasons ; 

 first, the dome-shape seems better for the bees, and 

 when the sugar is partly eaten, the warmest part of 

 the hive is that where the sugar is. It is easier to 

 pack the sugar in a basin, and by tapping it you can 

 discover when it is empty by the ringing sound. We 

 omitted to say that the glazed side of the American 

 cloth ought to be downwards. 



All these things ought to be done by the first 

 week in October. Keep the entrances still nearly 

 closed, and leave them so till all danger of robbing 

 is at an end ; then open them to their full width. 

 This will cause a current of air to circulate about 

 the entrance, and help to keep the hive dry. Bees 

 oftener die of damp than culd. As a proof that we 

 have not dwelt too much on the feeding, it may be 

 observed that many stocks are already dead ; many, 

 indeed, are not even taking the trouble to kill their 

 bees this year, knowing that they have no honey to 

 take, and that they will surely die. It is. however, 

 very foolish too allow bees to die, or to kill them ; it 

 is much bettei policy, not to say more humane, to 

 unite those that have no honey with those that have. 

 This will make strong stocks, which will be ready to 

 swarm early, or else to give the bee-keeper heavy 

 supers. Bee. 



Vegetable Pathology— A special laboratory 

 has, says the Revue Horticule, been established in 

 connection with the National Agronomic Institute 

 of France, for the purpose of investigating the dis- 

 eases of plants, and of devising means to combat 

 their evil effects. M. Prilleux has been appointed 

 Director of the Institute. 



