124 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 15, 1878. 
heavy resting on a cold and imperfectly drained subsoil in 
every respect different to Shropshire, got much the worst of it. 
The more elevated the garden the better the crops this season, 
and this, of course, tends to prove “ AMATEUR’S” theory the 
correct one. For the sake of comparison and the benefit of 
intending planters I append a list of the most prolific varieties 
of fruit personally obtained in both counties and also com- 
municated by friends, taking Shropshire first. 
Apples are below the average: the varieties bearing heavy 
crops are Keswick and Manks Codlins, Early Hawthornden, 
Besspool, Cox’s Pomona, Sturmer Pippin, Scarlet Nonpareil, 
Wyken Pippin, Golden Noble, and Northern Greening. The 
following are carrying average crops—Ladyton Codlin, Lord 
Suffield, Court-pendu-Plat, Golden Reinette, Orange Pearmain, 
Nectarine Apple, Fearns Pippin, Dumelow’s Seedling, and 
Bedfordshire Foundling. 
Pears both on walls and as standards are a fair average crop. 
Pyramids on the Quince stock are also bearing well ; those on 
the Pear stock, on the other hand, are carrying very small 
crops, and the fruit apparently of a very inferior description. 
The following are the most prolific both on walls and in the 
open—Williams’ Bon Chrétien, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Glou 
Morceau, Joséphine de Malines, Easter Beurré, Beurré d’Aman- 
lis, Brown Beurré, Beurré de Capiaumont, Beurré Rance, Ne 
Plus Meuris, Winter Nelis, Seckle, Marie Louise, Chaumontel, 
Uvedale’s St. Germain, and Beurré Diel. 
Plums are bearing a heavy crop, especially the following— 
Angelina Burdett, Coe’s Golden Drop, Diamond, Green Gage. 
Transparent Gage, Reine Claude de Bavay, Orleans, Jefferson, 
Ickworth Impératrice, Washington, Magnum Bonum red and 
white, Prince Englebert, Victoria, Kirke’s, and Pond’s Seed- 
ling. Damsons are a very heavy crop, and the trees are as 
plentiful in the hedgerows and small gardens as Apple trees 
are in Herefordshire. The fruit is usually bought up and sent 
to Manchester and is there used in the manufacture of a dye. 
There is also a fair crop of bullaces. 
Peaches gave promise of being a heayy crop, but many fruits 
dropped. ‘he trees, however. are still bearing a fair average 
erop. The Noblesse, Royal George, and a variety known as 
Neal’s Purple are the best. I have seen this variety doing 
well in two different gardens, where it is considered the 
best variety grown, as it is very robust and fruitful and the 
quality excellent. Nectarines are also a fair crop, Elruge and 
Violette Hative being the best. Apricots are an average crop, 
Hemskirk and Moor Park carrying good crops of nice clean 
ruit. 
Gooseberries where protected from the bullfinches bore well, 
also Red and Black Currants, especially the latter. 
*» Raspberries were very prolific and Strawberries remarkably 
so, some old growers being of the opinion that they had never 
previously seen such heavy crops of fine well-flavoured fruit. 
All the following varieties were grown—Keens’ Seedling, Sir 
J. Paxton, President, Sir C. Napier, Dr. Hogg, British Queen, 
and Elton Pine. Figs are plentiful, and also Filberts. Wal- 
nuts are below the average. Cherries of all sorts were very 
fruitful, the Morellos remarkably so. 
In this neighbourhood the Cherry orchards at blooming time 
were a sheet of bloom, but the old trees produced so little fruit 
that it was found: inadvisable to go to the expense of keeping 
the birds off. Bigarreaus, Hlton, and Morellos on the walls, 
and Flemish, Kentish, and Morello as standards, bore very fair 
crops, especially the latter. Apples generally are a very poor 
crop, the few exceptions being New Hawthornden, Keswick 
and Manks Codlins. Lord Suflield, Dumelow’s Seedling, 
Blenheim Orange, Golden Reinette, Old Nonpareil, Northern 
Greening, Scarlet Pearmain, Golden Noble, Norfolk Beefing, 
Devonshire Quarrenden, and Winter Codlin. Pears also are 
rather scarce. especially on the walls. Williams’ Bon Chrétien, 
Duchesse d’Angouléme, Ne Plus Meuris, Beurré Diel, Beurré 
de Capiaumont, Beurré d’Amanlis, Bishop’s Thumb, Winter 
Crasanne, Marie Louise, Swan’s Weg, Vicar of Winkfield, and 
Bergamot Hsperen are carrying fair crops, especially the first 
mentioned. Peaches are bearing 2 yery good crop. notably 
Royal George, Padley’s Seedling, Grosse Mignonne, and Belle- 
garde. The same remark applies to the Elruge, Hunt’s Tawny, 
and Violette Hative Nectarines. Plums on the whole are carry- 
ing a very light crop, the exceptions being the Orleans, Mit- 
chelson’s, Pond’s Seedling, Prince of Wales, Green and Trans- 
parent Gages, Magnum Bonum white, Harly Prolific, Coe’s 
Golden Drop, and Victoria. Some trees of the latter variety 
are carrying yery heavy crops, oye grower thinning out and 
sending toa merchant for bottling one ton of fruit. A very 
remunerative price was obtained, and the value of the crop 
will be enhanced by the judicious thinning. Damsons are 
rather scarce, and also the Winesours. Gooseberries were a 
complete failure. This was caused by the frosts experienced 
after the fruit was set. Black Currants bore a very heavy 
crop, the Red a very moderate one. The same. remark applies 
to Raspberries, the dry weather during June and July being 
very much against them. The Strawberry crop—and there 
are many acres deyoted to them in this locality—was much 
below the ayerage. The quantity and quality of bloom was 
good, but the wet dull weather was very injurious to the early 
varieties, and the extremely dry and hot weather experienced 
later on was equally bad for the late ones. Quinces are rather 
scarce, and have been for three consecutive seasons. Filberts 
are fairly prolific, especially where the precaution had been 
taken of shaking branches of the common Hazel bearing cat- 
kins among them at blooming time. Figs and Walnuts are 
bearing a thin crop, and the Mulberries are lighter crops than 
usual. Blight of every description seems very prevalent on 
nearly all kinds of fruit trees this season, Plums and Apples 
suffering the most. 
The American blight, hitherto almost unknown, is very bad 
in this district ; but the late thunderstorms have greatly im- 
proved the appearance of the trees, cleaning by hand being 
out of the question. Birds, too, seem to be unusually destruc- 
tive, fruit of all descriptions being attacked before it is half 
ripe. The small birds are the most troublesome.—W. IGGULDEN, 
Orsett Hall. 
SHOW PELARGONIUMS.—No. 1. 
For a few years after Zonal varieties increased so rapidly, 
and when so many superior sorts were distributed, Show 
Pelargoniums appeared to be in some measure neglected. 
Flowers, however, so beautiful as these are could not long 
remain in any sort of obscurity, and more attention is now 
being devoted to them than was the case a few years ago. 
This section of Pelargoniums cannot with any justice and 
fairness be placed in comparison with Zonals. The two types 
are so thoroughly distinct that the merits of each must be 
judged separately. Zonals are valuable for their continuous- 
blooming properties, their fine trusses, varied colours, and easi- 
ness of culture. Show varieties, on the contrary, have a limited 
season of beauty, somewhat short it may be, yet long enough, 
and for the time incomparable. Their bold yet refined flowers, 
with their unique colours arranged in the most correct and 
artistic manner, are simply wnapproached by flowers of any 
other section of this great and important genus of plants. The 
Show varieties, too, are of easy culture, yet require more care 
in their general treatment than do the Zonals. The latter if 
neglected occasionally do not show the effects of it so markedly 
as the former; but then, on the other hand, the Show varieties 
give a splendid return for amy special attention that is ac- 
corded to them, and always when well grown reflect credit 
on the cultivator. 
These beautiful flowers are alluded to now because the 
present time is about the best period of the year for purchasing 
plants. A much better plant of established varieties can usually 
be obtained at this season for the money than is disposable in 
early spring. In the spring young plants only can be expected 
that will produce at the most only a truss or two of bloom the 
same season; but a stout plant obtained now will, if well 
grown, make a decided display the first time it flowers with 
its new owner. Plants sent from a nursery now will not have 
an attractive appearance. If they have not been cut down 
they will resemble a bundle of semi-dried sticks, while if they 
haye been pruned they consist of so many leafless stumps. 
They will, however, not long remain in this state, but will 
improve daily. Those who prefer having plants in free growth 
and thoroughly established after being cut down will defer 
their purchases until September or October ; indeed, it is better 
to do so than to order plants when they are just breaking into 
growth, as in this state they are susceptible of injury during 
transit. Still, nurserymen are admirable packers, and generally 
ensure the safe and sound arrival of their consignments. 
If the plants arrive with their summer growth intact they 
must be cut down at once quite closely, leaving only an eye 
or two of the wood made during the current season of growth, 
If they are already cut down they must remain for a time in 
the soil and pots in which they arrive, being watered mode- 
rately until they have made fresh growth from half an inch 
to an inch in length, this growth being made in the open air. 
