148 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 22, 1878. 
the wall is also bearing a good sprinkling of fruit. Apples 
are grown in great numbers and in various forms, as diagonal, 
vertical, and horizontal cordons on wires ; also as bushes and 
pyramids. A few trees of the pretty Lady Apple are wreathed 
with small scarlet fruit; and also bearing well are Reinette 
d@’Espagne, Fall Pippin, Royale Angleterre, Forge Apple, Golden 
Spire, New Hawthornden, Emperor Alexander, Kerry Pippin, 
and some others, one of which named Maltster attracted much 
notice. It is a large, smooth, solid Apple of much promise, and 
the tree is a healthy grower ‘and forms fruit spurs freely. The 
trees constituting this fine collection were mostly obtained 
from France, and some trouble has been given by the incorrect 
nomenclature of several of them. Mr. Haycock’s intimate 
knowledge of hardy fruits enables him to correct mistakes as 
the trees come into bearing, and shortly the entire collection 
will be correctly named. This, however, is work that ought to 
be done in nurseries, and, in fact, is done in all English esta- 
blishments of repute, where the trees would be unhesitatingly 
burnt if any doubt existed as to their right names. Many 
trees are also grown and fruited in pots at Barham, some in a 
large orchard house, and others plunged in beds enclosed 
by low brick walls, the blossoms being protected by canvas. 
Most of these trees are producing good crops, especially the 
Plums. 
Besides inspecting the fruits outside several ranges of glass 
were passed through. From the Peach houses all the fruit had 
been gathered, but good crops of Grapes, especially Madres- 
field Court and Muscat of Alexandria, were hanging on the 
Vines. In some pitsexcellent crops of Cucumbers and Melons 
were hanging, the latter being especially fine, the varieties 
being Eastnor Castle Green Flesh, Cox’s Golden Gem, and 
Golden Queen. These pits are three-quarter spans, and the 
path through them is close to the back wall under the short 
lights facing the north; over this path from end to end, and 
also through the Pine pit, Vines in pots are trained in the form 
of an arch, which forms a shady arcade of foliage, attractive in 
appearance and conducive to the ripening of the canes. These 
Vines are very fine, and are certain to produce heavy crops 
next year. 
Leaving Mr. Leigh’s garden the next halting place was at 
Mr. Lency’s, The Orpines, Wateringbury. This place, though 
not a garden, was too celebrated to be passed, on account of 
its world-famed shorthorns—the renowned Wateringbury herd. 
An animal was shown which £5000 would not buy, and 
amongst many others of great value a cow (The Duchess), 
whose last two calves realised upwards of £5500 when they 
were six months old. Such animals were worth seeing, and 
they can be appropriately mentioned in this Journal, where 
agriculture is allied with its twin sister horticulture. The visit 
to Orpines will be remembered by the visitors, not only for the 
shelter they obtained from a drenching and somewhat protracted 
shower, but also on account of the hearty welcome and hospit- 
able reception accorded to them by Mr. Leney. 
Along drive being yet in the programme and time flying a 
short cut of five or six miles was determined on to Boughton 
Monchelsea. The route was through the village of East Far- 
leigh, where the Crittenden Damson originated, that is so 
highly and deservedly esteemed by the Kentish fruit-growers. 
It can be said with truth of this Damson that no other variety 
of fruit tree in the Kentish orchards is this year bearing so 
constantly, regularly, and freely as this Damson. Wherever 
trees are seen they are crowded with purple fruit, and all the 
trees are on their own roots—i.c., they are raised from suckers, 
or, to use the local term, ‘spawn,’ and are not grafted or 
budded on other stocks. Shortly after leaving Farleigh, Linton 
Park with its neat entrance lodge was passed on the right, and 
on the left the home of one who is held in high esteem by all 
who know him, and who is respected by thousands of others to 
whom his name is familiar—John Robson. Mr. Robson’s home 
consists of a commodious house, termed Stone House, and, what 
must make it emphatically a “home” to him, a very large 
garden. Long borders of bright flowers skirt the path to the 
house, and behind the flowers are hundreds of fruit bushes and 
trees. It was welcome to hear his name so pleasantly mentioned 
and his works as a gardener and a writer so highly appreciated. 
Mr. Robson’s is a pleasant home, and congenial ; long may the 
yeteran live to enjoy it. Rain threatening, luncheon waiting, 
and the guests behind time, the horses were perforce urged 
swiftly on to Jack Stonham’s, at least that was the name 
boldly inscribed on the sign of the roadside inn at Boughton 
Monchelsea. On Mr. Jack Stonham’s house the good old 
Gloire de Dijon Rose luxuriates. In a building contiguous to 
| respects excellent. 
the inna luncheon was provided at the instance of Mr. Killick 
—a spread that places Mr. Stonham in an honourable position 
on the list of caterers. It was bountiful to a fault, and in all 
Mr. Killick presided at the luncheon, and 
Mr. Skinner, another extensive Kentish fruit-grower, occupied 
the vice chair. After the repast Mr. Killick proposed the toast 
of the Royal Horticultural Society, and expressed the pleasure 
it gave him to see its representatives present. He coupled the 
toast with the name of Mr. Henry Webb, a Vice-President 
of the Society and Chairman of the Fruit Committee. The 
volleys of “ Kentish fire’? having subsided Mr. Webb replied, 
expressing the pleasure that he and his colleagues had ex- 
perienced by the visit. He referred to the useful work, so far 
as related to practical horticulture, that the Society had done 
and continued doing, especially at the periodical meetings of 
the Society and the experiments conducted at Chiswick. He 
looked hopefully towards the future, and offered a welcome to 
all fruit-growers, horticulturists, and gardeners who were dis- 
posed to enter the ranks of the old and honourable Society. 
Mr. William Paul in felicitous terms proposed the health of 
Mr. Killick, who, after more “ Kentish fire,’ briefly replied by 
expressing a hope that this was only the first of a series of 
annual visits that he would be honoured with by his friends. 
A flying visit was next made to a portion of the fruit 
grounds of Mr. Skinner, not a tithe, however, of which were 
seen, for night was creeping on. The grounds can only be 
fittingly described as a forest of fruit trees with an under- 
growth of Kentish Cob Nuts and Filberts. The trees appear 
to be left very much to Nature, and afew of them are of great 
size, especially some Golden Knob Apples carrying good crops. 
Very many trees are barren, but not so the Loddington Seed- 
ling or Stone’s Apple. This variety is naturally a medium 
grower, but every tree had a good sprinkling of fine fruit. 
King of the Pippins was bearing heavily, as also was Yellow 
Ingestrie, while Lord Suffield, Blenheim Pippin, and Cox’s 
Orange Pippin were producing moderate crops ; but the Nuts, 
perhaps, attracted more attention than the Apples. If the 
bushes are not centenarians they are not far from being so, for 
their trunks not more than 2 feet high are as thick as a man’s 
body. From these stems from six to twelve branches have 
been trained almost horizontally. These main branches are 
now old, gnarled, and moss-covered, yet from them issues 
luxuriant growth, and in good seasons abundance of fine Cobs. 
Many of the bushes are upwards of 15 feet in diameter, and 
are about 5 feet high. They are quite openin the centres—are 
trained in fact, in the shape of saucers. They had just undez- 
gone their summer pruning by having had all the luxuriant 
young wood broken off a little distance from the base of the 
shoots and scattered on the ground. There appear to be 
acres, perhaps miles, of such bushes as those described, but 
this year the crop of nuts is a scant one. 
From Mr. Skinner’s grounds to Mr. Killick’s is only a short 
drive, and Mount Pleasant, Langley, was reached just as the 
shades of evening were approaching, and some of the visitors 
had to rush off in hot haste to secure the train before half of 
the place had been seen. Hop grounds fringed with Crittenden 
Damsons, orchards old and young on grass, and a large 
young plantation of Apples carefully tended in well-cultivated 
ground were rapidly passed through. The most striking of all 
the fruits was the Damson above noticed. Trees, hundreds of 
them, only five years old, have heads as many feet in diameter 
and are masses of purple fruit. Of Plums few appear to be 
bearing well except Victoria and a variety designated the 
Bush Plum. Of Pears the Hessle is about the only sort carry- 
ing a good crop. Many Apple trees are barren, a few fruitful. 
Among the latter Loddington Seedling was conspicuous. Others 
which attracted notice were the Hanwell Souring, a free grower 
and good bearer ; Tower of Glamis, a variety of great promise ; 
Ecklinyille, free and fine ; Golden Spire, a free-bearing, early, 
cone-shaped Apple somewhat resembling Lord Suffield ; Malt- 
ster, very fine; Emperor Napoleon, a deep, rich red Apple of 
fine appearance; and Early Julian, one of the best of the 
early sorts. This young plantation of Apples will be highly 
worthy of inspection in future years. Old trees cannot be re- 
ferred to except to notice an instance of grafting which is 
common in Kent. Instead of the trees being headed-down to 
the trunk and half a dozen grafts being inserted the branches 
are cut off at 5 or 6 feet from their base, where the wood is 
comparatively young and the bark smooth. They are then 
grafted, fifty or more grafts being inserted on one tree. Large 
heads are speedily formed and the head is soon in a bearing 
state, the tree instanced, Loddington Seedling, grafted on an 
i 
