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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 28, 1876. 



it is an encouragement for us little folks who " swim near 

 shore " to go on our way and be glad that we can cultivate it 

 with but little trouble, for I have cut some excellent fruit of it 

 of fair size, which have been grown in a common pit where I 

 wintered my Auriculas, filled up afterwards with manure and 

 planted. The Melons set themselves, and beyond the mere 

 thinning-out have been grown really without any trouble 

 whatever.— D., Deal. 



VAGARIES OF FRUITS. 



Everybody seems to agree in pronouncing Devonshire 

 Quarrenden Apple a good dessert kind. This brings to my 

 mind that I can point out several fruits of excellent character 

 which for some reason do not maintain that character when 

 grown here, and I have no doubt that if people would record 

 their own experiences freely, untainted by anything they have 

 heard or read, we should hear of many more peculiarities in 

 different varieties of fruits, brought out by local circumstances, 

 than are at present dreamed of. But it is a difficult matter to 

 go in the face of all good authorities as to the merits of 

 different fruits — one is apt to shrink from it, and try to per- 

 suade himself that he must be mistaken. I, however, think 

 too much modesty in this respeot is extremely hurtful, and 

 that information gained from oareful study and experience, 

 however it may differ from generally received opinions, is 

 always worth recording ; and although we may be told that the 

 fault is in the culture rather than in the fruits, we can retort 

 that that culture suits some varieties exceedingly well. Now, 

 Devonshire Quarrenden with me is perfectly useless ; it is not 

 eatable, and never softens till it decays. I have had two trees 

 of it in different situations; one is already destroyed, and the 

 other is condemned. 



Another very beautiful Apple, a perfect model for a dessert 

 fruit, Court Pendu Plat, comes good enough to look at ; the 

 shape and oolour are magnificent, but it will not ripen ; it 

 keeps till spring, and then shrivels and becomes perfectly dry 

 and tough. With regard to this variety I am seconded by my 

 friend Mr. Ellam of Bodorgan Gardens, Anglesey, an excel- 

 lent fruit cultivator, who tells me that Court Pendu Plat is no 

 UBe with him, but that previous to going there he had always 

 known it as one of the very best of Apples. 



The two instances I have mentioned are exceptions, but 

 there are some Apples which bear good characters without 

 deserving them at all. What, for instance, is the use of 

 Emperor Alexander, except to look at ? and even then its 

 shape is not handsome. Of summer dessert Apples I find 

 Irish Peach, Oslin, and Kerry Pippin among the best. 

 Amongst winter cooking Apples Blenheim Orange is, I believe, 

 generally considered the best flavoured, but I have a bright- 

 coloured very handsome Apple which Mr. Cramb of Tort- 

 worth pronounces Brabant Bellefleur, and it by far excels 

 Blenheim Orange in both appearance and flavour when cooked, 

 good as that variety is. 



Of Pears, two of the best standard varieties, Louise Bonne 

 of Jersey and Josephine de Malines, I have never yet had first- 

 rate, although late and early gathering and different kinds of 

 treatment have been tried. There is always a peculiar bitter- 

 ness about them. Marie Louise I succeeded with last year for 

 the first time in having it first-rate by leaving it on the tree 

 till the end of October. Jaminette, Hacon's Incomparable, 

 Duchesse d'Angouleme, and Beurre Diel are always coarse 

 and insipid. Among the best are Jargonelle, Williams' Bon 

 Chretien, Beurre Superfin, Fondante d'Automne, Beurre 

 d'Amanlis, Suffolk Thorn, Doyenne du Cornice, Van Mons 

 Leon Leclerc, Thompson's, Beurre Hardy, Monarch, and Glou 

 Morceau. The laBt-named requires a wall, and Van Mons 

 Leon Leclerc is very fine from a south wall ; the others are 

 probably all best as standards in this part of the country. 



Amongst Peaches, Early Ascot is not early, nor is Dr. Hogg ; 

 both of them ripen later than Grosse Mignonne and not much 

 before Bellegarde. Noblesse is not sufficiently hardy, nor is 

 Belle Bauce. Grosse Mignonne is certainly not so hardy as 

 some varieties, but it is the best Peach in its season. I cannot 

 do without it. The following are among the best : — Early 

 Beatrice, Eaily Louise, Frogmore Golden, Grosse Mignonne, 

 Bellegarde, Barrington, and Walburton Admirable. They are 

 named in the order of ripening, and last from the end of July 

 to the end of October ; but there is a gap between Early Louise 

 and Frogmore Golden which I hope to see filled by some of 

 the newer kinds I have on trial. 



There are many good midseason Peaches coming in at the 



same time as Grosse Mignonne, Bellegarde, and Barrington, 

 but theBe three form a perfect succession ; they are hard to 

 beat for quality, and the last two are especially hardy. All 

 that I have tried of Mr. Rivers' early Peaches have good con- 

 stitutions, and late kinds in general have the same good 

 quality, the bad constitutions being fortunately more amongst 

 the midseason fruits, and, as there is an abundance of mid- 

 season kinds there is no excuse for growing the worst. Chan- 

 cellor and Prince of Wales are two very fine Peaches, coming 

 in at the same time as Barrington, and promise to be very 

 formidable rivals to that old favourite. 



I have two Peach walls. The trees on one are trained in the 

 ordinary way, the shoots being tacked-in as they become long 

 enough ; on the other wall the trees are a Bort of compound cor- 

 dons, where the Bhoots are kept constantly pinched back, and 

 the difference in colour on the two walls is very remarkable, 

 those on the pinched-back trees being coloured by far the best, 

 although great care has been taken on both walls to prevent 

 the fruit being shaded by foliage. A gentleman wrote a few 

 weeks ago that he did not like too much colour, but preferred 

 Peaches with just a blush on one side. I am obliged to confess 

 that I do not object to see them blush all round. 



The eoil here is heavy, resting on clay, and the atmosphere 

 is comparatively humid. Peach borders, of course, are arti- 

 ficially made and well drained. — Wm. Taylor, Longleat. 



CRYSTAL PALACE AUTUMN SHOW. 



This Show commenced on the 21st inst., and closed on the 

 23rd. It was very different in character to other great shows 

 which have been held in the same place, where we have seen 

 the tables groan under the weight of splendid produce of the 

 most renowned of cultivators. This year the dishes were thinly 

 placed, so as to cover as well as possible the space allotted to 

 the Exhibition. The Show — although fruit creditable to the 

 growers waB staged — was for " the Palace " a small Bhow. The 

 prizes were small, and the length of time of the Exhibition 

 great. For once the Company have aimed at too much by offer- 

 ing too little. The prizes were not worth cutting and Btaging 

 for — that is, not worth the risk of injury to large collections of 

 valuable fruit. We know that some exhibitors did not stage 

 their best fruit, but " cut according to the cloth," the same as 

 gardeners, in common with other mortals, are apt to do. They 

 had in mind, too, the October Show at the Aquarium; and for 

 this Show, where the prizes were on a liberal scale, they kept 

 their best fruit in reserve, not knowing at the moment of pre- 

 paring for the Palace that the Aquarium Show had collapBed. 



Collections. — A silent yet significant comment on the "short- 

 comings " of the Crystal Palace schedule is the fact that for the 

 four prizes offered for a collection of ten dishes of fruit not one 

 exhibitor was forthcoming. The class for a collection of six 

 dishes, in which prizes of £3, £2, and £1 were offered, brought 

 forward nine competitors, Mr. Neighbour, gardener to G. Wy thes, 

 Esq., Bickley Park, securing the first place with fruit of oredit- 

 able table quality. The collection embraced good Black Ham- 

 burgh Grapes, and Muscats small but of excellent quality ; a 

 Handsome Golden Perfection Melon, Pine Apple Nectarines, 

 Violette Hative Peaches, and White Magnum Bonum Plums. 

 Mr. Bones, gardener to D. MclntoBh, Esq., Havering Park, 

 Romford, was placed second for large but not highly-finished 

 Grapes, Read's Scarlet-flesh Melon, Bellegarde Peaches, Williams' 

 Bon Chretien Pears, and Morello Cherries. The third prize was 

 awarded to Mr. Burnett, gardener to Mrs. Hope, The Deepdene, 

 Dorking, for a collection including good Muscat and fair Black 

 Hamburgh Grapes, an excellent dish of Early Crawford Peaches, 

 a good Melon, Victoria Nectarines (not quite ripe), and Jeffer- 

 son's Plums. We noticed in the other collections good Pine 

 Apple Nectarines from Mr. Bristow, gardener to G. Campbell, 

 Esq., Wood Hall, Dulwich ; very fine Late Admirable Peaches 

 and Pond's Seedling Plums from Mr. Fanning, gardener to 

 Madame Digby, The Convents Road, Boehampton ; good Bar- 

 rington Peaches, Golden Drop Plums, and Williams' Bon 

 Chretien Pears from Mr. Taylor, gardener to J. Johnston, Esq., 

 HampBtead Heath ; and capital Muscat of Alexandria Grapes (full 

 and finely finished), and a superior dish of Coe's Golden Drop 

 Plums from Mr. Halliday, gardener to J. Morris, Esq., Castle" 

 Hill, Bletchingley. 



Pine Apples. — In the two classes twelve fruitB were staged ; 

 some of them being very good, and none unworthy of the growers. 

 For the best Queen, that capital Pine-grower Mr. Bond, The 

 Beeches, Weybridge, was easily first with a handsome and well- 

 proportioned fruit weighing 6 lbs. 4ozs. It was only juBt ripe, 

 but well deserved its place. Mr. Akehurst, gardener to S. Cope- 

 stake, Esq., The Grove, Kentish Town, was second with a 

 perfectly ripe and well-finished fruit weighing 4i lbs.; and 

 Mr. Coulter, gardener to J. Baker, Esq., Haydon Hall, Eastcott, 

 third for an equally well-finished fruit, but about a quarter of a 

 pound lighter than Mr. Akehurst's. The Queens varied greatly 



