276 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAOB GARDENEB. 



[ April 14> 1863. 



those narrow borders fronting a store ; trained against the low 

 front wall of which were nice plants of some of our most shy- 

 blooming Tea Roses. Could the Belladonna Lily be grown in 

 the same border? Hew it would enhance the appearance of 

 the flowers if their naked ilower-stalks were partially hidden amid 

 the gracefully growing foliage of this charming little plant. — 

 W. EakleY, Digswell. 



APEICOTS m OECHAED-HOUSES. 



I promised to give the result of an experiment with Apricots 

 under glass. 



Some of your readers will recollect I suggested trying the 

 effect of sprinkling the shoots and blooms of Apricots early in 

 the day with water from the fine rose of a watering-pot, thinking 

 it might be beneficial. I selected several trees, and watered 

 them almost every day before and during the time they were in 

 bloom. Now for the result. They are neither better nor worse 

 than those which have never been sprinkled. There is so much 

 fruit on all the trees that a large proportion must be pulled off. 

 Mr. Brown, of Lenton, near Nottingham, who has been trying 

 the same experiment, says he is quite satisfied that an occasional 

 sprinkling has proved beneficial to his trees j I have only proved 

 it is not injurious. 



I hope Mr. Robson will not consider me influenced by in- 

 terested motives alone in advocating orchard-houses. I can 

 assure him there is such a thing as riding a hobby for pleasure 

 as well as profit. I have taken more interest in my fruit trees 

 in pots, and derived more pleasure from their management than 

 in any other culture. 



Last year was the only season when I had a partial failure 

 with Peaches and Nectarines, and two of the best gardeners in 

 this neighbourhood — Mr. Ingram, of Belvoir, and Mr. Speed, of 

 Mansfield — said I had as good a crop as could be expected 

 on the average. Even this partial failure was partly accounted 

 for, many of the trees having been lifted from the borders of an 

 old orchard-house, in which they had been growing for two 

 years, and potted only five months before they came into bloom. 



If Mr. Robson will pay me a visit I will try and make it a 

 pleasant one to him, and do not despair of making him a con- 

 vert to orchard-house culture. If my fruit from potted trees 

 are as good as usual, he will not call them small (I weighed one 

 last season, 7f ozs., a Walburton Admirable), and I am sure he 

 will not find fault with the quality. 



In 1861 a nobleman's gardener made me an offer of 7s. per 

 dozen for my Peaches, but I did not sell them, as I wished those 

 who came to see them to have an opportunity of tasting. Erom 

 fifty to a hundred dozen of Peaches and Nectarines have been 

 eaten annually by my visitors and friends, and I never yet met 

 with more than one person — a gentleman who had resided at 

 the Cape, and who was, perhaps, very thirBty when he ate 

 Peaches there — who ever pretended they bad eaten better, whilst 

 scores have declared they had no idea of what a Peach ought to 

 be before tasting one in an orchard-house. 



I think those who speak against growing Peaches in pots can 

 have no idea how many persons differ from them in opinion. 

 I appeal to any of the great nurserymen if the sale of Peaches 

 and Nectarines has not doubled at least since orchard-houses 

 were erected. I know that we sell far more than double j and, 

 whatever some persons may think, I have no doubt twice as 

 many trees will soon be required. 



Now, Mr. Editor, please tell us, who believe in the orchard- 

 house, what more can we do to convert the infidels ? We ask 

 all to come, and see, and taste. We refuse to sell our specimen 

 trees, because persons would say they had died and had been 

 replaced, so we keep the same trees we commenced with : can 

 we do more ? 



In conclusion, let me say Pears are not grown in my house, 

 because they were never good with me. The few Plums grown 

 bear very constantly and profusely, and are little different in 

 quality from those grown in the open air. Apricots have been 

 rather uncertain bearers ; they have never totally failed, though 

 they nearly did so last year. They have often been a full crop. 

 The quality has always been greatly superior to wall Apricots, 

 so much so that if they were more uncertain they would be 

 worth growing. I never fear a failure in Peaches and Necta- 

 rines, as the crop was a good one in 1861 in spite of the sun- 

 less summer of 1860 ; and the worst spring for fruit-blossoms 

 ever known perhap B , that of 1862, was followed by a half crop 

 of first-rate quality. 



If I live, some of my Peaches shall find their way to the 

 Eruit Committee and receive a verdict from the honourable 

 members. And if Mr. Bobson pays me a visit, which I hope he 

 will do, he will not find the pots fast to the ground ! — J. R, 

 Peaeson. 



[We recommend Mr. Robson to accept the invitations of 

 Mr. Rivers and Mr. Pearson, and to dine with each in the 

 height of the Apricot season j for we can promise him that he 

 will find first-rate ApricotB on their tables from their orchard- 

 houses, and we can promise bis hosts that they will find their 

 gueBt anything but a man obstinate and prejudiced. 



We have cultivated Vines, PeacheB, Nectarines, and Apricots 

 in an orchard-house, and succeeded with all. Certainly finer 

 Black Hamburgh and Champion Grapes and Moorpark Apricots 

 we never desire to have upon table. Of course the produce per 

 tree was 'small. — Eds.] 



MEEITS OF OECHAED-HOUSES. 



As " D.," in his letter in last week's Joitbnai of Hoeticui,- 

 tubs, says that mo6t practical men have a contempt for fruit 

 trees in pots, and follows up by a sneer at orchard-houses and 

 their originator, perhaps you will allow me a few lines to give 

 you my experience of their success, at least as regards Peaches 

 and Nectarines, and I think I shall Bhow that they are by no 

 means such failures as he would intimate them to be. 



In the summer of 1859 I built an orchard-house of clay- 

 lump at an expense of about £2,5, 20 feet 6 inches by 12 feet, 

 with the border returned at the further end. I should build 

 another one somewhat cheaper and with various slight improve- 

 ments. I stocked it from the Sawbridgeworth Nurseries at an 

 expense of £6 Is., with sixteen Peaches and Nectarines, four 

 Apricots, three Plums, and one Cherry ; to which I afterwards 

 added four Vines — on the whole too much by a quarter for the 

 house. 



The Plums, Vines, and Cherry I may dismiss at once, with an 

 acknowledgment that I could get no blossom to set on the 

 Plums and Cherry, and but few bunches and those very poor on 

 the Vines. The Apricots have not done well. I have never had 

 more than six or eight on a tree, those, however, large and well- 

 flavoured. The Peaches and Nectarines have, however, been a 

 great success. The first year I averaged somewhat more than a 

 dozen on each. In 1860, when there was a large quantity of 

 wall fruit out of doors everywhere, but utterly flavourless from 

 the continued wet, I had an average of about two dozen on 

 each plant — far better flavoured than out of doors, as I had the 

 regulation of the water-supply in my own hands. 



Then came the fearful winter 1861-2, which in this neigh- 

 bourhood killed-down many exposed trees, while those which 

 did survive bore no fruit on their badly-ripened wood. I, how- 

 ever, in the orchard-house had a supply somewhat larger than 

 the previous year, no tree having been at all damaged by the 

 frost. Last year I gathered from these sixteen trees nearly five 

 hundred Peaches and Nectarines, one-third, perhaps, smaller 

 than they should be, but the remainder of good size and flavour. 

 In the latter point I can, in average years, perceive no difference 

 between out-door and in-door fruit, nor in the former point 

 where not more than — say, thirty fruit are allowed to swell on a 

 moderate-sized tree. 



I think, then, that as far as these trees are concerned they are 

 by no means a failure, but decidedly a very great success. But 

 " D." will say, " Vou have a clever man whom it pays to give a 

 large income to" (I quote his own words). I am, or was. till 

 six months ago, my own head-gardener, and no experienced 

 amateur either, but till I had my plants and Rivers's book I had 

 never pruned a Peach, nor knew the difference between a leaf- bud 

 and flower-bud ; and I may say in passing, that it is a great 

 pity that trees will never grow according to the descriptions and 

 diagrams by which the tyro is instructed how to prune them. 



My aide-de-camp was one of those hybrids between groom 

 and gardener, whose qualifications consist in knowing very little 

 of either business. However, he would do as he was bid. 



In conclusion, I would strongly advise every one who wishes 

 for a certain crop of good fruit and cannot afford much Bpace, 

 nor the expense of a large wall, and does not wish to wait for 

 his crop for four or five years to build such an orchard-house 

 as he can find room for, to buy Bivers'B book and set to work 

 by it, putting-in only Peaches and Nectarines. Ten minutes 

 in the morning and half an hour in the evening, with one day 



