314 



JOUENAL OF HOSTICTJLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ October 26, 1871. 



compared with its summer appearance, not so darlc, firmer, yet fine 

 and of good flavour. Tiie second best as a cropper is one which I had 

 many years ago from Mr. Nicholson .under the name of Sir Walter 

 Scott, but this is pale and soft, yet large and a good cropper. The 

 next best cropper is Swainstone's Seedling ; this is very hue, rather 

 pale, and rather soft, but of good flavour. From May Queen one may 

 always obtain a crop ; the berry is small and soft, but of good colour. 

 From Black Prince, too, can be obtained, not a large crop, but herries 

 of good colour and firm. — Geoege Lee." 



We hope to have the pleasure very shortly of receiving a 

 paper from Mr. Lee on his mode of culture. 



OKCHARD-HOUSE NOTES FOR 1871. 



We have just (October 9th) finished pioting the last of the 

 Peaches and choice Pears in the orchard house, and turned all 

 the trees out of doors, where they are arranged close together. 

 The pots stand on a hard gravel bottom, a handful of soot being 

 scattered underneath each to prevent the ingress of worms. 

 The pots are completely covered with cocoa-nut fibre refuse, 

 which keeps the trees in good condition untilthe house is again 

 ready for their reception in January. 



An essential to success is repotting the trees, or top-dressing, 

 early in September, or as soon afterwards as the fruit is gathered. 

 I have found, after some years' experience, that those trees 

 which are repotted in September always bear the best fruit the 

 following season. I have therefore repotted nearly all our trees 

 this season. Those potted in the early part of September had 

 rooted into the fresh material, and were firmly established ten 

 days after repotting. Pots of 15 inches in diameter are the 

 largest size we use now, so that those trees which were growing 

 in pots of this size have the roots sufficiently reduced to admit 

 of an inch or more of fresh compost being rammed firmly be- 

 tween the ball and sides of the pot. Another advantage gained 

 by repotting is that the drainage is renewed, as in many cases 

 it becomes choked by worms working into the pot, and when 

 this is the case I do not find the fruit of good flavour. It would 

 be as well to state that in repotting in this manner trees which 

 are in full leaf, care must be taken to prevent them from 

 flagging, as not only would this occur, but the young wood 

 would shrivel. To keep all right syringe the trees frequently, 

 and keep the house rather close for a day or two. 



It is unnecessary to enter into full cultural details at this 

 time, as ample instructions have been given in recent numbers ; 

 but in passing I may remark on one very important matter 

 connected with pot culture, and that is watering. The trees 

 require abundant supplies of water, and especially after stoning 

 has commenced. The uninitiated will be able to know this 

 time by the stoppage of the swelling of the fruit (hitherto rapid), 

 which takes place when the stones begin to form. Manure water 

 should be given to the Peach and Nectarine trees with caution, 

 and none before the fruit begins to stone. This year I have 

 not used any, but relied entirely on surface-dressings given 

 only twice — namely, about the end of June and in the middle 

 of July, and there was no apparent difference either in the size 

 or quality of the fruit, except some slight allowance that ought 

 to be made for the unfavourable season. 



It is equally important to pay attention to keeping the trees 

 clean ; do not allow insect pests of any description to harbour 

 on them. Eed spider is kept at a distance by syringing twice 

 a-day in hot weather, and aphides of all sorts are destroyed by 

 fumigation with tobacco. The aphis which attacks Peach trees 

 is not easily destroyed. I fumigated our large orchard house 

 six times one season before it was exterminated. I have 

 noticed the insects drop from the trees and lie on the surface of 

 the pots for three or four days, and yet show signs of vitality. 



With regard to the best varieties to cultivate, of course a 

 larger number of sorts may be grown in pots than when the 

 trees are planted out. Beginning with the earliest Peaches, we 

 have Early Beatrice, the earhest of all, followed closely by 

 Early Eivers. This year their earliness was their only recom- 

 mendation ; the quality was very indifferent. If we could ob- 

 tain a variety with fruit of large size and good quality, and 

 ripening at the same time as Early Beatrice, it would be a great 

 boon. We gathered Early Beatrice about the first week in 

 July, and Early Tork three weeks later. The latter I think the 

 hardiest and most useful early Peach we have ; it is sure to 

 carry a crop of good-sized well-flavoured fruit. Early Grosse 

 Mignonue has very fine-flavoured fruit of large size, and was 

 ripe the last week in July ; the tree is rather tender. Eivers's 

 Early York has not been so fine nor so early with me as the 

 old sort. Bipening with Early Tork Peach was Hunt's Tawny 



Nectarine. This has two faults — the fruit is deficient of fiavour, 

 and the tree is more liable to mildew than any other I know. 

 I would rather be without it in the orchard house, but we have 

 not as yet another to replace it. As soon as mildew appears 

 throw a cloud of fiowers of sulphur amongst the trees with a 

 distributor ; this will eiJectually check its progress. When well 

 grown this is a fair-sized good-looking fruit, and it hangs well 

 on the tree after it is ripe. Eivers's Orange Nectarine has 

 been particularly fine this year, and was thejieit to ripen alter 

 Hunt's Tawny. 



After the foregoing the mid-season Peaches and Nectarines 

 come in, and here there is no difficulty in making a selection. 

 About the 10th of August we had ripe in abundance the follow- 

 ing sorts of Nectarines, all first-rate — viz., Balgowan, Cricket, 

 Downton, Elruge, Violette Hative, Pitmaston Orange, and, 

 though somewhat later, but one of the very best, Pine Apple 

 (Bivers). Of Peaches we had Eoyal George, Boyal Charlotte, 

 Alexandra Noblesse, a very large fine-flavoured kind, having a 

 very pale skin with scarcely any flush of red ; Grosse Mignonne, 

 and Bellegarde, two of the best Peaches in cultivation. I have 

 a number of new or little-known Peaches and Nectarines ; some 

 have not fruited yet, and respecting others which did fruit I 

 can this year scarcely venture to give a decided opinion. Some 

 are highly promising, others are of doubtful merit. Amongst 

 midseason ]?eaches we can hardly look for any further improve- 

 ment. Of Peaches and Nectarines ripening with Walburton 

 Admirable some of the recently introduced varieties are decided 

 acquisitions. Amongst those introduced from America I think 

 Exquisite is one of the best yellow-fieshed Peaches we have 

 when cultivated in the orchard house. I do not know whether 

 it would be equally valuable as a wall-trained tree out of doors. 

 Princess of Wales (Eivers) is a magnificent Peach when well 

 grown, and is very distinct. Desse Tardive is another late 

 variety which ought to be grown much more extensively than 

 it is. I find it an excellent pot tree, setting fruit very freely 

 when trained to a trellis under glass ; the fruit is magnificent, 

 12 inches in circumference, from trees planted out. 



For late Nectarines to succeed the Pine Apple there is that 

 fine cross-bred variety Victoria ; this will be a lasting memorial 

 to Mr. Thomas Eivers of Sawbridgeworth. No collection should 

 be without it. Prince of Wales I have never had finer than 

 in the present season. The fruit was highly coloured outside, 

 bright red at the stone, and measured just over 8 inches in cir- 

 cumference. This variety is liable to crack ; to prevent its 

 doing so, crop rather heavily, and do not give too much water 

 when the fruit is swelling. These are our last Nectarines. 



The Peaches continue longer. There are just three which 

 I will name — Lord Palmerston, Lady Palmerston, and Salway. 

 The only good one amongst the three this season has been Lady 

 Palmerston ; it ripened after Lord Palmerston and before Sal- 

 way, and for a yellow-fleshed Peach it was of very good flavour. 

 The fruit was only medium-sized, although it is generally large. 

 Lord Palmerston, usually good, has shown too much of the 

 Pavie blood to be agreeable, and the skin exhibited little colour, 

 though fully exposed to what sun there was. As for Salway, 

 the fruit is quite dry and unpleasant ; but it is, as Mr. Eivers 

 says, "sometimes good" even from pot trees, and it is to be 

 had after the other two are over. 



There are, no doubt, many of your readers and contributors 

 who have also had experience with orchard-house fruit ; if it 

 differs from mine in any particular I should like to bear of it, 

 especially in the case of the Early Beatrice and Early Eivers 

 Peaches. One would like to know if Mr. Eivers still holds the 

 same opinion of them. 



I may say, in addition, that Pears and Plums have been fine 

 this year. One Plum which I would particularly recommend 

 is the Golden Esperen ; it has fruit of delicious flavour and 

 fine in appearance, though not of the largest size. Souvenir du 

 Congres and Madame Treyve will, I think, hold a high position 

 amongst Pears. I had the former, which weighed half a pound 

 each, from trees in pots under glass, and I weighed one frnit of 

 the latter taken from a pot tree out of doors, and found its 

 weight exactly 12 ozs. Souvenir du Congies somewhat re- 

 sembles Williams's Bon Chretien, but is rather later in ripen- 

 ing. The flavour of my specimens was past before I tried 

 them ; but some fruit sent on October 4th by Mr. William Paul, 

 of Waltham Cross, to the Fruit Committee at South Kensington 

 were of good flavour, although also a little past their best. — 

 J, Douglas. 



The Peach Cbop of Delawaee. — The Wilmington Com- 

 mercial states that the railroad accounts, made up on the 14th 



