November 16, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICDLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



381 



On the other hand, certain fruits which are of the finest 

 when grown in the north, are greatly inferior in the south. 

 Where are there such Gooseberries, for instance, as are to be 

 found north of the Tweed ? Those of the southern part of the 

 island bear no comparison with them. And where are there 

 such Strawberries as are grown in England, far surpassing 

 those of France ? That excellent but very fleeting Pear Beurrfi 

 Snperfin, when grown in the North Riding of Yorkshire as our 

 friend the Eev. W. Eingsley grows it, instead of ripening at the 

 end of September, and decaying as fast as it ripens, as it does 

 with ns, is one of the finest December Pears at Thirsk, and, 

 if we are not mistaken, Mr. Kingsley had kept it even till 

 Christmas. 



Sinclair Pear. 



The Pear we figure to-day is one of those from which we 

 learn the lesson, that what we often regard as an inferior fruit 

 and unworthy of cultivation is in reality one of the greatest 

 excellence. For this Pear we are indebted to the kindness of 

 Sir Archibald Dunbar, of Diiffas House, in whose garden, 

 near Elgin, it was grown. Our figure gives an exact repre- 

 sentation of the size and form of the fruit, and our reason for 

 bringing it thus prominently before the notice of our readers 

 is, that the large number of them who reside in the north and 

 similar situations may know that in the Sinclair Pear they 

 have one of the best October fiuits this climate can produce. 



The fruit is very handsome, with a smooth, clear, lemon- 

 coloured skin, with a faint blush of red next the sun. The 

 flesh is fine-grained, buttery and melting, very juicy and sweet, 

 with a slight musky perfume. 



This was raised by Dr. Tan Mone, and was named in honour 

 of Sir John Sinclair, Bart. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEN. 



Wheeling out manures, composts, earths, mud, &c. ; trench- 

 ing, draining, making new walks, and repairing old ones, are 

 amongst the principal operations at the present season in this 



department. Always make choice of suitable weather for per-, 

 forming each, with a view to cleanliness and good order. The 

 As]]aragus haulm may now be removed, cleaning the ground, 

 and giving a good dressing of rotten manure. In the case of 

 young plants which are only very lightly covered, the manure 

 might be mixed with a quantity of leaf soil, and a good solicf 

 coat of this, 2 or 3 inches thick, applied. Take care to pot or 

 lay in a sheltered situation a good store of Cape Broccoli^ 

 CaufiT''"''''!''. aid Grange's White Broccoli. The fine dry weather 

 we have had of late has been particularly favourable for taking 

 up Beet, Carrots, and Parsnips. The ground which they occu- 

 pied should be trenched, and where the soil is clay or strong 

 loam it should be ridged, that the frost and air may act on as 

 large a surface of it as possible. Celery must be earthed-up 

 carefully in suitable weather, and a supply of Endive must be 

 blanched. Jerusalem Artichokes keep well in the ground, and 

 can be taken up as required. To prevent the frost from injur- 

 ing them the stalks may now be cut off within 5 or G inches of 

 the surface, and laid between the rows, or a quantity of leaves 

 or other vegetable refuse may be wheeled amongst them to 

 cover the ground. The best plan, in respect to Parsnips, is to 

 let them remain in the ground, and trench them out fresh as 

 required for use ; at this season of the year take care to have 

 a good coating of manure or mulch spread over, so that in the 

 event of frost it may always be easy to get at them. Proper 

 sowings of Peas and Beans must be made immediately, but if 

 this has been delayed the seed should be soaked in warm water 

 for six hours to hasten the growth. Ground may now be pre- 

 pared for new plantations of ^s;)ara(;MS, Sea-kale, and PJiubarb ; 

 and as these are permanent crops, every care ought to be be- 

 stowed on the thorough preparation of the soil. It ought to 

 be in each case 3 feet deep, thoroughly trenched, manured, pul- 

 verised, and drained ; where, too, the soil is exhausted it ought 

 to be renewed with loam. Clear away dead leaves from old 

 growing crops, and fill up blanks wherever they occur. 



FKUIT GARDEN. 



Continue to prepare for fruit-tree planting by draining, 

 trenching, and pulverising the soil, and after planting tie them 

 loosely and mulch in good time. Clear away all dead leaves 

 from the wall trees, and remove the green fruit from the Fig. 

 The established strong-growing fruit trees that are plow in pro- 

 ducing fruit should be root-pruned. If the trees are planted 

 too deeply, or the soil has been raised about them since 

 planting, by all means fork the roots out carefully and plant 

 again on the surface, spreading out the roots judiciously and 

 mulching them. If trees to be operated upon are planted high 

 and dry, fork about them at a reasonable distance, and prune 

 back the main or strongest root. Easpberry plantations may 

 be cleared of the dead canes and supetfluous wood ; the suckers . 

 should be taken oil, and, where required, the strongest should 

 be at once planted for succession. The most successful way of 

 cultivating the Strawberry at this season is to add enoug'a 

 manure between the rows, which are, in general, nearly 3 feet 

 apart, and to dig it in only a spade's width in the centre. 

 It will, perhaps, be feared that the roots will be cut, as is really 

 the case, but that is done intentionally, having been found by 

 experience to be beneficial ; its necessary tendency is to checi 

 overluxnriance in the leaf up to the period when the blossoms 

 appear. By the time the fruit is swelling a new set of whita 

 roots will be found to have taken possession of the dug line, 

 which, with the decomposed matter of the old Strawberry 

 runners and a small amount of manure, contains everything 

 necessary for the sustenance of the plant. At the end oi 

 February or the beginning of March the old leaves are entirely 

 cut off, and a little soil is drawn to the crowns. 



FLOWER GARDEN. 



Those who propose making additions to their collections of 

 Eoses should do so at once, as there will be a better chance of 

 obtaining good plants now than after the nursery stock has 

 been repeatedly picked. The present season is also very 

 favourable for planting all but tender sorts, which had better 

 be kept under glass until next May ; but these should be pro- 

 cured at once, and if they can be placed in a gentle heat 

 throughout the winter, they will grow freely, and furnish cut- 

 tings which will root just as readily as a Verbena. In preparing 

 ground for Eoses, let it be trenched at least 2 feet deep, and 

 very heavily dressed with manure mixed to the full depth of 

 the soil. It is hardly possible to make the ground too rich for 

 any kind of Eoses, particularly the autumn-blooming kinds. 

 Four or five inches of rotten farmyard dung will not be too much 

 when the soil is naturally rather poor. Large-headed standards 

 that have done blooming for the season should be cut back 



