284 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 13, 1870. 



CUTTING PEACH TREE LEAVES. 



Will your correspondent, the Rev. W. F. Badclyffe, say npon 

 what principle in physiology he bases his plan of cutting off 

 the leaves of Peach trees to cause them to ripen their wood 

 more perfectly ? I have always been a great advocate for getting 

 as much healthy foliage as I could on all kinds of plants, so as 

 to produce the best type of healthy wood, and have hitherto 

 considered the pulling-off the leaveB before they had completed 

 their functions to militate against the ripening of the wood, 

 and consequently against the production of fine fruit. As with 

 animals so with plants ; if you wish to preserve them in health 

 and to bear healthy produoe you must endeavour to keep all 

 their organs healthy, and not deprive them of what is necessary 

 for the perfect development of their natures. If we wish to 

 limit the size or surface of a tree we must withhold the food, 

 this is the only check Nature will admit. — J. Scott, Merriott. 



[In answer to Mr. John Scott, until fruit is off, and until 

 September and Oclober arrive, I should think it very far from 

 in accordance with physiological principles to cut the leaves in 

 half; but when, as here now, the triple buds are all formed 

 and the fruit removed, I see no harm in cutting in half the 



through the dirty, ill-paved street, and soon found myself in 

 the policy grounds surrounding Langholm Lodge, one of the 

 Duke of Bucoleuch's shooting-boxes in Eskdale. The grounds, 

 and especially the woodB, reflect the highest credit on the good 

 taste and judgment of the officer who manages them ; but the 

 gardens, both in arrangements and productions, are quite un- 

 worthy of their natural situation and their noble proprietor. 

 In wide contrast to them were the well-planned, neatly-arranged 

 gardens and vineries at Arkleton, the residence of John Jardine, 

 Esq., situated in one of the most picturesque parts of Ewes- 

 dale, about five miles from Langholm, and 450 feet above the 

 level of the Solway. These gardens show at a glance the in- 

 telligence of the gardener and the liberality of the proprietor. 



Arkleton grounds and gardens were planned by my old 

 friend, the late Mr. Little, of the firm of Messrs. Little and 

 Ballantyne, of Carlisle, and were executed by the present gar- 

 dener in the years 1S63 and 1864. Having heard that the 

 gardener had acquired considerable fame as a grower of Grapes, 

 Peaches, and Nectarines, I at once made my way to the vine- 

 ries. I found these to consist of two houses (Shaw's patent), 

 each 30 feet long. I found the Vines were Black Hamburgh, 

 Millkill Hamburgh, Golden Hamburgh, Black and White 

 Frontignan, Buckland Sweetwater, Muscat of Alexandria, 

 Tynninghame Muscat, Archerfield Muscat, Mrs. Pince's Black 

 Muscat, Black Alicante, Lady Downe's, and Syrian. I give the 

 list in full, as possibly it may be of nse to some amateur Grape- 

 grower. I was credibly informed that all these Vines had been 

 heavily cropped from the seoond year of planting, some five 

 years ago, and that the average weight of the Black Hamburghs 

 had been 2i lbs., Lady Downe's 3i lbs., and Musoat of Alex- 

 andria 3J lbs. I was chiefly anxious to see the Syrian Vine, 

 on which had been grown the marvellous bunch, 19 lbs. 5 ozs. 

 in weight, which created such a sensation at the Show of the 

 Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, held in Edinburgh 

 on the 7th of September last. This Vine has carried since it 

 was planted in 1863 fourteen bunches, the heaviest weighing 

 respectively 6£, 7, 8J, 16^, and 19 lbs. 5 ozs. The Vine is well 

 trained, and is growing vigorously. I measured the wood of 

 this year's growth, and found it was 3 inches in circumference. 

 The old wood was 5 inches in circumference, and the leaves 

 19 inches by 15. It is highly to the credit of Mr. Dickson to 

 be able to show such a plant, and to point to it as the bearer 

 of the heaviest single bunch of Grapes ever produced in Great 

 Britain, surpassing by 5 ozs. the famous bunch recorded by 

 Speechley. 



I made a short visit to the Peach and Nectarine house, and 

 found it 180 feet long, with a drum trellis running along the 

 front, and occupied with well-grown, healthy-looking, fruit-laden 

 trees, among which were all the leading sorts in cultivation. 



Altogether, my visit to Arkleton was a very pleasant one ; 

 nor less pleasant was my drive to Longtown through the 

 wooded glen leading through the beautiful parish of C&nonbie, 

 and past its peaceful hamlets, its trim, well- furnished wayside 

 cottage gardens, its elegant school-room, and its unobtrusive- 

 looking church. I thoroughly endorse the opinion of Kohl, 

 who declared that amid all his wanderings he never journeyed 

 over a more lovely road than that which lies along the windings 

 of the " wooded Esk" from Langholm to Longtown. — Beta. 



leaves. My trees, from disbudding so little, are now better- 

 foliaged than those of most people in the height of summer. 

 I have a great many Peaches and Nectarines on west and east 

 aspects ; the former only receive a back and afternoon sun, and 

 the latter only a morning sun and a little midday sun. It is, 

 therefore, of importance to let in the sun and air to the wood 

 after cropping is over, to harden and ripen it. I quite agree 

 with Mr. Scott that good leaves are essential to fine flavour and 

 the general welfare of the trees. I see many insects on my 

 leaves, and by cutting them in half I am enabled to wash the 

 insects off. If the fruit is gathered, people should follow up 

 red spider, thrips, scale, and aphides till all are destroyed. I 

 never saw a finer sight than the Peaches and Nectarines here 

 this year. — W. F. Raeclyffe.] 



POMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS. 



Pear Belle Rouennaise. — ■ Amongst the never-ending 

 streams of new Pears, here is one which stands well forward. 

 It ripens, it is true, at a season (October), when we have 

 quite a glut of good fruits. In appearance it is very handsome, 

 being of a rather long pyriform Bhape, tapering very much to 

 the stalk, which is long and slender. Whilst hanging on the 

 tree it is particularly graceful. The eye is closed, set in a very 

 shallow depression ; the segments of the calyx long, erect, and 

 pointed. The skin is pale green, changing to pale yellow as it 

 ripens, tinged a little on the exposed side with numerous 

 minute crimson specks. The flesh is white, very buttery, and 

 melting, very rich and angary. Altogether first-class. 



Pear Avocat Allabd. — This is one of M. GrSgoire's 



very numerous seedlings, and promises well. In quality it is 

 quite first-rate. The fruit with us this season is rather small, 

 but it looks as if it would grow to a goodly size. The flesh 

 is pretty Bolid, a little soft; flavour very rich, with a strong 

 muscat aroma. Season, Ootober. We mark this as a promis- 

 ing variety. 



Pear Henri Nicaise, Heliote Dundas. — We grow 



the same Pear under both names, and must speak in high 

 terms of its praise. In appearance it is fully more beautiful 

 than the Forelle, or Trout Pear, which is so well known ; it is 

 of far higher quality, and the tree is more hardy, as it bears 

 well as an open pyramid, which the Forelle does not. The 

 fruits of Heliote Dundas are rather over medium size, obovate, 

 beautifully flushed and streaked on three-fourths of the surface 

 with brilliant orimson. The flesh is tolerably firm, yet melting 

 and juicy, sweet, and rich. The tree bears profusely as an 

 open pyramid on the Quince stock, and the fruit commands a 

 high price in market on account of its handsome appearance. 



■ Apple Summer Thorle, or Whorle Pippin. — We were 



lately extremelv pleased to meet in Ireland with this old 

 and particular favourite of ours, and to find it was so much 

 cultivated and so generally esteemed. It is one of the first 

 Apples we knew in our schoolboy days, and right well was it 

 relished then ; never, we believe, have we tasted Apples half 

 so aweet, and even now there is a certain charm, a certain 

 smack about this particular Apple which no other has. It is 

 decidedly the best summer Apple of the north, both in Scot- 

 land and in Ireland, yet, singularly enough, it is seldom to be 

 met with in the south, or in the neighbourhood of London. It 

 is a very hardy variety, and a moBt certain and heavy cropper 

 even as an open standard in the north of Scotland. The fruits 

 are rather below the medium size, quite flat, like the Oslin. 

 Skin very clear, beautifully streaked with bright soarlet on the 

 exposed side, and altogether very pretty. The flesh is white, 

 quite crisp, juicy, and refreshingly sweet. The fruits are 

 generally very uniform in character and quality. It is in nse 

 during August and September, and is best when gathered off 

 the tree, or very shortly afterwards. It is an Apple much to 

 be recommended, but greatly neglected. 



ECKLAND VALE APPLE. 

 In page 268 information is wanted regarding the origin of 

 this Apple. Ecklinville Seedling is the proper name of the 

 Apple. It was raised from seed by the then gardener, probably 

 more thin half a century ago, at Ecklinville, a gentleman's 

 seat about eighteen mile3 from Belfast and four miles from 

 Portaferry. I saw the original tree growing there as a standard 

 a good many years ago. At the back of the stables, on an 

 eastern aspect, there was a fan-trained tree which bore noble 



