428 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 1, 1370. 



of the crop when it is dug up. The tubers for keeping must be 

 ripe. If ripe their skin will not rub off if exposed to friction, 

 but ripeness is first shown by the haulm turning yellow, with 

 an inclination to dry up. 



The Potatoes which are intended for culinary purposes 

 should not, after being forked up, remain on the ground any 

 longer than to dry thoroughly, which, if the weather be fine, 

 ■would not take any longer than one day. On the other hand, 

 the Potatoes for planting should remain on the ground, placed 

 on boards, or something of the kind, to become green and 

 hardened — the boards prevent the tubers getting damp, which 

 they would do if laid on the bare ground. It is indispensable 

 to let the Potatoes be well greened, for they are then far less 

 likely to produce a crop liable to disease. 



A dry warm day should be chosen for the operation of fork- 

 ing up the produce. There are several ways of storing Po- 

 tatoes ; some have houses, others use cellars, and others pit or 

 clamp them in the open ground ; and this last is the most 

 common mode, and not the worst — indeed, I like it the best, 

 and I will endeavour to substantiate my preference. The 

 Potato requires to be kept moist and cool — moist, because if 

 allowed to get very dry it loses its flavour and firmness ; cool, 

 because if heated by fermenting in a heap it will usually become 

 soft, and eventually decay, or will sprout unseasonably. Care 

 mu6t be taken, by covering the pit or clamp at least with a 

 foot's depth of earth, to exclude cold and rain. 



To secure good sound Potatoes, if the crop is large the pit 

 should be made long, but if limited a round pit is best. Let 

 the soil be dug out a good spit deep, laying the earth and the 

 crumbs around the hole. Place at the bottom some dry straw, 

 fern, or leaves, but fern is the best, and on this litter place the 

 Potatoes in a pyramidal heap. When a sufficient quantity has 

 been put in cover them thickly with dry litter, and on this place 

 a coating of soil fully a foot in thickness, and well beat it with the 

 spade, to keep it in its place and to shoot off the rain. If the 

 pit is long and large, wisps of straw tightly bound round should 

 be built in as the pit advances, at about 10 or 12 feet apart, 

 and project through the earth covering — this prevents heating ; 

 if the pit is round one wisp will be sufficient. 



In storing Potatoes for seed, I have always found it best to 

 pack the Potatoes in straw, both at the bottom and on the 

 top, placing them on a stone or plaster floor, in any position 

 wh6re there is a current of air passing underneath. The Po- 

 tatoes must be watched, and if inclined to shoot or sprout they 

 mu3t be laid out thinner, and in no ease should the sproutings 

 be rubbed off, for if they are watched, and the tubers laid thinly, 

 they will not advance sufficiently to require removing, and in- 

 stead of throwing out long, weak shoots, stiff, healthy, shoots 

 will be produced.— J. C. Lewis, Gardener and Bailiff, Sudbury 

 Rectory, Derby. 



FRUIT TREES FOR SMALL GABDENS.— No. 3. 



After planting, bush and pyramidal fruit trees certainly 

 require more attention than standards, for they will need 

 summer- pruning, and top-dressings of manure; but whilst the 

 annual attention and labour will be greater, there is an ample 

 compensation in the greater and earlier produce of bush and 

 pyramid, as compared with standard trees. I need not further 

 dilate on the advantages of growing fruit on pyramids and 

 bushes, but will close these papers with a few hints on the 

 varieties to cultivate. 



I must thank Mr. Rivers for his short article in reply to my 

 request for a list of fruit trees suitable by their productiveness 

 and good quality for small gardens. The selection given at 

 page 322, ly Mr. Rivers, I consider excellent in every respect, 

 good bearers, and good in quality. I have grown in the west 

 most of the kinds named by Mr. Rivers, and mariy of them 

 have I seen doing well at a considerable elevation in Wales 

 oil th6 hillsides o'or which Voel Vamma frowns. I waB par- 

 ticularly anxious to have his advice on this subject, because he 

 could bring to bear an amount of experience which few or 

 none of the fruit growers of this or any country possess ; and 

 secondly, he, as a nurseryman, has opportunities of testing a 

 far greater number of varieties than most fruit cultivators 

 in private establishments ; also he has experience in a more 

 southerly situation than I have been. My experience has been 

 north of the Humber and a line drawn straight across to the 

 Irish Sea. Now, I am in the north-east corner of North York- 

 shire, about 300 feet above the sea, and perhaps three miles 

 from it as the crow flies, exposed to its full effects when the 

 wind blows from the east. South, and to a great extent west- 



ward, there are mile3 of moor. What succeeds here will do so 

 almost anywhere. I must, however, state, we are well sheltered 

 to the north by plantations. 



Peahs. — 1, Williams's Bon Chretien does well, being very 

 prolific, large, and good ; end of September. 2, Beurre Giffard, 

 forms a free-growing pyramid, fruit medium Bize ; beginning 

 of September. 3, Bergamotte Esperen, extraordinarily pro- 

 lific, medium Bize ; February onwards. 4, Beurre Hardy, 

 vigorous pyramid, fruit large ; beginning of November. 5, Alex- 

 andre Limbrfi, good bearer, medium size ; November this year, 

 but generally December end later. 6, Fondante d'Automne, 

 medium size ; October. 7, Beurre' d'Aremberg, prolific, medium 

 sized : beginning of November this year, generally December. 

 8, Seckle, small, great bearer ; October. 9, Beurre Diel, large, 

 prolific ; November. 10, Marie Louise, large ; October and 

 November. 11, Ztiphirin Gregoire, medium size, great bearer ; 

 December and January. 12, Comte de Lamy, medium size, 

 good bearer ; October. 



These are all very hardy, fine, and healthy both in tree and 

 fmit. Passe Colmar bears abundantly, but the fruit is small; 

 November. But finer than any for growth and fruiting is Beurre 

 de Capiaumont, yet it is not of first-rate quality ; October. 

 Louise Bonne of Jersey is very prolific, but the fruit is small 

 and much pitted. Against a wooden fence (open trellis), it 

 was excellent ; October. Baronne de Mello, good bearer, fruit 

 small ; November. Beurre d'Anjou, Winter Nelis, and Beurre 

 Superfin generally bear well, and are pitted. Beurrfi Bachelier, 

 large, good bearer ; December. B6urr6 d'Amanlis, large ; 

 September. Josephine de Malines is a great bearer and good ; 

 February. The last three I would add to the first twelve, but 

 I have no pyramid trees of them. I have found they generally 

 succeed in the north. I might extend the list by noting some 

 that occasionally do well, but from the uncertainty I think it 

 well to leave tbem unnoticed. 



Apples. — Kitchen: 1, Lord Suffield, very large; October and 

 November. 2, Cox's Pomona, large ; December. 3, Dame- 

 low's Seedling, large ; December to March. 4, Northern Green- 

 ing, large ; December to April ; 5, Gooseberry Apple, large ; 

 December to beyond May. 6, Rymer, large ; December to 

 April. Those six I can confidently recommend as the best for 

 a cold or, indeed, any climate, as kitchen Apples, either for 

 private use or growing for sale. 7, Norfolk Bearer, large ; De- 

 cember to February. 8, New Hawthorcden, large ; December 

 and January. 9, Keswick Codlin, good for jelly, and the best 

 early kitchen Apple. 10, Tower of Glamis, large ; November to 

 February ; 11, Blenheim Pippin, or Orange, large ; November 

 to February. 12, Winter Majeting, large ; November to March. 

 The above are all good kitchen Apples, great and certain 

 bearers. Apples, in my opinion, are best as bushes, especially 

 those with large fruits, as all the kitchen Apples should be, 

 and as the preceding are. 



Dessert. — 1, Cox's Orange Pippin, medium-sized, very hand- 

 some ; November to January. 2, Early Harvest, medium-sized ; 

 August. 3, Kerry Pippin, medium-sized ; October. 4, Keddle- 

 stou Pippin, small; December to March. 5, Red Astrachan, 

 medium-sized; September. 6, Scarlet Nonpareil, medium- 

 sized ; Jinuary to April. 7, Sturmer Pippin, medium-sized ; 

 January to May. 8, Melon Apple, medium-sized ; December of 

 to February. 9, Manniogton's Pearmain, medium-sized ; Novem- 

 ber to Blarch. 10, Reinette du Canada, large ; March to May. 

 11, Nonpareil, Old, medium ; April. 12, Pitmaston Nonpareil, 

 medium-sized ; December to February. 



Dessert Apples having, as a rule, smaller fruit than kitchen 

 Apples, are better adapted for pyramids. I ought to name 

 Margil, medium-size, as a good bearer ; November. It has a 

 smack of the Ribston flavour. Court-Pendu-Plat, medium- 

 sized, January to April, is excellent. 



Plums. — Kitchen. — 1, Early Orleans, red ; end of August. 

 2, Oullin's Golden, yellow; early in September; very vigorous, 

 a marvel of productiveness. 3. Prince Englebert, purple, large ; 

 September. 4, Early Prolific (Rivers'.'), purple; beginning of 

 August. 5, Autumn CompCte, red, large ; not unlike Victoria, 

 but later. 6, Yellow Magnum Bonum, large; end of Septem- 

 ber. 7, Damson, Cluster or Prolific, bears profusely as a pyra- 

 mid. 8, Victoria, red, large ; end of September. 



All the preceding are good kitchen Plums. 



Dessert — 1, July Green Gage, medium-sized, greenish yellow; 

 August. 2, Belgian Purple, rather large, purple ; end of August 

 and beginning of September. 3, Jefferson, large, yellow; Sep- 

 tember. 4, Green Gage ; September. 5, Kirke's, large, pur- 

 ple ; end of September. 6, Angelina Burdett, medium-sized, 

 purple ; September. 



