December 1, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



429 



These are all good bearers, but the frnit does not attain a 

 high degree of excellence, yet is good. Transparent Gage 

 does not ripen, nor does Coe's Golden Drop ; and Reine Claude 

 de Bavay cracks and splits up into all kinds of form?, betides 

 not ripening. In some sheltered situations in the north they 

 may do. Where they will, they should have a place, for they 

 are most excellent. 



Cherries. — Kentish, medium-sized ; Morello, large. These 

 two are for kitchen purposes. The trees are very prolific as 

 pyramids. Archdake, later by ten days than May Duke, bush ; 

 Empress Eugenie, large, ten days earlier than May Duke; 

 May Duke ; Transparent. These are all of the Duke race. 

 Bigarreau, and Bigarreau Napoleon, of the Bigarreau race ; 

 Werder's Early Black, and Governor Wood, one of the Hearts. 

 The last eight are good bearers, and dessert fruit. 



For those that have only room for a very few trees, I give a 

 selection of three of each — viz., Pears: Williams's Bon Chie- 

 tieD, Beurid Hardy, and Zephirin Giegoiie, or if a late one, 

 Bergamotte Esperen. Kitchen Apples: Lord Suffield. Cox's 

 Pomona, Damelow's Seedling. Dessert Apples : Early Harvest, 

 Cox's Orange Pippin, Pitmaston Nonpareil. Kitchen Plums : 

 Early Prolific (Rivera's), Prince Englebert, Oullin's Golden. 

 Dessert Plums: July Green Gage, Belgian Purple, Jefferson. 

 Cherries : Empress Eugenie, May Duke, Arohduke ; and Kentish 

 for tarts. 



The Pears should be on the Quince stock, the Apples on the 

 English Paradise stock, and the Cherries on the Mahaleb or 

 Cerasus Mahaleb. — G. Abbey. 



A HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR ULSTER. 



It is in the great manufacturing centres of England and 

 Scotland that horticultural exhibitions are most appreciated and 

 successful, and horticultural science finds its most devoted and 

 enthusiastic votaries. It was, therefore, anomalous and not at all 

 flattering to such a city as Belfast to be without an established 

 institution of that kind, and that its efforts hitherto in this direc- 

 tion should he merely spasmodic and intermittent. It is pleasant 

 to record the fact of energetic measures being now taken to re- 

 move the reproach. During the present year a movement was 

 instituted, and a two-days exhibition, on a large scale, held in 

 the Belfast Botanic Garden, in the first week in September. 

 Though on that occasion the second day was far from favourable, 

 the affair was a success, and encouraged the promoters lo go a 

 step further, and establish a North of Ireland Horticultural 

 Society, with the view — as the prospectus now before us Btates — 

 of promoting "the pursuit of horticulture in all its branches, in 

 every part of the province, and in some degree (since its ex- 

 hibitions will be open to exhibitors from every quarter) in every 

 part of the island, and even of the United Kingdom, and among 

 every class of people." With this object, it is proposed to hold 

 exhibitions every year in Belfast, " not fewer than two, nor more 

 than three," at which prizes shall be given for every description 

 of garden produce, and at each of which special prizes will be 

 offered for specimens grown by cottagers and artisans. 



This last is an important point as regards a town like Belfast, 

 where, among its operative classes, one should look for the same 

 horticultural enthusiasm as exists among the " stoekingers " of 

 Nottingham. We trust the new society will make its influence 

 widely felt in this direction. It is evidently the intention of the 

 Committee that this should be the case, for they tell us there is 

 nothing which they " look upnn as more dtsirable or more really 

 beneficial to the community at large than to encourage a taste for 

 gardening among the classes who depend on daily wages, and 

 ■who in this way, it is hoped, may be led to find a healthy employ- 

 ment for their hours of recreation, and to take an honest pride 

 in the embellishment and comfort of their homes." The young 

 Society hopes one day to be able to extend its operations beyond 

 Belfast, and in course of time, if the funds permit, to be able 

 either to hold exhibitions in other towns which may wish it to do 

 so, or to aid those exhibitions which are already established, by 

 subscribing to their funds or by giving additional prizes at them. 



His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant has kindly consented to be 

 the patron of the Society, and, with characteristic liberality, he 

 further gives a cup, value ten guineas, which will be competed 

 for at the first show, to be held in the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Belfast, on Thursday, May 18th, 1871. It will be remembered 

 that his Excellency also gave a cup of the same value to be com- 

 peted for at the show held last September. The schedule of 

 prizes for the first or May show, next year, is already issued ; and 

 from a copy now before us we are glad to perceive the prizes are 



sufficiently liberal to tempt some of our metropolitan exhibitors 

 to a trial of skill with our nortf.ern friends. Grapes, Peaches, 

 and Pine Apples are, at all events, portable enough ; and for two 

 bunches of the first-named the first prize is £3, the second 

 £1 10s. ; for Peaches, £2 and £1 ; and the same for Pine Apples. 

 Four new plants sent out since January 1st, 1S70, are not likely 

 to be over-large — nay, perhaps they would go in a very small 

 space ; and yet for such a class the spirited proprietor of the Bel- 

 fast News-Letter, J. H. Henderson, Esq , J. P., offers a cup value 

 five guineas, with a second prize of two sovereigns. 



Copies of the schedule, as well as of the regulations for the 

 exhibitions, may be had on application to Mr. J. F. Johnson, 

 Botanic Gardens, Belfast ; or C. D. Tonge, Esq., Honorary Se- 

 cretary, Notting Hill, Belfast. It is, we believe, to the latter 

 gentleman, who is no less enthusiastic as a horticulturist than he 

 is distinguished as a scholar, that horticulture in Belfast owes in 

 a great measure the inception and, thus far, the carrying to a 

 successful issue of the movement for establishing on a firm basis 

 the North of Ireland Horticultural Society, and thus wiping 

 away what has been so long something very like a reproach to 

 the good taste and spirit of the metropolis of Ulster. — (Irish 

 Farmer's Gazette.) 



LABELS FOR FRUIT TREES. 



A correspondent, " C. C. E." (page 350), takes exception to 

 the method of labelling fruit trees advocated in pege 329. He 

 believes "chemical action takes place between the label and 

 the wire, besides the harder edge of the zino cutting the softer 

 lead wire, so that in twelve months all his labels were on the 

 ground." Now, I believe, and I have studied ohemistry a little, 

 that all the chemical action incited between a zinc label and a 

 lead wire never could have cut through the latter in the short 

 space of a year, if at all, especially as the inciting fluid conld 

 seldom have been more potent than rain, and even that only 

 occasionally. Had the chemical action been referred to the 

 zino label and the copper wire, I should more readily have 

 trusted in his belief, as these are the very metals most gene- 

 rally used to induce chemical action, or, I may say more 

 appropriately, galvanic action. 



But gum and canker are referred to the use of these labels. 

 Now, pomologists allege that the latter is caused by tap-roots 

 striking deeply into cold crude soil, and producing soft un- 

 ripened wood, which has its tissues ruptured by interveoing 

 frosts, and consequently canker is the result. At the same 

 time I will not deny that cutting the bark of stone frnit trees 

 will produce gumming, if the labels be hung on loosely, but 

 that branch only on which the label is hung will be so affected. 

 But why allow the bark to be cut at all ? A little attention 

 acts as a preventive. Punch a sufficiently large hole in your 

 label, and use thick lead wire for very obvious reasons. Pass 

 the wire through the hole, give it a twist or two to make it 

 tight, then encirole a branch near the stem, or a smaller one 

 near a main branch, with the two ends, which twist round 

 each other till they clasp the branch pretty firmly ; then bend 

 the label close to the stem or main branch, where the wire, 

 soft and easily manipulated though it be, is yet quite strong 

 enough to keep it, and prevent its being " a sport of winds and 

 the ruin of the bark." As the wood and bark are seen to swell 

 slacken the wire a little, so as to prevent the bark from cuttiBg, 

 and the remedy for a time is complete. 



The above method is not new. It has been recommended 

 to me by an une'e, a gardener by profession, a most suecessml 

 and intelligent pomologist as well as floricultuiist, who applied 

 it for years without evil results. 



" C. C. E." is now using a strip of lead stamped with the 

 number which corresponds to the particular tree in his orchard 

 book : allow me to suggest to him the stamping of the name 

 instead of the number. A set of letters will, no doubt, cost 

 more than a set of numbers, but consider the gain to pomo- 

 logical learning that may thus ensue. Who has not felt the 

 disappointment of examining a tally to learn the name of a 

 plant, and finding only a number? Let fruit-growers adopt 

 any plan they please, but with all earnestness let me say to 

 them, Attach names to your fruit trees.— A. R. 



Napoleon's Flower. — The Violet is the emblematic flower 

 of the Buonapartes, as the Lily is of the Bourbons. When 

 Eug6nie agreed to accept Napoleon's offer of marriage, she ex- 

 pressed it only by appearing one evening dressed in an exquisite 

 Violet toilet — Violets in her hair, in her dress, even to a branch 



