Angnut 2, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



99 



manner recommended by Mr. Rivers, and they are now on 

 the average about 5 or 6 feet apart, the most vigorous trees 

 having reached 7 or 8 feet in height and about 4 feet through ; 

 others retain the more dwarf character, more resembling in 

 size a large Currant or Gooseberry bush. The result has been 

 eminently satisfactory, I can scarcely up to this year record 

 any failures in amount of produce. Some Borts have of course 

 been more productive than others, but I have not, on account 

 of using them for my table, had a systematic account of the 

 produce taken, but I intend to do so this year. I extract from 

 my memoranda the following account : — 



In 1875 one Nonesuch Apple tree produce'd four gallons of 

 fruit ; 1876, three Beurre Superfin Pears produced half a bushel, 

 ninety-four in number ; five Marie Louise, bushes, six gallons 

 and a half ; one Marie Louise d'Uccle had sixty fruit, 29 lbs. in 

 weight ; one ditto, twenty-two fruit, 13 lbs. 12 ozs. ; one Catillac, 

 forty-nine fruit, 33 lbs. 14 ozs. ; one ditto, sixty-two fruit, 471bs. 

 11 ozs. Of the 103 small Pear trees and ten trained I have had 

 thirty-eight failures this year, but the crop of the remainder 

 shows such a large promise that I still consider the year a favour- 

 able one. I enumerate the failures below — five Winter Nelis, 

 apprehended cause of failure, overbloom and bleak winds ; four 

 Beurre Superfin, the same ; one Uvedale's St. Germain, soil 

 and climate does not suit ; one WilliamB' Bon Chretien, ac- 

 cidental ; five Marie Louise and seven Josephine de Malines, 

 overbearing and want of vigour; two Chaumontel, cannot 

 account for; one Marie LouiBe d'Uccle, previous overbearing; 

 three Colmar Van Mons, ditto; two Easter Beurre, want of 

 vigour. Pears discarded on account of soil or climate not 

 suiting their growth — Glou Morceau, BeurrS d'Aremberg, 

 and Uvedale's St. Germain, always cracked, did not ripen, and 

 were affected with rust and spots ; Winter Nelis, blossomed 

 very freely, but fruit if set failed to hold. In addition to the 

 failures in the Pears stated above, and the causes to which 

 such failures are attributed, may be added the severe winds 

 and frosts of the latter end of April and beginning of May this 

 year. 



_ I append a list of the sorts of Pears and Apples I have cul- 

 tivated with success, with notes on the croo of this year. 



Pears.— Doyenne d'Ete, full crop; Jargonelle, full crop; 

 Williams' Bon Chretien, full crop from three trees ; Beurrfi 

 d'Amanlis, full crop ; Colmar d'Ete\ immense crop, has re- 

 quired much thinning; Louise Bonne of Jersey, good crop 

 from three trained trees ; Marie Louise, good crop from one 

 trained tree ; Marie Louise d'Ueole, immense crop from four 

 trees ; Gansel's Bergamot, good crop ; HuyBhe's Victoria, good 

 crop ; Chaumontel, immense crop from six bushes ; Beurre 

 Diel, good crop; Josephine de Malines, failure this year, ordi- 

 narily good ; Ne Plus Meuris, good crop ; BergamotteEsperen, 

 immense cropper (see notes on thinning) ; Easter Beurre, good 

 crop ; Catillac, failure this year, generally good ; Colmar Van 

 Mons, failure. 



Apples.— Pitmaston Pine, King of the Pippins, Cox's Orange 

 Pippin, Cox's Pomona, Ribston Pippin, Northern Spy, Keswick 

 Codlin, Nonesuch, Blenheim Orange, Guernsey Pippin, and 

 Flanders Pippin. All these have a good crop this year, and 

 have in many instances required vigorous thinning. 



I have been in the habit of thinning the fruit, and this I 

 consider a very important part of culture, as allowing the trees 

 to overbear themselves weakens them and takes away from 

 the quality of the fruit. As an example : from one tree of 

 Bergamotte Eeperen, about 7 feet high and not more than 

 4 feet through, I removed last week 117 PearB about the size 

 of a walnut, leaving quite enough on to ripen. The fruit will 

 be larger and the trees not distressed, and also less liable 

 to be attacked by insects. I observe that the grub always at- 

 tacks at the points of contact. A Pear bored into is ruined ; 

 it will not keep to ripen, but rots. I never leave two frnits on 

 one spur. I have been in the habit also of disbudding when 

 the_ tree haB shown evidence of blooming too strongly. I 

 believe the production of an excess of pollen is injurious to 

 the tree ; I have noticed that more fruit sets from a moderate 

 blossoming than from an excessive one. I take care with regard 

 to pruning to remove in the spring any unripe wood of the 

 previous season, as it is worse than useless. 



With regard to Apples I have much fewer failures to record 

 this year than on the Pear trees. Of the eighty Apples in 

 bearing not more than Bix have proved total failures, and this 

 I do not attribute to the weather during blooming, but rather 

 to other causes needless to mention. With regard both to 

 Pears and Apples I have followed strictly the rules laid down 

 by Mr. Rivers— summer-pinching, shifting, and root-pruning ; 



mulching with good stable manure, and watering during the 

 very dry summers we have had sometimes of late. The trees 

 have had no protection from the frost. I extract from my me- 

 moranda, April 12th, 1876— Snowstorm, Pear blosBom entirely 

 covered with 2 inches of snow, yet I had an excellent crop last 

 year. — A Constant Subscriber, Alverstoke, Hants. 



ROYAL AQUARIUM NATIONAL CARNATION 



AND PICOTEE SHOW. 



In all respects the Exhibition surpassed the anticipations of 

 its promoters. The date could not easily be altered, and within 

 a few weeks of the show the most experienced growers thought 

 that the best collections in the south could not be in in time. 

 Mr. Turner was a week too late, and the best flowers of Mr. 

 Dodwell's collection I hear were not in. High praise is due to- 

 Mr. Robertson, the Manager of the Royal Aquarium, for the 

 manner in which the promoters of the Exhibition were enter- 

 tained by him, and for the excellent arrangements made for the 

 convenience of both exhibitors and judges. 



All the classes were well filled; in Borne of them as many as 

 Bix prizes were awarded to the same number of exhibitors. As 

 in the case of the National Auricula Show, lovers of the flowers 

 came from distant parts, and all of them, as far as I could learn, 

 were well pleased with what they saw. The only drawback was 

 the fact that the flowers had suffered considerably from the gas, 

 and those who came the second day did not see them at their 

 best. If a two-days show is held next year lovers of the flowers 

 would do well to visit the exhibition on the first day. 



I looked over the stands after the judgiDg and made a few 

 notes of the best flowerB. Beginning with Scarlet Bizarres, 

 there was nothing to surpass the old flowers that we have grown 

 and loved for many years. Admiral Curzon (Easom) was at 

 the head of the class. True Briton (Hepworth) in my stand of 

 twenty-four was very fine indeed, and Dreadnought (Daniels) 

 was but little behind the premier flower. In Crimson Bizarres 

 there is a considerable advance on the old flowers. I am not 

 sure whether a new flower sent out in the autumn of last year 

 will not head the list. I have it now fine indeed, but being of 

 the Jenny Lind stock it is late and I could not cut it lor the Bhow. 

 The name is John Simonite (Simonite) ; the markingB are brighter 

 by far than in any other flower, and tbe guard petals are beauti- 

 fully cupped and smooth on the edge. Rainbow (Bertram) was 

 exhibited in the stand of the raiser, and is also superb. Only 

 one flower was exhibited; if two had been put up the variety 

 must have been honoured, by a first-class certificate, a rule of 

 the Society forbidding awards to be made to a single flower. 

 J. D. Hextall (Simonite) was also shown in fine form ; no col- 

 lection is complete without it. Lord Raglan (Bowers) was fine, 

 the colours being very brilliant, full of life and beauty. These 

 were all the newest and best in this class. 



We now come to the Pink and Purple Bizarres, the weakest 

 class, where Sarah Payne (Ward), a lovely flower, was the best. 

 Next to it came James Taylor (Gibbons), a smaller flower, but 

 even more striking in its regular and well-defined markings. 

 Falconbridge (May) was also good as shown. A new flower not 

 yet in commerce, named Satisfaction, was shown in my Btand 

 of twelve. Mr. Rudd says of it, " Pale in its colours, but in 

 form, habit, and rich lustrous white a perfect gem." Raised by 

 Mr. T. Bowers. 



Purple Flakes were well represented, and at the head of the 

 list I must place James Douglas (Simonite). The purple is very 

 bright, and the formation of the flower is not surpassed by any 

 in the class. Premier (Milwood) was very fine in my stand. 

 In Mr. Turner's collection I noted as being of great merit Flo- 

 rence Nightingale (Sealey), and Squire Trow (Jackson). 



Scarlet Flakes were also well represented. Prominent was 

 Sportsman (Hedderly), certainly the best in its class. Next to- 

 it I must place Clipper (Fletcher), shown in London for the 

 first time ; in my stand of twenty-four was a fine specimen of 

 it. Marmion (Bertram) is quite new and was exhibited by its 

 raiser, but I can only place it in the list of second-rate flowers ^ 

 the petals are well formed, and the flower full and nicely 

 rounded, but the white iB not pure, and lacking this no flower 

 can be placed in the highest position. John Bayley (Dodwell), 

 Mr. Battersby (Gibbons), and James Cheetham (Chadwick) all 

 deserve honourable mention. 



Rose Flakes constitute what may fitly be termed the ladies' 

 class, and although it contains some most beautiful flowers some- 

 of the new varieties will certainly surpass the old sorts. At 

 the head of the list must be placed the flower that gained the 

 premium as the best Carnation in the Exhibition — Sybil (Holmes). 

 It was shown by Mr. Turner, and well deserved the honours it 

 received; its beautiful shell-like petals regularly marked with 

 cherry rose on a pure white ground seem to leave nothing to be 

 desired. Mrs. Dodwell (Lord) was shown in Mt. Dodwell's 

 stand ; the petals are of the finest shape, and the flower is regu- 

 larly marked with bright rose — a firBt-class flower not yet in 

 commerce. Of older flowers James Merryweather (Wood), 



