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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ December 6, 1864. 



Chestsr, came Piceas, Wellingtonias, Osmanthus, and other 

 trees ; Manchester Champion Red Celery, seeds, and roots ; 

 and from Mr. Perry, of Banbury, seventy-two White Spanish 

 Onions weighing 54 lbs.; twenty-sis sorts of Potatoes, 

 Carrots, Turnips, and Parsnips. Finally, in the strictly 

 agricultural portion of the Show there were fine, large, clean 

 roots of Altrincham Carrots from G. Foliambe, Esq., Osber- 

 ton Hall, Worksop, who also took the first prize for the best 

 Round Potatoes with Malvern Relish, a rough-skinned red, 

 •which looked as if it would boil very mealy. The first prize 

 for Kidney Potatoes went to Mr. Robinson, of Shaw House, 

 Melbourne, Derbyshire, for King of Flukes. 



OECHABD-HOUSES. 



Like many others interested in orchard-houses, I have 

 watched with interest the controversy which has so long 

 been going on in the pages of this Journal. Much has been 

 written against the system of growing fruit trees in pots, 

 and a good deal in its favour; but I think, as the subject 

 is getting better understood, and the causes of failure and 

 shortcomings are being investigated, it is pretty evident, not- 

 withstanding the various attacks made upon the system, 

 that fine fruit, and large quantities ofit,may be grown in pots. 



It would be well if those who succeed in producing good 

 crops of fruit from pot trees were from time to time to 

 record their successes in this Journal for the encouragement 

 of those who fail ; and if those who are not so successful were 

 to detail their shortcomings with the mode of treatment 

 they have been practising, then their more successful brethren 

 might point out where mistakes had occurred, and help them 

 to a better mode of treatment. 



I am surprised, on reading the contributions against the 

 pot system, that men who shine so brightly in horticulture 

 should condescend to attack a system they have never tried, 

 because their old theories and deep-rooted prejudices will 

 not suffer them to believe that success can attend it. Many 

 object to growing fruit trees in pots in consequence of the 

 time and trouble required in attending to them. May I be 

 allowed to ask, Can a house of Orchids be grown without 

 care and attention on the part of the professional gardener 

 or his assistants ? Or is it possible for the amateur to bring 

 to perfection a pitfull of Auriculas without time being spent 

 in their management ? And do Orchids, or Auriculas, or 

 Roses, or even bedding plants, with all their gorgeous splen- 

 dour, repay the cultivator better than fruit trees in pots ? 

 With regard to that beautiful harbinger of spring the 

 Auricula, it, perhaps, cheers its admirers with its fragrant 

 flowers at the most from three to four weeks in the year ; 

 whereas a Peach, for instance, affords a great amount of 

 interest and pleasure for at least six months out of twelve. 

 With the first genial sunshine and soft breezes the buds 

 begin to swell, then the flowers expand ; and what a lovely 

 sight is a housefull of Peach and Nectarine trees in full 

 bloom ! what a diversity of colour ! Then there is the setting 

 of the fruit, its progress week after week, its final swelling 

 and colouring — in short, in the whole process from the first 

 swelling of the bloom-bud till the fruit is laid on the dessert- 

 table, there is not a day without interest to the cultivator. 



I gave an account a little later than this last year of 

 a small orchard-house under my care, and in reviewing the 

 previous season's labour I was enabled to speak favourably 

 of the success which attended my efforts. In reviewing the 

 season of 1864, and comparing my notes with last year, I 

 find that some of our pot trees have borne more than double 

 the quantity of fruit they did last season, and I can confirm 

 the statements made in this Journal that the trees improve 

 by age. All our Peach and Nectarine trees are in 13-inch 

 pots (that is, 13 inches in diameter at the top, and 13 inches 

 deep), and have yielded on an average about three dozen 

 each; one Elruge Nectarine carried seven dozen of fruit, and 

 brought them all to perfection. A first-class gardener de- 

 clared he was sending fruit of the same kind to the table 

 from wall trees under glass, and no finer. The thinning of 

 the fruit was done at different periods, and as many as nine 

 dozen at a time taken off. The same tree carried six dozen 

 last year. A smaller tree of Elruge carried four dozen, and 

 the fruit was very fine; Hunt's Tawny five dozen. Every ama- 

 teur should grow this beautiful variety, though it is a little 



deficient in flavour ; it contrasts well with all other varieties, 

 especially the Duchess of Oldenburg, is early and very pro- 

 ductive. Early York, one of the best early Peaches I ever 

 saw, and the admiration of all visitors, was thinned to two 

 dozen and a half; it cannot be too highly commended for 

 pot culture. Acton Scot was allowed to carry three dozen 

 and a half; though a useful variety, and well adapted for 

 pot culture, it will have to yield the palm to the last-named 

 sort. Royal George, a small tree, bore two dozen ; the fruit 

 from a wall in the same house, and the same variety, was not 

 so fine as that from the tree in a pot ; other trees were in 

 like proportion. I have weighed none of the fruit this sea- ' 

 son, and only measured two Peaches, one was 8 inches and 

 the other 9 inches in circumference. 



With regard to the ripening of fruit, a subject on which, 

 intercommunication has been invited by your Guernsey cor- 

 respondent, I find en comparing my notes of the present 

 year with those of the last that the period of ripening has 

 advanced about ten days. Acton Scot Peach, which was 

 ready for table last year by the 11th of August, was ready for 

 use this year by the end of July. Early York was not ready 

 last year until the 12th of August, this year it was so by the 

 3rd of August. Royal George advanced seven days, Angers 

 Large Purple ten days ; Pitmaston Orange, Duchess of 

 Oldenburg, Hunt's Tawny, Violette Hative, and Elruge Nec- 

 tarines have each ripened from seven to twelve days earlier 

 than last year. The whole of our Peaches and Nectarines 

 were more than ten days sooner this year than last. We 

 began last year August the 10th, and had done by the 12th 

 of September. This year we began by July the 25th, and 

 had finished by the 2nd of September ; but I attribute their 

 early ripening to the increase of sunshine, which has pre- 

 vailed this year. We generall}- have in this neighbourhood 

 (Biddulph, the northern extremity of Staffordshire), a good 

 deal of gloomy weather, with a large amount of rain, and then, 

 to correct the temperature, we apply a little fire heat, always 

 accompanied with plenty of air. This season we have had 

 abundance of sunshine, therefore but little fire heat has 

 been required. An abundance of air was always given during 

 the progress of the ripening of the fruit, and the house was 

 never closed until the fruit was all gathered : hence the 

 fruit was perfect in flavour. Our trees at this season look 

 better than they have done before, the wood is well ripened 

 and short-jointed, the buds are numerous and very prominent. 

 I consider the numerous miserable failures detailed by 

 the opponents of the pot system to result from lack of 

 attention or want of skill, or both ; for where attention is 

 given to minute points success is sure to be the rule. In 

 order to arrive at success it requires constant care and con- 

 stant watchfulness. The trees should never suffer during the 

 growing season for want of water, taking care that the soil 

 is not sodden. Occasional applications of manure water are 

 also beneficial. The syringe should- be in constant use, not 

 a mere sprinkling of here and there a leaf, but a thorough 

 good dose ; it helps to keep the respiratory organs of the 

 trees healthy, and the red spider has no chance to exist. 

 I have scarcely seen a spider on our trees this season, and 

 I attribute its absence to the free use of the syringe. — 

 Qtjintin Read, Biddulph. 



COMPAEATIYE PEODUCTIVENESS OF 



POTATOES. 



In your Number for November 1st some results were given 

 of experiments on the productive qualities of various sorts 

 of Potatoes grown at Prescot, in which Paterson's See dlings 

 made a very conspicuous figure. A friend of mine living 

 near me has just concluded a similar set of experiments 

 with equal or greater care, but with different results. I 

 forward them to you, that you may, if you please, give your 

 readers an opportunity of comparing them. 



I must premise that the quantity of land set was seven- 

 eighths of an acre, and the crop the first from reclaimed 

 moor land. It was broken up in the spring and summer of 

 1863, and the turf burnt. This spring it was half-manured 

 with stable dung, and received, in addition, 10 cwt. of fine 

 bones, which had been mixed in December with some of the 

 burnt ashes, and 3 cwt. of guano, also mixed with ashes, 

 was given at the time of planting. They were planted in 

 rows 3 feet apart, from the 21st to the 29th of April, and 



