FRUITS FOR MANSIONS. 



521 



gardeners cannot possess. My reason for writing this chapter is because on all sides 1 

 notice that of late years far greater personal interest is taken in fruit culture by the owners 

 of large gardens ; they watch w ith keen interest the growth of the various kinds, the 

 pruning, and, above all, the fruiting of the newly-introduced varieties, and fruits now often 

 appear at dessert with names attached, and form a regular matter for discussion at the dinner 

 table and all other meals when/ fruit is placed before them. This spirit is very helpful to 

 the gardener, and, as a rule, he rises to the occasion, and the talk's with his employers on 

 fruit are one of his greatest pleasures among his many anxious duties. 



" I say, w hen I was at Lord X.'s place last month 1 tasted one of the most delicious 

 Pears I ever ate, anil the gardener named it Cornice. Can you supply trees, etc. P " 

 This is such a frequent remark, both in letters and personally, that 1 further infer from it 

 that the culture of fruit is becoming of much greater interest to the upper classes. So 

 much for a preface. 1 have dealt with fruit for beauty and pleasure outside the kitchen garden 

 proper ; let us, then, open the door and pass inside, anil for the moment we will suppose we 

 have to form a modern fruit garden in a two-acre wall space. First, let us divide it into 

 four equal quarters, reserving space for glasshouses under the south wall, and then, in order 

 to make it an interesting resort, we will mark' off a 6ft. path from the door by which we 

 enter to the opposite door, and when halfway branch off at right ambles (both riiilit and 

 left) with a path of the same width, forming a cross. We then set back an 8ft. border from 

 the path on each side of the cross to form a continuous mixed herbaceous border on the 

 inner faces of the four quarters. This flower border we will back' with espalier Apples and 

 Pears, at 15ft. apart, of the most useful kinds, choosing those that possess beautiful fruit 

 in preference to dull green and yellow kinds. These can be trained to wires 1 ft. apart, and 

 if of five tiers they will appear like the illustration, and make an admirable background to 

 throw up the showy herbaceous plants in the borders. In order not to shade these espaliers 

 too much, Hollyhocks, Harpaliums, Delphiniums, etc., should not be placed within 2ft. of 

 the fruit trees. For this purpose the following are suitable: 



APPLES. — Mr. Gladstone, Duchess of Oldenburgh, Wealthy, Cox's Pomona, Peasgood's 

 Nonsuch, Gascoyne's Scarlet Seedling, Cox's Orange Pippin, Worcester Pearmain, Lady 

 Sudeley, King of Pippins, Golden Spire, Stone's or Loddington, Lane's Prince Albert, 

 and Allington Pippin. 



PEARS. — Clapp's Favourite, Durondeau, Beurre Jean Van Geert, Triomphe de Vienne, 

 Belle Julie, Colmar d'Ete, Beurre Clairgeau, Petite Marguerite, Conference, and others 

 will meet our wants, while other desirable kinds can be placed elsewhere. 



Nothing is more appreciated than good turf to form these central walk's, and it is 

 easily kept in good condition by the machine ; but in order to provide a sound path for use 

 in wet weather, make the outside paths, which follow the line of the walls at a distance 

 of 12ft. from them, of gravel or some convenient material. We will presume that in the 

 centre of the south wall there are a set of glasshouses, more or less ornamental, with u 

 tasteful entrance from the centre walk' to a corridor in the middle of the range of houses, 

 where a few of the handsomest greenhouse plants shall welcome the visitor, and that the 

 range of houses will contain a house for Muscat Grapes, another for late-keeping Grapes, 

 such as Alicante, Lady Downes, and Gros Colman, and one for early forcing vines of the 

 Hamburgh class, with Foster's Seedling and Madresfield Court. There will also be a Fig 

 house, for which structure, it flat trained, St. John's, Brown Turkey, and White ischia are 

 the best ; if grown in pots add Osborn's Prolific, Bourjasotte Grise, Vislet Sepor, Monaco 

 Bianco, and White Marseilles. Pot culture is preferable, as the plants can be removed, in 

 order to ripen the wood, to outside quarters, and the house can then he used lor 

 Chrysanthemums, etc. ; an early Peach house, and a late house tor Peaches and Nectarines. 

 These houses should be lofty at the back' and some iSft. wide inside. It is found that 

 Peaches and Nectarines, planted in borders from back to front as trained flat trees, ripen 



