WESTERN COUNTIES : SOMERSETSHIRE. 



231 



Varieties of Apples suitable for Cultivation in 

 Shropshire. 



Selected by Mr. A. S. Kemp, Shifnal. 



Dessert. — Aromatic Russet, Blenheim Orange, Cox's Orange 

 Pippin, Cornish Gilliflower, Herefordshire Pearmain, King of the 

 Pippins, Red Astrachan, Ribston Pippin, Royal Russet, Whorle 

 Pippin, Wyken Pippin, Yellow Ingestrie. 



Culinary. — Bess Pool, Blenheim Orange, Cox's Pomona, 

 Dumelow's Seedling, Ecklinville Seedling, Greenup's Pippin, 

 Hawthornden, Keswick Codlin, Lord Suffield, Manks' Codlin, 

 Norfolk Bearer, Norfolk Stone Pippin, Tower of Glamis, 

 Waltham Abbey Seedling. 



SOMERSETSHIRE. 



Exhibitors. 



1. — Mr. R. H. Poynter, Nurseryman, Taunton. 



Observations. — A remarkably fine and most interesting col- 

 lection, many of the examples being large and very highly 

 coloured. 



Exhibitor's Bemarhs. — Grown mostly on old Standard 

 trees, in the orchards in this district. Situation, generally 

 exposed. The greater portion of the Apples are here grafted 

 on what is called " The Morgan Sweet " Apple, which is, when 

 young, a very strong grower, and makes a fine young market 

 tree ; our Apple-tree nurserymen growing the grandest trees 

 for sale in England, and chiefly of this variety, Morgan Sweet. 

 Trees are offered of all sorts, but the farmer generally finds 

 he has to re-graft if he wants a good kind. The Seedling 

 Apple stocks are grown on good but thin soil, on a gravel sub- 

 soil, heavily mulched with rotted gorse and fern, and carefully 

 attended to for about 4 or 5 years from first grafting. The 

 marketable tree is, in roots and tops, as near perfection as is 

 attainable, having a nice clean trained head, a straight, smooth 

 stem, and fine spreading fibrous roots. This is, no doubt, a fine 

 district for Apple growing, and there are numberless very fine old 

 orchards ; but there are no growers so-called, and when the farmers 

 renew old trees, it is almost " Hobson's choice," viz., Morgan 

 Sweet; as from 25 years' experience here, I have rarely heard 

 of "wildings," i.e. Apples raised from the pips, being specially 

 grown and prepared for orchard renewals ; but which, I believe, 

 is the custom for Cider orchards in Worcester, Gloucester, &c. 

 Devonshire follows suit with us. I believe there has been less 

 inquiry for named best sorts of Apples hereabouts than in any 

 other district in England. 



