662 



JOURNAL OF THE EOYAL HORTICULTUR.AL SOCIETY. 



THE BEST HARDY FRUITS FOR SOUTHERN SCOTLAND. 



By James Day, Wigtownshire. 



[Read October 15, 1901.] 



The following remarks upon the subject of hardy fruit culture, and the 

 varieties which succeed well in Scotland, may prove somewhat tedious ; 

 for in order to emphasise those varieties which possess the important 

 characteristics of (i) robust constitution, (ii) general freedom from 

 disease, and (iii) are good and constant bearers, it will be often neces- 

 sary to repeat names which have now become familiar in every fruit- 

 growing district throughout Great Britain. 



In the first place I may say that the practical part of my work, and 

 the experience of the good qualities or otherwise of the varieties referred 

 to, I have gained chiefly in the southern part of Scotland — more 

 particularly in the province of Galloway. This province lies in close 

 proximity to the sea, and has, in proportion to its area, a very great 

 extent of coast-line, which is washed by the waters of the Gulf Stream, 

 whose genial influences are imparted to it, rendering the climate both 

 mild and moist, and therefore generally favourable to the successful 

 cultivation of hardy fruits. 



The soil, which has perhaps a greater bearing even than climate upon 

 the success or otherwise of fruit culture, varies greatly in difierent parts. 

 The uplands which rise to a considerable height are very bleak and cold, 

 and are mostly composed of a substratum of rock, the outcrop of which 

 is in many parts so prominent as to preclude the possibility of any form 

 of cultivation. Almost equally unsuitable are the vast stretches of peat 

 or bog land, which, being generally destitute of fibre and at all times too 

 retentive of moisture, favour a soft, sappy growth, which, in the case of 

 Apples and Pears, speedily falls a prey to canker and kindred exils. Bush 

 fruits and Raspberries, however, will sometimes thrive very well, and 

 yield hea^'}■ crops for a number of years on soil of this nature. 



This doleful description of soil happily applies only to a certain 

 portion of the district, the greater part being of an entirely different 

 character, possessing both depth and quality, and having in most cases 

 good natural drainage, which renders the working of the land a com- 

 paratively easy matter ; consequently, with the provision of shelter from 

 the winds of spring (which, by the way, often work more damage than 

 frost), most kinds of hardy fruits succeed well, and the produce from them, 

 provided that the necessary time and attention are given to cultivation, is 

 but little inferior to the best examples raised under conditions which, for 

 climate and latitude, are usually looked upon as much more favourable. 



Very little, however, of the land in this part, except in the vicinity of 

 the towns or that used as private gardens, is under fruit cultivation. 

 The sparse population and the great distance from the large centres of 

 industry probably account to some extent for this ; while the ever- 



