BEST HARDY FRUITS FOR SOUTHERN SCOTLAND. 



665 



which, owing to their superior size and appearance, are destined to replace 

 some of the older ones as they get better known. 



All of these are grown here against walls, where they succeed well, 

 and, being grafted upon the Quince stock, they bear fruit in about two 

 years from the time of planting. 



Plums. — Six standard varieties for dessert are the old ' Green Gage,' 

 ' Lawson's Golden Gage,' ' Kirke's,' 'Jefferson,' * Denniston's Superb,' 

 and * Coe's Golden Drop.' ' Oullin's Golden Gage ' does well in dry 

 seasons ; the same may be said of the ' Transparent Gages ' ; but all are 

 too subject to splitting at the time of ripening to be relied upon for a 

 supply of first-class fruit. 



The earliest cooking Plum is ' Rivers' Prolific,' which is closely 

 followed by the ' Czar,' both of which succeed well in the open as bush 

 trees or against an east wall. 'Belgian Purple,' 'Victoria,' ' Belle de 

 Septembre,' ' Pond's Seedling,' ' Magnum Bonum,' and ' Monarch ' are 

 sufficient to carry on the supply until the end of October. As a standard 

 ' Victoria ' is unsurpassed, and, if accompanied by ' Belle de Septembre * 

 which is a trifle later in ripening, a plentiful supply of fruit suitable for 

 cooking or preserving may be secured on any fairly good soil. ' Prince 

 Englebert,' ' Grand Duke,' and ' Monarch ' ripen very satisfactorily 

 against walls, but in average seasons they are too late to reach maturity 

 in the open garden. 



Damsons, more than any other fruits, vary in productiveness in 

 different parts, and appear to crop better and more regularly in high 

 and cold positions, while in the more low-lying parts or near the seashore 

 a full crop once in five years is about the average. The ' Crittenden ' 

 and ' Shropshire ' or ' Prune-shaped ' are mostly grown, the latter being 

 the favourite. 



• Cherries are seldom planted as orchard trees ; the difficulty of pro- 

 tecting the fruit from the birds renders this form of cultivation very 

 uncertain. Against walls the finer sorts, as ' Knight's Early Black,' 

 ' May Duke,' ' Elton,' ' Black Eagle,' ' Governor Wood,' and the 

 ' Morello,' all succeed well. 



Apricots are regarded as the most unsatisfactory of any of the stone 

 fruits, and in many gardens their cultivation, after many disappointments, 

 has been discontinued. The cause of this non-success is frequently 

 attributed to the absence of sufficient lime in the soil ; but it is probably 

 due to some extent to atmospheric conditions, which induce a too 

 vigorous wood growth late in the season, which, failing to ripen properly, 

 results in a paucity of perfect bloom-buds, and favours the most common 

 trouble with Apricots — the dying-off of branches. ' Large Early,' ' Royal,' 

 and ' Moorpark ' are the most reliable varieties. 



Peaches and Nectarines. — It is only within well-enclosed gardens 

 that the culture of Peaches and Nectarines is attempted ; but, given this 

 and close attention to the thinning and training of the young wood, so 

 as to ensure its proper ripening, crops that amply repay the cost and time 

 spent upon the trees can be secured. Only early or mid- season varieties 

 should be planted, as late ones seldom get the opportunity to ripen 

 sufficiently for dessert. ' Hale's Early,' ' Early Grosse Mignonne,' 

 ' Dymond,' ' Stirling Castle,' ' Crawford's Early,' and ' Early Silver ' all 



