958 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



December 14, 1912. 



ftuit spurs are produced mainly towards 



DESSERT APPLES FOR THE the points of the branches. 



family 



NORTH COUNTRY. 



Following upon the list of dessert apples 

 already recorded for culture in the open, it 

 may be advisable to name a few others 

 which should have n place wherever suffi- 

 cient wall ^pace exists, against which such 

 could bo trained^ as the assistance thus 

 afforded, apart from overhead covering, 

 will usually be found sufficient to insure 

 regular crops of very superior fruit. 



Ribston Pippin. 



This popular variety is regarded by con- 

 noisseui-s as the (beau ideal of the apple 



-a fact that few, perhaps, would 

 be inclined to -dispute when the produce is 

 from a healthy tree, flourishing in a suit- 

 able soil and climate. Too often, however, 

 the si>ecimens produced are quite the re- 

 verse of this; lack of juice and flavour, and 

 a tough and more or less wizened skin an^ 

 most in evidence. This from trees growing 

 entirely in the open, but given a wall hav- 

 ing a south or west aspect, large, highly- 

 coloured, and luscious fi-uits become almost 

 a certainty. 



Cox's Orange Pippin. 



This is more reliable than the foregoing, 

 both for continuous cropping and tor qual- 

 ity of its fruits, when grown in busn or 

 pyramid lorm, and in tavourabie seasons 

 luults of any kind are almost absent, lo 

 ohtain it at its best the aid. of a wall or 



Paroquet. 



When better know^n this variety will be 

 much sought after, more especially by those 

 who prize late-ripening apples. The tree 

 bears freely when trained against a wall, 

 f o r wh icli p u r po se i ts m o derate g r ow'th 



makes it most suitable. The fruits are 

 slightly conical in shape, very even in out- 

 line, and become a brilliant scarlet late in 

 autumn, and contiiaie thus until May. 



Other Varieties. 



Mabbot s Pearmain, Rosemary Russet, 

 Pineapple Russet, Braddick's Nonpariel, 

 Dr. Harvey^ Brandy Pippin, and several of 

 the new^er varieties introduced in quite re- 

 cent years, all prove very useful and highly 

 interesting growing against a wall or other 

 structure, while such as those requiring to 



gathered into trays and taken to the pack- 

 ing shed, graded, and each pound weighed 

 separately. Boxes are prepared by placiin^ 

 a layer of bracken fronds (^'hich grow plen^ 

 tifully in the neighbourhood) over the bot- 

 tom and round the sides, and as each pound 

 is placed in the box a few fern fronds are 

 added to keep the fruits in position. This 

 process is repeated until the box is filled • 

 each box contains a dozen pounds. Some 

 tons of this variety are sent from this small 

 \*illage each August to the London markets, 

 thus creating quite a trade in the district.' 



Private growers cannot confine themselves 

 to one or two varieties, as they must have 

 both early and late kinds, and some for des- 

 sert and others for culinary use. Neither 

 can gardeners keep a man specially to pro- 

 tect their crops from the ravages of the 

 birds during winter. Private gardens, too, 

 are usually surrounded by shrub beries. 



remain long upon the trees are easily pro- which harbour birds of every description, 



tected from the ravages of birds in such 



a position. 



J. Day. 



Gallow^ay House Gardens, AVigtonshire. 



GOOSEBERRIES. 



Without doubt, the gooseberry is the 

 most useful of all our busn fruits. It is the 



hrst m season, for 



fruit in a 



otten 



after a warm 

 state mav be 



spring, rruit in a green state may 

 gathered from bushes growing in sheltered 

 places early in May, and from that time 

 onwards until late in August its truit may 

 be had in a fresh state. Ihe gooseberry is 

 not so particular as to soil as the currant, 

 for it will grow and thrive well in that of a 

 other very similar support^ and a sunny light gravelly nature ; in fact, the heaviest 



crops of finest berries that ever came under 

 my observation w^ere grown on a piece of 

 poor thin gravelly soil that had been re- 

 claimed from the wald forest. 



Lancashire and the North are credited 

 with growing the finest gooseberries, but 

 I have never 



position, are requisite, 



Lansley Pippin. 



This being one of the newer apples, its 

 merits and cropping 2)ropensities as a 

 spreading tree in the open are as yet 

 out siJglit'ly tested. Against a wall it crops 

 very freely, and the fruits are very hand- 

 some, though not large, but sufficiently !^ 

 for dessert. It ripens early in September, 

 and the russet -coloured fruits make a wel- 

 <'ome change from other early varieties 

 which, for the mo^t part^ aire more or 

 less flushed with red. 



American Mother. 



The exquisite form and high colour of 

 this reader it at once a favourite, while 

 some are disposed to class it with the very 

 richest-flavoured varieties. To be this, 

 however, a good sod and a warm, sunny 

 situation are essential. In the open it 

 bears freely alternate seasons, the off ones 

 being very light indeed. In bright, warm 

 summers the fruits attain full colour in 

 any position, but if the reverse of this, 

 both appearances and flavour are deficient, 

 niis variety well repays for the wall space 

 it would occupy, if only for the beauty dis- 



yed 



Adams' Pearmain. 



This is very distinct in form, and once 

 fully recognised could hardly be mistaken 

 for any other variety ; its broad base and 

 even slope to a much-contracted apex make 

 it very 'conspicuous. Being one of the 

 very best late-keeping apples, it requires to 

 hang late, thereby well maturing upon the 

 tree when plumpiit^^s and the retention of 

 its fiiu^ flavour is assured. I have known 

 this apple thrive and crop with great f 

 dom in the open, but much finer fruits arc 



con 



Margii. 



A small and rather angular-shaped fruit, 

 film in texture, juicy, and of exquisite 

 flavour. The plant Is slender in growth, 

 and requires but slight pruning, as the 



m any county nortn or 

 the Trent such fine berries, and so abundant 

 a crop as is grown in the neighbourhood of 

 Chelwood Common, in Sussex. The varie- 

 ties growm are by no means numerous, for 

 some of the largest growers content them- 

 selves with not more than two or three 

 varieties, and there is one which is regarded 

 as of special merit; that is ''Leveller." 

 I visited one plantation last summer when 

 the owner was gathering the fruit, and, 

 though I had seen many large plantations in 

 various parts of the kingdom, never before 

 had I seen a crop like his. The bushes were 

 not large, and, though some of them were 

 about sixteen years old, not one would be 

 more than three feet through. The whole 

 secret of success w^as thorough cultivation, 

 close pruning, and a sharp lookout that the 

 birds did not destroy the buds during win- 

 ter and spring. Whenever a bullfinch made 

 its appearance it was shot, and the cultiva- 

 tor could reckon on almost every bud left at 

 pruning time being saved to produce a 

 cluster of flowers. In stating that the trees 

 w^ere closely pruned, it should be men- 

 tioned that very little growth is made. 

 Few bushes made shoots long enough 

 for a good cutting, but the fruits, 

 though thinned in the early part 

 the season to provide green gooseberries, 

 hnntr in such abundance as to some- 

 what resemble a large swarm of bees; they 

 toiu hed each other all over the bushes, like 

 berries in a bunch of grajxvs. AV(* weighe<l 

 many of the largest l)erries, and found they 

 ran fr<mi eighteen to twenty to the pound. 

 Such fruit, when carefully packed, realised 

 i;ood prices in the market, and though 

 there was such an abundance, the returns 

 were from 6d. to lOd. per pound, accordi^o- 

 to the quality. 



Gathering and packing are important 

 operations, and these receive special atten- 

 tion by competent persons. The fruits are 



of 



so that the cultivator is labouring under 

 great disadvantages, nevertheless somo 

 contrive to produce w^onderful results con- 

 sidering the drawbacks. There are un- 

 doubtedly far finer flavoured gooseberries 

 than Leveller, though none.- to my know- 

 ledge, will realise such high prices. 



In selecting shoots for cuttings, choose 

 well-ripened ones from fifteen to eighteen 

 inches in length. Be careful to remove 

 every bud for at least a foot from the bot- 

 tom, then insert in row^s in a- woU-prepared 

 piece of land. When the cuttings are well 

 rooted, which they will be by the following 

 autumn, they should be transplanted, un- 

 less they were given in the first instance 

 ample room to grow for a couple of years. 

 A small stake should be put to each plant 

 to keep the stem perpend i cula r . The 

 gooseberry is a bad plant to throw up 

 suckers, therefore, if any buds are found 

 below the soil, tltey should he remove<l 

 when transplanting takes place. If in- 

 tended for bushes the shoots should be 

 shortened to wathin two or three eyes the 

 first season, to induce them to push ample 

 grow^th and form a good head. "When 

 grown as cordons as many shoots should be 

 selected as are required, all others l>eing 

 removed close to the hase. If it is desired 

 to form a cordon having several stems. 

 Two shoots only should be selected, and 

 these should be brought down to a linri- 

 zontal position, and young shoots taken up 

 from them, about nine inches apart. To 

 form a single cordon only one shoot shouKi 

 be left, and these, when planted against a 

 wire trellis, soon fill their allotted space. 

 AVhen grown in this way, the fruit can 

 readily protected from birds, and, as there 

 is only a single line, there is full expos^u*e 

 to the sun. 



Gooseberries become highly flavourtjd 

 when fully ripe, provided there is ample 

 foliage to cause a good flow of sap. 

 not always the large-growing varieties tn|*l^ 

 are the best flavoured, for w^hat could l>e 

 better than Early Sulphur, Warrington' 



^ ^ Beauty, Gokkn 

 , or Green Gage ? Some prefer largj 

 varieties, such as Leveller and Gunner, aiK 

 where such are in request there is no rea^ 



.ake un so little room, ^vtn 



4 feu<e 



It is 



Langley Gage, Langley 

 Gem 



son, as cordons take up 

 a collection should not be grow^n 

 a hund red vard s Ion er woi i Id 



take 

 times 



three 



"Whichever 



yards long 

 many triple cordons or 

 the number of single ones. 

 mcKle is adopted, it should always he boi "^ 

 in mind that the secret of success is to PJ ^ 

 tect the buds during: winter and spnOo 



It is impossible 



to grow heavy crops and have shape 

 bushes when half the buds are 

 Liberal treatment is always essential, a 

 on light, dry soils manure cannot bej^ 

 bountifully applied to the land, 

 foliage must also be kept clean, and 

 from all pests. H. C. PRTN'sKr. 



from the ravages of birds. 



and 



The 



