THE ADVANTAGES AND EVILS OF SIZE IN FLOWERS &c. 411 



not grow the delicious little Frontignans and other small -berried varieties 

 which possess flavours and qualities of flesh unknown to the Grapes of 

 the shops. 



In Apples a distinction can at once be drawn between the culinary 

 division and that of table fruit. The Apple for the kitchen can scarcely 

 be too large, as it must be either baked whole or cut, and cooking excel- 

 lences are not necessarily absent from the largest Apples. But for 

 dessert, or to put in one's pccket for outdoor luncheon, very big Apples 

 are out of place. A well-grown Cox's Orange may be taken as the 

 standard of perfection, and to preserve or even to heighten the Cox flavour 

 in free -bearing, late-keeping Apples with hardy blossom and of this same 

 moderate size should be our endeavour. Pears come under much the 

 same rule. 



In Plums, both table and culinary, flavour seems to reside mostly in 

 the smaller fruit, witness the old Greengage and the Damson. Could the 

 high flavour be retained, the Damson might with advantage be doubled 

 in size to lessen the proportion of stones in preserves and tarts. For 

 dessert the Greengage is large enough, and in raising sweet Plums of new 

 flavours we need not attempt to increase the size. 



In Peaches and Nectarines we may take the medium size of the 

 current varieties as the best standard. Guests at table, especially ladies, 

 are embarrassed by huge fruits, and they have no countervailing advantage. 

 The raiser may be guided in his selection by flavour alone, since most of 

 his seedling fruits will be large enough. 



One does not want " to make two bites " of a Cherry or a Strawberry, 

 and here Nature seems to have restricted us to convenient limits. In 

 Strawberries, excess of size, besides being useless, seems to be accompanied 

 by loss of flavour. If we can reproduce the size and flavour of ' British 

 Queen ' or ' Dr. Hogg ' in plants not fastidious as to soil, the question of 

 size versus flavour need not trouble us further. The size of berry, how- 

 ever, might with advantage be increased in the Hautbois and Alpine 

 Strawberries for those who prefer their flavour. 



In Raspberries the old Red Antwerp is still entirely the best in 

 quality, but its berry might be enlarged to the size of Superlative or even 

 beyond it as an unquestionable advantage. 



Then there is another aspect of this question— the chemical and 

 physiological. Water and manure are aids to the production of bloated 

 fruits and vegetables, but growth, stimulated by such means, dees not 

 signify greater nutritive power. Let it ever be remembered that it is 

 possible to overwater and overfeed a root or fruit crop. More water and 

 stimulating food are given and absorbed than can be proportionately 

 assimilated, and therefore starch and sugar or the proteids are in an 

 adulterated condition. Unhappily this worship of size is encouraged 

 greatly by judges at the country shows in particular, though not to the 

 same extent at those exhibitions where the judges are men of thorough 

 understanding in the important duties they are called upon to undertake. 

 To sum up briefly ; size in a flower is ah evil when it is destructive of 

 natural beauty. 



The hybridist and raiser who so stunts or dwarfs a plant that its grace 

 and beauty are destroyed degrades a noble art. 



H 2 



