414 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



can be eaten unpared, when home-grown, but when they pass through 

 a market, or are kept in shops, this cannot apply. 



" A Melon of H to 2 lbs. is better than one of 4 lbs. or 5 lbs. 



" A Pear of 4 to 6 oz. is better than one of 12 oz. to 16 oz. But 

 the shows have stimulated a desire for size, choking out the very sweet 

 and luscious smaller fruits as 'Belle Julie,' ' Comte de Lamy,' 1 Winter 

 Nelis,' ' Zephirin Gregoire,' 'Knight's Monarch,' 'Thompson,' &c. 



" In Apples a kitchen fruit cannot be too big, but the smaller and 

 medium dessert varieties are far the richest, and for some reason the in- 

 formed fruits of Apples, cracked and russetty (and Pears the same), are 

 mostly of richer flavour than perfect specimens. 



" In Peaches, unless we get a fair size, the fibrous matter predominates 

 too much, and they become tough or mealy, but an overfed Peach though 

 full of juice is not so well flavoured as a medium-size one. Nectarines 

 and Apricots the same. In Gooseberries the small-fruited ones are the 

 best, far superior to the big Lancashire varieties, which, owing to their 

 watery nature, are very liable to a chemical change in flavour. In 

 Strawberries, though a big one is good, the smaller are far richer, and for 

 real Strawberry flavour (not pine or sugar) the old ' Black Prince,' 

 ' Viscountess Hericart de Thury,' and ' Keen's Seedling ' are yet un- 

 beaten. 



" In vegetables, except Onions, I think the smaller examples are in 

 every case the best. 



" In flowers, the extra large blooms, to my mind, lack refinement, and 

 double flowers are certainly not beautiful. The growth of taste in 

 single flowers, as Roses, Asters (annual), &c, is a natural harking back- 

 to Nature and to beauty." 



Mr. F. W. Burbidge, M.A., V.M.H. :— " There is a medium in all 

 things, and neither the very largest nor the smallest of flowers are the 

 most beautiful. The giants and dwarfs of the vegetable world may be 

 curiosities, but neither can lay any substantial claim to beauty. The 

 finest and most enjoyable of flowers are those of average size, and of 

 perfect form, colour, texture, and fragrance, and in the gamut of excel- 

 lency 1 should place mere size as being the last factor in any public 

 competition. We do not want Roses as big as Cabbages, nor Odonto- 

 glossum cri spurn liver-spotted like a pointer dog's hide. Perfect form or 

 shape, clear or pure colour, fineness of texture, and fragrance make up 

 perfection in all flowers. 



" The same remarks apply to fruits for eating raw, but here texture of 

 flesh and exquisite flavour and aroma take first place ; colour is essential, 

 but mere size is the last needed factor. If size is any advantage it is in 

 tin case ol fruits especially grown for cooking, where external colour 

 disappears and flavour is frequently augmented by culinary skill. 

 Blenheim Orange Apple is always beneath Ribston Pippin as a dessert 

 fruit, just as Muscat drapes and Frontignans are preferable to ' Gros 

 Col mar 1 and ' Gros Maroc' 



" As in fruits, so in vegetables, the largest are rarely, if ever, so fine in 

 texture, or so delicate and refined in flavour, as medium-sized specimens. 

 The outer layers in both fruits and vegetables are more nutritious and 

 delicately flavoured than the cores ; hence the more outside there is 



