January 29, 1898. 



GA RDENERS' MA GA ZI NE. 



71 



Effects of the Tropical Summers of 1896-97 



on the Fruit Crops. 



The following is the text of the paper read by Mr. George Bunyard, V.M.H., 

 at the monthly conversazione of the Horticultural Club, on the influence of the 

 weather of the past two summers on the fruit crops : 



In reviewing the many-sided effects of the tropical summers of 1896-97, the facts 

 range themselves as favourable and unfavourable. The tropical heat, combined 

 with drying winds, and that general absence of rain during the spring months of 

 the period under notice, dried the soil to an unusual extent ; and although in 1896 

 abundant autumnal rains fell, in 1897 the months of September and October were 

 the driest known for years. The effect of the heavy rains of the autumn of 1896 

 was felt in the activity of the sap and the adhesion of foliage on fruit trees rather 



later than usual, and consequently the trees did not have that rest which is as 

 necessary for the vegetable world as for the animal creation ; and we agree with 

 Mr. R. D. Blackmore that the general failure of fruit crops in the spring of 1897 

 was largely due to that cause. 



The want of power in the trees themselves to lay up that necessary nutriment, 

 and ability to perfect embryo fruit-buds, was arrested at a critical period, and, as 

 reported in the gardening papers, many cases of imperfect blossoms were noted in 

 fruits, and doubtless many more facts would have been discovered had they been 

 suspected and looked for. To outward appearance the blossoms were perfect, the 

 corollas being bold, as usual ; but in many individuals either stamens or pistils 

 were wanting, and no doubt also the upper or fruit-nourishing roots suffered from 

 the want of surface moisture, and thus were prevented from doing their work ; 

 while lower anchor-roots struck deeper and deeper to gain moisture and susten- 

 ance for the development of the tree, making the subject less fertile, and adding 

 gross wood to all garden trees, and thus trees were found to require root-pruning 

 more than usual to restore that relative balance of fruit and wood producing power 

 which a well-managed fruit tree should exhibit. 



In orchards (especially among young trees) the want of fruit was a dis- 

 tinct benefit, as they are then enabled to form vigorous trees before starting to 

 crop, and a foundation is thusllaid for full development and after-success; as if a 

 young orchard tree commences to crop in its earlier stages, its after-growth is 

 checked for years, and in the future such checked trees produce pecks where 

 bushels of fruit should be garnered. 



In the dry autumn of 1897 matters were different, and the glorious and varied 

 colours of the foliage on cherries, peaches, and nectarines, and the fine russet- 

 brown of the apple foliage, and the golden plum leaves, leads us to infer that 

 Nature's work has been well and truly done, and with a fair spring a good all- 

 round crop may be anticipated in 1898. Although from a nurseryman's point of 

 view the shorter and stouter growth fruit trees made in 1896-97 meant some loss 

 and extra expense in staking for standard trees, &c, still the growers cannot fail 

 to be great gainers in having the wood of fruit trees well ripened, hardened, and 

 consolidated for future benefit, as heavy frosts tell much less severely on such per- 

 fected trees. If this is felt in the south, how much more must it benefit planters 

 who live in the midland and northern counties ! The handsome fruit shown by Mr. 

 Day, from Galloway House Gardens, and the grand pears from Mr. Divers, 



Bel voir Castle Gardens, sent to the Royal Horticultural Society, bear out this 

 fully. 



The fruit crop of the Jubilee year, 1897, will be remembered for its remarkably 

 high colour and development more than for great size. Many examples submitted 

 to us have been beautiful beyond all former years ; for example, crimson Blenheim 

 Pippin, Warner's King, and other green apples with scarlet flushes on the sunny 

 side ; and Doyenne du Cornice and other pears with lovely red cheeks ; while 

 many Russets lost their character and came out with golden skins, only broken 

 here and there with russet. Many of the less hardy apples as Lord Suffield, 

 Ribston, King of Pippins ; and Glout Morceau, Bergamot d'Esperen, Gansel's 

 Bergamot, and other pears have been so handsome and good that planters have 

 called for them freeely, forgetting that they are not to be relied upon (as a rule) 

 for freedom from canker, or quality. Their extra good appearance, flavour, &c, 

 point a moral, and doubtless we ought to place these and similar good but 

 variable apples on walls or in warmer places. Apples of the type of American 

 Mother, Melon, Scarlet Nonpareil, Allen's Everlasting, Duke of Devonshire, 

 bturmer Pippin, with those that do not always ripen well, as Calville Blanc, Boston 

 Russet, Calville Rouge, Chatley's Kernel, Reinette du Canada, Dutch Mignonne 

 apples, with Beurre Diel, Bergamot d'Esperen, Olivier des Serres, Beurre Ranee, 

 Beurre Baltet, President Osmonville, Easter Beurre, Zephirin Gregoire, &c, pears, 

 would not be out of place on many walls which are well situated, and now devoted 

 to a doubtful crop of peaches or nectarines, especially those old walls, unpointed 

 and full of nail-holes, one often sees in ancestral gardens, where choice pears and 

 apples would flourish and give good results. The extended use of large and hand- 

 some apples for decoration should lead growers to place Peasgoods Nonsuch, 

 Buckingham, Belle de Pontoise, the Queen, King of Tomkins County, Twenty 

 uunce, Gascoigne's Seedling, &c, on walls for this purpose. 



One special feature of the 1897 f ™it crops was the general success of the 

 ^ntish-raised varieties, such as Nonpareil, Northern Greening, Wyken Pippin, 

 isienheim Pippin, Devonshire Quarrenden, Yellow Ingestre, Stirling Castle, 

 Wdhncrfnn ■ r, ~__._i.ru,,:- Winter QueeninJ, Nanny! 



riormead is, Lane's Prince Albert, among apples ; and Hessel, Althorp Crassane, 

 tiacon s Incomparable, Bishop's Thumb, Pjtmaston Duchess, Crawford's, Aston 

 lown, Eyewood, and Knight's Monarch, among pears, causing a demand to 

 arise tor trees of many old and superseded kinds, which for market purposes are 

 yet valuable. The general crops on the Codlins and early apples and pears need 

 only to be noted to state the fact that such kinds have time to recover themselves 

 alter the fruit is gathered, and to prove regularly fertile. 



Exceptional prices have been made of some fruits. In our district, Devonshire 

 quarrenden Ingestre, and Ribston apples (one grower selling one hundred 

 >usnels of the latter as gathered at 14s. 6d. per bushel), while Cox's Orange 

 ' ppms made up to 25s. per bushel retail ; and Wellingtons, with a peach-like 

 colour, made 10s. 6d. wholesale. As might be expected, the heat and drought has 

 caused all late pears to ripen months before their usual season, and by the time this 

 is in print many fruit-rooms will scarcely have a pear in them ; at present Olivier des 

 oerres and Beurr6 de Joughe with a few Easter Beurre from open trees are all we 

 possess. But we are inclined to think thorough ripening will allow us to keep apples 

 as late as usual, while they will certainly not be so large examples— in short, beauty 

 Hill compensate for mere size. 



Perhaps no outside fmit felt the grand weather of 1896-97 more than peaches 

 nectarines on walls. The trees made that reddish wood so dear to the 



"ators eye, and the crop set well; and the fruit where the trees were 



copiously watered, grew out to a fine size, and coloured to perfection, raising the 

 almost lost hopes of many old gardeners to encourage them to persevere in their 

 open -wall cultivation ; those who had late peaches made long prices, as the fruit 

 under glass was forwarded by the heat, and thus made a market for the outdoor 

 crop. Peaches and nectarines are yearly more in demand. We attribute the 

 failure of the plum crop to the causes already named, which by their surface- 

 rooting nature, would naturally be affected more than deeper-rooting fruits. 



We cannot refrain from again cautioning gardeners from relying on a few 

 varieties for an annual crop ; and the best kinds for quality should be planted in 

 various positions to ensure a return, and also to lengthen the season of each kind. 

 Market-growers naturally go in for the sorts favoured by the public, but we are 

 inclined to think many less-known but reliable croppers should be introduced. 

 Strawberries, raspberries, and bush-fruits generally cropped where good deep 

 cultivation was practised. 



In conclusion, it is evident that cultivators should do in all in their power to 

 utilise all the sunshine possible, and the protection they possess added to careful 

 thinning of boughs and fruit, and by giving liberal encouragement to the trees 

 that crop, and not over-stimulating those that are barren. 



The R.H.S. Committees' Awards. 



As you have so pointedly referred to this subject, which has been again, and in 

 precisely similar language, raised in the report of the council of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society this year, I offer no excuse for also referring to it. I observe that 

 the total number of awards of medals and certificates made in 1896 was 948, and last 

 year 1,008 ; the Floral Committee's were in the former year 463, and last year 502, 



an increase of 39 ; the Fruit Committee gave in the previous year 102, and last 

 year 119, an increase of 17 ; and the Orchid Committee 303 the first year and 251 

 last year, showing a drop of 52. The most remarkable figures are those of the 

 Narcissus Committee, which gave four only in 1896 and no less than 20 last year. 

 Now there has been over the present year an increase of eight gold medals, but 

 these are, it is well known, purely honorary awards, and may well be omitted. 

 They have always been bestowed on objects of special excellence, and that being 

 so, it is a question for consideration whether the exhibits do not materially enhance 

 the value and interest of the meetings. Of course, if such awards are not made 

 the exhibits will in future be absent. There has been, however, great increase in 

 the awards of the silver-gilt Flora medal, granted solely by the Floral Committee, 

 an increase of 31 ; whilst the silver-gilt Knightian medal, the Fruit 

 Committee's corresponding medal, has been awarded 16 times only. 

 Then the silver Flora is given by the Floral Committee 79 times, 

 and the silver Banksian 81, or a total of 160 ; w T hilst the Fruit Com- 

 mittee awarded the corresponding medals 38 times only. Whilst there is a 

 reduction cf first-class certificates of merit from 84 in 1896 to 54 in 1897, there 

 has been a trifling increase in awards of merit by the Fruit Committee from 

 2 3 to 35> an d that is practically all. If the Council had adopted my proposal 

 made and carried at the Fruit Committee, that no award of meri t or F.C.C. 

 be granted except by a majority of two-thirds of the members present, there 

 would all round be found a material reduction in these awards. But the Council 

 blow hot and cold. They deprecate granting medals and other awards, the primary 

 causes of such good shows at the Drill I lall, yet in a later paragraph laud the 

 shows and exhibitions in warm terms. Surely that is inconsistent ? That there 

 has been a great increase in interest and attractiveness in the meetings there 

 can be no doubt, due largely to the awards made and increased confidence in 

 the honour, and integrity of the committees. But after all, no award can be made 

 by the committees. They are purely recommendations to the Council ; and if the 

 committees are wrong in their acts of recommendation, the Council are particeps 

 criminis in sanctioning the awards thus recommended. Why does not the Council 

 exercise its own powers, or does it fear to offend the committees ? 

 The least the Council can do is not to make complaints of the 

 nature here criticised, but to formulate some regulations as to the committees' 

 awards which shall result in a material reduction of them. Suppose it were to begin 

 as thus : " No member of the Council or any firm of which a member may be a 

 partner, shall receive awards for exhibits." That would be beginning at home ; 

 but is it likely for one moment so drastic a proposal would be adopted ? Not a 

 bit. Then who is to give the committee in this matter light and leading. Now I 

 turn again to the analysis of awards presented in last year's report, and the present 

 one. In the former the provincial show deputations made a total of 75 awards, 

 but last season they visited one show only, and made 36, or just about the same 

 proportion. Well, the council cannot claim much credit there. Then again, the 

 total of 1,008 awards is now swollen by the introduction of a new column. Last 

 year's table shows the award by the Scientific Committee. That body disappears 

 from the new table, and its place is taken by " Medal awards, other than bronze," 

 of 80, to affiliated societies, with which the committees have nothing to do ; so that 

 if 80 be deducted from the total of 1,008, it leaves 928, or a reduction on the 

 previous total of 20; therefore, it is evident that on the whole there has been 

 material reduction, and that the committees are little open to animadversion. I 

 hope this matter will be fully dealt with by the president at the annual meeting. 



A Useful Orchid Stand. 



Most orchid growers who have to deal with plants placed over a close wooden 

 stage upon which has been scattered a layer of shingle, cinders, coke broken small 

 or similar material, know what it is to have to deal with a troublesome fungus 

 which forms in the decaying wood and runs up into the orchid pot. I invert 

 flower pots, and on each one a pot containing an orchid is placed. The other 

 day I turned up some of these, and was horrified to find the fungus had entirely 

 covered the insides of the inverted pots with a cobwebby substance, and had sent 

 snow white threads through the base and into the pot in which the orchid was 

 growing, and in several instances had passed up amongst the orchid roots. While 

 considering what had better be done to stop the progress of the fungus amongst 

 the orchid roots and prevent it in future from attacking the plants at all, there 

 came from Mr. William Murray, of Oak wood Gardens, Wylam-on-Tyne, a series 

 of stands made of stout wire in the form of a flower- pot ; they answer the same 

 purpose as the inverted pot, no fungus can lay hold of the stands, and they have a 

 much better appearance than the flower pots. I could but remark that^ here was 

 the very thing needed to prevent the fungus reaahing the orchid roots, giving us at 

 the same time a much neater stand tor the plants The old saying is exemplified 

 *' Necessity is the mother of invention.'' If Mr. Murray had not had any fungus to 

 deal with, lie probably would never have thought of this useful little stand. 



J. Douglas. 



