HARDY FRUITS FOR SMALL GARDENS. 



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the season, especially if you happen to have Blenheim Orange 

 among the cooking sorts, which is a very fair Dessert Apple in 

 December. If, however, later varieties be wanted they will be 

 best found amongst Stunner Pippin, Duke of Devonshire, or 

 Rosemary Russet. 



8. Plums for Dessert. — The number of these and of Dessert 

 Pears must depend greatly on the amount of wall- space or close 

 wooden fencing at command. All should be grown either on a 

 wall or fence or in bush form. Three or four would probably be 

 enough, as they are more of luxuries than other fruits. Deniston's 

 Superb would be the first, followed by Rivers' Early Transparent, 

 and that again by Jefferson's, ending the season with Coe's 

 Golden Drop, which should certainly have a wall. Late Trans- 

 parent is also a very fine Plum, and thoroughly deserves a wall. 

 Where bullfinches abound Greengages should be avoided, as, 

 unless a very sharp look-out be kept, every bloom-bud will be 

 eaten. 



9. Cherries. — Here again comes in the question of the birds, 

 but only with regard to the ripe fruit, and if they will let the 

 fruit ripen there is no fruit-tree which is prettier on a lawn 

 somewhat in the background than a Cherry or two ; but I do 

 not myself think that in a small garden they are ever worth a 

 wall or the space a bush-tree takes, in which forms alone they 

 can be netted from the birds. The finest Cherries for dessert 

 are Early Rivers (black) and Kent Bigarreau (white) ; and for 

 cooking there is none to approach Kentish, which, when really 

 fully ripe, is also of grand flavour for dessert. Any north or 

 north-east wall can hardly be better used than by planting a 

 Morello against it. 



10. Black Currants. — About ten or twelve bushes of these 

 should be grown, as they make excellent jelly, and one or two 

 puddings of them in the season are always appreciated in the 

 kitchen, even if they be considered too strong-flavoured a fruit 

 for the parlour. The best variety, I think, is Baldwin's, or, if 

 that cannot be had true, Lee's Prolific. 



11. Pears for Dessert. — Considered from a housekeeper's 

 point of view, Pears are of little value in an ordinary family, 

 where no great amount of company is kept and dinner parties 

 are not of constant occurrence. Where this is the case a " large 

 garden" will be required, and then Pears will be of great im- 



