20 



JOUENAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



fruit. That industry has very much died out, and although there is a 

 large area of land, of good land, under orchards — that is to say, under old 

 Apple and Pear trees, especially Apple trees — the land is practically derelict, 

 and hardly anything is done with the trees or the fruit. Take my own 

 position. I plant two or three acres of young trees — choice Apples for 

 dessert, and a few of the best cooking varieties — taking the greatest pains 

 in preparing the ground, in getting good trees, in keeping the ground 

 and trees clean. I suppose no one would be allowed to erect contiguous 

 to your house a small-pox hospital, or an open asylum for fever patients, 

 without any disinfectants. But these orchards which surround mine are 

 practically asylums for the American blight and for the Codling moth, 

 and so far as I can see it will take several years to get rid of them. 

 I spray my young trees to stop the American blight, and we discourage 

 the Codling moth all we can, but owing to infection in my own planta- 

 tion there is a very comfortable asylum being erected for them — in fact 

 they are booking places in my orchard two years in advance. But, 

 speaking seriously, I think that the old sharp line between Agriculture 

 and Horticulture must be broken down and our Minister of Agriculture — 

 such as we have — should give a helping hand to our orchards. I think 

 that some penalties and restrictions should be imposed in the case of 

 these centres of infection which hinder all our efforts towards better 

 things. I think our Council and our President and officers at head- 

 quarters might agitate in that direction. 



The Pkesident : The Minister of Agriculture is also Minister of 

 Horticulture. 



Mr. H. F. Getting (Ross) : In planting a large area, you should 

 carefully study the blossoming times of the different varieties, for unless 

 you do, and unless the varieties blossom at the same period, you will not 

 get the advantage of the cross-fertilisation. It has been said that sales- 

 men are in favour of our using boxes. I do not think that is the case 

 generally. They greatly depreciate the sale of boxes of fruit, and they 

 only take them up for the reason that they want to confine their clients 

 to themselves. It is a difficult thing to recommend varieties of fruit for 

 growing in this country. I think a great deal of harm has been done by 

 recommending certain varieties to everyone, because the conditions differ 

 in different districts. The Ecklinville seedling is good in many districts, 

 but a grower has told me that in parts of Worcestershire it will not grow 

 at all. In fact he has cut down some very fine trees simply because they 

 will not bear. As to a continuous supply of Apples for the English market, 

 it is said you should grow a large quantity of one variety. That I quite 

 agree with. But that is not sufficient unless you are speaking of perhaps 

 the good croppers at the end of the season. Cool storage is also needed 

 to provide a continuous supply for the market, and this subject has been 

 very much neglected. In America pamphlets are sent oat, not only 

 stating what are the best varieties for a continuous supply, but giving 

 coloured illustrations showiug how good fruit is affected by being put 

 into cool storage. The fruit should be placed in storage immediately 

 after picking, and it should be fully matured before it is gathered. 



Mr. F. W. Moore (Dublin) : What we want is good and well-grown 

 fruit. Have we got Apples as good as the American Apples, and can we 



