30 



GROUP I. SOUTHERN COUNTIES — KENT. 



track of heavy land resting on the top of a hill, with seams of 

 chalk on each side ; subsoil, almost like clay, overlying chalk. 

 All the Pears here are grown on espaliers ; this year they are 

 rather small, but the crop is heavy and fairly good notwith- 

 standing we had scarcely any rain from the 12th May to 

 September. 



10. — R. SmTH, Gardener to Lady Frances Fletcher, Kenward, 



y aiding. 



Number of Varieties Exhibited ... ... ... ... 18 



Observations. — Examples of large size and extremely hand- 

 some, mostly from trees on walls. The following were noted as 

 the more prominent : Beurre Ranee, Winter Nelis, Pitmaston 

 Duchess, Gansel's Bergamot, Eyewood, Van Mons Leon Leclerc, 

 Emile d'H^yst, Glou Morceau. 



ExJiibitor's Bernarks. — Situation, sheltered ; aspect, south- 

 east. Soil, dark loam ; subsoil, clay. There is no doubt our 

 old trained trees on walls are on the Pear stock ; many of them 

 bear very well now, having been root-pruned a few years ago, 

 and the spurs thinned out. They are summer-pruned and top- 

 dressed with good rotten manure within three feet of the vvall. 

 Our younger trees are chiefly on the Quince stock, the weaker 

 growing on the Pear. For the last few^ years we have, in planting 

 Pears, placed the roots on clay tiles, such as are used for building 

 purposes, from 8 to 20, according to the size of the tree, being 

 ]5laced at the bottom of the hole, in order to prevent the roots 

 going down to the clay subsoil. 



Strong-growing sorts of Pears require to be lifted, unless 

 X^lanted on a prepared bottom, such as concrete or tiles ; I prefer 

 the latter, being warmer and drier for wet soils. I prefer the 

 summer for the operation of pruning, and again in the autumn, 

 to reduce the winter work. Training on walls — I like the 

 horizontal for large trees, when they grow freely ; but for 

 filling up walls quickly, the cordons are the most useful, although 

 expensive. I like the cordons budded, not grafted ; the growth 

 from the budded trees is much stronger and freer, and comes into 

 bearing sooner ; better fruit is got from budded trees, I 

 believe, than from grafted ones. I have gathered some fine fruit 

 from trees planted last November, both from pyramids and cordons, 

 the trees being ivell ivatered during the long diw weather — ' 

 three months' drouglit here, with scarcely a showier during the 



