GROUP I. SOUTHERN COUNTIES- -KENT. 



29 



Pear stock are very short lived, but those worked on the Quince 

 grow and bear well. The majority of our pyramids produce 

 fruit buds too freely, so much so that in order to ensure the 

 perfect setting and swelling of the young fruit we are obliged 

 to disbud the fruiting spurs freely previous to their blossoming. 

 We also thin the young fruit out with the scissors as soon as it 

 commences to swell, and find this to be an excellent plan. The 

 later varieties, such as Josephine de Malines and Winter Nelis, 

 do not as a rule ripen satisfactorily here on the pyramid form 

 of training, probably owing to the low situation. This has 

 induced us to grow the finest flavoured and later varieties on the 

 cordon system on a south-west wall. In order to ensure a good 

 crop every season, we have had a three -feet glass coping erected 

 along the top of the wall, the glass being placed in grooves and 

 moveable at will. In order to further aid the trees when in 

 blossom we have a framework of wood extending seven feet fi-om 

 the wall, built similarly to the roof of a lean-to house and 

 covered with fine mesh wire netting. This has been tried for 

 three years and found highly beneficial, having had good crops 

 each year. We find the coping not only of great value in 

 protecting the blossom, but also in greatly assisting the ripeuing 

 of the fruit and improving its flavour. Beurre Hardy and 

 Gansel's Bergamot grown under these conditions were ripe 15 

 days before the same varieties on pyramids in the open garden. 



We have a number of Belgian varieties, which were sent by 

 M. de Jonghe to my employer 25 years ago, samples of the 

 fruit of which are exhibited by me, but these are for the most 

 part worthless. Eousselet Yandervecken is a very prolific 

 variety and is of fairly good flavour, coming in about the middle 

 of December. Bezi Louvain is very showy, but rather coarse. 

 Iris Gregoire and Fransman are poor varieties and scarcely 

 worth growing. Docteur Nelis is a very prolific and good- 

 flavoured variety. Zephirin Louis bears abundantly, but is 

 coarse in quality. 



9.^ — John Selway, Updown Park, Sandwich. 



Number of Varieties Exhibited 32 



Ohseyvatiims. — Examples generally small, those of Beurre 

 Diel, Beurre Hardy, and Beurre d'Anjou being the more prominent. 



Exhihito/s Remarks.— ^itimtion high, four miles from the sea, 

 facing east, sheltered by trees. Soil, very heavy loam, a high 



