SUBURBAN FRUIT-GROWING. 
345 
Gooseberries 
have the good quality of being useful both in their ripe and un¬ 
ripe state. The method of growing them in fan shape, as recently 
exhibited by Messrs. Veitch, offers many advantages. It is easier 
to protect the fruit and to gather it when the bushes are thus 
trained. A cool, moist situation suits them best. 
Currants, red, white, and black, will, like Gooseberries, thrive 
under the shade of other trees, and all surplus fruit can readily 
be preserved for winter use. 
Cherries can rarely be ripened out of doors except when 
protected by netting, as blackbirds, thrushes, and starlings cannot 
otherwise be kept from them in London. Cherries grown in a 
cool orchard house are, as many of you know, most delicious, 
and they can then be kept safe from birds. They are worthy of 
this protection, and the good qualities of some varieties can only 
be brought out when ripened under glass. 
Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots ripen well on south walls 
in the suburbs of London. They require copious supplies of 
water, especially after the stoning period, and the roots should 
be frequently lifted to keep the trees in fruitful condition. Heavy 
crops may be relied on under glass . 1 
There are not many sorts of Plum that fruit regularly in 
London soil. The ‘ Victoria ’ is an exception, but much may 
be done to increase fertility by mixing lime with the soil and 
occasionally lifting the roots. The Plum resents the use of the 
knife and thrives best in firm ground. 
To have the choicest plums in perfection they should be 
grown in pots under glass, and they are then most delicious. 
Some very fine exhibits are shown to-day, and to these I beg to 
draw your attention. Those exhibited by Mr. Leopold de 
Rothschild are especially fine, and when I saw them last week 
all the trees were covered with fine fruit, and they presented a 
charming sight. 
Figs ripen well in most parts of London when trained on 
walls, but two crops in the year may be relied upon when grown 
under glass. 
The Mulberry is a good town tree, and thrives round London. 
It should be planted on a lawn, so that the fruit may fall upon 
grass. Mulberries freshly gathered are very welcome in hot 
weather, especially to an invalid. 
