May 5, 1881. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
355 
my book, and to ask you to kindly allow me to offer a short 
explanation regarding one or two points raised by the reviewer. 
He expresses the opinion that if the Peach tree which I planted 
in 18GG “exists now it would have been well if the author had 
published a photograph of it.” This fact I have all along fully 
realised myself, and the thing would have been done had it been 
practicable. I had the photographer here repeatedly with that 
object, but owing to the tree growing in a lean-to house and under 
a fixed roof it could not be photographed. First 1 would have 
had to remove the roof, or at least all the sashes, as owing to the 
slanting roof and reflection from the glass the tree could not have 
been taken ; and even after the roof had been removed some scaf¬ 
folding and much necessary and expensive preparation would 
have been needful to get the camera placed at right angles to the 
tree, so as to show its actual area. Besides, being an early house 
I dared not uncover the house at that season. These are reasons 
why a portrait of the tree was not given. The tree, however, 
“ exists,” and is perhaps as fine a specimen in its way as could be 
shown ; and, pardon me for saying it, its present condition com¬ 
pletely belies the assertion that the “ ultimate results of ‘Nature’s 
plan ’ is to increase the nakedness of the branches, and, of course, 
of fruit towards the base.” The tree is a living contradiction of 
this. Up till two years ago this tree had only a lateral extension 
of 15 feet, owing to my being compelled to keep a Nectarine in 
the same division ; but these past two years it has had the whole 
space to itself, and has doubled its size in that time on the ex¬ 
tension principle, and it is now 32 feet wide and 18 feet high, and 
carries a fine crop ; and a Nectarine in the next division is nearly 
Fig. 81 .—Nepenthes compacta. 
the same size, and carries an even greater crop. Mr. Fowler of 
Harewood, who was here the other day, and whom I asked to look 
at the tree through the glass, in order to see the shoots better, said 
“ he never saw a better-furnished tree.” With regard to Vines, 
perhaps you will allow me also to point out that it is not the 
quality of the Grapes that the system of extension seeks to 
improve, but to produce Vines and crops in far less time than is 
done now— i.e., “ quick returns ” without impairing the quality 
of the fruit. I would also point out that I do not condemn 
“ pruning,” as your fourth paragraph from the end might convey, 
and I am aware they prune their trees in America, but not in one 
case in a thousand probably on the restrictive system. I have 
near relations engaged in fruit culture in America possessing 
orchards 1000 acres in extent, and I understand “ Nature’s 
plan ” is the one followed principally by all cultivators, except 
that the branches are occasionally thinned out. — J. Simpson, 
Worthy. 
P.S.—The trees that are shown grow on an upright trellis, 
curved at the top, and the lights, being loose, were taken out for 
the photographer’s convenience.—J. S. 
NEPENTHES COMPACTA. 
This is one of the numerous beautiful Pitcher Plants which 
have been sent out from the Holloway nurseries in recent years ; 
and in the compactness of its habit, and the freedom with which 
the richly coloured elegant pitchers are produced, it may be favour¬ 
ably compared with any in commerce. It is in the way of the 
handsome and useful N. robusta, and its chief characters are well 
shown in the accompanying woodcut, kindly lent us by Mr. B. S. 
Williams, who describes the plant as follows :— 
“ This very distinct variety has pitchers about 5 inches long and 
8 inches in circumference, the primary markings being reddish 
purple, sometimes shaded with violet, splashed and marbled with 
creamy white, with margins and mouth of the same colour, the 
