August SO, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
175 
30 
th 
31 
F 
Crystal Palace Dahlia and Fruit Show (two days). 
1 
s 
Lille International Horticultural Show (nine days). 
2 
Sun 
15th Sunday after Trinity. 
3 
M 
4 
TU 
5 
W 
Glasgow Autumn Show ; Bath Show (two days) ; Brighton (two days). 
THE APPLE CROP—EARLY APPLES. 
HIS year every Apple tree worthy of cultivation 
ought to be in hearing. It will, therefore, he a 
good time for the grower to visit some adjacent 
nursery, or better still, if possible, the planta¬ 
tions of a good market grower, where he will 
be able not only to see the fruiting properties of 
the tree, hut its general habit, mode of growth, 
and liability to canker. At the same time he will 
be able to study the soil to see whether it resembles that in 
which he intends planting. Having made a few notes during 
the last few weeks of different varieties that succeed in most 
soils that are at all suitable for Apple-cultivation, I purpose 
in the first place to allude chiefly to the earlier sorts, so that 
intending planters may have the opportunity of seeing them. 
There is one difficulty in many nurseries in studying the 
fruit, and that is the predatory habits of the boys of the 
district necessitating the removal of the fruit at an early 
stage; but the appearance of the fruit spurs will always give 
an idea of the fruitfulness of the trees. Many nurserymen 
have a quarter devoted to fruiting trees, so that the purchaser 
after inspecting the stock can see the tree in bearing. This 
is the case at Messrs. Lane & Sons, Berkhampstead, where 
all the most noteworthy varieties can now be seen in full 
bearing. I think if I were limited to one tree of an early 
sort I should select the Early Julien. It is useful both for 
kitchen and dessert. You can begin to use them when the 
size of walnuts, and, having been twice over the trees for 
culinary purposes, you can leave some good yellow fruit with 
a pleasant brisk flavour for dessert. It is very suitable for a 
pyramid or bush tree, its heavy-cropping properties being 
against it as a standard, although there are many good 
orchards of it in cultivation. 
The Red Joaneting is still popular, but I believe we have 
in a new dessert Apple, Mr. Gladstone, a formidable rival. 
It makes a good bush tree, and is also a constant bearer. 
Its appearance is also in its favour, having a bright crimson 
colour when ripe. An equally handsome Apple, but one now 
well known, is the Worcester Pearmain. It has a remark¬ 
ably clean and healthy growth, and is an annual bearer. It 
makes a good bush, and if grafted on an old tree makes a 
very handsome standard. There are few Apples that can 
rival it in appearance on the table, and the flesh is more 
mellow than that of an old favourite, the Red Quarrenden, 
which is still very popular, but of too firm a texture to suit 
every palate. 
A good contrast to the Worcester Pearmain, and an 
equally good Apple, is the Yellow Ingestre. This is usually 
a good bearer, and the texture and flavour are equally good. 
Another Apple that should be also grown is the Irish Peach. 
This is handsome in appearance and suits every taste. I 
wish some of your readers would state if they have found it 
liable to canker. The Oslin, to those who like an Apple with 
a distinct flavour of an aromatic kind, will be found desir¬ 
able. I am not sufficiently acquainted with the habit of the 
tree to say more about it. The Duchess of Oldenburg with 
its upright growth and general cropping tendency is also 
desirable, although I do not consider the quality of the first 
class. There is a very pretty Apple grown in Middlesex, 
Duchess’s Favourite (called also Duchess of York and 
Duchess of Gloucester). This has something of the habit of 
growth of the Worcester Pearmain, and equals it in colour, 
but in shape is like the Golden Knob. I have no doubt it will 
become popular as it becomes known away from its locality. 
The Kerry Pippin for a small garden is always suitable and 
of good flavour. 
I think I have mentioned sufficient early dessert Apples, 
and if grown for home use I should recommend the follow¬ 
ing:—Early Julien, Mr. Gladstone, Worcester Pearmain, 
Irish Peach, and Yellow Ingestre ; and if for market pur¬ 
poses Early Julien, Worcester Pearmain, Yellow Ingestre, 
Duchess of Oldenburg, and Red Quarrenden. There are 
many other good Apples, and no doubt in different localities 
they would be more suitable. If your readers would give their 
experience it would be welcomed, I have no doubt, by many. 
For kitchen use Lord Suffield will always be popular 
where it can be grown, but in many parts of England it is a 
failure. Many growers have found their plantations destroyed 
by canker and other causes. The Codlins, Keswick and 
Manks, will always be grown on account of their cropping 
annually. The latter makes a compact pyramid, full of 
fruit spurs, and often producing fruit as handsome in appear¬ 
ance as Lord Suffield ; but on account of its heavy-cropping 
properties deficient in size. It is advisable to go over the 
trees twice, the latter picking then producing good fruit. 
An Apple now becoming a great favourite on account of 
its freedom from the diseases that Apple flesh is heir to is 
the Ecklinville Seedling. This tree makes a good pyramid, 
compact in growth, and a constant bearer. To show the 
rapid strides this Apple has made in public estimation, 
Messrs. R. Smith & Son of Worcester have now more quarters of 
this variety than any other excepting their equally popular 
Worcester Pearmain. Lord Grosvenor (Jolly Beggar) makes 
a handsome tree with bold foliage, and the fruit hangs on 
the branches like ropes of Onions ; but I believe in unsuit¬ 
able soil the fruit becomes misshapen. There are two 
varieties that should be grown by everybody—Stirling Castle 
and Small’s Admirable. The former is the popular favourite 
at present, and perhaps advisedly so, on account of its more 
compact growth ; but where space is available I prefer the 
latter. This year it is laden with fruit wherever I have seen 
it growing. Golden Spire has an upright growth and would 
be suitable for a garden or shrubbery, and I believe it would 
be a good plan to plant it round a walk. Potts’ Seedling 
is a fine-foliaged tree, but I have not yet found all the good 
qualities in it that many growers in the north have awarded 
it. I think with Warner's King and Stone’s Apple (Lodding- 
ton) I have named sufficient cooking varieties for early culti¬ 
vation. Warner’s King has a dark green foliage and a very 
large and handsome fruit, but I am afraid it is liable to 
canker. The Stone Apple especially, grafted on other trees, 
will always be a favourite. I think I may say for both 
purposes—home use and market cultivation—Manks Codlin, 
Ecklinville, Small’s Admirable, and Loddington will never 
fail. I will give a few more notes on later varieties in a 
week or two.—L. A. K., Maidstone. 
THE GARDENERS’ ROYAL BENEVOLENT 
INSTITUTION. 
I want to ask what is to me, and probably to many 
others, a very serious question. If, as I am about prepared to 
do, I take up a life membership of £10 10s. in the “ Gar¬ 
dener’s Benevolent,” may I look upon it as an investment 
positively returnable to me or my wife in yearly pension on 
either I or she in course of time becoming incapacitated from 
active work by increasing years ? From what appears from 
time to time in the gardening papers (notably in a con¬ 
temporary last week), some writers seem to throw discredit 
on the Society and its mode of working. Such insinuations— 
for they are not direct statements of charges that anyone 
