October 11, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
307 
11 
th 
Meeting of Fruit Committee at Chiswick. Sale of Vanda Sanderiana 
12 
F 
[at Stevens’ Rooms. 
13 
s 
14 
Sun 
21st Sunday after Trinity. 
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M 
16 
TU 
17 
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APPLES IN THE ASCENDANT—DOUBLE 
GRAFTING. 
OR the first time after the lapse of centuries fhe 
full value of the Apple has been recognised. At 
one hound it has risen from almost the lowest 
position in the schedules of exhibitions into the 
front rank ; is even accorded, as it eminently 
deserved, a position such as no other fruit has 
attained at the head quarters of practical horti¬ 
culture—historic Chiswick. A really national 
show of any kind of fruit such as the display 
now on view in the Royal Horticultural Gardens has never 
been held before, and those who have witnessed the great 
gathering will concede that not one national show of special 
garden products, whether of Auriculas, Roses, Pelargoniums, 
Carnations, Dahlias, Gooseberries, or even Potatoes, has 
equalled this in either magnitude or interest. Nor has 
there been equal evidence in any one case that the necessity 
for these special gatherings has been so great as for the truly 
national gathering under notice ; and it follows, therefore, 
that from none of them has the benefit been so marked as 
will result from this remarkable Apple Congress. In stating 
this it is not intended to in the slightest degree detract from 
the special shows alluded to. All gatherings of this nature 
are direct incentives to higher culture, while they widen the 
interest in the different garden products and extend the 
industry of horticulture. Let them all flourish, and that 
they do so shows the more clearly—and this is why they 
are mentioned—the great, the almost surprising, neglect 
which the Apple has hitherto been fated to endure. What 
is best is most common, and perhaps on this account the 
Apple, like the Potato, has been so long left authoritatively 
unnoticed until by accident, private fancy, or carelessness 
the nomenclature of varieties is almost in a state of chaos, 
errors thereby having been multiplied, and orchards and 
gardens occupied unprofitably. A change having become 
urgent and the time opportune, an effort is at last made to 
do something towards effecting an improvement in the supply 
of this indispensable fruit, so that raisers and cultivators of 
trees and consumers of their produce may be mutually 
benefited. 
This is the object of the extraordinary gathering that is 
more fully referred to in another column—a gathering that 
has astonished the promoters by its magnitude, and rendered 
the labours of the scrutineers even more onerous and difficult 
than was expected. They have, however, faced their task 
boldly, examined systematically, and a strong mark of recog¬ 
nition is due to one and all for their valuable services in the 
work in question. The complete results of their labours will 
not be immediately apparent, but that they will eventually 
be found of substantial service there cannot be a doubt. 
There is much to be learned in connection with this im¬ 
portant fruit, and those who have the most intimate acquaint¬ 
ance with it will be the first to admit this. Beyond the 
classification of varieties, determining the accuracy of their 
names, and acquiring information relative to adaptability of 
different Apples to various districts, a wide field for research 
is open on the question of stocks. Broadly speaking, and 
for general purposes, competent nurserymen know as a rule 
the stocks that are suitable for certain varieties and different 
forms of culture ; but the fall importance of double grafting 
is not yet sufficiently appreciated, nor can it be ascertained 
except by extensive and carefully conducted experiments. 
Working one Apple on another that is itself established 
on a Crab or Paradise stock has a marked influence on the 
tree both as regards vigour, productiveness, also the size, and 
even the colour of the fruit. On these points we have some 
evidence as the results of trials on a limited scale conducted 
over a series of years by Mr. Harrison Weir. The record of 
some of these experiments is before us, and in a few instances 
are striking and suggestive if not strange, and we may appro¬ 
priately direct attention to them here. 
Duchess of Oldenburg grafted on the Early Strawberry, 
a tree nearly dead with canker, revived the tree, wdiicli now 
makes vigorous growth, the fruit growing to a very large 
size, colouring beautifully, and ripening fully three weeks 
earlier than is usual with this variety. 
Duchess of Oldenburg grafted on the Golden Winter 
Pearmain makes very thin wood, but appears healthy. The 
fruit is small and of a pale green colour. 
Duchess of Oldenburg grafted on Reinette Yan Mons 
makes very little growth, the fruit being hard and much 
smaller than the above, but very handsome in appearance. 
Golden Noble grafted on the Golden Winter Pearmain 
does remarkably well, the fruit also being very fine. 
Golden Noble grafted on the Hollandbury does not do 
well, the growth being poor and fruit very small. The same 
variety grafted on the Tow r er of Glamis succeeds fairly well. 
Golden Noble grafted on the Ribston Pippin, a tree almost 
killed with canker, makes most vigorous and clean healthy 
growth, the fruit also being clear and fine; but the same 
variety grafted on the Striped Beefing is useless. 
Lord Suffield grafted on Cox’s Orange Pippin will not 
make any growth, neither does it succeed on either Reinette 
de Canada nor Reinette Yan Mons. Neither is it quite satis¬ 
factory on the Golden Winter Pearmain, the growth being 
too weak and the fruit too small; but worked on the Hol¬ 
landbury it makes clean healthy growth, bearing very fine 
fruit; while on the Sweet Rymer it makes little growth and 
fruits very heavily. 
Beauty of Kent grafted on Reinette de Canada makes thin 
but clean growth and bears freely, but the fruit is smaller 
than usual. 
Blenheim Pippin grafted on the Irish Peach does not 
succeed, being very much inclined to canker ; on Omar PacLa 
it makes poor growth and bears very small fruit; but worked 
on the Sweet Rymer it thrives well, making clean vigorous 
growth and fruiting satisfactorily. 
Cox’s Pomona grafted on the Golden Winter Pearmain 
does remarkably well, the fruit being very fine indeed, but 
has no colour even in the sun, being quite green, and 
does not ripen so early as usual. 
Cox’s Pomona grafted on Reinette Van Mons does very 
well; the fruit is under medium size, harder than the above, 
but very handsomely coloured. 
Cox’s Pomona grafted on King of the Pippins, trees that 
were almost dead with canker, makes vigorous growth and 
produces fine fruit abundantly, but not having quite so much 
colour as the variety in common. Mr. Weir remarks that 
King of the Pippins and Golden Winter Pearmain are quite 
distinct with him both in growth and fruit, though they are 
classed as synonymous in the “Fruit Manual.” Perhaps 
the trees are on different stocks. 
Cox’s Pomona grafted on Hawthornden, that does not do 
well in his garden, takes very freely, and the fruit is fine 
but very pale in colour. The same variety on Tower of 
Glamis grows vigorously, but has not yet fruited; on the 
Alfriston, which does not do 'well, the growth is healthy and 
the fruit fine, freely produced and handsome, while on the 
Reinette de Canada the growth is rather weak but productive, 
