October 18, 1883. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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National Apple Congress at Chiswick (continued to 25th inst.). 
22nd Sunday after Trinity. 
FRUIT TREES IN POTS. 
WAS highly pleased to read of “ Jedburgh’s ” 
successful culture of fruit trees in pots in the 
simple manner described on page 277, as I had 
previously entertained a similar idea and had 
resolved to carry it into practice this autumn. 
The method advocated by your correspondent 
will commend itself to suburban gardeners es¬ 
pecially as being a most useful and valuable 
one ; for, unlike many of their country brethren, 
they have to battle with smoke, indifferent soil, and circum¬ 
scribed space, yet, notwithstanding these untoward circum¬ 
stances, the former are in many instances expected to supply 
fruit of good quality for their employers’ table. I do not 
mean to infer that if a gardener had to supply Apples and 
Pears in quantity he would find the method of growing the 
trees in pots likely to answer, but for securing a moderate 
supply of them, also of really creditable fruits of Cherries and 
Plums for the table, the latter system will prove a valuable 
and profitable one. 
Many will argue that the adoption of this system will 
involve great expense and additional labour by way of water¬ 
ing. This objection may, however, be dismissed on two 
grounds. Firstly, no elaborately constructed orchard house is 
needed when trees are growm according to your correspondent’s 
method; and if trees are purchased already established in 
pots fit for bearing, the difference in price between them 
and those lifted from the open ground for ordinary planting 
is not more than a third in excess as a general rule. Secondly, 
the additional labour involved in potting, protecting, and 
watering will be amply compensated by the greater amount 
of finer and better flavoured fruit secured. 
A similar plan to this one I saw adopted with half a dozen 
or more Plums a few years ago. The trees were plunged in 
an unheated Fig case where plenty of ventilation was given 
until the fruit had set, after w r hich the trees were removed 
outside and plunged in a border by the side of one of the 
kitchen-garden walks. A copious supply of weak liquid 
manure was given from time to time, and I must confess I 
*have never seen heavier crops or tasted better flavoured fruits 
than these, and all produced with a minimum of cost and 
trouble. 
In suburban gardens—such, for example, as the one I 
have charge of—space is considerably restricted, and the soil 
by no means congenial to the growth of fruit trees generally. 
We are only too glad to welcome and adopt any really ser¬ 
viceable methods of securing good crops of both fruits and 
vegetables. Healthy vigorous young trees planted in our 
soil will not grow and fruit satisfactorily; and to remove the 
existing soil and supply better would prove a most expensive 
method, especially, as in our own case, when good soil can 
only be obtained from a long distance. My employer is 
anxious to have a reasonable supply of high-class fruits for 
dessert, such as Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, and Peaches 
in season, and knowing the difficulties already stated, has 
permitted me to adopt a scheme I have formed having for its 
object the means of better production and protection of the 
foregoing trees in flower and fruit. 
Two evils I have to contend with are unsuitable soil and 
London smoke. Another equally grievous remains, however, 
one which affects country as well as suburban gardens—viz., 
spring frosts. To provide a remedy that would prove efficient 
and yet not too expensive in its application was the task I 
had for some time set myself to do. First of all it was de¬ 
cided to adopt the late Mr. Rivers’ plan and build a cool 
orchard house, as our object is not to force but to produce 
crops of good fruit in season. Having a south wall with a 
10-feet border measuring upwards of 100 yards in length, it 
was determined to take advantage of this and build a lean-to 
house. After a careful estimate of the cost such a structure 
would involve we found this scheme would prove too expen¬ 
sive ; therefore I set to work to devise another method which 
I am now putting into practice. The plan I am adopting, 
then, is as follows. 
The wall I have mentioned is 12 feet in height, and the 
border at the base 10 feet wide. Posts of 4-inch deal and 
9 feet 6 inches long are placed in sockets 18 inches deep at 
10 feet from the wall, and are continued at intervals of 6 feet 
the length of the border. Pins are driven vertically in the 
top of each of these posts, and cross beams with corresponding 
holes to retain the posts in position are placed thereon. 
Rafters of similar.material occur every 6 feet. These receive 
a framework 3 feet wide, fitted with grooved sashbars for the 
reception of Hartley’s patent rolled plate glass to form a wall 
coping. The remainder of the roof will be covered with 
hexagonal netting. The spaces 6 feet by 10 feet in front 
will be fitted with a light framework of wood and wire 
netting, as also the ends, with the exception of a door to 
each, fitted with lock and keys. The use of the wire netting 
is to protect the crops from the depredations of feathered 
and human thieves, both of which are unfortunately nume¬ 
rous hereabouts. The 3-feet glass coping will protect and 
assist the trees in flowering and ripening, and in lieu of the 
glass roof and sides in the structure I have just described 
I propose to fix rollers at the base of the glass coping to 
receive tiffany, which will be let down the roof and sides in¬ 
cold frosty weather when the trees are in bloom. 
Having thus far described the structure I will now say a- 
few words on what I propose doing inside. First, as to the 
wall, two-thirds of which are occupied with young trees of 
good varieties of Peaches and Nectarines and “ old stagers ” 
of Apricots and Figs. I propose to plant a few more good 
kinds of Peaches, and the remainder of the space fill up with, 
upright and oblique-trained cordon Pears and Apples. I 
prefer the cordon as applied to Pears to other systems, one 
great advantage being they come early into bearing ; and 
if a particular variety does not succeed it can be speedily 
discarded and replaced with better varieties without much, 
loss of time. This system has been adopted with great 
success by that able cultivator and your esteemed corre¬ 
spondent Mr. Luckhurst of Oldlands, to whom I am greatly 
indebted for much information and advice in the selection, 
of the best varieties of Pears likely to succeed with me. 
As to Apples on the same plan against walls—French' 
varieties being required — I propose procuring Ca’vilLe 
Blanche, Calville Rouge d’PIiver, Calville Malingre, and a 
few other similar varieties as figured and described by 
M. Poiteau in his magnificent work the “ Pomologie Fran- 
<jaise,” tome iv., for the privilege of consulting which I am 
indebted to a kind and generous employer. As I have before 
said, the soil is unsuitable to the growth of fruit trees, there¬ 
fore I propose overcoming this difficulty by growing pyramid 
Cherries, Plums, and Apples in pots, and plunging them in 
the borders. Raspberries will be planted against the posts 
that support the roof; miniature trees of Champagne Goose¬ 
berries and White Currants will be planted at intervals, and 
finally all the best varieties of Strawberries will be planted 
in every available space. 
Such, then, is an outline of my scheme for supplying a 
