November 17,1881.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 455 
■will be eventually cut down and placed in heat, and the young 
growths will be inserted as puttings in February. I find these beauti¬ 
ful flowers not only add a charm to the flower garden but are exceed¬ 
ingly useful in pots and hanging baskets for conservatory and table 
decoration.—H. C. Ogle, Chil worth Manor, Hants. 
SCRAPS ABOUT FRUITS. 
Siberian Crabs for Preserving.— For three years I have 
particularly noticed the productiveness of the scarlet Siberian 
Crab, and this year the jam made therefrom has been pronounced 
by all to be the most desirable of all the various kinds. This 
Crab also has the advantage of hanging long, is most beautiful, 
and uncooked is not cared for by children. I cannot too strongly 
recommend it, for it has only to be known to be much sought after 
for making into jam, and fine weather for the gathering can be 
waited for. We strain it to take out the scales, but some prefer 
it whole, though we do npt consider this the best way.— Joseph 
Witherspoon, Chester-let-Street. 
Apricots. —Taken as a whole the crop of Apricots proved the 
most valuable of any gro\Vn. We had a fair sprinkling of fruit 
on trees trained to walls with south-east and west aspects, but the 
greatest quantity of the best quality were taken from those on a 
south wall, these receiving the benefit of protection by Parham’s 
glass coping and blinds. Early Moorpark was the first to ripen, 
and yielded heavily. Hemskerk formed an admirable succession 
to this, and produced large-sized fruit in abundance. The trees 
of Moorpark that were planted at the same time as the two pre¬ 
ceding varieties have been dead some years, and those since 
planted are fast dying, a quarter of a tree going at a time. This 
is much to be regretted, not only because of the blanks it causes, 
but also on account of the superior quality of the fruit. It will 
not be planted again, the preference being given to Hemskerk. 
Kaisha was fairly prolific, but was rather dry. and Shipley’s was 
much smaller than anticipated. Musch-Musch is not worthy of 
the space devoted to it, and will have to make way for better 
varieties, and neither the Roman nor Turkey are much admired.— 
W. IGGULDEN. 
Serviceable Gooseberries.— The large Early White, White¬ 
smith, Early Sulphur, Sulphur, Crown Bob, and Red Warrington 
are generally profitable. The latter especially is recommended as 
being free-bearing and a goood keeper, while Sulphur is excellent 
for dessert purposes, and also hangs fairly well.— Essex. 
Strawberries v. Frost. —Have any readers of the Journal 
noticed that old plants are usually more injured by frost than 
young plants are ? This is my experience, and affords proof of 
the necessity of frequently forming fresh beds. Sir C. Napier 
was the most injured, and British Queen also suffered consider¬ 
ably. Yicomtesse Hericart de Thury proved the heaviest cropper 
and the worst in quality. Keens’ Seedling, Sir J. Paxton, La 
Grosse Sucrde, and Dr. Hogg were fairly remunerative, and young 
plants stood the severity of last winter well.—M. H. F. 
Useful Plums. —Orleans must be considered one of the most 
profitable culinary Plums. Victoria usually bears abundantly, as 
also does Pond’s Seedling, or Fonthill as it is called hereabouts. 
Mitchelson’s bears prodigiously. I would prefer having standards 
of those mentioned, devoting the wall space to choicer dessert 
varieties, of which Transparent Gage is one of the best, and the 
excellent Coe’s Golden Drop seldom fails.— Somerset. 
Margil Afple. —To lovers of miniature fruit trees that crop 
heavily and early I cordially commend Margil upon the Paradise 
stock. It is a first-rate dessert fruit, small in size but delicious in 
flavour, just coming into use now, and generally continuing good 
till after Christmas. Its synonym of Never Fail is justly descrip¬ 
tive of its remarkable propensity to bear fruit abundantly every 
year after it has once begun doing so, and it forms fruit buds so 
early that it is no uncommon sight to see dwarf trees not much 
larger than a Gooseberry bush heavily laden with fruit. — A 
Kentish Grower. 
How We Beat the Blackbirds. —After two or three seasons’ 
use netting, especially old fish-netting, is easily torn. Of this the 
blackbirds would seem to be aware, for often have I seen them 
dash at old netting and force their way through ; but this was 
invariably at the sides of covered bushes, and never through the 
top. Acting upon this fact last summer, when our splendid crop 
of Warrington Gooseberry began to ripen, a frame of poles was 
erected around them, netting placed over the top, and Russian mats 
on the sides, care being taken to peg them securely to the ground. 
The plan was a great success. Not a blackbird could get in ; nor 
did they appear to try, but, like wise birds, at once owned them¬ 
selves beaten, and turned their attention to less closely guarded 
quarters.—E. L. 0. 
MANAGEMENT OF HEAVY SOILS. 
That there is no ground so heavy that it cannot be made to 
produce enormous crops I quite believe, and that there are diffe¬ 
rent ways of bringing it to that desired end is equally certain. 
Being one of those who are located on heavy soil, and having 
been successful in securing a greater depth of workable soil, and 
at the same time growing heavy crops of vegetables, it may be 
acceptable if I describe the practice, although it may not be 
new. We double-dig or trench every second or third year as 
practicable ; and whether the ground be single or double-dug we 
always throw it in ridges, doing it as early as possible in the 
autumn, at the same time adding manure or whatever dressing 
we may have for it. If double-dug we do not turn all the dress¬ 
ing to the bottom, but give another layer after the first spit is 
turned over, always working in a good sprinkling of fine ashes, 
and when it is not the desired depth we bring a small portion of 
the subsoil to the surface. During frosty weather we give a 
good sprinkling of sifted coal ashes. The whole is well forked 
over on frosty mornings during the spring, and again before the 
crops are put in. If the soil is very shallow we do not bring the 
second spit to the surface, but give it a dressing of lime and 
ashes and turn it over in the bottom of the trench ; a year or two 
afterwards it is treated as above. The secret of success after¬ 
wards is to well loosen the soil between all growing crops, and at 
all times to be sparing with farmyard manure. Heavy soil so 
treated has exceeded our expectation. Although differing some¬ 
what from Mr. Taylor’s mode of procedure, we are aiming at the 
same end—namely, to grow crops of vegetables of the first order, 
and to obtain a greater depth of workable soil.—G. Summers, 
Sandbech Park. 
NOTES ON POTATOES. 
I AM aware I am treading on dangerous ground when I criticise 
such an opinion as Mr. Thomas Laxton’s. Like “ W. J. M.” (see 
page 425), I have always found Champions one of the best 
of Potatoes. This season I have grown it largely and am well 
satisfied with the results. It is with me like balls of flour, and 
the flavour equal to that of any Potato of my knowledge. Among 
the varieties I have grown this year is Paterson’s Victoria, and 1 
am quite astonished that Mr. Pearse (see page 426) finds it worth¬ 
less. Here it is excellent, the crop good and nearly free from 
disease. Beauty of Hebron is a good early variety, but the 
flavour is not in comparison with Scotch Champions. Magnum 
Bonum is with me this season coarse, although the quality is good. 
Suttons’ Reading Hero is a remarkably fine Potato and sure to 
come to the front; in fact, I characterise it Scotch Champion’s 
own brother with shallow eyes. It is a capital cropper, free from 
disease. I may mention Vicar of Laleham, Adirondack, and 
Vermont Champion, which I have grown this season, which are all 
worthy of the honour conferred upon them of being certificated 
by the Royal Horticultural Society. I send you a Potato which 
I call Uxbridge Kidney, which for cropping and using I should 
say has but few rivals.—R. Gilbert, B-urghley. 
At page 425 of last week’s issue your correspondent, “W. J. M.,” 
takes exception to my comparison of Reading Hero with the 
Champion Potato as being less waxy, and alleges that the latter 
variety does not fulfil this character in Ireland ; but here, as com¬ 
pared with the Schoolmaster, Regent, or Fluke, which are par 
excellence light, floury, and digestive Potatoes, the Champion is 
undoubtedly more or less waxy and internally very solid-fleshed, 
although the outside is floury. In the centre the Champion is 
generally of a yellowish colour and approaching somewhat to the 
condition of a well-ripened Myatt’s Prolific or a Lapstone. To 
me personally this quality is not objectionable. The Champion 
has also the advantage of being very satisfying and highly 
nutritive, and Drobably more so than the light-fleshed sorts ; 
nevertheless the latter are preferred by the public and in the 
market, especially during the winter. In usiDg the term I did 
not intend to convey that the Champion approached the condition 
of the Early Shaw, a typical waxy Potato, and which I have 
found to deserve this character in Ireland as well as in England. 
Grown on strong land the Champion is more waxy than on light 
