48 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 15,1891. 
perfectly preserved, and it seems as if it has been formed by the 
infiltration of mineral matter into the cells of the wood, for the 
structure appears unaltered. 
From several points extensive and picturesque views are afforded 
of Lough Neagh and Ram’s Island, which is only a short distance 
from the garden, and owing to the luxuriant vegetation it supports 
it affords some pleasing views. One of these is depicted in the 
woodcut (fig. 11), prepared from a photograph kindly sent by Mr. 
Pakenham, and it is doubly interesting, as besides showing an Irish 
cottage and garden of the most comfortable style, it also includes 
one of the remarkable old round towers that are scattered about 
in Ireland, and concerning the origin of which so much has been 
written.—L. Castle. 
(To be continued.) 
AS OF A DREAM. 
(^Continued from page 18.') 
Still referring to my exhibit at the Drill Hall last year, I have 
some more varieties to mention, and will therefore proceed with them 
in the order of their numbers. 
Nos. 21 and 22 labelled “Walnuts young and Walnuts old.” I 
happen to have four old trees, therefore pickled Walnuts naturally 
chime in with our store-closet arrangements. To those who like pickles 
Walnuts generally become acceptable, and “Walnuts with the wine ” is 
proverbial. Mine are the English variety, apparently chance seedlings, 
as no two of the trees are exactly alike ; they are very good, and the 
produce is considered strictly as “pin-money.” Do not plant Walnut 
trees, however, too near to a public road or a footpath, as they and other 
nuts are irresistible. I took up to the Drill Hall two sorts of the latter, 
Nos. 23 and 24, Webb’s Prize Cob, and a medium-sized choice Filbert, 
a kind I found in 1847 growing in the old Kectory garden at Woodstock. 
The former originated with Mr. Webb, of Calcot, near here ; and to 
make sure that no one should enjoy it with a glass of liquor he caused 
a deep pit to be dug in the garden, and the contents of his cellar 
bundled into it, which might or might not have been a wise proceeding. 
At any rate, Webb’s Prize Cob is a very good Nut to grow. Dr. Mavor— 
he of the immortal spelling book—I judged by the age of the trees, 
must have been familiar with the Filbert at Woodstock, and I have 
often wondered that he never mentioned them, voluminous compiler 
that he was. For a connoisseur of Nuts it is desirable, but it is “not 
large enough for the market,” Webb’s Cob is. 
I come now to the Apples. I will not say how many sorts I grow, 
but as I experience the evil of too many, I can advise in a prudent 
manner. 
Friend Collard again. He presented me with some young trees of 
Mr. Gladstone Apple. I did not show it as its season was long over. 
I maintain it as my earliest. When these Apples are carefully gathered, 
and before they are fully ripe, without disturbing the dense bloom upon 
their skins, they will soon flush into colour and command the early 
market, or take their place in the dessert and for home cooking. It is not 
advisable to store it in heaps or keep it too long, as under these circum¬ 
stances it becomes of an unpleasant clamminess to the touch. Neither 
is it necessary to store it, for the Keswick Codlin, which is also an early 
Apple (No. 25 on my stand), quickly follows the Gladstone, is one of 
the best of Apples, and most suitable for all purposes for quite two 
months. No. 26, Holland Pippin.—I suppose my tree of this to be 
quite seventy years old, and I carefully maintain it in life because of 
its excellency. Its season is just about over, and our last pudding of it 
is in the near perspective. Our next household Apple, No. 26, I have 
named Pay-the-Rent, because the old tree of it which I found in my 
orchard—about an acre—has paid the rent for me, in a great measure, 
consecutively for thirteen years. I took some fruits of it up to the 
Apple Congress at Chiswick, to seek a comparison, but could not. I 
brought it up also for the E.H.S. Fruit Committee to adjudicate upon, 
but by some chance a fruit spotted in its skin got into their hands, and 
“ the gods have their laws.” But its medium size and lack of colour, at 
any rate, I doubt, would have caused it to be “ passed.” In reality 
I merely wanted to find out if it was known. It is a famous house 
fruit, comes quickly into bearing, a second early, and good quite into 
the middle of January. The grpwth of the tree and its foliage are very 
near that of the Blenheim Orange, and the fruit is quite as good for 
dessert as that overpraised variety. I must now conclude it to be 
unique, and, if I did not possess it, I would give its place to the Golden 
Spire, No. 27.—My wife calls this her “mincemeat Apple,” as being 
her best for this purpose. None of the American Apples can oust this 
for quality or surpass it for beauty ; and this is saying a great deal. 
No. 28, Lane’s Prince Albert.—I sometimes think I have known 
this Apple a good many years, but however that may be it is an 
excellent household fruit, a good bearer, and a good keeper. If I was 
compelled to confine myself to six kinds I would certainly give the above 
a place to precede the Wellington. No. 29.—The same remark I made 
about the good looks of the Golden Spire holds in a still higher degree 
for the Wellington, and no American Apple can touch it in piquancy 
for cooking. But the trees are somewhat tender, which results in canker. 
The trees of the Bramley Seedling are hardier in constitution, and the 
fruit keeps as long as the Wellington, but the latter takes front rank, 
and must be considered as indispensable for our chefs. I am in a 
position to settle a question which 1 saw put but lately, as to whether 
there are two varieties of the Wellington, striped in colour and non- 
striped. Amongst my Wellingtons—which I have planted largely—are 
two trees that came from the late Mr. Soden’s Nursery, Barton, Oxon. 
The fruit comes striped from those two trees. I took some up to the 
Chiswick Conference, and Mr. Barron’s dictum was “ striped Welling¬ 
tons.” Friend Ross, when on a visit to me, was so struck with the 
beauty of the fruit and their singularity as to think they might be a 
variety, and he begged me to send him a few grafts to Welford Park 
during the following winter. I did. Mr. Ross informs me the Apples 
produced on the trees whieh were grafted with my scions came, with 
him, of the usual suffused hue ; not a striped coloured fruit appearing 
amongst them. Therefore, we may conclude these occasional diver¬ 
gences to be mere freaks of Nature. 
As to dessert Apples I limited my collection to two varieties, Cox’s 
Orange Pippin, and Wheeler’s Russet, Nos. 30 and 31. Cox’s Orange 
is too thoroughly well known to need any further praise ; but 
Wheeler’s Russet is a very old variety, which I knew under that name 
at Rushbrooke, in Suffolk ; and trust a boy for not finding out the best 
Apple in the orchard, or that at the fag-end of the season in the fruit- 
room. And now that I am a boy of older growth I can return to my 
first love with all the ardency of my youth. I found a miserable 
looking, scraggy old tree growing here ; but as chance would have 
it I deferred cutting it down, and, to my joy, the few fruits that 
it produced in the next season I found were my long lost Wheeler’s 
Russet. After a liberal course of treatment the old tree threw me a 
young shoot, and then died. I perpetuated it by grafting the young 
shoot on to a young stock, and hence its representative at the Drill 
Hall. It was the means of introducing me to Mr. Roupell, who greatly 
admired the fruit, and questioned me about it. The above two Apples, 
purely and simply as dessert fruits, ought to satisfy the small holders, 
and if Wheeler’s Russet cannot be had let Cox’s Orange suffice. It may 
be questioned whether I should have recommended “ Wheeler’s Russet ” 
at all under these uncertain circumstances, or the “ Pay-the-rent ” either. 
My apologies must be, then, because the Apple jelly exhibited was 
made from the latter, and I had hoped to catch the Judges’ eyes and 
palates for both. I will make atonement. Should this meet the eye of 
Mr. Roupell, allow me to state how happy I should be to send him some 
scions of both the varieties in the hope of assisting him for his pomo- 
logical disquisitions in the future. 
Pears may now come under the same category as dessert Apples— 
two kinds only, on the supposition that a garden measures about half 
an acre of ground, and the two Pears I should ehoose would be 
Williams’ Bon Chretien for eating, and the Catillac for stewing. I 
will nevertheless mention the kinds which I grow, because my garden 
and orchard ground consists of two acres, which affords me to indulge 
in a list of six. My first early Pear is the Doyenn6 d’Bte. Till within 
the last two years the tree grew in the garden, and we scarcely knew 
what it was to gather a fruit from it; the fat blossom buds offering 
such precocious temptation for the tom-tits. I moved the tree into my 
cottage yard, and now it produces fruit. The blossom devourers are 
now made cautious by consequence of the cats. As we do not allow 
these creatures to come into the house they are much in the yard on 
the look out for tit-bits, and the tom-tits into the bargain. This 
gift of summer Pears comes very acceptable to my family, as we are 
great fruit eaters. To encourage a full flavour it should be gathered 
before it turns yellow upon the tree. Williams’ Bon Chretien follows 
within a reasonable time, and it is a universal favourite. Beurr6 
Clairgeau, an almost certain bearer, I grow as a “ bush tree ” in the 
garden. It is a very useful Pear, “ quite good enough for the market,” 
was rather contemptuously observed to me. Its flavour here is remark¬ 
ably good. I happen to have in the orchard a very old tree of the 
Swan’s Egg. I would not exchange its fruit for any of the best 
reckoned modern Pears. It is becoming so scarce as to be almost 
unknown, for which reason I took up a dish. No. 32, Bergamotte 
Esperen, failed me this year. It is, as a rule, a sure bearer with me as 
a standard, and it is our latest eating Pear. No. 33, Catillac, alias 
Pound, alias Iron Pear.—I have a large old standard which seems likely 
to endure another seventy years under good management. It rules as a 
stewing Pear, and never fails as a marketable commodity. 
What about Cherries ? Of these the blackbirds and thrushes are in¬ 
satiable. The difference between mine and thine in the instance of 
Cherries does not count in the ferm naturrn vocabulary. I cannot 
harden my heart sufficiently to shoot the songsters, consequently I grow 
but one Morello as a bush tree, and even that so as to be under the 
command of netting. The rascals, I allow them full pasture amongst 
the Berberis, but their bird consciences would not leave me a Cherry. 
No, do not grow Cherries unless they can be well protected, and this 
must remain a consideration, more or less, for all the small fruits.—» 
Eobt. Fenn. 
(To be continued.) 
POTTING. 
My sole reason for taking this subject up is in the interest of young 
men who are in danger of being misled by Mr. Bardney’s article. To 
advocate a wholesale potting and repotting of plants during the dull 
months, say November and December, is not likely to meet with 
support, although it may possibly be the means of many trying the 
experiment. Mr. Bardney says in the fifth line of his article, “It has 
occurred to me ; ” that is not sufficient testimony of experience to meet 
with general support ; it has the ring of his being suddenly impressed 
with an idea not actually tested by experience. 
The principle of potting accepted by men of experience, men who 
