488 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Noyember 30, 1893. 
ago, as the fruit was little larger than Crabs, and most of the Americans 
seem too tender for us ; King of Tomkins County is an exception 
perhaps, but has proved so far a shy bearer. 
Of the later kinds we have not much to complain, and although they 
ripened early they seem to be keeping well; with such varieties as 
Newton Wonder, New Northern Greening, Alfriston, Beauty of Kent, 
and Bramley’s Seedling as sheet anchors, there should be no dearth of 
late cooking Apples ; whilst King of the Pippins, Cox’s Orange and 
Scarlet Nonpareil are keeping very well so far. Cornish Aromatic has 
done well this season, and Sturmer Pippin seems to be in great force ; 
everyone has a crop. Apropos of prices I was grieved to hear of Cox’s 
Orange being sold in Somersetshire at Gd. a peck; when I was at the 
Market Growers’ Show in Maidstone last month I saw a two peck basket 
of this variety sold for 208., these must surely be extremes. 
The conclusion that we came to here was that the cause of our fruit 
keeping badly was the heat of the fruit room, which, although built 
with hollow walls, is exposed to the full sun, and it seemed beyond our 
power to keep it cool. I saw on my visit to Kent a fruit room thatched 
with reeds on the roof and sides, which contained a collection of fruit 
calculated to arouse the envy of any grower; doubtless the owner will 
tell us how it has kept.—A. H. Peaeson, Clnlwell^ Notts. 
Mr. Iggtjlden (page 437) has done well to draw attention to a not 
improbable scarcity of Apples in several places later in the season. The 
past summer produced splendid crops with me, and so far as I can 
foresee the supply here will last till June. The Apple crop of 1892, 
especially late kinds, was fairly good; those in use from January 
onwards were the following : Kirke’a Incomparable, an old free bearing 
sort; Northern Greening, Leyden Pippin, M6re de Manage, Bedfordshire 
Foundling, Norfolk Beefing, Striped Beefing, and Baldwin. Norfolk 
Beefing was the last for use in May, when the Gooseberries came in. Of 
dessert kinds. King of Pippins, Adams’ Pearmain, and Old Nonpareil 
kept well till late in the spring. The Baldwin Apple in March, April, 
and May is good for either culinary or dessert, the reddest and best 
looking being picked out for the latter purpose. 
As regards the supply for next spring, which with myself I am glad 
to say is more plentiful than last year, the following kinds may be 
named, none of them may perhaps be termed large showy Apples like 
some of the autumn varieties, still they are worth cultivating. Three of 
the largest are M5re de Manage, Alfriston, and Striped Beefing. The 
last named is an excellent cropper, a pruned bush of it 7 feet high and 
as much through produced three bushels of large Apples, many of which 
are more than a foot round. One of the most abundant croppers, and 
moreover of best cooking quality, is the old Northern Greening. There 
are a number of orchard trees in this neighbourhood, possibly planted by 
our great-grandfathers, that were crowded with fruit. From an old 
standard in this garden seven bushels were picked, and then a large 
number were left on through not being easy to reach. Although so old 
a sort, where one is wanted for culinary purposes in the new year this 
may well be planted. If the new Northern Greening is as good a 
cropper it will be an acquisition to our modern kinds. Neither should 
Norfolk Beefing and the Striped Beefing be omitted, the last named I 
find is the largest and most constant cropper, taking one season with 
another. As regards the black and brown spots so much observed this 
year, I have noticed it with several kinds, and particularly the Eibston 
Pippin. My impression is that it was caused by a severe hailstorm that 
occurred here about the end of June. The weather was very hot at the 
time; but it was a singular sight to see all the fields with an half inch 
covering of hail. It was a curious spectacle, a midwinter scene in mid¬ 
summer; but in half an hour it had all disappeared, and the afternoon 
being hot and sultry. 
I see by Mr. Iggulden’s article that he would like some information 
as regards American varieties of Apples doing well in this country. 
Out of nearly fifty kinds grown here, there is only one that I know of 
that is American, and that is the Baldwin. Of its fruiting and good 
keeping qualities I cannot speak too highly. As I said before, it is good 
either for kitchen or table purposes from March to May or June; whether 
it will keep this season so long is a matter I can only speak of later on, 
when the time comes. Seventeen years ago two dwarf bushes were 
planted here, and being a vigorous kind grew freely. The soil I may 
state is a stiffish loam a’oout 3 feet deep resting on gravel. After three 
or four years they commenced bearing, and have done so ever since, 
some years more than others. The best of the two bushes is now 8 feet 
high, and as much through ; in fact, they have been kept pruned to that 
height the last ten years. Pruning, if possible, is usually performed in 
August; it admits the light in to help colour the fruit, and is beneficial 
for the next season’s buds. But it is not only as a pruned bush that it 
can be recommended, for it is as an unpruned tree that it has done so 
well. Eleven years ago I was induced to insert grafts of it in an old 
apparently worn out tree of Wellington, through an odd circumstance. 
It 80 happened that a bed of Parsley was growing beneath the pruned 
bushes of Baldwin, and in March of that year (1882) three Apples were 
found beneath the Parsley leaves in a perfectly sound condition, having 
passed through the winter’s rain, frost, and snow uninjured. They 
evidently fell and lay unnoticed or hidden since the previous October. 
I cut one of them, and although it was not quite ripe the flavour was 
very good, and the thought occurred to me that it was an Apple worth 
looking after. Eight grafts were placed on the sawn-off Wellington ; 
four of them grew well, and now form the head of a tree nearly 30 feet 
high. The largest of the grafts at the present time measures 23 inches 
round. The circumference of the main stem or stock at 6 inches from 
the ground is 5 feet 6 inches. The first year after grafting, the young 
shoots, some of them a yard in length, were shortened about one-half. 
Since then no pruning has been done. The crop from it this year has 
been three-and-a-half barrels of 10 stones each barrel. Last year about a 
bushel was produced, and in 1891 two barrels, or about six bushels. So 
much for its vigour and fruitfulness. The shelves in the fruit-room 
being all occupied with other kinds, and as our American friends put 
them in barrels for several weeks, or may be months, I thought I would 
do the same, and stand them on the brick floor of the fruit-room. In 
1891 they were taken out of the barrels three months after picking in a 
perfectly sound condition, not half a peck being bad. The other day, 
two months since they were picked, having now more room on the 
shelves, about 20 stones were taken off the top of the barrels, and out of 
that quantity only twelve bad Apples were found. 
From the two pruned bushes and the grafted tree between 50 and 
60 stones of fruit of good size have been picked this year. In Septem¬ 
ber last year I examined the branches when in full leaf, and could see 
that it was likely to have a large crop of blossom, so two barrowfuls of 
dry wood ashes and four of good manure were placed over the roots of 
the grafted tree, a covering of about 4 inches deep, and left for the 
autumn and winter rains to wash in. No doubt this dressing left its 
mark on the excellent weight of the crop. Another point in favour of 
this Apple is this : It has been my lot on many occasions a few years 
back to buy and unpack barrels of American and Canadian Apples— 
Newtown Pippin, Baldwin, and Northern Spy, and as a general rule I 
found that the Baldwin always came out less damaged than either of 
the others. Although both of them are excellent sorts, yet the skin 
appears thin and liable to injury. Many times I have emptied a Bald¬ 
win barrel, and only a dozen Apples or so have been damaged, whereas 
of the other two kinds a bushel has often been unfit for use. Fruit 
from the north side and shaded parts of the trees are green, but those 
fully exposed to sunshine are a bright red. I have rather enlarged upon 
this much-imported Apple; but as it has done so well it is a pleasure 
to recommend it to others. It certainly is not so ripe here in January 
as those sent from America at that time. It would be of interest to 
know how it has fared with others who have cultivated it for any 
length of time.—A. Harding, Orton Hall, Peterborough, 
In common with others I have found Apples to keep very badly this 
season. Eibston Pippin and Blenheim Orange have been the worst 
offenders with me. It is really sad to see such fine specimens going so 
fast. The late Apples, Lane’s Prince Albert, Alfriston, and Wellington, 
are not so bad at present ; but every inspection shows a few more decayed 
fruit. Beauty of Kent and the Pearmains have done very well with me 
at present, and so have both the Hawthordens. 
What “ A. D.” (page 465) says on the preservative power of dead 
leaves is, I believe, as true as it is interesting. They are Nature’s own 
covering ; not only her bed clothes for the winter sleep of her tender 
plants, but also her means for the conservation of her produce and fruits 
for her creatures who are meant to eat them. I have found them the 
best of the many materials I have tried for the protection of the dwarf 
Tea Eoses against severe frost.—W. E. Eaillem . 
1 HAVE heard numerous complaints of Apples keeping badly, but the 
state of matters indicated by Mr. Iggulden at page 437 is more serious 
than I had imagined. Personally, I cannot say much about the earlier 
Apples, as I sold all when they were ready. Late kinds are keeping 
quite as well as usual. A few fruits keep decaying, but these without 
exception have been pecked or otherwise damaged. While that is the 
case here, I hear of others who have lost most of their best fruit. But 
I know that this had been gathered much too soon. 
The autumn was perfect, and many gardeners seem to have been 
tempted by the appearance of the fruit to pick it much earlier than 
usual, some crops having been gathered and stored before the end of 
September. Then, the practice of keeping Apple rooms shut close is, I 
am certain, prejudicial to the keeping qualities of the fruit. Judging 
by the manner fruit left out of doors keeps, it is apparent that free 
ventilation is not inimical to the fruit. I keep our Apple store freely 
ventilated, except in frosty and damp weather, and believe it to be 
beneficial. 
With regard to the fruit of Duchess of Oldenburg decaying it is 
quite a common occurrence for it to do so. It is the only fault I have 
against this beautiful variety. The decay begins at the core and spreads 
outwards.—B. 
From the reports of your various correspondents it is evident that 
the price of Apples must eventually go up when there comes a scarcity 
of home-grown produce. I find that Emperor Alexander, Warner’s 
King, Peasgood’s Nonesuch, and Wellington are showing signs of dete¬ 
rioration, whereas Bramley’s Seedling, Manks Codlin, and Lane’s Prince 
Albert are in the best of condition. I have them stored in an airy 
room, which is not over-dry, and which I can ventilate by a window 
18 inches square. 
As to the cause of this rapid decay I agree with Mr. Cheal (page 466) 
that it is the sudden and superabundant flow of sap through the trees 
after the fruits have begun to ripen that has ruptured the cellular 
tissues which connect the fruit to the tree, and which we are told by 
scientists become gradually sealed up as the Apples develop, so that 
when the fruit is beginning to ripen there is really no connection for 
the flow of sap. This would greatly interfere with the ripening process, 
