December 7, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
507 
self-fertilising list, and its fruit is not bad eating. General Todleben 
is very free, also Beurre Diel and Beurr4 Langelier. The latter is a 
good Pear, but I cannot recommend the General owing to its grittiness, 
and Beurre Diel cracks seriously in the open in wet seasons, but is 
excellent from a wall. Marie Louise d’Uccle is also a self-fertiliser, 
and bears heavy crops of not very juicy fruit. Van Mons Leon le 
Clerc has a fine blossom, but tender, yet sets well in warm situations. 
It bears large, handsome fruits when trained to a south wall. Jean 
de Witte can hardly forbear setting good crops on itself and others 
near it, besides it runs Winter Nelis hard for quality. Bergamotte 
Esperen seldom fails to set full crops, and the fruit attains better 
size, acquires more colour, and is freer from grit when grown against 
a south wall. For a specimen of self-fertilisation none excel Passe 
Crasanne, it will blossom and set even on the current year’s wood. 
Non self-fertilising varieties .—Let us first take Prof. Waite's list. 
Bartlett (Williams’ Bon Chretien) a sad but true indictment. (Dr. 
Jules Guyot is better as a cropper and in appearance. Its blossom 
is hardy and self-fertilising, and being good for market might be 
planted along with Williams’ Bon Chretien to mutual advantage, for 
the Dr. has not the quality of Williams’ nor anything like it). 
Beurre d’Anjou, one of the finest Pears, has a tender blossom, and 
Clapp’s Favourite is subject to shrunken pollenless anthers. As to 
BeurrfS Clairgeau it is usually well provided with the essential fertili¬ 
sation organs. Sheldon, a medium sized, high flavoured variety, of 
Mt. Vernon I cannot find a reference, and Lawrence, medium size, 
lemon yellow, rich flesh, and grown for shipment,are American varieties 
of which I know nothing only from report. Howell also is an American 
variety, said to be rather large, juicy, brisk and vinous. Louise 
Bonne of Jersey certainly has a tender blossom, but I cannot exactly 
admit its incapability of self-fertilisation. Souvenir du Congres 
blossom is tender, and, like Clapp’s Favourite and Williams’ Bon 
Chretien, the fruit is liable to scab fungus. Winter Nelis has a 
poor blossom anything but hardy, also Beurr6 Bose, but it bears 
grandly near Jean de Witte, and is a very fine Pear, while of 
Easter Beurre I cannot say that its blossom is not self-fertilising, 
but of its fruit I have nothing good to say except long keeping. 
Beurre Superfin, my second favourite Pear, the impeachment is only 
too true as regards its requiring aid in setting the fruit. 
Jargonelle and Windsor are apt to produce a number of antherless 
blossoms, and these usually drop, for the bees are not particularly 
fond of the flowers of either variety, yet the perfect blossoms set the 
fruit well. Beurrd d’Amanlis, usually fertile, I have quite sterile, its 
handsome blossoms being devoid of pollen in the anthers. Seedlings 
from it, as Backhouse’s Beurre, are remarkably fertile, and in some 
cases the variety bears constantly. These changes are mere vagaries. 
Princess certainly is more self-fertilising than Louise Bonne of 
Jersey, for it is hardier as a tree, as well as in blossom. Thompson’s 
—my third favourite Pear—and Marie Louise have tender blossoms, 
and in many cases the pistillate as well as the staminate organs are 
defective, and they set the fruit better placed near varieties that 
afford pollen abundantly. Beurr4 Hardy is the worst setter I am 
acquainted with—plenty of blossom and only a fruit here and there— 
qualities making everyone long for more. Jersey Gratioli seems 
incapable of self-fertilisation, and Hacon’s Incomparable bears 
erratically—sometimes enormously, and then forgets to produce a 
decent blossom, much less fruit. Knight’s Monarch, unsurpassed for 
musky flavour, holds its fruit better if cross-fertilised and well 
thinned and supported at the roots. 
Glou Morgeau has less deformed fruits if the blossoms are cross- 
fertilised. Beurre Sterckmans appears to have a tender blossom, but 
it and Ne Plus Meuris do well in company against a wall. Brown 
Beurre sometimes sets its fruit well, and at others has very defective 
blossoms and only a sprinkling of fruit. Duchesse d'Angoul^me is 
not nearly so free bearing as Pitmaston Duchess—a very much over¬ 
praised Pear, for it is coarse in looks and in quality—not as good as 
Duchesse d'Angouleme for the shops. These are a few varieties that 
occur to my mind as requiring aid in fertilising, either by planting 
varieties near them for bees to transfer the pollen, or by using a 
camel’s hair brush—an interesting and useful occupation. 
Some of the best for affording pollen are Belle Julie, Colmar 
d’Ete, Doyenne du Comice, Durondeau, Eyewood, Emile d'Heyst, 
Fondante d’Automne, Josephine de Malines, Triomphe de Vienne, 
besides the others specially referred to.—Q. Abbey. 
THOUGHTS ON SHRUBS. 
The management of shrubs as a part of a gardener’s duty 
does not receive so much attention as it ought to do. Generally 
the first serious thought a young gardener devotes to shrubs or 
shrubberies is when he is brought face to face with some problem 
on their treatment, and he discovers that he has to rely on an 
uninstructed judgment for a solution. But young gardeners are 
not solely to blame for being largely ignorant of this department 
of ornamental gardening, as on too many estates shrubs are 
not properly cultivated. Apart from this, however, one does 
not find young men very keen of taking advantage of any 
opportunities that occur for benefiting themselves by a little insight. 
On the surface, the cultivation of fruit and of flowers forms a Uaore 
alluring occupation. One sees results in these instances, within a 
short space of time, but with shrubs and trees there always inter¬ 
venes a period of waiting. While such is the case it must not be 
too hastily conceived that no pleasure is to be extracted from 
shrub culture. There is indeed a great amount of gratification, 
and personally I am quite as pleased to see these plants do 
well as others in departments more closely connected with the 
garden. 
In open situations and with soil of fairly good quality shrub 
cultivation presents no difficulties, but when one is called upon to 
form living screens, with sand and gravel as a rooting medium, or, 
even worse, to plant underneath overshadowing trees in soil inter¬ 
laced with roots, we experience some difficulty. In neither case, so 
far as my experience goes, is it possible to achieve success without 
incurring expense, or without more than usual labour. Few plants 
take kindly to gravel, and even fewer thrive on the fragments left 
by century-old trees ; nor do they appreciate the continued shade. 
I have seen much money wasted in trying to get shrubs to grow 
under such circumstances without first preparing the ground and 
by indiscriminately planting anything that came to hand without 
taking into consideration adaptability as to position. The best shrub 
for growing under trees is the Holly, the common sort being excel¬ 
lent ; but both Ilex Hodginsi and I. maderiensis nigra are good, and 
much bolder in effect than common seedlings. Yews and Portugal 
Laurels do fairly well, and where the shade is only slight Rhodo¬ 
dendrons succeed, as also do common Laurels. Small plants of 
any of these are of no use, but strong, vigorous, well rooted 
specimens, which in those estates where shrubs are looked after are 
always to be had, ought alone to be employed. 
The plants there ought to be protected against dryness, and the 
roots of the trees among which they are planted. I go to work in 
this way in order to circumvent the intruders. First of all a hole 
large enough to hold the ball of the plant with an extra allowance 
of 6 inches all round for new soil is made. The plant is then put 
in, the new soil, in our case generally decaying compost, is added, 
and made firm, and then at a distance of 9 inches or so from the 
outer limit of the hole a circle is cut with the spade. This keeps 
the roots of the trees in check until the newly planted shrub 
becomes established. Another important matter is to apply water 
even at this season, that is to say if there appears any dryness 
about the site. During the following spring and summer, 
water will in all probability be required by the plants at short 
intervals. The care taken in this respect during the first year is 
amply compensated for, as apart from the plants being kept in good 
health there will be no further need to go over the work another 
year, as I have seen happen more than once in similar circum¬ 
stances. An occasional dressing of manure, or of soil put on about 
this time of year, will keep them in vigorous health. 
The method I have adopted with success where the soil is very 
gravelly consists in selecting strong plants with fibrous roots, in 
making the hole for the same double the size necessary to hold the 
ball, and in filling in with good soil or compost. Dryness during 
the spring and summer must not be allowed, and repeated 
mulchings of short grass, or of manure if it can be spared, are 
most helpful. The importance of the latter is very great, and 
shrubs or trees ought not to be neglected in that respect. If a 
shrub or a tree is growing in impoverished soil neither will be 
ornamental, and the ordinary grass would be more pleasing to the 
eye. Along with other Conifers, I had an Abies Nordmanni to 
plant, the latter securing perhaps the most gravelly site. As a 
matter, of course, it did not grow very well ; but a barrowful of cow 
manure applied one autumn made a difference for the better. More 
the next year, worked a still further improvement, and^ at present 
this specimen looks very flourishing indeed. I have during the past 
week used about three tons of animal excreta all applied to 
shrubs. Upon the roots of Rhododenrons growing in poor soil 
these surfacings of good manure act like magic. Old worn out 
stumps become quite energetic, produce strong growths, and in due 
course flower as well as those which have much better chances. 
Variegated plants such as Hollies, Yews, Retinosporas and others, 
when surface dressed with manure or soil of rich quality have 
better colouring than when left to grow without any manurial 
aid. 
A common error in planting is in placing the roots too deep. 
Two years ago I recommended to a gentleman some hedging plants 
the same as I had myself. In the spring he complained they were 
looking badly, and “ Would I see what I thought was wrong i 
