608 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ December 7, 1893. 
Eyery one had been planted with its stem 6 inches below the 
surface, and the plants died. Only last autumn I had to overhaul 
a recently planted shrubbery in which the plants were making no 
progress, and in this case also deep planting was the fault. A 
plant with the main roots showing on the surface, if staked and 
watered, will hardly die, and it is certain to make progress when 
once it is established. A plant with a buried stem, on the other 
hand, will never do well.—B. 
DEEPLY PLANTED CELERY. 
There are no doubt advantages as well as disadvantages attending 
the use of deep trenches for the growth of Celery, but it is 
doubtful if the value of deep planting was ever more fully exem¬ 
plified than in the present season, when shortness of water was a 
more common complaint than ever before experienced. Shallow 
rtrenches this year, with a restricted supply of water, must have 
.seriously affected this valuable winter crop, and especially in soils of 
a light sandy or gravelly nature. I have never before practised 
iauch deep planting as this year, one reason in particular being that 
the depth of soil available did not allow of it being adopted, but 
:had I resorted to the usual depth of trench our Celery crop must 
Jiave been a very indifferent one. As it is I think it will bear very 
favourable comparison with that obtained in seasons of greater 
■ rainfall. 
Beyond a light watering given at planting time no water could 
be spared for the Celery. Under ordinary circumstances the plants 
'.would have been flagging continuously for want of water, but 
<deep trenches with a high bank of soil on each side afforded a 
good means of protection from direct sunshine on the surface soil 
and roots. As much moist and decayed manure was worked into the 
trenches in the early spring, and these being of a sufficient width 
for planting two rows of Celery were better able to sustain mois¬ 
ture than a narrower one could do. After the plants had advanced 
well into growth the foliage completely filled the width of each 
trench, and this acted as good as a non-conductor to the drying 
winds and sunshine in a marked manner. 
In a wet summer possibly the chances of obtaining good Celery 
from such deep planting would not be so favourable ; but if the 
ground is well drained even then I do not see any objection to the 
system of deep planting, because with ample foliage much of the 
rain is transmitted to the sides from off the surface of the over¬ 
hanging leaves, and the roots are thus not in receipt of the whole 
of the rainfall. In double rows and deep trenches there is a 
natural gain of length of stem, and this more easily blanched than 
"is the case when the opposite course is followed. Earthing or 
moulding-up is a simple matter in the one case, when in the other, 
as less wide spaces are allowed between the trenches, it is difficult 
to keep the soil up ; especially is this so with sandy textured 
garden soil. There would seem to be a very general prejudice 
against the planting of double rows of plants in one trench, for it 
is observable that in the majority of gardens the single row is the 
one most commonly adopted. The idea is that it is more difficult 
to earth-up the plants in the autumn, or if not more difficult there 
is great risk of doing injury through the soil getting into the hearts 
in the course of “ banking ” up. I held this view of the matter, 
and abstained from adopting the double row system for several 
years ; but I find there is no more difficulty in the one case than 
in the other, and certainly it economises space very considerably, 
and quite as good material might be grown in double as in single 
lines. One advantage is gained in wide trenches by the greater 
height of the sides brought about by the breadth of soil removed. 
This makes the trenches appear deeper than is actually the case. 
■Ours are two spades in depth, and the loose “ crumbs ” serve to 
jjover the manure for planting in.—W. S., Rood Ashton. 
THE FRUIT KEEPING QUESTION. 
Not only as to “ the premature decay of Apples,” but also as 
to the keeping of Pears, is the question raised by Mr. Iggulden 
(page 437), a most interesting one, but it has been all through this 
.autumn season a very anxious one. W^hen a gardener’s supply is 
•reduced, he is called upon for a reason for the reduction, and the 
reason I have given is precisely the one suggested by Mr. Iggulden 
and supported by Mr. Cheal, and partly supported, but widened, 
by m^ neighbour, Mr. A. H. Pearson of Chilwell (page 487), “ that 
the rains which came after the long spell of dry weather filled to 
overflowing the sap vessels of the fruit; these being dried up and 
narrowed by the dry weather were not able to bear the strain, 
and that the after season was not long enough to elaborate and 
^^lUte that rush of sap ; hence, immatureness and premature 
In some such form as that I have endeavoured to explain when 
asked, “ How do you account for this excessive decaying of fruit ? ” 
I cannot say that our late Apples are keeping very badly. We gave 
them as long a time as we could before gathering, seeing that they 
had so much to do after the rains came, and now that they are 
stored away in our airy fruit chamber, they are keeping, what 
I may say, fairly well. Caldwells or Rymers, with Normanton 
Wonders, are two of our most reliable long keeping Apples, and 
we lay by a good store of these. The early Apples, as Early Julyan, 
Duchess of Oldenburg, and even Keswicks and Potts’ Seedling, 
we only retain sufficient for present consumption, putting the 
others into the market; and the “ Summerings,” with their strong, 
penetrative smell, we never keep by us at all. 
Pears, the early ones, have been the greatest trial. Gathered 
one day they seemed to be decayed the next, and it was most 
difficult to keep up a daily supply. Doyenne d’Ete, Jargonelle, Clapp’s 
Favourite (a very useful Pear this), and Williams’ Bon Chretien we 
were obliged to gather in sections, a basketful or so at a time. 
By so doing we prolonged our season very materially. Beurre 
d'Amanlis kept better, though, having trees in different positions, 
and gathering them at various times, a few at a time, may account 
for our longer time of consumption. Pitmaston Duchess fruited 
well, but I cannot join “ Northerner,” who writes so glowingly of it 
on page 495 in his estimate ; for though we get plenty of fruit, and 
on the walls of good size, too, we do not get that high table quality 
which makes people ask for it. Indeed, when I say that we stewed 
the bulk of ours it will be understood how it stands in our esti¬ 
mation, those at least which did not decay, for this was one this 
season which you could almost stand and see decay. 
Some of the Pears which are invariably good with me have this 
season been conspicuously uncertain. One favourite, Fondante de 
Charneu, was little better than a good young Turnip ; usually it 
is asked for more than any other in its season. To set against that 
Vicar of Winkfield is this year singularly good. We are using it 
now with much acceptance. Louise Bonne of Jersey were very 
good in quality, but smaller than usual, and kept the best of all 
save one, and that is a December Pear, not in much cultivation, 
Epine du Mas. It is a prolific bearer, of good quality, the fruit 
keeps well, and comes in at a most acceptable time. We have just 
finished them, and are now using Winter Nelis, always a welcome 
fruit in the dining-room. Josephine de Malines and Easter 
Beurre are keeping fairly well, and will be in very soon. Nec Plus 
Meuris and Glou Mor 9 eau did not fruit very well this year, but 
are keeping well, though in each of these varieties their season is 
about a month earlier than usual, and the Pear consumption will 
therefore be limited by that amount of time. Beurre Sterckmans 
did so badly in ripening out that I headed them down, and worked 
other varieties upon them. 
I must go back a little and say that I have only words of un¬ 
stinted praise for such Pears as Doyenne Boussoch, Doyenne du 
Comice, Marie Louise d’Uccle, Marechal de Cour, and Emile 
d’Heyst, as well as Fondante d’Automne, but as for Beurre de 
Oapiaumont, Beurre Clairgeau, Beurre Bose, Beurre Van Mons, and 
Fertility, the less said about them the better. The last-mentioned 
Pear is unquestionably a heavy and constant bearer, much 
more so than the old Hessle, but its table quality is very low. That 
is as I have proved it ; it may do differently elsewhere. That 
fact, by the way, is a truth which a long experience has given me, 
that a fruit, or vegetable indifferent in one place may be quite the 
opposite in another, and therefore I find it wise not to dogmatically 
condemn anything in the fruit and vegetable line, but just 
chronicle my own personal experience. Fertility has had, however, 
one feature this year, and that is to die off, as to its leaves, in 
ruddy glory, as red almost as that of a Virginian Creeper. These 
fruit experiences are very interesting reading to me, and so I 
venture to send this small contribution.—N. H. P., Notts. 
THE CRYSTAL PALACE COMPANY’S SEPTEMBER 
FRUIT SHOW. 
The present appears to me to be an opportune time to express a hope 
that the Crystal Palace Company may next year resume the holding of 
an exhibition of choice and other fruit in conjunction with the National 
Dahlia Show the first week in September. This unfortunately has 
been discontinued the last two years, owing, I suppose, to the fact that 
a fruit Show embodying all the fruit classed included in the “Palace 
schedule ” was to be held at Earl’s Court, London, in 1892, and a 
series of little fruit shows held in the same place during the past summer, 
and which latter shows appear, judging from recent correspondence in 
the Journal, not to have given the same satisfaction to prizewinners 
that resulted from the management of the International Fruit Show 
held in the same place last year. 
I think it would be a great pity—not to say a pomological calamity— 
that there should exist any cause or causes to prevent the Crystal Palace 
