Norember 16, 1893, ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
437 
I T is many years since we have seen such heavy crops of 
Apples as were grown this season, yet there is every likelihood 
of the supply falling off very rapidly. As yet not a single early 
or midseason variety that has come under my notice is keeping 
really well, and, to all appearance, good Apples will be even scarcer 
at midwinter than they often are after what may be termed a very 
bad year for Apples. Duchess of Oldenburg was one of the first 
to indicate what we were to expect. Finer, cleaner-looking fruit 
of this variety I never gathered, yet within a fortnight of their 
being ripe not one was fit to use. Black spots first showed on the 
surface, and shortly after the disease, if such it may be termed) 
spread to the core, the fruit eventually either bursting or turning 
black. Irish Peach and Beauty of Bath among early dessert 
varieties, and Lord Suffield, Keswick Codlin, and Ecklinville of 
culinary sorts, all behaved very similarly, not a sound fruit being 
left at a time when they ought to be on the point of ripening. 
Manks Codlin being somewhat firmer kept rather better, but was 
past its best early in October, or more than a month earlier than 
usual. Warner’s King I have known keep well till the middle of 
December, but hereabouts it is doubtful if there were any sound 
fruit by October 7th. It was quite distressing to see the large, 
clean-looking fruit of this variety becoming first spotted and then 
black all over, but the tale of woe does not stop there. Tower of 
Glamis is over, while Hollandbury, Lemon Pippin and Reinette de 
Canada are giving signs of failing. Our sheet anchor, the Beauty 
of Kent, of which we have several large trees, gave us heavy 
crops as usual, but fully one-half of the fruits are spotted, 
and instead of being good till February, there will be none 
loft bv the middle of November. It is very doubtful if either 
Lane’s Prince Albert, Bramley’s Seedling, or Lady Henniker 
will keep at all well, though Wellington seems sound enough at 
present. 
Some of the dessert varieties are behaving better. King of the 
Pippins, Adams’ Pearmain, Ross Nonpareil, and Court Pendft P14t, 
though ripening somewhat out of season, being as yet quite sound 
and good. Of Cox’s Orange Pippin we gathered heavier crops of 
fine well-coloured fruits than usual, but these are keeping badly. 
At least one-third of the fruits are already spotted, and I am much 
afraid the rest will not keep long. When an Essex friend informed 
me, late in September, that he had then sent large quantities of 
this superior dessert Apple to the London markets, only getting 
about 2s. 6d. per bushel for them, I blamed him for his pre¬ 
cipitancy, but probably he did the right thing after all. Since 
then, or about a fortnight later, another large grower of hardy 
fruit intimated that he also had sold some Cox’s Orange Pippin, 
but either his samples were remarkably good or he found a better 
market, as his returns were at the rate of 7s. 6d. per bushel. In 
Somersetshire 3 peck baskets of Cox’s Orange Pippin only fetched 
Is. 6d., and did not go off very readily at that price. Blenheim 
Pippin being better known in country districts always sold well till 
this season, but those fruiterers who store for winter sales are very 
shy of their best paying Apple, and prices are very low indeed. 
Blenheim Pippin has also been consigned to Covent Garden in 
large numbers, and those who have sold the bulk of this variety 
at fairly good prices will get the best of the bargain, as it is very 
certain that few Blenheim Pippins will be found in a sound state 
No. 699.— VoL. XXVII., Third Series. 
in December—at any rate, not if they were grown in the south¬ 
western counties. 
Nothing could well be more disheartening than the outcome of 
this great season of plenty. Luckily the glutted state of the 
markets quickly had the effect of making the owners of heavy 
crops of Apples decide to at once convert these into cider. Persons 
who had not the proper appliances for making cider sent their fruit 
to those who were in a position to undertake the work at a fixed 
charge, and at one time the latter were greatly overworked. Had 
the bulk of orchard grown Apples been stored, there would, ere 
this, have been so many heaps of rotten fruit to deplore the loss of, 
and in any case this year’s experience must, to say the least, have 
a very disheartening effect upon numerous fruit growers who have 
been led to believe there are fortunes to be made in growing hardy 
fruit. 
It may be that it is only in certain districts that Apples are 
keeping so badly, though the complaint of early ripening is general 
enough. That they would ripen abnormally early was to be 
expected, but surely it was not the excessive heat that is responsible 
for the premature decay of the fruit. Presumably the American 
summers are always hotter than ours, yet their Apples keep well, 
and doubtless will not be long before they arrive in large 
consignments. It may be that their selections of varieties suit 
their climate in the same way that ours are the best, as a rule, for 
this country. Some of our great fruit growers and exhibitors, 
such as Messrs. Bunyard, Cheal, Pearson, Rivers, Watkins, Yeitch, 
and others who have very complete collections of Apples, in¬ 
cluding, doubtless, the best of the American varieties, ought to 
be able to supply some reliable information on this subject, 
and will greatly oblige by doing so. Are any of the Newtown 
Pippins, Baldwins, King of Tomkins County, and other American 
Apples grown in this country in a superior condition ? I have 
no doubt they will be finer in every way, but the question is 
do they promise to keep better than our own popular varieties ? 
If they do then ought more of them to be grown. Excep¬ 
tionally hot summers will doubtless be as few and far between 
in the future as in the past, but all tbe same it is well to be 
prepared for them. Already there are unmisCakeable signs that 
the selections of late years, especially in the case of market 
growers, have been too limited, those who formed them having 
probably erred in going too much to the extreme in the opposite 
direction of what our forefathers did. Apples pay best when 
growers are fortunate enough to have good crops in years of 
comparative scarcity, and this is more likely to happen when 
twenty-four instead of about twelve varieties are grown in 
quantity. Private growers are more given to plant a greater 
number of varieties, and may perhaps overdo it occasionally, yet 
may, occasionally, have good cause to be satisfied with what they 
have done in the matter. 
As yet I have not seen nor heard any attempt at explaining 
the cause or causes of this premature decay of Apples. In several 
cases the black spots under the skin were showing some time before 
the fruit was gathered ; in others they developed very quickly 
after storing. Either these unwelcome changes were brought 
about by the excessive heat, or what is more likely, they would not 
have occurred had there been no rainfall before the fruit was fit 
to gather. That Apples, as a rule, would have been undersized 
had the rain not fallen when it did was evident enough at one 
time, but I cannot help thinking chemical changes had already 
taken place, that is to say the starch and acids contained in them 
were fast being converted into sugar when the change in the 
weather came. Very premature ripening was prevented by a 
better supply of sap, but can any scientific observer state what 
would be the effect of the late addition of so much more watery 
matter to fruit on the point of ripening ? Was it or was it not the 
cause of our trouble ? Perhaps Mr. Abbey may be good enough to 
express his views on this subject.—W. Iggulden, Somerset. 
No. 2355.— VoL. LXXXIX., Old Series. 
