December 8, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
503 
with crowded examples, and their energies are supported by 
timely top-dressings. Late in winter a dressing of kainit and 
superphosphate, spread from the stem of the tree outward to the 
utmost expanse of the branches, is applied, and when the fruit is 
set a light sprinkling of nitrate of soda follows. Thus nourished, 
experiment has proved that trees will carry a much heavier and 
finer crop to perfection than those which—from negligence, 
ignorance, or false motives of economy—are left without special 
support. Few fruit growers on a large scale think it worth while 
to feed their trees systematically, but they rarely omit to grumble 
at low prices. Ask the farmer himself to work hard without food, 
and he would put you down as either a madman or a fool; but he 
thinks himself neither mad nor foolish in expecting his trees to do 
the same thing. 
I come, therefore, to the point of my title, “ Prices and 
Quality ” of Apples. They are closely allied. It is useless to talk 
about low prices when no systematic and complete attempt is 
made to improve quality. Properly managed and properly fed 
trees wi’l yield large and finely-coloured fruit. Neglected and 
badly nourished trees will yield poor examples. The one is the 
4s. 6d. and 6s. per bushel tree ; the other the 2s. and 2s. 6d. per 
bushel one. These words are not written vaguely and without 
knowledge. They could be supported by equally cogent cases— 
not hypothetical, but hard incontestable facts—if it were neces¬ 
sary. The lesson of excellence is written in large and bold 
characters on every instance of success. Whether the old-world 
growers recognise it or not does not matter—except to themselves. 
An intimate insight into the methods that are pursued and their 
results enable a ground to be taken up with respect to hardy fruit¬ 
growing for profit that no idle speculations as to accumulations of 
capital can shake. Let the big men accumulate their capital as 
they will, they cannot make trees bear profitable crops without 
managing them properly. Goulds and Astors may be possible in 
millionaire-ridden America, but fruit growers here need not fear 
them. If the smaller men will but cling tenaciously to the rock 
of quality they need not shrink from the encounter with others 
who save money by shirking good management and spend it on 
mere increase of numbers, for this will only multiply the bushels 
of poor fruit which find their way into the market, leaving the 
same opening for high-class fruit that there has been, is now, and 
always will be.—W. P. W. 
ADIANTUM FARLEYENSE. 
Since several of your correspondents are giving their experience of 
the above beautiful Fern, perhaps you will allow me space to describe a 
pair which I have here. Some five or six years since I had a magnificent 
specimen. It was then in a pot 36 inches in diameter. The plant 
measured 7 feet in diameter, and it took first prize and a medal at a 
local show. Finding a difficulty in accommodating it, however, I 
reluctantly split it into a number of pieces, which were placed in 
pots varying from 4 inches to those of 7 inches in diameter. The 
following year two of the most promising of these were selected and 
placed in 9-inch pots. I may state that by way of experiment one of 
these was potted in turfy loam and sand exclusively, the other being 
placed in peat, loam, leaf soil, and sand in about equal proportions. In 
•other respects they have been treated exactly alike. 
The following year they were removed to pots 12 inches in diameter, 
the plant growing in loam being placed in similar material; the other 
plant was also potted as before. Of the two plants, that growing in 
loam is the finer ; the fronds are a little larger, and of a deeper 
colour when fully developed, and of more delicate rose colour when in 
a young state. As regards the difference in the size of the plants 
there is not much to choose. They are very fine, measuring a little 
under 5 feet each, and are greatly admired by all visitors to these 
gardens. 
There are two things this Fern has a decided objection to—viz., 
water impregnated with lime and which has not been exposed to the 
sun, and being potted in peat of bad quality exclusively, which is often 
done. Where peat of really good quality cannot be obtained I would 
certainly use turfy loam and half-decayed leaf soil. 
This Fern has a decided preference to cow manure in a liquid state. 
Where the water is charged with lime it should be exposed to the sun 
for some days before it is applied. I may say that these plants are 
looked over two or three times each year, and the dead and dying 
fronds taken away and staked out in order to give light and air to the 
young growth.—T. Arnold, Cirencester House. 
I CAN fully endorse, from my own observation and cultivation, the 
remarks of your correspondents, in which they state how much better 
this beautiful Fern succeeds in a compost in which good fibry loam 
forms the chief ingredient ; and more especially the note by “ J. J. C.” 
(page 478), for having seen the healthy plants that he grows I am able 
to bear him out as to the compost recommended. It is astonishing how 
difficult it is to try to restore plants after once getting into a bad con¬ 
dition, and I am certain that with careful crocking ot the pots—for this 
is very essential to the well-being of this Fern—and loam used in 
preference to peat, that success will very much sooner be attained, for in 
the latter the fronds never seem to get the same vigorous texture. I have 
for some years past grown a large plant, which is now some 4 feet across, 
in the early vinery, the shade in the summer being just sufficient 
to give the fronds a very pleasing shade of green. I never syringe it, 
but am never afraid of giving it copious supplies of water when neces¬ 
sary, for I know of no Fern that suffers so quickly if allowed for once to 
become dry at the roots. The compost used consists of three parts loam 
with all loose soil shaken out and one of good leaf mould with sufficient 
red sandstone broken up into small pieces and silver sand to keep the 
whole porous. I have had plants which have done remarkably well in 
an intermediate temperature.—E. P. E. 
COLOUR IN YINE LEAVES. 
I have always been struck with the beautiful colouration the Vine 
foliage puts on here upon the approach of autumn ; and although we 
try to supply the Vine’s wants as far as lay in our power, yet I am not 
of the same opinion as Mr. Dunkin that this said colouration is due to 
cultural treatment alone. For a case in point. Mr. Buchanan states 
that with him Alicante does not colour at all, at least not in the same 
sense as we mean by colouring. Now with me this variety colours 
beautifully, the harmonious blending of crimson, green, and yellow 
being most beautiful. I have gathered a number this season off the sub¬ 
laterals for garnishing fruit. In the gathering I noticed that where one 
leaf partially covered another there the crimson colouration was void. 
Lady Downe’s and Mrs. Pince’s Black Muscat also colour very 
prettily. The palm, however, for very rich colouring must be awarded 
to Madresfield Court grafted on Black Hamburgh. The leaves of this 
are of a brilliant crimson colour, This season I was nearly losing a 
number of the primary leaves. A lady had noticed them, and had 
already culled a number of them, they looked so pretty for church 
decoration at the harvest festival.—A. Young, Abterley Hall. 
Mr. D. Buchanan (page 455) writes on the high colouration their 
Vine leaves have attained, and asks what can be the cause of it. 
Would Mr. Buchanan let us know if he has observed if the autumn 
tints of deciduous trees are brighter about Kippen than anywhere 
else he has been ? The soil above the 50 feet old sea-beach about 
Kippen is overlying the old red sandstone formation and is very much 
impregnated with iron, which gives the stone a bright red colour. The 
soil is also reddish in colour. Where no rock is near the surface the 
subsoil is in most parts a reddish till. May not the iron which the soil 
contains have something to do with the colouration of the Vine leaves 
Would Mr. Abbey say whether soil highly impregnated with iron—as I 
take the Kippen soil to be by its colour—gives a richer tint to maturing 
foliage than soil with only slight traces of it ?— G. McDougall, Stirling. 
A correspondent writes :—“ Mr. Dunkin’s conclusions (page 487) 
in regard to colour in Vine leaves are at variance with both theory 
and practice. Enclosed are three leaves picked up under Vines, recently 
planted in two new vineries, of Gros Colman, Madresfield Court, and 
Alnwick Seedling. The Vine eyes were put in over a year ago, so that 
all have had the same treatment up to the present, yet some of the bes f 
Vines have shed their leaves without rich colouring.” 
[The last sentence is printed exactly as it was written ; it appears 
somewhat incomplete,as all the leaves are highly coloured.] 
DOUBLE CHINESE PRIMROSES AT LEATHERHEAD. 
I feel it is safe to aver that there are very few places in the king¬ 
dom where double Chinese Primroses are better grown than at Leather- 
head, Surrey. 1 confess that to me the finely flowered plants of these 
beautiful winter flowers, which were shown at that place last week, 
were a surprise. I believe these plants are shown well at Birming¬ 
ham, but here they were done well also by comparatively small 
gardeners, who certainly do know how to grow them in first-class form. 
The recent Show evidenced this, for there i3 in the schedule a class 
for six plants, and Mr. Peters, a gardener in the town, was placed 
first, as I learn he always is. Another gardener (Mr. Mileham) ran 
him very close ; and Mr. Mease had capital plants also. The first-prize 
six plants, all being in 6-inch pots, were from 15 to 16 inches across, and 
very dwarf, at least not more than 7 inches in height. They carried 
each from eight to ten trusses, and expanded blooms in number from 
fifty to sixty. They were all of the pure white variety White Lady. 
Why, when this large-flowered sort can be grown so well, we should hear 
so much of the relatively poor-flowered old double white it is hard to 
understand. 
Mr. Mileham’s plants included one of the deep flesh tinted Annie 
Hillier, the rest being Whits Lady. These were as large and as fully 
flowered, but were not so compact as 'were Mr. Peters’s plants. Mr. 
Mease’s six included three plants of Marchioness of Exeter (the finest 
though not quite the purest double white), and the rest White Lady. 
They were only placed third because not quite so early, but a few weeks 
hence they will be fine plants. There seems to be no particular difficulty 
found in growing these double Primroses. They are the products of 
spring-rooted cuttings, grown on in pots during the summer. Allowing 
that each good plant will carry 100 blooms during a winter season, it is 
obvious that the returns for these should be considerable and very 
profitable, especially that of White Lady, the flovers are so large and so 
enduring.— A. D. 
