242 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 15, 1331. 
usually of a bright and interesting character, and this year they are no 
exception to the rule. 
In this, as in the other parts noted, a change in the style of bedding 
has taken place during the past few years, but the carpet system here 
still retains a good hold, Much may be said for as well a3 against 
carpet bedding, for although not now generally appreciated it must be 
admitted that when properly done it affords evidence, if nothing else, of 
the high development of a gardener’s skill. In Victoria Park the 
carpets are really good, and perhaps they never looked better than at 
present. When the flowering plants are covered with bright bloom the 
colours of the foliage of those used in carpet bedding pale ; but a3 soon 
as the former begin to fade, the latter appear to advantage. Such 
wa3 the state of things in this park during the latter part of last week. 
The majority of the Pelargoniums and other ordinary bedding plants are 
past their best now, notwithstanding the attempt that i3 being made to 
prolong the display by the removal of faded blooms. But the carpet 
beds are really worth a visit. The designs are good—not too fantastic, 
and the colours are charmingly arrangel. The Alternantheras are 
particularly bright, and the white foliage of Cineraria maritima shows 
to advantage in many beds. 
Near the entrance from the Victoria Park Road there is a grand 
circular bed of Pelargoniums, variegated and zonal, planted in triangles. 
In the front of these there are triangles of Golden Treasure Fuchsia, the 
centres being filled with Coleus Verschaffelti. The whole arrangement 
is edged with blue Lobelia and Echeverias. Pelargoniums have evidently 
been very fine, but Tuberous Begonias do not appear to have done well. 
Mixed beds are numerous, and among them hardy plants are noticeable, 
several fine clumps of Anemone japonica alba showing up well. This 
grand autumn blooming plant should be more extensively used for bed¬ 
ding purposes. 
Another conspicuous feature in this park are the beds of succulents. 
One arrangement of this kind is particularly effective. It is a large 
circular bed in the centre of which is a fine Agave, similar plants of a 
less size being set at equal distances over the bed. Between these are 
succulents of various kinds, the groundwork being Mesembryanthemum 
cordifolium variegatum ; a fine edging of Echeverias completes the display. 
Several banks near the ornamental lake are similarly planted; the 
ground in the front portion i3, however, occupied by Antennaria 
tomentosa. Sub-tropical plants are good, and several arrangements of 
these near bright carpet beds form a splendid contrast. 
The borders of hardy flowers deserve a word, though these are not 
so numerous as they might be. Still, the few that exist are now gay 
with autumn flowers, comprising masses of perennial Sunflowers, 
Chrysanthemums, and annuals of kinds. On the whole the display in 
this Park is quite up to the usual standard, and fully maintains the 
reputation it has so long held for effective bedding.—C. C. 
REVIEW OF BOOK, 
Fruit Culture. By J. Cheal, F.R.H.S. London: G. Bell & Sons, 
York Street, Covent Garden. 
We take from our pile of books, some of which have waited 
long for the attention they merit, Mr. Cheal’s handy and useful 
volume on fruit culture, and a reference to it at the present time 
will not be inopportune. It is included in Messrs. Bell & Sons’ 
agricultural series, and fittingly has a place amongst them, for fruit¬ 
growing must be more distinctly recognised in the future than it 
has been in the past as deserving the attention of cultivators of 
land, whether on a large or comparatively small scale. As nothing 
can so well indicate the character of a book as a few citations from 
it we will Jet the work speak for itself. British neglect and 
American enterprise, as well as the prospective supply and demand 
for fruit, are treated as follows :— 
Our own cultivators, or rather possessors of orchards which have to a 
great extent been uncultivated, are in the meantime crying out that 
they cannot sell the Apples that they already grow; but the reason of 
thi3 is not far to seek. The Apples sent to market from these orchards 
will be found in most cases to be such a mixture that the housewife can 
find amoDgst them any sort except the ones she needs, and they appear 
to have had in gathering the treatment by the farmer that Talpa recom¬ 
mended him to give to his clods, in the old book “ The Chronicles of a 
Clay Farm:”— 
“ Mingle, mingle, mingle, all ye who mingle may, 
Bine spirits and white, black spirits and grey.” 
This treatment is all right for the clods, but all wrong for the Apples. 
The American orchardists have seen their opportunity, and taken it. 
They have noted the requirements of our markets and have set them- 
8elves to work to meet those requirements, and they have by careful 
study and scientific practice been able to produce and place upon our 
markets thousands and tens of thousands of bushels of Apples of good 
•quality, especially handsome in appearance, regular in size, and uniform 
in quality. These find a ready sale, not only in large cities but also in our 
provincial towns, and even in our country villages, at the very doors of 
those who could grow just as good themselves, and who are perhaps 
complaining of bad times, and the hopelessness of making corn growing 
pay- 
But the responsibility for this state of things is by no means confined 
to the farmer, the lethargy of the landowners with respect to this matter 
is unaccountable. They have been standing still with their tenants, 
and supplying themselves with fruit from across the water instead ot 
from their own lands. 
Apples that can be produced of such handsome appearance and 
placed on our markets in such fine condition are sure to sell, and people 
will continue to buy until we can supply them with a sufficient quantity 
of better fruit at home. And that the quality of our fruit, of the best 
varieties, when grown with care and scientific skill, is superior to that 
from over the water is abnudantly proved by the much higher price 
invariably realised for such fruit. Highly coloured skins do not always 
indicate the highest quality inside, and most of the American fruits are 
dry and woolly compared with the juicy lusciousness of our own prime 
English fruit. The moral obviously is, that those who grow the fruit 
must produce the highest quality. The fruit must be cultivated, and 
not allowed simply to grow. 
That a movement has set in in this direction is very evident, as 
shown by the agricultural returns of fruit planted in this country, 
which exhibit an increase during the last two years to the extent of 
12.000 acres, as against a decrease in the previous year of 500 acres; 
so that pessimists are beginning to say, “ Ah, ye3 ! now it will be over¬ 
done ; ” but there is no prospect or possibility of this for many years to 
come. With the increase of supplies of good fruit the consumption will 
extend enormously, and the supply will create further demand. As a 
proof of this take the case of Tomatoes. The consumption of these 
twenty years ago was confined tq a very limited number, but now that 
people have become educated to their use and have discovered their 
wholesome qualities, they are in daily demand by the million, and their 
growth has probably increased a hundredfold during that period. An 
interesting calculation in the “Country Gentlemen,” an American 
organ, as to the quantity of fruit that might and ought to be consumed 
by the people is given as follows :— 
“ Each member of every family should have on an average 1 lb. of 
fruit daily—3ome will eat more some less—either fresh or cooked. How 
many pounds will that be in each day ? There are 40,000,000 persons 
in the whole country old enough and well enough to eat fruit, which 
would be 40,000.000 lbs. or nearly 20,000 tons daily consumption. 
Taking the year through it would amount to 7,000,000 tons. The daily 
consumption of fruit would prevent many persons from eating or 
imbibing what is much worse, and at the same time it would contribute 
greatly to health and prevent disease. We want more enterprise, 
skill, calculation, and management to raise and properly distribute these 
7,000,000 tons.” 
Then the author goes on to utter words of caution and of 
warning against too great expectations from rushing hastily into 
fruit-growing. He says :— 
Those who enter upon fruit culture must not, however, expect to 
make fortunes in a year. Much ha3 been said and written which is wide 
of the truth as to profits—so wide indeed that it does much harm instead 
of good. Exaggeration and over-statement only weaken the argument 
and raise suspicion, and ultimately lead to disappointment, in those 
who listen to and act upon it. But there is abundant proof that those who 
plant carefully, and cultivate with common sense, to say nothing of 
scientific skill, reap a fair return for their outlay and labour. This is 
proved, not merely by large growers for market but by a considerable 
number of small cultivators .... But many points will have to 
be thought out and determined before even commencing. There will 
be the question of whether you have a retail outlet for your 
fruit, or whether is must be sent to a wholesale market, whether 
you would be likely to get a better return for early or late 
varieties, and whether you have a jam factory or other means of 
disposing of the fruit. All these considerations would have a bearing 
upon the varieties to plant, and upon the general arrangement. These 
points being determined by the intending grower he should then select 
his position accordingly, or if thi3 is already fixed, he will determine his 
action from his surroundings. Then let him steadily pursue his purpose 
and not be daunted or turned from it by the first or second failure ; but 
having made sure that he is on the right course, go steadily ahead. 
Discussing the system of land tenure, which has proved the 
reverse of encouraging to the planting of fruit trees, Mr. Cheal 
writes :— 
The most satisfactory arrangement seems to be for the landlord to 
find the trees and the tenant to find the labour, and prepare the ground 
for planting. It is, of course, to their mutual interest to select good 
trees of the right varieties, and to plant and cultivate them properly. 
It is also especially to the interest of the tenant to maintain and 
cultivate them well, in order to realise the best return from them in the 
shortest possible time, and he will be naturally anxious to continue his 
tenancy as long as possible in order to reap the full benefit of his first 
outlay ; and the landlord is thus likely to secure a good thriving tenant, 
and to see his property considerably increasing in value. There is then 
at the expiration of the tenancy no vexed question respecting valuation 
and compensation. 
An instance came under my notice a short time since of a landlord 
who some years ago expended about £20 an acre in planting Apples for 
a tenant, upon land which previously let for £1 per acre. The land 
has now for many years been let at £4 per acre, whilst the land 
adjoining is still let for £1 per acre. Therefore the £20 outlay in 
planting fruit has yielded to the landlord £3 per annum, which is not 
a bad interest on the outlay, to say nothing of the largely increased 
