848 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 20, 1892. 
young sjecimens growing under ordinary conditions in an extensive 
nursery. 
The Allington Nurseries. 
The principal nursery, for there are more than one connected with 
Mr. Bunyard’s great business, is that adjoining Barming Station on the 
L.C. and D. railway, reached from London via Sevenoaks. It comprises 
96 acres, of which about 16 are under seeds and Potatoes, 30 under 
Roses, shrubs, and Conifers, and 50 under fruit trees. A goodly sight it 
presents on a brilliant October morning, and its condition is such as 
may be viewed with admiration by visitors and with pride by the pro¬ 
prietor. The trees are in serried ranks, thousands upon thousands ; but, 
although the rows represent a length of many miles, weeds are con¬ 
spicuous only by their absence. Everywhere order, cleanliness, and 
good culture are observable. Miles of healthy, thrifty trees betokening 
the practical cunning of the guiding hand. They are in perfect condition, 
vigorous but sturdy, with clean stems, perfectly developed leafage, and, 
in many instances, a crop of fine fruit, albeit gathering time has cleared 
many of their burden. 
Just such pleasure as is experienced in looking over a well-kept 
flower garden—the beds well furnished, the lawn even, the borders 
neat—is felt in following Mr. Bunyaid over his splendid nursery, and 
noticing the prevailing features. What other than a garden is it, though 
it run to scores of acres and contain no flowers save a few adventitious 
fruit blossoms ? Who will say there is no beauty in long ranks of Apple 
trees, some ruddy with fruit, but all bright, clean, and healthy? There 
is abundant variety about them too, even when fruitless, for each has 
its peculiarity of foliage or growth. Here is the somewhat meagre leaf¬ 
age of Stirling Castle, which forms fruit buds as it grows and therefore 
advances but slowly ; there are the thick stems and bold substantial 
leaves of Bramley’s Seedling, bearing very well on the Paradise here, 
though in heavier soil its one fault of tardy fruitfulness becomes appa¬ 
rent. Mi. Bunyard Knows them all. He goes through acre after acre, 
picking out one after another. They are like familiar children to him. 
When their fruit is off he knows them by their leaves ; when the leaves 
are off no doubt he knows them by their stems, and I should not like to 
say that if they were cut down he would be puzzled by the roots, for 
there the question of stocks comes in, and if anyone knows stocks well 
it is he. 
Tw»-year-old Bismarcks. 
There was one sight in the nursery at the time of my visit not soon 
to be forgotten, and that was a quarter of Bismarck two years old bear¬ 
ing three to six enormous fruits of the richest colour. They were from 
2 to 3 feet high, and very striking. What was particularly noticeable, 
too, was the fact that they were by no means stunted by their precocious¬ 
ness, but have made vigorous and healthy growth during the past 
season. Superb dishes of show fruit have been picked from these young 
trees, and there is not the slightest doubt that had it been marketed 
high prices would have been realised. We do not see much imported 
fruit of the weight, size, and colour of that gathered in abundance from 
Kentish soil. I do not know what Mr. Bunyard’s stock of Bismarck 
amounts to, but it must be an extensive one, and finer trees than those 
which compose it it would be hard to imagine. It would be difficult to 
speak too highly of the great Australian. In every respect it is an 
Apple of the highest class. It is a free and healthy grower, bears early 
and heavily, does well both on the Paradise and Crab stocks, is not 
delicate as to soil, and the fruit—which is large, heavy, and handsome— 
keeps well. It is a culinary variety, that has essentially come to stay. 
Order Bismark and order early, for last year the report on every hand 
was “ sold out,” and this year the demand will be still greater. Sterling 
Apples like this will sell—sell, I mean, both as trees and as fruit. The 
big Kentish market growers are after it, and will not be denied. They 
scent money in it, more, perhaps, than there is in the “ Ecks,” 
Grosvenors, and other of their reliables. Time will settle this point, but 
be sure that whatever its ultimate position as a market variety may be 
it is a grand garden Apple, and to be without it is to be behind the 
times. 
Old and New Apples. 
Mr. George Bunyard is blessed with more than average length of 
limb, and being now happily restored to health his stride is long and 
vigorous, so that anyone who can keep going with him at his best pace 
will see much in a couple of hours’ hard exercise at the Allington 
nursery. And he is a good guide, thoroughly at home among his trees 
and full of information about them. Old and new varieties pass in 
review. Here is Bismarck, the pride of the nursery, as I have said, and 
there a fine quarter of Lane’s Prince Albert, splendid on the Paradise 
for bush work, but rather slow in running up as a standard, hence 
established on the Kentish Goff. There is one magnificent break of 
about 14,000 trees, comprising two or three popular varieties, on the 
Paradise, without a weakling among them, but all healthy and vigorous. 
Then we observe the Hormead Fearmain, a dessert or cooking Apple, 
not sufficiently grown, being of good quality and an excellent keeper. 
Grenadier is in splendid condition also. Is this good Codlin going to 
make headway 1 Bramley’s Seedling on the Paradise is striking, for it 
is bearing a fair crop of handsome fruits. New Hawthornden and Potts’s 
Seedling are grown in enormous quantities, for these admirable Apples 
are in great demand. Lady Sudeley bears out what Mr. Bunyard has 
recently told us in the Journal —namely, that it must not be pruned hard. 
It is conspicuous, like Golden Noble, for the bareness of the lower part of 
the stems, and bears towards the tips of the shoots. Evidently it will be 
best suited by being left alone when pruning time arrives, except for 
thinning. This beautiful Apple is likely to become popular, for it is of 
very agreeable quality, and has soft, digestible flesh. It is an excellent 
early variety for eating from the tree. It will make a splendid free 
pyramid, and should be ordered. 
Summer Golden Pippin or Yellow Ingestrie, which, by the way, does 
better grafted than budded, is in much demand as a market variety, and 
is largely grown, for its beautiful little fruits sell well. Wealthy makes 
itself conspicuous by its rich and brilliant colouring. It is another of 
the Apples that are likely to grow in favour, and may be eaten either 
raw or cooked. Almost the same remarks apply to Baumann’s Winter 
Reinette, a beautiful Apple, and the tree a fine bearer. Tnree-year-old 
Dutch Mignonnes are loaded with fruit. Cornish Aromatic, a dessert 
variety of sprightly quality ; Cox’s Pomona, large and finely coloured ; 
Gascoigne’s Scarlet Seedling, a beautiful Apple and a free bearer, raised 
near Sittingbourne ; Gold Medal, a culinary variety, large and good- 
looking ; Okara, a distinct and well-flavoured Swedish Apple ; Peas- 
good’s Nonesuch, of which magnificent examples have recently been 
shown; Royal Jubilee, a new and promising culinary variety, well 
worthy of trial ; and the Queen, represented by some splendid fruits, are 
but a few of the others that are noticed. 
Trained Trees. 
Gridirons and toasting forks are useful household implements, while 
pitchforks prove their serviceable character elsewhere. All have their 
counterpart in the trained trees at Maidstone. We see Apple 
“ gridirons ” for the side of walks, where they serve the same purpose as 
espaliers, differing from them in having upright shoots springing from 
a horizontal tier instead of having several tiers of horizontals one above 
the other. Then we observe Pear“ toasting forks,” dwarf trained with 
three upright branches; and Pear “ pitchforks,” which have two 
uprights, and are admirably adapted for the pillars of walls. Amongst 
the Apples, however, nothing was more striking than the “ amateurs’ 
standards,” which are on the Paradise stock, half and full length stems. 
They are feathered with fruit spurs from base to summit, and could be 
fruited, cordon-like, on the stems until the branched heads came into 
bearing. These are recommended for private gardens where a combina¬ 
tion of standard trees and prompt bearing is required. The fruiting 
bushes on the Paradise are also admirable trees. They are trained with 
six or more branches springing from the base and wide apart, so that 
sun and air can have full play, and if the foundation thus laid in the 
nursery is followed up an admirable type of trees is secured. They are 
clothed with fruit buds, and ready for bearing next season. There are 
plenty of small bushes to be seen, about 4 feet high and 3 feet through, 
planted 6 feet apart, bearing from twelve to twenty splendid fruits. 
Espaliers with two, three, four, and five tiers are grown in abundance. 
Then there are espalier-trained trees for walls and cordons, both single 
and double, upright and horizontal, Apple and Pear in great numbers. 
Of these either young trees to be grown into a fruiting 6tate, or speci¬ 
mens studded with fruit spurs can be had. So far as securing trained 
trees is concerned it seems to be merely a question of ordering, for they 
are ready in all sorts, ghapes, and sizes, admirably trained, clean, in 
robust health and vigour. 
The Fruit Room. 
A grateful odour of ripe and ripening Apples—that piquant and 
mellow aroma which is so agreeable and refreshing—betrays the occu¬ 
pants of a heavily thatched structure in the open nursery. The fruit 
room is a very simple structure, and could be imitated cheaply. It is 
constructed of match-boarding, both top and sides, and thoroughly 
thatched from base to summit. Wire gauze ventilators at the top and 
sides insure a pure stream of air. The room is now a splendid sight. 
The broad shelves laden with the splendid fruit, which secured Mr. 
Bunyard a silver-gilt medal at Earl’s Court, present a significant and 
instructive spectacle. Here, indeed, is proof eloquent and conclusive of 
wbat English soil and English culture can do in the production of high- 
class fruit. It is not one variety alone, developed by special treatment, 
that gives such noteworthy results. The varieties number scores, grown 
under no other conditions than good soil, pure air, and general nursery 
management of a sound and practical character. The door of the fruit- 
room is open to visitors, so that all may learn the lesson that is conveyed 
by it, and those who have fruit they want naming can bring it for com¬ 
parison with the Maidstone fruit. The extreme care that is taken to 
keep all varieties true to name admits little chance of error. “ We are 
mortal,” says Mr. Bunyard, “and therefore not infallible, but all that 
can be done to keep things true we do.” 
The Other Nurseries. 
A pleasant drive from Allington to Maidstone takes us to'the home 
nurseries, a cluster of seven small places with about fifty houses. This 
is a surprise to many who fall into the way of classing Bunyard & Co. 
as fruit growers only. The florists’ department is both extensive and 
well kept. Then there are spacious shops and offices for the seed business 
and clerical work, a landscape gardener’s office and other conveniences. 
Besides these there is the Chiltern Nursery of eighteen acres where the 
Strawberries are grown, also shrubs and forest trees, in which the trade 
is by means small. Telephone communication connects all the chief 
centres with the head office, which is close to the S.E. railway station at 
Maidstone. Space permits of no further reference to the nurseries, but 
they are open to visitors from all parts. They teach a much-needed 
lesson of good management and of the benefits that accrue from soil 
culture, cleanliness, and plain wholesome fare. When the sound 
methods that characterise the work of George Bunyard and his 
lieutenants become widely imitated there will be great hope for fruit¬ 
growing at home.—W. P, W. 
