November 10, 189S. 1 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
415 
individual trees have been lifted give an idea of the character of the 
roots. They are not narrow, deep excavations, but broad shallow 
basins, many 5 feet across and about 2 deep. The trees lift with an 
almost circular mass of fibres springing from the bole, and these are 
spreaiout to the fullest extent when planted again. By shortening 
in the earlier stages of the tree the coarse roots are practically done 
away with, and thousands of small feeders substituted for them. The 
branches are trained-in with great care. No crossing is allowed, and 
the man who lays in one shoot above another promptly hears about it, 
for all the work is carefully supervised. Thus it is that the wood is 
always stout and well ripened. Sun and air have free play upon it, and 
fruitfulness follows as a mere course of nature. Thousands of trees of 
the ordinary fan-shape are represented, and besides them there are others 
of all characters and heights. There are lialf-standards with 3-feet 
stems, and standards with 6-feet stems. Many have a spread of 7 feet 
of branches, with a height of 3 to 4 feet, and triple buds stud the shoots 
laid in all over the trees. They are the perfection of good management, 
and if the treatment extended to them could be imitated with others 
there would be hope of the lost art of Peach growing being found 
again, 
Transplanted Apples and Pears. 
The practice at Southfields teaches a wholesome lesson on the 
management of Apples and Pears as well as of Peaches and Nectarines. 
Transplanting is as firmly believed in in their case, and the results are 
equally marked. In the place of long, soft, sappy shoots, which, if 
shortened as they would be by many, would produce more of a like 
character, there are sturdy, well ripened, thoroughly matured growths 
with plump fruit buds bristling on the greater part of their length. 
They are young shoots, it should be noted, with single buds, not stubby 
old growths with spurs. To prune such trees carelessly would mean a 
gross waste of fruit, for most likely the young shoots would be shortened 
to the one or two wood buds at the base, and the fruit buds above them 
cut away. Frequent transplantation and thin disposal of the branches 
are the secret of their fruitful character. Whether the stock be the 
Quince or Pear, Paradise or Crab, whether the trees be bushes for the 
open ground or trained for walls and espaliers, the general character 
is precisely the same. Light and air, play amongst the branches 
unobstructed, and their influences may be traced in the present 
character of the trees and in the splendid array of dishes with which 
the firm secured a gold medal at the last Earl's Court Exhibition. 
These young bushes produce magnificent fruit without rich feeding. 
Cordon Pears are very largely represented, for they are in great 
demand. Three-year-old trees that have fruited are full of buds for 
another season. Transplanted Apples on the Paradise, 4J to 5 feet high, 
are a mass of fruit buds from bottom to top. Young gridiron and 
palmette Pears are the same. There is a growing demand for the latter 
class. Standards are represented with both open and trained heads to 
suit all positions. Fan and espalier trees of the best varieties are 
represented in all sizes. A couple were lifted while I looked on to 
illustrate the character of the roots, and both on the Pear and Quince 
stocks they were a mass of fibres. 
Plums and Cherries. 
Trained Plums transplanted in spring are full of flower buds. They 
are splendid trees in every respect. The lower branches have not been 
pruned hard back so as to form spurs near the base, but reasonable 
extension has been permitted and the young growths thinly trained so 
as to encourage the development of a fruiting character. The same 
remarks apply to trained Cherries, which, on a framework of stakes, are 
as flat as if established on a wall. Fruit buds cluster at the base of the 
young shoots, and are scattered along them. The trees have never been 
cut hard back, but have been allowed to extend and then been tied in 
so as to furnish the tree with fruiting wood. Root management has 
accelerated the result. Single cordon Cherries, chiefly of the Luke 
race, which are best suited for this mode of training, are lined with fruit 
buds. The Morellos are also admirable examples of skilful management. 
The trees have been twice transplanted, range from 5 to 9 feet wide, and 
are full of fruiting wood carefully trained in. Pyramid and standard 
Plums for open quarters bear the same impress. There is also a fine 
piece of Apricots transplanted in spring, healthy, and promising well for 
fruit next season. 
The story could be continued, hut enough has been said to make the 
lines of management clear. All the trees are alike, and fastidious indeed 
would the planter be who was not satisfied with the splendid material 
now awaiting selection by purchasers. The trees are a special credit to 
a firm that does all things well, and afford a lesson the universal learning 
of which would be of distinct benefit to the nation.—W. P. W. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
November 3rd. 
Scientific Committee. —Present: Dr. M. T. Masters (in the chair), 
Mr. Morris, Mr. McLachlan, Dr. Russell, Dr. Muller, Rev. W. Wilks, 
Prof. F. Oliver, Dr. Scott, Prof. Church, Dr. Bonavia, Rev. G. Henslow, 
Hon. Sec. 
Injuries to Plants by Fog. —Dr. Russell observed that with reference 
to carrying out any exp' riments, the subject must be regarded from two 
points of view. Firstly, the object would be to make an exhaustive 
investigation into the action of fogs upon plants. This, to a consider¬ 
able extent, the Scientific Committee has already done, as shown in 
Prof. Oliver’s published report, and in a second upon which he is now 
engaged. Secondly, taking a wider aspect of the subject, the points 
which would have to be considered would be the composition of fogs in 
general, their origin and extent, their comparative densities, the amount 
of sulphurous acid, the consequent diminution of light, &c. Such inves¬ 
tigations would lead to the more universally important consideration as 
to the increasing unhealthiness of London in winter. To carry out this 
extensive programme would necessitate the selecting several stations, 
involving continuous observations, both during fogs and in clear weather. 
The whole would require a staff of paid analysts. Dr. Russell then 
gave some interesting statistics of observations carried out at Manchester 
by Dr. Bailey, which will in due time be published. One point to 
which he alluded may be here mentioned—namely, the amount of 
chlorides contained in “fog collections ” washed out of the air. He 
himself had found a dense precipitate of chlorides even on Dartmoor, 
whenever sea breezes blew in that direction. A propos of this Prof. 
Church remarked that he had on one occasion detected 7 grs. of salt per 
gallon at Cirencester, which was about thirty-five miles from the 
sea. It is evident, then, that the presence of chlorides do not 
necessarily always indicate the presence of sewage. Prof. F. 
Oliver observed that, regarding the injuries from a horticultural 
punt of view, the question as to the best means of preventing the action 
of fogs was most important. He described three methods. The first, 
with which he was very favourably impressed as to its efficiency, although 
it would probably prove to be the most difficult and expensive, was as 
follows :—The primary condition for success is that the plant house must 
be air-tight. As glass houses, however, are usually and purposely con¬ 
structed with air spaces beneath the overlapping glasses, these would 
have to be stopped up. In a house properly constructed, like that 
erected by Mr. Toope, the external air entered below, and was parsed 
through boxe 3 containing charcoal. A draught is created by the heated 
air of the house, which escapes at the top by means of exhaust caps, 
which allow of the passage of air from but not into the house. No 
sulphurous acid whatever then succeeded in passing through the carbon 
into the house, the filtration appearing to be perfect. A second method 
suggested was bv means of sprays of various kinds, and by sprinkling 
thefloors, &c. This method has its disadvantages, and Prof. Oliver did 
not express a favourable opinion of it. The third plan is simply to 
spread canvas over the house during the period of the fog to prevent i 1 s 
passing into the cracks and into the house. Of course the stoppage of 
light might be, in some circumstances, a serious objection, but not 
greater than that occasioned by the fog itself. The really injurious 
element of fogs is undoubtedly the sulphurous acid gas, and this has to 
be especially combated. A discussion followed as to what steps shou d 
be taken by the Society in the matter. It was generally felt that, a9 far 
as the Scientific Committee were concerned, they could not do more 
than undertake the first object mentioned by Dr. Russell ; and this has, 
in fact, been done. The second and wider object, however, is more or 
less directly concerned with the former, though it may have a much 
wider scope. It was proposed, therefore, to make a statement as to 
what the Royal Horticultural Society has already done in the matter, 
and to invite the co-operation and assistance of other societies, such as 
the Meteorogical ; finally, to appeal to the County Council to take steps 
towards carrying out a more extensive investigation than the Society 
alone could possibly accomplish. 
Terrnes lucifugus. —Mr. McLachlan corrected an error in the descrip¬ 
tion of the white ant of La Rochelle, as to the size of the larvae, in that 
they are really smaller than stated, being less than a quarter of an inch 
in length. 
Artichoke Gall.— He also exhibited specimen of this disease on the 
Oak, alluded to at a previous meeting. It is produced by Aphilotrix 
fecundatrix, of which the agamic generation is known as Andricus 
noduli. 
Calanthea Allonga Tubers— Mr. Morris stated that the tubers 
exhibited by him at a meeting in June, 1891, and supposed to be of a 
species of Krempferia, now proved to be derived from the above-named 
plant, an old Carib food plant. The description and chemical constitu¬ 
tion ascertained by Prof. Church will be found in Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc , 
1891, pp. lix. and cviii. 
Conifers. —Dr. Masters exhibited a branch of Pinus pinaster with 
erect cones instead of their being reversed. He mentioned that he had 
once noticed a similar occurrence in the Scotch Fir at Zermatt, Switzer¬ 
land. The former had been described as a new species with the name 
Lemoniana; but it merely represented a retention of the youngest 
condition of the cone. P. ponderosa —He showed cone3 of this tree, 
which are peculiar in having the scales deciduous from below upwards, 
as occurs in Abies. Pinus excelsa—He also exhibited a branching cone 
of th’s tree. 
Pyrus japonioa, fruit.—A t. Read sent Apple-like fruits of th : s 
plant remarkable for their large size, being / inches in circumference 
and in height, and very symmetrical in form. They were grown 
against a sunny wall in Ealing. 
The “ Glossiness” Apple. —A specimen of this trauslucent Apple 
was sent from Nap’es by M. D. Piperno, where it is considered one of the 
best eating Apples in Italy. Prof. Ward examinel and described it on a 
previous occasion. (Journ. Roy. Hort. bic, vol. xii , 1890, p. clxvi) 
