558 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 27, 1895. 
land might test the matter for themselves by planting an 
acre or two, and be guided by the results as to the desirability 
of extending the experiment. When there is so much good land 
suitable for the purpose, which at the present time brings com¬ 
paratively small returns, the most ordinary man of business should 
be willing to tarn his attention in any direction that affords a 
prospect of better results. If a shopkeeper finds he cannot obtain 
a profitable price for any article he offers for sale he endeavours to 
provide a stock of something which will jield a better return, and 
this is a common sense proceeding which might recommend itself 
to many besides shopkeepers. 
The experimental farm occupies 20 acres of land, chiefly a 
heavy loam of moderate depth resting upon clay, the surface soil 
varying somewhat in depth and heaviness in different parts of the 
field, but it is throughout very retentive of moisture. The land 
slopes slightly to a brook on the south-west side, and though the 
difference in elevation amounts to about 15 feet, the meteorological 
records for the stations at the upper and lower parts of the farm 
show some interesting divergences, especially in regard to minimum 
temperatures, which are usually from 2° to 5° lower at the station 
near the brook than on the higher ground. On the north-west and 
north-east sides the boundaries are formed by old Quick hedges, 
but the other two sides are fenced and open, with the exception of 
a few small Oak and Ash trees on the south-west. A few similar 
trees have also been retained on the north-west side, partly for the 
sake of appearance and partly for shelter, but in addition to these 
q lick-growing Poplars and Maples have been planted to assist in 
breaking the force of the wind from that direction. 
Only a brief review of the experiments already taken in hand 
can be given here, for they cover a very wide field, as can be 
judged when it is stated that the last number entered on the 
books until the present month is 500. Great prominence is 
accorded to Apples, and one of the most interesting portions of 
the farm is that devoted to the sixty different experiments with 
Bramley’s Seedling, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Potts’ Seedling. 
These were selected as presenting different habits of growth 
besides being of good constitution and reliable croppers, and 
therefore calculated to give some appreciable results under diverse 
treatment. The method adopted in the arrangement of these 
trees is planting the varieties in neighbouring plots extending from 
the higher to the lower portion of the farm, so that there are six 
trees of each variety in a line across the three plots, each eighteen 
trees being the subject of one experiment. The trees are all 
carefully selected, dwarfs on a broad-leaved Paradise stock, and 
being as nearly equal as possible, it will be interesting to note the 
behaviour of the respective varieties under precisely similar treat¬ 
ment. The nature of the experiments may be judged from the 
following list of the subjects especially dealt with and to most of 
which several experiments are devoted. Treatment of branches, 
including a comparison of the results from different systems and 
times for pruning, pinching, or cutting back the shoots and 
branches. Treatment of roots, in which root-pruning will be 
performed at different periods, and compared with lifting and 
other trees not disturbed. 
Treatment of surface soil, comprising five experiments dealing 
with loose and firm soil; the effects of hoeing, hardening the surface, 
digging close to the roots, and allowing weeds to grow. To manures 
and their effects twenty experiments are appropriated, the chief 
chemical manures being compared with farmyard manure and 
liquids, while in another series the amounts are varied to ascertain 
which gives the best results, the best times for applying the different 
manures being also carefully tested in the same way. This section 
will no doubt give some important results, but much time must 
necessarily elapse before it will be possible to found any definite 
opinions upon them. 
The methods of planting illustrated include planting high and 
low, in holes 1 foot deep, and in ground dug 2 spits deep, together 
with planting in holes with chalk at the bottom. T^ most 
remarkable just now are the three experiments devoted to bad 
planting, because this dry season has produced results which are 
most noticeable in contrast with the other plots. In one of these 
the trees are badly planted, but they have been attended in all 
other respects, duly cut back, the ground forked, hoed, and kept 
thoroughly clear. 
The next two rows of trees were badly planted but neglected— 
that is, neither cut back nor attended in hoeing and cleaning—the 
on.ly difference to be observed being that in one case it is intended 
to apply manure and in the other none. The ground is a dense 
mass of weeds, it has hardened and cracked very much, and the 
trees show the effects in the extremely poor growth made, the 
small size of the leaves, and the large number of these turning 
yellow and falling. It is a moat striking illustration of what 
attention will effect, for the trees were all planted exactly alike— 
namely, in small holes dug with a spade, the soil roughly and 
heavily trodden in over the roots—and the difference is remark¬ 
able, even between the first and two other rows. 
The effects of different soils are tested by five experiments, 
in which the stations were prepared by mixing with the ordinary 
soil or replacing this by rich compost, gravel, stones, peat, or 
chalk. Autumn, winter, and spring planting, the removal of 
flowers, and the behaviour of damaged trees are respectively dealt 
with in succeeding experiments, all of which may be expected 
to yield much interest as time goes on. The more important of 
those enumerated are repeated with dwarf trees of Stirling Castle, 
and again with standards of Bramley’s Seedling, Cox’s Orange 
Pippin, and Lane’s Prince Albert in another portion of the farm, 
so that abundant records will ultimately be available on the various 
subjects dealt with. 
With the object of ascertaining how far the different systems 
of training Apples may affect their produce or profitableness nearly 
300 maiden trees of Bramley’s Seedling, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and 
Stirling Castle on a broad-leaved Paradise stock, have been 
planted to be trained on the various forms of bush, bowl-shaped, or 
pyramidal trees, espaliers, and cordons. Their respective progress 
will thus be readily traced from the beginning. Besides these, 
120 varieties of Apples have been selected for trial on an equal 
number of Crab and Paradise stocks, and will be budded or 
grafted on the farm, so that their progress may be watched from 
the first stage. Six large plots of ground are devoted to this 
purpose, and it is interesting to note that many of the weaker 
Crab stocks suffered during the severe winter, a much smaller 
proportion of the Paradise stocks have been lost, and the same is 
observable in another portion of the farm. It is intended to 
make these plots the subject of experiments in hard and moderate 
pruning, also as a means of testing insecticides, as a large number 
of trees of different varieties on the two stocks will be available 
for the purpose. 
Strawberries also come in for a large share of attention, for no 
less than eighty varieties are grown for comparison, and in the 
border which is specially devoted to these they are planted in lines 
of thirteen each, 10 feet apart, to afford space for planting a fresh 
row each season for five years. By this means the produce of 
each variety will be tested from plants of five different ages, and 
the records will show at what period of its life the variety or 
plant yields the best return. The present season has been a bad 
one, for in addition to the late planting that was unavoidable in 
some cases the extreme drought and a severe attack of weevils 
have been opposed to either large or good crops. Yet some of 
the Strawberries have yielded satisfactory fruit, and on the 
occasion of the meeting creditable examples of fifty-six varieties 
were gathered. 
The earliest ripened were Lax ton’s No. 1 and Crescent 
Seedling (June 4th) followed by Noble and Scarlet Queen 
(June 5th), King of the Earlies, Keens’Seedling, and Marguerite 
(June 6th), Exceptionally large fruits of Sensation and Bothwell 
Bell have been obtained, 1| to IJ oz. in weight; fine examples 
