270 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ Srptember 29, 1B87. 
in the ground during the spring months they are checked sometimes 
before they are established in their large pots, however carefully the 
plants are lifted. I f the plants were lifted with balls of roots, trans¬ 
ferred elsewhere, and well watered, the risk would not be so great. If 
the soil is pressed firmly into the pots it is impossible to repot them 
without giving them a ch r ck ; if potted loosely this might be more 
certainly accomplished. Firm potting is, however, of considerable 
importance—first, in order to place as much food as possible within a 
given space ; secondly, to save labour in watering ; and thirdly, to insure 
the plants making a sturdy growth. The condition of the plants in 
autumn depends in a very large measure upon the manner in which they 
have been potted or the pots filled before they were layered into them. 
Strawberries cannot be lifted and potted with the same des¬ 
patch as pots can be filled and the runners layered into them. A 
man would fill and empty pots and layer more than three times the 
number that he could lift and repot. When 4000 or 5000 plants 
are required this is a matter of some moment, and must be duly 
considered in any system of preparation, especially by those who have to 
pass the fruit into the hands of the wholesale fruiterer. Whether, how¬ 
ever, this is the case, or the fruit required for private use, it is a matter 
of equal importance. By Mr. Inglis’s system the plants are nearly a 
month longer in their large pots than is the ease when laj ered into 
them, and this occasions considerable extra labour in watering. For 
some time after lifting and potting it is necessary to water them with 
great care until the plants overcome the check they have received and 
are rooting freely. With those layered into the fruiting pots a general 
system of sprinkling for the first month only is needed. 
I cannot perceive how crown-splitting can be urged as an objection 
to the system advocated by Mr. Inglis. The plants are, in my opinion, 
no more Table to split their crowns than those raised by layering into 
the large pots, or any other method that is practised. Split crowns are 
due largely, not entirely, to the system of culture adopted. It may be 
asked, What is the cause of split crowns ? and if I venture an answer it 
is to the effect that confining or restricting the energies of the plant 
into one channel causes the crowns to divide in the latter stages of 
growth. This will be especially noticeable if the autumn proves favour¬ 
able for late growth and the plants have been grown strongly. Weak 
plants or those of moderate strength may with certainty be confined to 
one crown, but if they are strong and the crown developed as much as 
possible they are almost certain to split in the last stages of growth. 
It is natural for the Strawberry to increase the number of its crowns, 
which the majority will commence doing after have reached a certain 
stage if they are growing luxuriantly. If early healthy runners are 
selected and grown on without a check, such varieties as Yicomtesse 
Hericart de Thury, Sir Joseph Paxton, and others are certain to increase 
the number of their crowns, and this cannot well be prevented ; in fact, 
the only means of doing so is to treat the plants so that by the end of 
the season they are only of moderate strength. The crowns can be re¬ 
moved, and this system is often practised with strong plants, with the 
result that numbers of crowns ‘‘split.” Some years ago I was deter¬ 
mined to confine the whole stock of my plants to one crown each, and 
to accomplish this removed all crowns but the main one as they ap¬ 
peared. I was thoroughly well pleased with the result until near the 
conclusion of the season, when the majority divided their main crown. 
This result was anything but gratifying, and I determined that in future 
I would allow the plants to take a natural course, and the result has 
been all that could be desired. If this method is pursued, by whatever 
mode the plants are prepared, “ crown-splitting ” will be reduced to a 
minimum. If Mr. Inglis allows his plants to grow naturally after they 
are potted, I do not think he will be troubled to any serious extent on 
this head, but if he confines them to one crown a large per-centage of 
"the crowns may split if he attempts to grow them strongly. 
When we plant outside we leave the plants to follow the course that 
is natural to them, and they fruit well and abundantly the first year. 
Under these circumstances I fail to observe why the crowns of those 
grown iD pots should be tampered with and subjected to an artificial 
system of restriction. No advantage, in my opinion, is gained by having 
plants with one crown only. Two or even three well-matured crowns 
in each 6-inch pot are much better ; from these more large fruits can be 
obtained than when the flower stems rise from one crown. Each strong 
flower spike will produce a given number of large fruits, and the re¬ 
mainder are of second size only, therefore the more strong flower spikes 
the greater the number of large fruits that can be taken from each pot. 
When the plants are left to nature, as far as the crowns are concerned 
each plant if strong (say of Sir Joseph Paxton) will have three crowns— 
the strong or main one, and one on each side of moderate strength, which 
are capable of producing one strong spike each. 
I am not much impressed by the method detailed by Mr. Inglis, 
unless he recommends it as one upon which to rely in an emergency, 
such as has occurred in many a garden this year ; and under these cir¬ 
cumstances it is well worthy of consideration.— Wm. Bardney. 
YIOLAS. 
Mr. Dean asks in the course of his interesting remarks at page 245 
why I have omitted “ True Blue ” from my list, and I answer by an 
unintentional oversight on my part. It is all that Mr. Dean says of it. 
for there is nothing n°ar it in point of colour, while for a compact 
grower and free-flowering variety it is unequalled in the group. I am 
growing a quantity of it this time, for it is so beautifully adapted as an 
edging to the silver-leaved Pelargoniums, and the two harmonise 
beautifully. It is exceptionally dwarf, and in this respect may be com¬ 
pared to LobeliaiEmperor William, and I consider it the best blue extant. 
Apropos of Skylark, I may state that the margin of blue has returned 
to it in several of the flowers since the cooler nights have come, for it is 
strangely interesting that heat should have such an effect on any flower, 
and it would be still more interesting to learn whether this pleasing 
characteristic would be constant in colder climes than our own. I will 
plant a few in a north aspect and note the results.—E. Jenkins. 
THE EDINBURGH i APPLE AND PEAR CONGRESS. 
The official report of the Apple and Pear Congress held at Edin¬ 
burgh, November 25th to 28th, 1885, by the Royal Caledonian Horti¬ 
cultural Society has just been issued (Edinburgh : Maclachlan and 
Stewart), forming a valuable embodiment of facts relating to the 
varieties suitable for different districts in Great Britain. It is edited by 
Mr. Malcolm Dunn, gardener to the Duke of Buccleuch, Dalkeith Park, 
to whom much credit is due for the admirable manner in which the 
in r ormation furnished by the various exhibitors has been tabulated and 
arranged. It is stated that 12,730 samples were examined by the jurors, 
and that amongst them upwards of 5000 were named or corrected. 
From Scotland 8000 samples were shown, 1000 being Pears ; 4000 came 
from England and 560 from Ireland, together with some from Nova 
Scotia and elsewhere, of which a descriptive list is given at the end of 
the report. 
As an example of the style adopted in the work we extract Mr. Dunn’3 
report from the Midlothian portion :— 
Mr. Malcolm Duun, The Gardens, Dalkeith Palace, Dalkeith. Number 
of varieties exhibited, 270 Apples, 80 Pears = 350. 
Altitude, 100 feet; aspect, south by east; site, sheltered; soil, light 
loam ; subsoil, open gravel. 
Observations. —A tine collection of Apples and Pears, embracing good 
specimens of the best varieties, among which are notable samples of the 
following Apples :—Alfriston, Cox’s Orange Pippin (very good), Ecklin- 
v;lle, Warner’s King, The Queen, Blenheim Pippin (extra tine), Calville 
Rouge d’Automne, Couit of Wick, Cox’s Pomona, Lord Derby, Lord Suf- 
field. Golden Spire (i xtia fine). Green Leadington, Wellington, Fullwood, 
Hawthornden, Kentish Fdlbasket, Golden Noble (very fine), Gravenstein, 
Mere de Menage, Dutch Codlin, and King of the Pippms. 
An interes ing collection of sixty varieties of Apphs, grown on dwarf 
bush trteB, two years planted, gives a useful practical illustration of the 
productive and early-bearing qualities of the Paradise stock, the fruit beiDg 
of tine size, char, and well coloured. In addition to many of the varieties 
already named, this collection contains fine specimens of Worcester Pear- 
main, Loddington, Lane’s Prince Albert, Galloway Pippin, Peasgood’s 
Nonesuch, Striptcl Beautin, Bauman’s Red Reinette, Ribston Pippin, 
Golden Pippin, Duke of Devonshire, Maltster, Lady Henniker, Claygate 
Pearmain, Potts’ Seedling, and Ribston Pearmain. 
Among the fin< st Pears are Marie Louise, Beurrd Bose, Beurrb Die?, 
Beurre d’Amanlis, Hacon’s Incomparable, Williams’ Bon Chretien, Louise 
Bonne of Jersey, Winter Nelis, Beurre Ranee, Glou Morceau, Comte de 
Lamy, Catillac, Thompson’s, Gansel’s Bergamot, Easter Beurre, and Swan’s 
Egg. 
Exhibitor’s Bemarlcs .— Apples. —There are about 700 Apple trees of 
various descriptions, in a bearing state, in the gardens here. A few stan¬ 
dard trees cf Hawthornden, Paradise P ppin, Winter Strawberry, OsliD, 
Ttiorle, Cockpit, Ac., are over a hundred years of age, but are still vigorous 
and bear freely. About 100 trees, mostly standards, are from sixty to eighty 
years of age, in fine bearing condition, and comprise most, of the best Apples 
cultivated in the early part of this c“ntury, includirg Alfriston, Blenheim 
Pippin, Brabant B>-llefleur, Ecklinville, Keswick Cod in, King of the Pippin", 
Gravenstein, Manks Codlin, Royal Codlin, R.d Calville, Wellington, York¬ 
shire Greening, and “Macdonald’s Apple,” a seedling Apple laistd heie 
about seventy years ago, and now known as “Yorkshire Beauty,” with 
several synonyms. About 350 trees were planted between 1835 and 1845, 
during the time the new garden was being forme!, the greater part of which 
are dwarf or bu-h trees. The remainder have been planted within the last 
thirty years, and include all the best of the newer varieties. 
Among those recently introduced, the following are the most promising, 
and a f w of them will probably displace some of the older “ best varieties” 
in their season—viz., Lane’s Prince Albert, Worcester Pearmain, AnDie 
Elizibetb, Peasgood’s Nonesuch, Loddington, Potts’ Seedling, Golden 
Spire, Northern Dumpling, Lady Henniker, Lord Derby, Grenadier, 
Domino, Sandringham, Bramley’s Seedling, Ringer, Red Reinette, Frogmore 
Prolific, and Schoolmaster. 
Fully more than half the total number are dwarf “bush” trees from 
4 to 7 fe't high, about 100 are pyramids, and the remainder are standards. 
About 200 are on the Paradise stock, ard the others on the C ab and Free 
stocks, these being the most durable in our light soil, where the Paradise 
fails to be productive after a few years of abundant bearing. The soil is a 
light loam, with an open, gravelly subsoil, not naturally well adapted for 
fruit-growing, but under heavy and regular manuring it produces abun¬ 
dantly. If manu e is withheld, even for a season, the crops fall oft at once, 
both in quality and quantity. Mulching is highly beneficial to all fruii 
trees. Standard trees receive a moderate pruning every winter. Pyramids, 
bushes, and wall trees are regularly “ pinched ” in the summer, and require 
very little wint-r pruning. Seldom do any trees require root-pruning. If 
too luxuriant, the roots are merely lifted and carefully laid in again near 
the surface, which is generally an effective remedy. The fruit is thinned 
when too ntm 1 rous i-n wall trees, pyramids, and bushes. 
rears. —These number about 30U trees of all descriptions in bearing, and 
are of the same ages as the Apples, the oldest being Warden, Jargonelle, 
Muirfowl’s Egg, Autumn Birgamot, Catillac, Achan, Hessle, and S ware's 
Egg. About one-third of them are trained on walls ; a third grown as 
bushes and pyramids, and the remaining third as standards. The greater 
portion of them are on the Free stock. These on the Quince bear freely for 
a few years, but soon wear out and require to be renewed. All receive the 
