October 18, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
363 
flowering varieties, is represented by about 300 plants, all most promising. 
Of Lord Eversley, the pure white sport of Princess of Tech, which 
proved itself such a capital late-flowered variety last season, 400 plants 
are grown which did not measure more than from 9 to 12 inches high at 
the time of my visit, these being cut down in the middle of June. These 
•will produce capital dwarf plants late in the season, no doubt. Fine 
plants of Mdlle. Lacroix are commencing to unfold their flowers ; par¬ 
ticularly dwarf and stocky were they, from 2 feet to 3 feet high, carry¬ 
ing three and four blooms each. The general collection is repre¬ 
sented by whole rows of some varieties which are most popular, the 
whole being systematically arranged in parallel lines, the tallest plants 
in the centre. The foliage in nearly all cases was particularly healthy 
and of good texture, the wood stout, short-jointed and hard if not par¬ 
ticularly large, just the kind to produce satisfactory results. Noticeable 
for their good appearance were the Queens, Tecks, Audiguiers, Molv- 
neux’s.—V isitor. 
THE BRITISH FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The adjourned Conference of fruit growers at the Crystal Palace 
was resumed on Thursday the 11th inst., at 2 P.M., Mr. T. Francis 
Rivers in the chair, and there was a good attendance of those interested 
in the movement. The principal business of the meeting was to receive 
the report of the Executive Committee respecting the formation of an 
Association. It may be remembered that on September 8th last, at the 
■conclusion of the Conference of fruit growers in the Crystal Palace, Mr. 
J. Cheal proposed a resolution to the following effect—namely, “ That 
it is desirable an Association of fruit growers should be formed for the 
promotion of profitable fruit cultivation, and to improve the methods of 
■distribution. The Executive Committee of the Conference being 
requested to prepare a report on the subject, to be submitted to the next 
meeting at the Crystal Palace, on October 11th this year.” This was 
seconded by Mr. Fowler and duly carried. In pursuance of this 
resolution the Executive Committee met at 5 P.M. on Thursday, Sep¬ 
tember 27th, at Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street, Mr. T. Francis Rivers 
in the chair, twelve members being present. The Chairman referred to 
the favourable notices accorded by the daily and horticultural press to 
the Conference at the Crystal Palace, and it was mentioned that over 
sixty reports and articles referring to it had been published. A draft of 
the Association was then read, considered at some length, and finally 
adopted. 
In submitting the draft named to the meeting on Thursday, the 
Chairman remarked that the inception of this Association was wholly 
•due to Messrs. Gordon and Castle, who a few months since began the 
organisation of a Society which, he thought, had succeeded in drawing 
the attention of the people of England to the important fact that a 
large and lucrative industry was being silently withdrawn from our 
country, to the great advantage of those who had skilfully taken advan¬ 
tage of our apathy and indifference. The promoters had happily chosen 
the right time for inviting public attention to the deplorable results 
which might overtake them. The United States, Canada, Australia, 
and New Zealand were all on the alert to supply our markets with a 
commodity which they were supposed to be unable to furnish. Were 
they to sit by with folded hands and allow this to be done ? Were they 
to complain that their inability was owing to landlords, land laws, rail¬ 
way rates, or middlemen ? In his opinion they had nothing to do with 
it. The profits derived from judicious fruit cultivation were sufficient 
to cover the moderate and fair rents now asked for land. The real and 
fundamental cause was ignorance, not arising from want of intelligence 
or energy, but from the fact that no organised society, school, or college 
had ever undertaken seriously to teach the methods by which fruit 
cultivation might become successful. The Royal Agricultural Society 
had spent vast sums in advancing the interests of agriculture, with the 
result chat it now took the leading rank. He hoped some day that the 
country would have a Royal Pomological Society. The State spent a 
large sum on botanical gardens with the most useful result, but it did 
not at present give any encouragement to an industry which was of 
•serious importance to the land. One of the aims of their Society would 
be to draw attention to this omission, to rectify their past errors, and to 
place pomology in the rank which it should take as a science of high 
economic value. The other aims and objects of the Society would be to 
invite discussion, to hear papers, and to organise meetings in different 
parts of the country, in order that a special knowledge of pomology 
•might be diffused as widely as possible, and intending planters furnished 
with information which would lead to success instead of failure. 
Mr. G. Bunyard proposed the adoption of the draft constitution 
which had been printed and circulated amongst those present. The 
objects of the British Fruit Growers’ Association would be to promote 
the profitable culture and improvement of fruits in the United Kingdom 
and to facilitate the distribution to consumers, and he believed that if 
■conducted on the lines laid down in the report of the Committee the 
Association would be able to render immense service to those engaged in 
fruit culture. He referred to the statements recently made in a daily 
paper by an anonymous correspondent respecting the large proportion 
■of worthless trees in nurseries, and on behalf of himself and that of 
numerous others in the trade he stigmatised the statement as absolutely 
false. Mr. J. Cheal seconded the proposition, and said there was plenty 
of room for the Association to do good and useful work. 
Mr. Roupell of Roupell Park, Brixton, observed that, in view of the 
erroneous statement which had appeared in the Press, he desired to say 
that as an enthusiastic amateur he had given orders to most of the 
principal firms of the country, and he was glad to be able to say that 
they had always furnished him with good trees, true to name. 
Mr. R. Dean called the attention of the Chairman to the fact that 
publications of the National Fruit Growers’ League were being distri¬ 
buted at the Conference, reminding him that it was the Secretary of 
that body who wrote the wicked and scurrilous letter to the Daily News 
to which Mr. Bunyard had referred. (Shame.) 
The adoption of the report was then put by the Chairman and 
carried unanimously. A list of proposed officers was then read, in¬ 
cluding Mr. Lewis Castle, Hotham House, Merton, and Mr. Wm. 
Earley, Ilford, as Hon. Secretaries ; and it was announced that the 
names of over sixty persons desirous of becoming members had been re¬ 
ceived. 
The following paper was by request then read by Mr. J. Wright 
PROFITABLE FRUIT FARMING — MAINLY 
GOOSEBERRIES. 
A point that I have observed at these meetings is a tendency to concen¬ 
trate attention mainly on fruit-bearing “ trees,” such as Apples, Plums, 
and Pears. The importance of those crops, especially, perhaps, the two 
former, is admitted; and without suggesting that too much attention 
has been devoted to them, the fact remains that little or nothing has 
been advanced on the smaller but not less useful, and under certain 
conditions not less profitable, bush fruits—Currants and Gooseberries. 
It is to a successful example of growing the latter that I will chiefly 
direct attention now. 
Having been credibly informed that Gooseberries were grown in the 
fens of Lincolnshire on an extensive scale and with great success 
pecuniarily—that the bushes were so large that twenty or thirty women 
could work amongst them without being seen, and that fruit was sent 
away in tons by rail to London as well as to cities and towns in the 
north, I thought I would endeavour to see for myself this fruit 
plantation on a level with the sea, and very few miles from it—a district 
exposed to the full sweep of the east winds in spring that are often so 
disastrous to fruit blossom in more or less sheltered inland localities. 
A somewhat lengthened experience with fruits, first as a cultivator 
or worker amongst them for a quarter of a century, and subsequently 
as an inspector of the work of others in different counties, I never 
hesitate to journey a hundred or more miles for the purpose of verifying 
a statement, even though I may be convinced of its truth at the outset. 
I am a strong believer in accomplished facts, and have a weakness 
for seeing them. Now and then some of the actualities of culture 
impress me, and a desire arises to impress the examples on others 
(who may not have opportunities for a personal examination) in the 
hope that the recital may poss'bly be of slight service to persons who 
have land at disposal and desire to cultivate it profitably. 
The combinations in culture that have impressed me during the 
past few weeks are Gooseberries, with Apples, Pears, and Plums in 
Lincolnshire, and Apples and Osiers in Nottinghamshire. Some 
Apples in the Show to-day of Bramley's Seedling remind me of large 
orchards of it with their undergrowth of Osiers. When you see say 
twenty acres of Osiers 6 or 7 feet high, and standard Apples grow¬ 
ing amongst them, their heads, as it were, resting on the Osiers and 
stems invisible, and both Apples and Osiers growing in the most 
satisfactory manner as if they took different food out of the soil, as 
perhaps they do ; when you see that, I say, as it may be seen near 
Southwell, I think you will not forget it, and when you learn that the 
land so occupied has increased in value from £25 to £100 an acre in 
half a dozen years, some of you would perhaps not object to have a 
share in the little enterprise. This, however, is a digression, and as 
more will certainly be heard about this Apple and Osier culture, and 
as information can be obtained any day from Mr. Henry Merry- 
weather, we will pass on to the Gooseberries. 
Those to be referred to are at Pinchbeck, a large parish of 11,000 acres 
as level as the sea, the soil of medium texture, yet free working, alluvial, 
probably rich in phosphates, as old sea beds usually are, and resting on- 
well, apparently on water, for, judging by the dividing ditches, the water 
table appears to be within 3 feet from the surface. Authorities tell us 
Gooseberries like a dry subsoil. Pex’haps they do, for they are veiy 
good natured, and are certainly quite content to thrive on a wet one in 
the Fens. The plantation in question is the property of Mr. Charles 
Parker, a farmer of 200 or 300 acres. I do not know whether he 
owns the whole of it or not, but hope he does. Be that as it may, 
the portion under fruit culture, with the well appointed homestead 
he has built, is his freehold, the reward of his industry, good manage¬ 
ment, and enterprise. He is one of those men of whom we ought to 
be proud in these days, for he makes land pay that is not under fruit 
culture, though this would be extended if he could make sure of a 
sufficiency of labour for gathering the crops. What a contrast is here 
