October 25, 1888 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
377 
■causes of canker, we are agreed on the remedy—namely, “a good supply 
of nourishment to the trees.” 
In 18S6 my attention was especially directed to plant food, having 
been requested to write a paper on that subject for the Birmingham 
Gardeners’ Association. In the same year, having noticed that a num¬ 
ber of Apple trees in my collection had become unsightly through 
canker, I marked about a dozen of them for destruction ; but while 
studying the subject of plant food, which involved the consideration of 
the analysis of various plants, I was very much struck with those of 
the fruit and wood of the Apple in Wolff’s “ Aschen Analysen,” the 
great authority on plant analysis. I found that the fruit contained an 
•exceptionally large proportion of soda and the wood of lime. This at 
■once suggested the idea that my soil might not contain sufficient of one 
or both of these elements to supply the wants of the Apple tree ; there¬ 
fore I resolved, instead of destroying the marked trees, to give them and 
all my Apple trees a good dressing of a complete artificial manure which 
contained full proportions of soda and lime. In the following season, 
1887, which was exceptionally hot and dry, either through the drought, 
■the manure, or some other cause, not a spot of active canker could be 
found ; all the edges of the old wounds on the marked and other trees, 
almost as badly affected, had put out granulations and healed over, 
and the trees, many of which had previously ceased to extend, made 
healthy and vigorous growth. Last winter the trees were again 
■dressed with the same manure ; this season they have been exposed to 
the most unfavourable condititions ; the soil to a great depth was almost 
dust dry when they were making their first growth, while an army of 
caterpillars ruined what foliage was made. Then followed the most 
continuous cold weather and rain experienced for many years. Not¬ 
withstanding conditions so conducive to the extension of disease, there 
•is at the present time still no appearance of active canker. The trees 
have been carefully inspected by some experienced pomologists who, 
doubtless, will confirm my statement. Short as is the time during 
'which the trees have been submitted to the treatment, I can only con¬ 
clude that the arrest of the disease is due to the supply of elements of 
food required by the trees, of which a sufficient quantity was not pre¬ 
viously contained in the soil. 
The food required by a plant is a complicated mixture of many ele¬ 
ments, all of which are necessary for its well-being. The complete 
absence of one of them would be fatal ; a deficient supply of one would 
■arrest its development, and render it subject to disease. Nothing is 
more instructive and conclusive on this point than the copies of photo¬ 
graphs of plants grown for the purpose of testing the effect of manures 
more or less complete to be found in treatises on the subject. That of 
•“ Ville on Artificial Manures,” published by Longmans, contains many 
such illustrations, which clearly show that when the soil contains every 
■element of fertility but one it remains absolutely barren. For instance, 
in a soil without potash the Vine makes no growth. 
It remains to say that the manures necessary to restore a tree to 
Tiealth vary as the soils, although the ashes of the wood of the Apple 
tree contains 71 per cent, of lime—an exceptionally large quantity—it 
would not be necessary to supply this element on a lime formation ; 
nor would soda be required in a soil near the sea, although on other 
geological formations or situations a deficiency of one or both may be 
dhe cause of canker. Like conditions apply to the other elements. 
Various soils require such manures as will supply their various de¬ 
ficiencies ; but as it is most difficult to ascertain even by analysis what 
may be the deficiencies of a soil, the practical way of dealing with the 
subject is to study the analysis of the ashes of the plant in question, 
and to use a manure which is composed of these elements ; for in¬ 
stance :— 
The ashes of the wood of the Apple tree contain— 
Potash. Soda. Magnesia. Lime. Iron. Phosphorus. Sulphur. Silica. Chlorine. 
120 1-6 5-7 
71-0 — 
46 
2-9 
1-8 
02 
■and those of the fruit— 
35-7 26T 8-S 
4-1 1-40 
13-6 
61 
43 
Ville laye down the rule that soils generally contain sufficient of all 
"the mineral elements except potash, lime, and phosphorus, and the 
gaseous element nitrogen, and says it is only necessary to supply to 
■the soil manures which contain these four. This may be sufficient for 
the general purposes of cultivation, but more recent experiments have 
■conclusively proved that the addition of a small quantity of iron largely 
increases the development of foliage, and consequently of the plant. 
In dealing with a mysterious disease such as canker I should not leave 
out either iiron or magnesia. 
The following formula, which may be varied as circumstances re¬ 
quire, is suitable for the Apple tree :— 
Superphosphate of lime. 12 parts. 
Nitrate of potash . 10 „ 
Chloride of soda. 4 „ 
Sulphate of magnesia . 2 „ 
Sulphate of iron. 1 „ 
Sulphate of lime . 8 „ 
This may be used at the rate of quarter .of a pound to the square 
yard over the whole extent of soil within reach of the roots. It need 
not be dug in ; one effect of the manure may be relied on—if it does 
not cure canker it will, at any rate, most certainly benefit the trees. 
I hope you will excuse me for having questioned some of the con¬ 
clusions of great horticultural authorities, but it seems that some of 
these conclusions have been accepted without sufficient examination, 
as being time-honoured traditions handed down through many genera¬ 
tions. Gardeners are, in this respect, perhaps a little too conservative. 
I think much may be learnt by occasionally departing from these 
traditions and making independent experiments in cultivation. My own 
experience proves that many such experiments resulted in failures, but 
there is full compensation if only one useful discovery be made or one 
error exploded. 
RENOVATION OF OLD AND FORMATION OF NEW 
ORCHARDS IN THE WEST MIDLANDS. 
By Me. W. Coleman, Eastnor Castle Gardens. 
Five years having passed since the R.H.S. inaugurated the first com¬ 
prehensive Apple Conference, the present Council has wisely decided 
upon testing the result of that important step by again calling together 
the friends of Pomona’. A small minority at the time thought the exhi¬ 
bition of thousands of plates of Apples would not benefit the growers, 
but overlooked the fact that these exhibits would bring together not only 
the growers, but the consumers also. Since that time the growers’ pro¬ 
spects have not improved, owing, they say, to the prevalence of low prices 
brought about by gluts and foreign competition. Buyers, on the other 
hand, say the supply is unevenly and irregularly distributed, and the 
price is too high when they purchase from the retailer. Growers say 
fruit culture will not pay until the land each man holds or occupies is 
as good as his own, or let to him on a very long lease indeed ; but 
present owners of the soil somehow do not seem to see the force of their 
argument, consequently the most important work the present gathering 
has before it is the framing of a scheme of open markets in which con¬ 
sumers can buy first hand at a fair remunerative prices. This is all very 
well, but supposing each householder is in a position to buy Apples, say 
from day to day, where are those Apples to come from ? Why, we must 
import them. Actually, we must trust to the Colonies for the produce 
of a tree which is indigenous to our soil, whilst thousands of acres of 
land capable of producing the finest fruit is going out of cultivation. 
To the R.H.S. should attach the honour of taking the initiative in work¬ 
ing out this problem, but before the body can move we must learn from 
reliable men the progress which has been made in the great fruit-growing 
districts. Living as I do in the county of Hereford, boasting its 27,000 
acres of orcharding, where in days gone by thousands of tons of good 
fruit was lost, wasted, or converted into indifferent cider, I am able to 
form a pretty correct opinion of our own progress, and although less 
rapid than I could wish I may say it is fairly satisfactory. Cider drink¬ 
ing amongst the working classes since I first knew the county has 
gradually decreased, consequently small parcels of the rosy Tom Tutt and 
other useful Apples alike good for cooking or vintage are stored for 
daily use by all the members of the grower's family. If not wanted, 
why then they are sold to dealers, who make a profit for conveyance to 
retailers, who also make another profit, and that a heavy one, from their 
customers. Although a slight step forward this state of the case is not 
quite satisfactory, neither will it be until a powerful fruit growers’ 
association, which should be the outcome of this Conference, has estab¬ 
lished a network of markets in all provincial towns as well as in London, 
markets in which producers, as in all parts of Paris, can meet face to 
face with consumers without the aid of so many middlemen. In fruit¬ 
growing counties like Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester, Kent, Devon, 
and Somerset these local markets should be well supported, as we gather 
from statistics that three-quarters of a million of money is sent out of 
England annually for Apples alone. If landowners, hitherto blind to 
their own interests, and legislators now take up the matter, I see no 
reason why growers should not go forth to the production of an article 
which the public must and will have, and so keep the money at home. 
Our climate is all that can be desired for the growth of fresh crisp fruit, 
