October 26 , 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
379 
A stout stake should then te driven down to the solid bottom as a 
support for the tree when planted. 
Planting may be performed at any time from the beginning of 
October up to the end of April. Autumn, however, is best, as the 
roots at once take to the soil and the trees make a fair growth the 
following summer. October and November undoubtedly are the best 
months that is, provided the land is in perfect condition and the 
weather favourable ; but so important is getting the trees into the 
ground when it is fairly warm and dry, that I would rather defer 
planting until April than risk placing the roots in a pasty medium. 
Trees of home growth—that is, from one’s own nursery, which every 
fruit grower should have, may be planted much earlier than others 
brought in direct from a distance. All trees should be carefully divested 
of faulty or injured roots by a clean cut with a sharp knife ; they 
should never be allowed to become dry, and each root and fibre should 
be spread out in a horizontal position, lightly covered, and watered 
home. 
In the arrangement of trees, the rows, if convenient, should run 
from north to south or north-east to south-west, as three out of the four 
sides then receive an equal share of sun and light. The old fault of 
planting them too close should be carefully guarded against, as good 
fruit cannot be expected when the heads grow into each other and the 
roots are constantly shaded. Standards of upright-growing varieties 
may be placed 30 feet apart each way, whilst 40 feet will not be found 
too much for spreading trees like Flanders Pippin and Blenheim Pi ( pin. 
Trees, again, of one variety, or a similar habit of growth, and which 
ripen their fruit at the same time, should be kept together or in rows, 
alternating with others of a spreading or upright character. By .ob¬ 
serving this rule at the outset the general and orderly appearance of 
the nursery will be greatly improved, and much time and labour will be 
saved when gathering the fruit. The same rule applies also to 
pyramids and bushes which, by the way, should have plenty of 
room for extension in every direction, as no extensive planter can 
afford to prune close upon villa garden principles, especially when 
the best of the fruit is cut away by the process. Thinning the 
shoots and branches annually of course is necessary, but beyond 
this and maintaining the balance by tipping a gross shoot, I should 
let each tree go. The distance apart will depend upon the kind 
of stock, as trees on the French Paradise may be grown for years at 
distances of 4 to 6 feet apart each way. On the English Paradise or 
Doucin, which I like best, they grow stronger ; consequently more 
room is required. Twelve feet from row to row, and (1 feet from tree to 
tree, will give them room for a long time, but eventually it may be 
necessary to transplant every alternate tree, when those left will stand 
equidistant, viz.—12 feet from stem to stem. Some I know plant much 
closer, but when it is borne in mind that a well developed head 
turns off not only more but better fruit than a small one, abundance 
of room is a decided advantage. Moreover, plenty of space favours a 
spreading growth, which keeps the heads near the ground, safe from 
wind and easy of access for pruning, manipulating, and gathering. 
M hen standards are planted they should be well secured to the stakes 
previously driven, but in a way that will allow them to settle with the 
subsiding soil, otherwise the roots will drag and strangle. If on pasture 
land, they should be protected from sheep and cattle, and the orchard 
itself must be fenced and wired round to keep out hares and rabbits. 
Varieties. —The only point I must now venture to touch upon is 
the selection of varieties for special soils, situations, and purposes. A 
few years ago we planted very early sorts for coming in before the 
American importations, but this is now over, as the quick run, and 
summers hotter than our own combined, enable our friends to be 
abreast of us at the beginning, as for a long time they have been at the 
end of the season. Our only way out of this dilemma, as I have before 
observed, is high cultivation. We have a climate which lipens fruit 
crisp, tender, and juicy, not quite so highly coloured, perhaps, but in 
my opinion superior to the general run of American. We have the soil 
which, thanks to yearly tenancies, nobody cares to till, and we have the 
ability. All we want is quality, then it matters little whether we 
market early or late, always provided we confine ourselves to a few of 
the best sorts which do well in the locality. This hackneyed phrase 
for a long time puzzled would-be growers, who said, Where must we 
look for anything better than a Suffield or a Blenheim ? Well, I am 
not sure that anyone requires anything better, b t if they do they 
must just look into any of the great well known nurseries about 
the end of September, and there they will find thousands of trees of all 
the leading kinds carrying fruit of the highest quality. Some of these 
on dwarfing stocks—just the thing for the garden or home nursery—will 
be loaded with large, bright fruit, of which at the present time we ought 
to have 100,000 tons ready for storing. They will also find standards 
on free stocks specially prepared for planting on pasture and arable 
land. From these they may select scores or hundreds of trees of one 
sort, and so on of another, but on no account must they select one or 
two trees each of a hundred sorts, as this plurality is a great drawback 
in commercial culture. Very early sorts generally go direct from the 
trees to the market ; medium and late sorts must be stored in dark, cool 
fruit rooms or dry cellars, and this accommodation, or the want of it, 
must be the guide in making a selection. 
Gathering, storing, and marketing hitherto in the western counties 
has not received proper attention ; but a great improvement is now 
taking place, and the day I hope is not far distant when ruthless 
shaking the boughs will be looked upon as a barbarous custom of the 
past. Apples worth growing are worth hand-picking, and when hand¬ 
picked they are worth sizing—that is, dividing into two classes before 
they are stored or sent to market. The best only should be sent 
away ; seconds may be retained for home use or consumption in the 
neighbourhood. There should be no mixing of sorts, or good and bad 
together, but one uniform quality should prevail. Buyers in this part 
of the country still stick to their pots. I do not mean earthenware, but 
wicker, which hold from five to seven pecks each ; but invariably they 
sell by weight, and this, I think, is the fairest way, as anyone can 
compute the value of a ton of Apples. Before Apples are band-picked 
for storing they should be ripe, that is to say, the kernels should be 
brown and somewhat loose in their cells. The fruit, moreover, should 
be perfectly dry and free from spot or blemish, as one black sheep soon 
demoralises the flock. Once put away, the less they are turned or 
handled the better, especially when sweating or during frosty weather. 
If the store room is fitted with lath shelves, the choice varieties 
should be placed one, or at most two, layers thick, but late sorts grown 
in great quantities may be laid upon dry floors in greater bulk. They 
may also be stored in dry flour barrels, which should be labelled and 
put away in a low even temperature for the winter. Good aristocratic 
store rooms are rather expensive, but a cutting driven into a dry bank 
and covered with thatch, with double doors at one end, will make a 
store equal to the best and most elaborate in the kingdom. Resinous 
wood should never be used in the manufacture of shelves. Neither 
should hay or straw be admitted within the walls, as all these materials 
impart a disagreeable flavour. Dry fern, on the other hand, may be 
used for covering purposes, but very little of this will suffice where frost, 
and more especially heat-proof, stores are properly constructed. 
FRUIT PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION FROM A 
PROVINCIAL POINT OF VIEW. 
By Mr. E. J. Baillie, F.L.S. 
I feel some explanation is needful for the introduction of a paper 
which does not profess to be technical before such an audience and 
upon such an occasion, but I have long held the belief that, whilst we 
pay strict attention to the practical points, or strictly technical details 
which rightly claim the closer attention of the specialist, we ought to 
give some prominence to particulars which, we may say, constitute the 
fringe of a subject. 
Whilst these are, perhaps, of a too general character to possess much 
charm for the person intent upon some particular detail, they serve to 
put us in touch with the public, and thus are helpful in removing 
popular prejudices, for there is a sense of separation somehow between 
those to whom we look for fruit consumption and those to whom we 
look for fruit production. 
I knew, too, that there would be gentlemen of w'ide practical expe¬ 
rience whose names are in the front rank of the honourable record of 
present day horticulture, taking active part in these proceedings, and 
I thought that they would treat of particular phases of the subjects 
irresistibly suggested by a “ National Fruit Conference.” 
In this I was perfectly right. Whether I was right in my choice of 
a subject, for the reasons already stated, remain to be seen, but I venture 
to think from what I know of the good nature of those connected w T ith 
garden pursuits, I can claim your indulgence if I fail to gain your 
approval; and if any remarks of mine are such as to provoke hostility 
of thought, you must please put them down to provincial prejudice, or, 
may I say, to that simplicity which is one of the most prominent 
attributes of raw rusticity. 
I appreciate the difficulty of saying anything new on the question, 
but I shield myself behind the fact that the reiteration of a truth is not 
a needless undertaking until precept is put into practice. So long as 
