November 15 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
441 
and illustrated on the page cited. We thank Mr. Major for his 
interesting communication.] 
10UNG VERSUS OLD FRUIT TREES. 
M ithout wishing to depreciate the value of some large old 
fruit trees, which under good culture frequently yield large and 
profatab.e crops, I am yet disposed to assert that, as a rule, much 
younger tiees are more to be depended upon. In very many 
instances the old giants are mere cumberers of the ground. It 
is only occasionally they bear anything approaching a heavy crop, 
and very rarely indeed is the quality of the fruit other than second 
r&te. YV hen these large old trees happen to be the survivors of 
what was once a well stocked orchard there is no great wisdom in 
destroying them, as they atford shelter or shade to stock grazin" 
near them equally as well as ordinary forest trees, and in addition 
will yield a certain amount of fruit, which may be utilised in 
various ways. But when valuable garden or wall space is taken uo 
by old and comparatively valueless trees the case is very different. 
Fine old Pear trees against walls, if the variety is worth preserving, 
ought not to be too hastily condemned, as it is quite possible to re- 
itvigorate these by gradually lifting and shortening the principal 
roots, relaying these in fresh loamy compost. Nor would I cut 
down fairly large specimens of useful Apples before making an 
•attempt to renovate them. For instance, that most valuable Apple 
Blenheim Pippin is rarely very fruitful till the tree 3 have attained 
a large size, and such must therefore be taken more care of. Not 
many fruit growers could afford to partially lift and give much 
fresh soil to large Apple trees, but quite recently I saw a fine tree 
of Blenheim Orange that had been once condemned and then re¬ 
spited to see what good could he done with a heavy surfacing of 
solid manure. This tree is now carrying a profitable crop of fruit 
after having failed for several years past. 
I give the foregoing advice upon the retention of old favourites 
by way, however, of exceptions to the rule, as, according to my 
experience, old and slowly decaying Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, 
Apricots, Peaches, and Nectarines do not give adequate returns for 
any trouble taken with them. It does not follow that these should 
be rooted up wholesale, but, on the contrary, i; is generally unwise 
to destroy one set of trees before others are ready to take their 
place. Any intended improvements in the way of substituting 
young trees for old ones ought to be anticipated one or more 
seasons in advance, or in other words young trees should be bought 
and prepared as much as possible in the time allowed to take the 
place of those rootec out. This is, unfortunately, not possible in 
all cases, many persons having a most inexplicable objection to 
their gardeners purchasing trees before it is absolutely necessary ; 
in fact, there are numerous badly furnished walls in this country 
that are so entirely owing to this mistaken notion of economy. 
Those who imagine that it is useless for them to plant trees, seeing 
that there is little likelihood of their enjoying the fruit, err greatly. 
Proprietors of gardens and orchards are not a particularly short- 
lived race, and it is surprising how soon a tree attains a fruitful 
size, especially when it is not watched too closely, because the 
“ watched pot never boils.” Those who are most apt to grumble 
are the owners of gardens where very many of the trees are 
young. Let young trees be planted always in advance of the decay 
or clearance of the old ones, and the change will gradually be 
effected without any perceptible falling off in the supply, the 
quality gradually improving according as the healthy specimens 
arrive at a bearing state. 
Occasionally we see gardens where the walls are so well fur¬ 
nished as to render it a difficult matter to introduce young trees 
between them, but as a rule there are plenty of suitable vacancies 
for the preparation of youngsters, and these ought to be utilised to 
their full extent. It is even desirable to introduce fresh trees 
where the garden is already well stocked, with the aim of improving 
the selection. There are always some failures either as regards the 
well-doing or the quality of the fruit of certain varieties, and with 
good trees of newer or better varieties at hand theie is less hesita¬ 
tion in rooting out a healthy yet unprofitable specimen. Apricots, 
Peaches, Nectarines, and in a lesser degree Plums and Cherries, are 
very liable to lose whole limbs or the best portion of the tree from 
gumming or other causes, vexatious gaps being the result. With 
plenty of young trees ready to pop in where required the wall 
fcpace is soon refilled, and much annoyance avoided. In toe case 
of all trees to be grown in the open garden or orchard there is less 
excuse for neglecting to plant a few occasionally, as such do not 
encroach seriously on the garden ground. It is not my intention in 
this paper to discuss how many years it takes for a tree to arrive at 
a free bearing state, and will only repeat they are by no means 
necessarily planted for the sole benefit of those who come after us. 
Which is the best form of tree and the most suitable stocks 
could not well be stated in a brief compass, so much depending 
upon circumstances ; but as a rule I prefer to purchase medium 
sized well ripened maiden trees, or those which have not been cut 
back. These invariably form the healthiest trees, and soon sur¬ 
pass the majority of those that have been repeatedly pruned and 
trained in the nurseries. This is no novel idea, nor is it advanced 
from any desire to prejudice nurserymen in any way. The fault 
is not theirs, as they must prune and train as long as they have 
their trees in stock, and we have only ourselves to thank if we 
plant much-pruned, or it may be large yet stunted examples which 
do not take kindly to their fiesh quartets, or which, perhaps, will 
canker or gum badly before they have long been in position.— 
cypripedium: fitchianum. 
In the last issue of the “ Orchid Album ” Mr. B. S. Williams 
gives the following description of the above-named hybrid 
Cypripedium. 
At the present time the genus Cypripedium is exceedingly 
popular, and new forms are continually appearing through importa¬ 
tions from abroad, as well as from the work of the hybridiser at 
home ; indeed, the crossing and recrossing of the different species 
and varieties appears to be a favourite pursuit with amateur growers, 
as well as those c mnected with the trade in orchidaceous plants, 
and from the result of whose work many excellent, new, and 
beautiful varieties have emanated, whilst from the experience 
gained in previous experiments, many other and superior forms 
may be confidently anticipated. Cypripediums are amongst the 
easiest of plants in the whole order to fertilise, and for this reason 
they have been taken in hand by the many. They also come freely 
from seed, and in most instances are robust in constitution and 
produce flowers in a young state, so that it is little wonder that 
they are very popular, especially as many of them produce showy 
flowers, although in a different degree of excellence, which continue 
long in full perfection. Many beautiful species and varieties of 
this genus have already appeared in the “ Orchid Album,” but there 
are many more which we hope to introduce in the same manner to 
the notice of our readers. 
The plant is one which we had the pleasure to introduce to 
commerce in the spring of the present year, and which we have 
named in honour of our artist, Mr. John Nugent Fitch. It is the 
result of a cross between Cypripedium Hookerae and C. barbatum. 
It is a very free grower, and also a prolific blooming plant, 
thoroughly distinct, both in foliage and flower, from any other 
kind known to us. 
Cypripedium Fitchianum is a distinct and pretty variety, and 
compact in its habit. The leaves are oblong acute, from 4 to 
6 inches in length by about 14 inch in breadth, and prettily varie¬ 
gated ; the ground colour is greyish-green marbled and spotted 
with deep olive green. The scape rises well above the foliage and 
bears a single large and handsome flower ; dorsal sepal somewhat 
ovate cuneate, white, conspicuously veined with bright green, the 
1 .wer sepal being similar in colour, but smaller ; petals long and 
strap-shaped, with blunt ends, green towards the base, the apical 
portion and the margins being suffused with deep red, and bearing 
a few black hairy warts on the edge ; lip large, dull red, veined in 
front with green, the inner surface profusely covered with dots and 
spots of red. It blooms in the winter months, and continues in 
perfection for fully six weeks. 
We think this variety of Slipper Orchid thrives best in the East 
India house, as may have been anticipated by a knowledge of its 
p; r nts, which are both natives of warm places in the east, but we 
find that this, and the majority of the other members of this genus, 
succeed best when shaded from the direct rays of the sun during 
the hotter part of the day, although they enjoy full exposure to the 
light, and we have recently observed great improvement in the 
health of the plants in one or two collections, where these plants 
have been subjected to a g! eater amount of shade from the sun 
than was formerly given them. Perfect drainage is essential to the 
health and well-being of Cypripediums, as during growth they 
enjoy copious supplies of water to their roots, which, however, 
requires to be passed away quickly ; a slight syringing overhead in 
the morning, and again in the afternoon duiing the growing season, 
will be found highly advantageous. The potting material should 
consist of good peat fibre and living sphagnum moss. These plants 
