444 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 15, 18S8. 
flower-heads are of moderate size and neat shape, white with a strong 
'suffusion of deep clear rose—a peculiarly bright and pleasing tint. They 
are freely produced. The plant is compact, of moderate height, and of 
easy culture. 
MR. GEO. BUNYARD’S NURSERY, MAIDSTONE. 
Kent is justly styled the Garden of England, and we men of Kent 
do not intend to yield the palm to any other county, and of this county 
there is no richer or in its way more beautiful portion than that which 
surrounds for some miles the county town of Maidstone. The soil 
generally is of that rich unctuous loam in which so many plants rejoice. 
Even Rhododendrons and Conifers, which are sometimes supposed to 
rejoice only in sand, flourish here as well as they do in the sandy hills of 
Bag6hot, while it is a very Paradise for all kinds of fruit trees. Since 
Mr. Geo. Bunyard has taken the Maidstone Nursery in hand each year 
has seen additions and improvements, and here at any rate the Secretary 
of “the Fruit Growers’ League,” whatever that may be, will find no 
worthless trees, no inferior stock, but a large number of the very best 
varieties in cultivation. There is no doubt that a few years will see a 
complete revolution in our fruit culture, although it is very hard 
to drive into the minds of some people, that the old worn-out and 
cankery trees should be rooted up and young ones of good sorts planted 
in their stead, while owners of private gardens will surely see the wisdom 
of planting kinds that will be satisfactory both to eye and palate. 
Mr. Bunyard kindly met us at the Banning station, on which his 
nursery abuts, and we then began our round. It must be remembered 
that the nursery is a very extensive one. and shaped somewhat like the 
letter U, and that by the time you have got round it you have accom¬ 
plished a good afternoon’s work. As my object was to see the fruit 
trees I must leave unnoticed many other interesting parts of the garden, 
where trees, flowering and evergreen shrubs, herbaceous plants and other 
things are exceedingly well grown. Some idea of the extent of these 
nurseries may be had when I say there are 400,000 fruit trees of various 
kinds. Of Apples alone there are 120,000. Some are cordons on the 
Paradise stock, then there are pyramids, bushes, and standards, while the 
growth in maiden trees was something remarkable. It is well known 
that this is not an Apple year, yet no one would think so who saw the 
beautiful little trees in this nursery—trees laden, although only 3 feet 
high, with richly coloured and large fruit. Taking the culinary Apples 
first, these were evidently most in favour with the public, and Mr. 
Bunyard had taken good care to meet that taste where it was correct, 
for a good nurseryman has not merely to follow the public, but, to a 
certain extent, to guide it. If anyone comes into a nursery to order trees 
and mentions some indifferent sort, the vendor will say, “ Yes, I can 
supply it, but there is so and so, a much better Apple, which I would 
advise you to have.” There are thus large breadths of such sorts as Manx 
Codlin, Duchess of Oldenburg, Worcester Pearmain with its lovely 
high colour, Grenadier, Lord Suifield, Potts’ Seedling, Yellow Ingestrie, 
Ecklinville, Cellini, Stirling Castle, Bismarck, a most remarkable 
Apple, a new introduction from Australia ; the fruit large and highly 
coloured, and the tree very productive. Then there are Gipsy King, 
Domino, Lord Derbjq Lord Grosvenor, Mr. Gladstone, Colonel Vaughan, 
Calville Rouge, Lane’s Prince Albert, Cox’s Pomona, Small’s Admirable, 
Alexander, Warner’s King, Peasgood’s Nonesuch, Mere de Menage, 
Alfriston, and other fine sorts. But perhaps the most useful and best of 
all our kitchen Apples is Wellington or Dumelow’s Seedling, a late and 
long keeper and well-known kind. And this is, I think, what must be 
aimed at in the future of Apple-growing in England. We are inundated 
with early Apples, but we want such kinds as will take the place- of the 
American Apples, which do not commend themselves to our taste when 
we can get anything else ; but Wellington is a sharp, well-flavoured 
Apple, not with that flat taste which most of the American Apples have. 
Of dessert Apples there were also some fine quarters, Irish Peach, 
Ribston Pippin, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and other fine sorts. What a deal 
of nonsense people write about the Ribston Pippin dying out. Let 
anyone who writes this sort of rubbish only pay a visit to Mr. Bunyard's 
nursery, and they will be soon disillusioned ; there are in fact in the 
whole of the nursery no healthier and better trees than those of this old 
and hardy fruit, but which I believe to be eclipsed by Cox’s Orange 
Pippin, equally good in flavour, and not so hard to digest. But the finest 
examples of fruit were to be found on the potted trees, whether plunged 
outside or in the orchard house ; these latter were perfect pictures, laden 
with handsome and highly coloured fruit, showing how great are the 
capabilities of a well-managed orchard house. Amongst these were 
Belle Portoise, a new and promising variety, of which Mr. Bunyard 
thinks very highly; Golden Noble, New Hawthornden, Peasgood’s 
Nonesuch, and many of the varieties named above. Amongst early 
Apples Lady Sudeley was prominent, and is likely from its beautiful 
appearance, fertility, and excellent flavour to become popular It would 
be tedious to enumerate the many excellent examples of the very best 
6orts to be found here, but suffice it to say that when the Apple and 
Pear Conference have put before us what they consider the best this 
nursery is one of those where their wants can be supplied. 
In Pears the nursery is equally rich, although as the Pear has not the 
economical value of the Apple, it is not so numerously represented, for 
while there are 120,000 Apple trees, Pears are only 35,000. They are 
cultivated on the Quince and Pear stocks. Great care has been taken to 
select the stocks which experience has proved to be best suited to each 
variety. There were large quantities of Williams’ Bon Chretien, Clapp’s 
Favourite, Souvenir du Congres, Triomphe de Vienne, Doyennhdu Comice, 
Fondante d’Automme, Durondcau, Beurre Hardy, Beurrt! Baltet pere, 
Colmar d’Ete, Pitmaston Duchess, &c. These are to be had as pyramids, 
bush fruits, and cordons, and were in excellent health, although 
Mr. Bunyard has had to complain, as many of us have this year, of fruit 
cracking, especially such kinds as Doyennfi du Comice. This is to be 
attributed I believe to the check w.hich the fruit received during the 
cold and wet July of this year. The marvel is that more did not 
suffer. 
Of Plums and Damsons, which are a more remarkable stock than 
Pears, there is a larger number grown than even of the Apple, the stock 
being about 175,000 ; in fact the Plum culture is one of the features of 
the nursery, and it is to be hoped that ere long a number of utterly 
worthless varieties which are cultivated in all parts of the country, so 
that when a good Plum season comes they are a complete glut, and, as 
was the case three years ago, rot by bushels on the trees, as no one would 
take the trouble of picking them, will be discarded. There were large 
quantities of Victorias and Rivers’ Prolific, while amongst Damsons that 
most prolific variety the Farleigh Prolific, Kent Cluster, or Crittenden, 
is cultivated to the extent of 40,000. Anyone who wants to grow 
Damsons ought to grow this, for not only is the tree hardy and prolific, 
but the fruit has that true rough Damson flavour which other sorts are 
wanting in, approaching as they do in size and flavour more to Plums. As 
might be expected in a county so famous for its Cherries, there is a 
supply here ready to meet the demand, the Bigarreau being especially 
sought after. Nothing can be finer than the clean healthy looking 
orchard trees of these fine rare Cherries, and they are, moreover, true to 
name. 
Need I say that the utmost courtesy and kindness was shown to us? 
All who know Mr. Bunyard will be sure of this. I know this is but one 
of many nurseries where fruit trees are grown for sale, and it is a com¬ 
fort to know that if persons wish to embark in fruit growing they can 
do so under the happiest auspices.—D., Deal. 
Events of the Week. —The Chrysanthemum shows still constitute 
the principal horticultural events, but another week will nearly bring 
them to a close. To-day, Thursday, there are shows at Brixton, Reading, 
Pembroke, Stroud, Wimbledon, Lindfield, and several other places. On 
Friday the National Chrysanthemum Society’s provincial show will be 
opened at Sheffield and continue on the Saturday. It will no douh|t 
attract a large number of visitors, and most of those travelling from 
London will leave St. Pancras by the 5.40 train on Thursday evening. 
On Saturday a Show is announced at Derby. On Tuesday, the 20th 
inst., the Liverpool Show will be held, Birmingham and Rugby on Wed¬ 
nesday, November 21st, and Hull on Thursday, November 22nd. It nnvy 
be noted that the Borough of Hanley Show takes place on the 20th and 
21st, and is followed by a show at Newcastle, which is only about two 
miles distant, on the 22nd and 23rd. Messrs. Smail & Co. announce 
sales of bulbs and forcing roots on November 19th, 21st and 23rd. 
_ Leeds Horticultural Society. —In the absence of any 
suitable place for holding the usual summer Show this year the Commit¬ 
tee respectfully ask subscribers to transfer their subscriptions to the 
exhibition of Chrysanthemums to be held on the 21st and 22nd inst., 
when from the promises of the principal exhibitors the Committee feel 
justified in announcing that the Exhibition will be worthy of extended 
support. 
- We are informed that the Trustees of the British Museum have 
appointed Mr. Alfred Barton Rendle, late Assistant Demonstrator 
of Botany, Cambridge, an assistant in the Department of Botany at the 
Natural History Museum, in the vacancy occasioned by Mr. II. N. 
Ridley’s taking the office of Director of the Botanical Gardens at 
Singapore. 
- Mr. J. Hiam sends the following note on the AnomaliE3 
of the Season in Insect Life :—“ It has been most singular as 
regards some of our commonest insects. The caterpillar plague will 
long be remembered ; nothing approaching it do I remember. The 
winter moths are coming out in swarms as a natural sequence after so 
many caterpillars. On taking a light to an Apple tree that has been 
blighted in the summer, the female moths—which are wingless, or the 
wings undeveloped, so that they might cause them to be mistaken foi 
spiders—may now be seen running about the trunk seeking a snug place to 
