50 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Ju'y 16, 189i. 
are almost all full, except early kinds on the Quince, which were frozen' 
Of Plums, the hardier kinds, Victoria, Czar, &c., are full; but tender 
kinds, such as the Gages, were washed away and frozen. The frost made 
great havoc with many. Damsons are nearly all gone. Gooseberries 
and Red Currants a fair crop. Black Currants scarce owing to frost. 
All the early blooms of Strawberries were frozen. A grand growing 
season, trees healthy and free from blight or any insect pest.— 
A. H. Pearson, CMlwell. 
Sussex. —The fruit crop in this district is a favourable one, due in a 
great measure to the fine autumn for ripening the wood, also to the 
absence of spring frosts and to the diminution of the caterpillar. 
Compared to the two previous years we were remarkably free from 
it, although in some orchards the destruction has b:en great, owing to 
neglect at the proper time in spraying the trees. Apples.—An abun¬ 
dance of bloom, and everything looked promising for an extraordinary 
crop. Early sorts set well ; main crop in full bloom, when a series of 
eight or nine wet days severely thinned the blossom. Although we have 
a good general crop in the nursery there will only be a partial crop of 
the main sorts in the district. To sum it up, a good crop of early sorts, 
main crop partial, late sorts good. Pears.—A very fine crop indeed, 
one that we have not had in this district for several years, the blossom 
having set well before the rain commenced. Plums.—A very heavy 
crop. The best we have had for two or three seasons. Cherries.—A fair 
crop. Peaches and Nectarines.—A very heavy crop of fine fruit, have 
had to be severely thinned. Gooseberries—A very good crop. Currants. 
—A good crop. Strawberries.—Good. Raspberries.—Good. We have 
been favoured here with warm heavy showers of almost tropical rain. 
Trees are making rapid growth, and all kinds of fruit are swelling fast. 
Should the season continue warm there will probably be a heavy crop of 
unusually fine fruit.—J. Cheal, Crawley. 
Essex. —Apples good. Duchess of Oldenburg, Worcester Pearmain, 
Stirling Castle, and Cox’s Orange have the best crops. Apricots good. 
Cherries scarce, except on walls. Currants : Red scarce ; Black moderate. 
Figs moderate. Gooseberries good (abundance). Peaches good. Pears 
good on walls and cordons. Plums moderate. Raspberries and Straw¬ 
berries abundant.—W. G oaring, Weald Ilall, Brentwood. 
Apples, Pears, and Peaches, an average crop ; Apricots and Plums, 
above average ; Cherries and Strawberries, average; Black, Red, and 
White Currants, and Gooseberries, under average ; Raspberries, average. 
Gooseberries and Currants were injured by the frost and snow on the 
16th May.—H. Lister, Easton Lodge , Dunmow. 
Kent. —As regards the crops for this year my present estimate is as 
below :—Apples.—Early kinds good crop, later ones patchy. Cox’s 
Orange and Wellington suffered from the Whit-Sunday frost. Blenheims 
short, other later kinds a good crop. Nearly all kinds grand on Paradise. 
Pears.—Orchard trees well set. On Quince, &c., fine crop of nearly all 
kinds, but Doyenne de Comice and Beurre Hardy suffered from the low 
temperature. Cherries.—Very partial, better in Mid than East Kent; 
Morellos very full. Plums.— Rivers’ Prolific short, Czar grand, and a fine 
crop of all other kinds except Green Gage. Damsons.—Fine crop of all 
sorts. Nectarines. Peaches, and Apricots.—Moderate. Black Currants.— 
Partial, good on heavy soils, and w r here the old Dutch Black is grown. 
Red Currants.—Three-quarter crop. Gooseberries.—Thin, growing out 
well. Warrington and Rifles suffered from frost. The Whitesmith race 
are best this year. Strawberries.—Marvellous crop. King flowers cut by 
frost, making us ten days later than usual. Raspberries.—Cane3 much 
frosted, three-fifths of a crop.—G. Bunyard, Maidstone. 
Prospects of fruit in this neighbourhood. Apples fair crop. Plums 
a heavy crop. Damsons partial. Cob Nuts good. Pears not grown. 
— Albert Bath, Sevenoalts. 
Warwickshire. —Apples a light crop on most varieties, those having 
the best on both young and old trees, Manx Codlin, Keswick Codlin, 
Nelson Codlin, Lord Derby, Lord Suffield, Stirling Castle, Flanders 
Pippin, and Blenheim Pippin. Pears a fair crop. Plums on walls fair, 
on standards light, with the exception of the Pershore, which in general 
have a full crop. Damsons partial; while some trees are light, others 
have a full crop. Apricots, Cherries, and Peaches light crop. Small 
fruits : Strawberries lost all the first blooms by frost, and that with the 
lateness of the season made it the end of June before we picked the first 
dish, which is usually done about the middle of the month. We have a 
fair crop, King of the Earlies, Noble, Wonderful, and Vicomtesse H. de 
Thury doing best. Gooseberries, Red Currants, and Raspberries are an 
average crop. Black Currants very light crop, owing to the frost in 
May.—A. Christie, Ragley Gardens. 
OUTDOOR MUSHROOM CULTURE. 
In the Journal of Horticulture of July 2nd a record on outdoor 
Mushrooms was given, and a bed illustrated. As a further proof of 
the successful adoption of Mr. Wright’s plan I send you a few notes. 
Kenilworth is fast becoming a market-growing district for Strawberries, 
Tomatoes, and Mushrooms especially, and the culture of the latter on 
outdoor beds is successfully conducted by Mr. Joseph Murdock, the 
Manager of the Crewe Gardens near Kenilworth. There are several 
beds now in full bearing, and have been so for a long time. Instead 
of the ordinary 3 feet wide beds at the base, as made by some growers, 
Mr. Murdock starts with a 4 feet wide, rising to from 2 feet 9 inches to 
3 feet high in the centre, and about a foot wide at the top. The manure 
used is obtained chiefly from the rai.way stable*, with a little loag 
manure worked in with it, prepared in September, and subsequently 
male up. These broader beds hold the heat much longer than the 
3 feet wide beds. 
From 5 to 6 weeks after being spawned, and only the ordinary garden 
soil used for surfacing, the young Mushrooms began showing, but the 
very severe weather of December destroyed them, although the beds 
had a foot depth of straw litter over them. The spring-like weather of 
February brought out another crop, which would have reached maturity 
i had March been mild, but the severe frost again destroyed the young 
crop, and for a long time the beds were frozen to some depth, but this 
caused no injury whatever to the spawn. I saw the beds in full 
bearing at the end of May, and a very large crop was then being daiiy 
gathered from them. They are still (middle of July) yielding well, and 
will continue for some time. 
Mr. Murdock exhibited at the Kenilworth Flower Show on July 9th 
a fine lot of Mushrooms from these outdoor beds, and one has only to 
see them at Crewe Gardens to be convinced that properly made with 
suitable manure, and good spawn used, the cultivation of Mushrooms 
outdoors is easy.—D. 
NEPHROLEPIS. 
The Nephrolepis, or “Sword Ferns” as they are sometimes called, 
comprise a very handsome group, and also a very useful one, their long 
graceful fronds mingling very happily with those of different habit. 
The members of this family are of easy growth, and also easy to multiply, 
as some of the species may be readily procured from spores, while all 
may be readily increased by planting out on a bench in a Fern house 
in order to allow the rapidly growing rhizomes or creeping stems to 
develop. In fact, some species may be planted outdoors in a shaded 
place during the summer with good results, both N. exaltata and 
N. pectinata doing well under such treatment, and the plants so 
grown make admirable specimens for decorative work during the 
following winter. These plants make long, wiry rhizomes which travel 
either on or just beneath the surface of the soil, and on these at short 
intervals are produced the young plants. 
Regarding temperature during the winter, it may be stated that any 
of the Nephrolepis may be grown in a house that ranges from 55° to 60 , 
while N. exaltata and N. cordifolia (or N. tuberosa) will thrive in a 
much lower temperature. In cultivation there is one very essential 
point to be remembered, and that is never to allow any of the Nepbro- 
lepis to get very dry, as the pinnae are articulated, or jointed to the 
midrib, and the consequence is that if allowed to become very dry they 
will drop much of their pinnae. 
Among the finest should be included N. davallioides furcans, a very 
strong grower and an elegant exhibition plant, or may be used with 
good effect in a decoration by placing the specimen on a pedestal so 
that its fountain-like growth of long, graceful fronds may be displayed 
to advantage. The fronds of N. davallioides furcans are light green and 
glossy and from 3 to 5 feet in length, the tip of each pinnule beiDg 
divided into from two to five segments or forks, this giving the fronds a 
crested appearance. In order that this Fern should be in condition for 
decorating it should be grown in a moderately light house and well 
ventilated, as by this means the fronds will be hard and of good 
subs’ance. , 
Another excellent species, and one of the hardiest, isN, exaltata, also 
a strong grower, and produces long arching pinnate fronds (f dark green 
and attaining a length of 3 to 4 feet. This is well known and makes a 
first rate window Fern, or may be used as a vase plant during the 
summer, providing it is not placed in the full sun, and in addition 
to these advantages the fronds stand well when cut; so taking all 
things into consideration this is one of the most useful species in the 
genus. _ 
N. pectinata is of much dwarfer habit than the preceding, and 
consequently makes a more useful small plant for table fernerie3 and 
other work of similar character. It has slender fronds from 1 to 2 feet 
long and closely clothed with dark green pinnae, and as it is evergreen 
(as are most of this genus) and grows freely during the winter, it has 
already proved its value as a florist’s Fern. 
N. cordifolia, better known as N. tuberosa from its habit of forming- 
small tubers on its rhizomes, is still another good species, being ea«y to 
grow and nearly as hardy as N. exaltata, and to which it bears some 
resemblance. It spreads rapidly, and in common with most of the- 
Nephrolepis makes a good basket plant. It bears long stout fronds of 
light green, and is a useful one for cutting from for large work. 
N. Duffi i 3 quite a dwarf grower and also very pretty when well 
grown. It is of tufted habit, the fronds being comparatively upright 
and dark green in colour, more or less clothed with brown tomentum,. 
and the tips of the fronds several times forked or divided. This species 
makes a very pretty p’ant in either 3 or 4-inch pots, and presents a very 
distinct appearance. 
One of the latest additions to this genus is found under the somewhat 
unwieldy cognomen of N. rufescens tripinnatifida, and was introduced 
about four or five years ago. It is unquestionably one of the hand¬ 
somest of the genus, but un r ortunately is nearly deciduous in the 
winter ; this fact of course detracting from its value for florists’ use, 
though in a well grown specimen it is remarkably attractive during the 
summer and fall. 
N. rufescens tripinnatifida bears large plume-like fronds that are com¬ 
paratively erect in habit, dark green in colour, and the entire plant is 
more or less covered with reddish brown tomentum, the pinnae being 
