150 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August SO, 1891. 
commercial culture. A number of low standard trees in the nursery 
display the free growth, splendid habit, and great productiveness of 
the va'iety, and as the crops do not ripen till towards the end of 
September they come in after the glut is over. "When Mr. Rivers 
makes plantations of fruits for bearing it is good evidence that 
there is something in them that is sure to come out of them in due 
time. Another Plum laden with fruit in pots and outdoors is the 
Early Transparent of his own raising. This is certainly one of the 
best dessert Plums known, and as such is being “ found out.” It is 
more than a week earlier than the Green Gage, quite as good, and 
far more prolific. Then as a successor, indeed later than the Green 
Gage, is another Fawbridgeworth Plum for every garden—the Late 
Transparent, a purplish Plum, a dwarf, sturdy, stubby grower, 
abundant bearer, and most delicious. Fruits on trees in pots were 
ripe, and when divided were like cup3 of honey. The stone is very 
small, and the flesh separates from it freely. 
In the large Plum plantations Early Rivers or Eirly Prolific are 
wonderful to see. There are hundreds of trees bearing tons of 
fruit. Gathering has been going on for some time, and men, 
women, and boys are continually engaged in the work. Being so 
early the fruit is clamoured for, and the order from fruit brokers 
is “ Send all you can and as soon as possible.” The branches are 
bent down with purple clusters, and how they will be all gathered 
seems somewhat of a mystery. The original tree, about fifty 
years old, is also bearing heavily, but the fruit is smaller than on 
the younger trees now in full profit, and this must be very con- 
si lerable. Similarly laden are the trees which form a large 
plantation of Oullins Golden, and splendid trees they are of a 
beautiful greenish yellow Gage. As soon as the pickers have 
cleared the early purple just mentioned they will have to commence 
aid gather this enormous crop. A young plantation of The Czar 
.{Rivers) is also full of fruit nearly ready for gathering—a valuable 
market Plum. The Stint (Rivers) a reddish purple Plum of good 
quality, was bearing prodigiously, the bush not being much larger 
than a good sized Gooseberry bush, and the fruit ripe in the 
open—a garden Plum. 
Turning to the Pears, the two greatest bearers are Beacon and 
Feriility. No matter on what stock or in what position, the crops 
are prodigious and always have been. They have not yet failed. 
It is almost certain that more fruit of Beacon may be had from a 
given space of ground than can be produced by any variety in 
cultivation, as the trees can be closely planted, growing upright like 
Lombardy Poplars. It is the most productive early market Pear, of 
good but not large size, colour, and quality. Fertility follows, the 
trees being crowded with fruit. These are Pears for the million, 
and will be seen on costermongers’ barrows by-and-by. Mr. Glad¬ 
stone is the best Apple now ripe, both in colour and qua’ity. It is 
a rich crimson, tender, juicy, and pleasantly flavoured. The trees 
appear to be the reverse of vigorous, and though it will bear 
•quickly on the French Paradise stock the trees are not likely to 
last long in usefulness. They will in all probability be better on 
the free stock or the valuable broad-leaved Paradise, which imparts 
vig jur with productiveness. Duchess of Oldenburg is one of Mr. 
Rivers’ favourite Apples for profit, and The Cardinal or Peter the 
Great is likely to ba an excellent early culinary fruit. The trees are 
laden with firm, rosy-cheeked Apples, ready for gathering and 
would sell freely. What may be described as a new Lord Suffield 
will probably be heard of in future. The fiuit is very large, 
resembling the variety named, but the character of growth is quite 
distinct, being as free, vigorous, yet sturdy as that of any variety 
ia the collection. A number of young trees are fruiting of a new 
Irish Peach, raised from the old favourite. This, as is known, is 
net a great bearer, but the new one manifestly is, every tree being 
clustered with fruit in a way never seen in the parent variety. 
Several other seedling fruits of considerable promise are being 
teste 1, and only by the long trials to which they are subjected can 
their true character be determined. 
Mr. Rivers is about to makl a practical declaration of faith in 
the future of hardy fruit culture by planting 200 acres of his 
agricultural land with trees and bushes. The plan which he most 
approves is to plant Apples, Pears, and Plums with clean stems 
of 3 or 4 feet to grow into natural bushes, 12 feet asunder, with 
plenty of space between the branches. These trees require little 
pruning, bear fruit abundantly, and the crop3 are more quickly 
gathered, and consequently at less cost than when tall ladders have 
to be used. The trees are not fancifully trained garden trees, but 
useful fruit producers, easily managed. Great care is taken in work¬ 
ing varieties on appropriate stocks. The growth of strong Apphs 
for instance is subdued and fruitfulness induced by grafting cn 
Nonesuch stocks, weaker growers bung established on either the 
broad-leaved Paradise or the free stock according to relative 
suitability. The uniformity in growth in the fruiting plantatiors 
is very noticeable, and these arranged on the plan suggested, 
profitable. Small bush fruits are grown between the larger 
trees. 
There is a very great deal more to see at Sawbridgeworth than 
is here narrated, including beautiful paintings of fruit by Mi-s 
May Rivers. Some of these have been admired by the Fruit 
Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, and others will 
not presumably always remain in the portfolios of the artist. An 
example of the talents of this young lady in another direction 
ought also to be seen in the Hall in Westminster.— Fruiterer. 
HARDY FLOWER NOTES. 
August was ushered in by heavy showers alternating with 
bright sunshine. Welcome is the change to the lover of flowers, 
but less welcome is it to the haymaker. The good soaking the 
thirsty earth has now received came too late for many things, 
especially for dwarf and other annuals planted over bulbs. These 
have never become properly established, and their welcome bright¬ 
ness in the garden is missed at this time. Attached as we are to 
hardy perennials, it is what in other pursuits would be called 
bigotry not to avail ourselves of the use of these short-lived 
beauties in covering some bare spot which forms the couch on 
which Crocuses or Snowdrops are enjoying the summer’s repose. 
Still, whatever the weather may be, the hardy plant garden unfolds 
same object of interest. Lilium candidum, the Madonna Lily, is 
not yet quite past, and looking upon its purity of colour and its 
noble habit one can surely feel touched with some of the passion 
with which the liliophilist regards his favourite flower. We hardy 
plantsmen have too many attachments to make us fitting partisans. 
We are subjects of a polyarchy, and thus I must leave to another 
pen to cross swords with the champions of the Rose in the contest 
for regal honours. The claims of the Rose have been ably urged 
by l; A. C.” in a recent issue of the Journal, that some lover of the 
Lily might well follow suit, apart from Mr. Hepworth’s very 
practical paper a fortnight ago. A word or two on the subject 
may, however, not be out of place. The rivalry is of old date, for, 
according to Ellacombe’s “ Plant Lore of Shakespeare,” which may 
well be studied for information as to this, Walter de Biblesworth 
sung of it in the thirteenth century ; and while Cowper seems to 
waver in his opinions, Spenser in his “ Faerie Queene ” speaks 
of it as— 
“ The Lily, lady of the flowering field.” 
While our greatest English bard (Shakespeare), while speaking of 
the Rose more frequently perhaps than any other flower, says of 
the Lily— 
“ Like the Lily, 
That once was mistress of the field and flourished, 
I’ll hang my head and perish.” 
—(Henry VIII., act iii,, sc. 5, 61.) 
It will thus be seen that this flower has powerful support in its 
pretensions, but I cannot at present follow the question further, 
b it wcu d recommend those interested to study Canon Ellacombe’s 
work, which I have often been indebted to, and which will 
be found a perfect storehouse of information relating to many 
flowers. 
If the poets of old thus spoke of the beautiful—nay exquisite 
—Madonna Lily, what would they have said of the best forms of 
Lilium auratum or of the noble giganteum ? The latter his 
surely received a most unfortunate specific name. It seems 
inssp.rably associated with the idea of clumsiness and ungain- 
liness of form, and neither of these defects can be alleged agairsi 
