198 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
[ September 3,189’. 
fence. The proprietors of this nursery believe in cordons, and all 
available board space or wall space is occupied with them, and they 
have taught numbers of visitors to believe in them too. 
Passing onwards, large trees as well as small ones are found in 
the collection — trees trained as well as untrained, productive 
bushes as well as heavily laden orchard standards. Among the 
latter several trees of the Sussex cottager’s Apple, The Forge, 
were, as they are every year, bright with clusters of orange-red 
fruits, the glow of colour being produced by the numerous crimson 
streaks on a yellow ground. This Apple, as is correctly stated in 
Dr. Hogg’s “ Fruit Manual, ” “ originated at the Forge Farm, near 
one of the old forges in Sussex, near Crawley,” and it is described 
as “ the cottager’s Apple par excellence in that part of Sussex which 
is conterminous to Surrey and Kent.” That is so, for trees are 
seen in gardens on both sides of the border lines of those counties. 
It is said they bear “ regardless of weather,” and if one should be 
found with few or no Apples it is because of the heavy exhausting 
crop of the previous year. It may be expected that the Forge Apple 
would bear in other districts as well, but only in strong fertile 
soil would the fruit be large enough to be useful. It is essentially 
an Apple for home use, and too small to grow for sale. Few 
surpass it when cooked, and in October and November the fruit 
makes a bright dish for the table. The flesh is tender, juicy, 
sweet, and agreeably perfumed. 
Standard trees of Devonshire Quarrenden, King of the Pippins, 
Keswick Codlin, Betty Geeson, Dutch Mignonne, and several other 
Apples, also of The Czar, Victoria, and Early Transparent Gage 
Plums were heavily laden, but many of the fruits of the latter 
cracking through excessive wet, not bursting through the pressure 
of sap, but splitting by the transmission of moisture through the 
cuticle. It is, however, on the three or four-year-old bush trees on 
Paradise stocks that the finest Apples are to be seen. There 
must be a bushel of saleable fruit on some of the Stirling Castle 
trees from 4 to 5 feet high. Duchess of Oldenburg was bearing its 
beautifully streaked fruits abundantly, good alike for cooking and 
eating. Lord Grosvenor was laden with very large fruits, and has 
quite superseded Lord Suffield at Crawley as well as in many other 
districts. Professor is a favourite Apple of the Codlin type with 
Messrs. Cheal ; fruit large, conical, of the richest golden yellow of 
all, the tree hardy, with a free sturdy character of growth. Lane’s 
Prince Albert attracted attention by the full crops of handsome 
fruit, as also did The QueeD, the fruits striped similar to those of 
Duchess of Oldenburg, but larger. Bismarck was large and highly 
coloured, and Worcester Pearmain all aglow with its rich red fruits. 
Yorkshire Beauty was producing yellow red-flushed Apples in 
abundance ; and there were beautiful examples of Lady Sudeley, 
full crops of Cox’s Orange Pippin, and fine clusters of the sym¬ 
metrical Hormead Pearmain. Besides those mentioned Messrs. 
Cheal have planted in an orchard for bearing standards on Crab 
stocks, Newton Wonder, Blenheim Pippin, slow in bearing, but 
they can afford to wait; Ecklinville, Golden Noble, New "Haw- 
thornden, Potts’ Seedling, Warner’s King, and Winter Queening, 
which they find well adapted for their clay soil. Of the early 
summer Apples Mr. Gladstone is the first in and the first over, 
the richly coloured fruits being excellent when “caught just right,” 
but soon turn mealy, and the lied Juneating and Astrachan last a 
little longer. 
Some of the city visitors were much interested in the process of 
budding, which was going on briskly over 40,000 stocks. One of 
the ladies was fain to try her hand in the operation, which she per¬ 
formed remarkably well. The tree is marked, and will some day 
bear fruit—presumably in her garden at Putney Heath. Standard 
Peach and Nectarine trees in pots, bearing and ripening good 
crops in a sheltered position, were lingered over admiringly, the 
trees not having been placed under glass for protecting their 
blossoms. 
Apples are not grown under glass, but Pears aie in a most satis¬ 
factory manner. The structure is a steep, light, span-roofed one 
unheated, the Pears planted about 15 inches apart, and trained up 
the roof as cordons. They are bearing full crops of fine fruit, and 
suggest that such houses would be both interesting and useful in 
gardens where certain crops of the finest Pears are coveted. An 
inspection of the double cased, double windowed, and double 
doored fruit room was inspected, in which Apples kept perfectly 
last winter without the aid of artificial heat, though the frost out¬ 
side was prolonged and intense, the thermometer registering down 
to zero. 
After the fruit came the Dahlias. The “ Tom Thumbs ” were 
proving all that has been said about them. They are dwarf, sturdy, 
and floriferous, only a few varieties exceeding a foot in height. 
The demand for them has exceeded the supply, and they have 
probably a bright future before them, and will brighten many 
gardens.. The flowers, are single. The general stock of single 
Dahlias is very extensive. Among the most distinct and beautiful 
of this and last year’s varieties raised in the nursery and certificated 
at Westminster are T. W. Girdlestone, Miss Glasscock, Eclipse, 
Gulielma, Northern Star, Duchess of Albany, and Victoria. Two 
of Mr. Ware’s varieties, Miss Bamsbottom and W. C. Harvey, were 
also greatly admired. Cactus Dahlias are in strong force, and they 
have to be, so great is the request for them. Two of the finest are 
Duke of Clarence, rich glossy maroon crimson ; and Beauty of 
Arundel, a rich crimson purplish tipped sport from Juarezi. 
Black Prince, Mrs. J. Douglas, Asia, and Panthea have also a host 
of admirers. Of show and bouquet varieties the collection is large, 
but there is no space left for a selection of the varieties, and all 
the best from here and elsewhere will soon be on view at the 
Crystal Palace. The close and lofty sheltering hedges of Horn¬ 
beam and Thorn 9 or 10 feet high, and neatly clipped, which 
intersect the nurseries, have proved invaluable in sheltering both 
the Dahlias and fruit trees from the boisterous gales that have 
lately swept over the district. 
After the luncheon, which was provided in a large marquee on 
the lawn, Sir Jame3 Whitehead expressed, on behalf of the 
company, the pleasure that had been experienced and the instruc¬ 
tion gained by the visit to the extensive, well furnished, and 
admirably kept grounds; also thanked Messrs. Cheal for their 
courtesy and unstinted hospitality. The brothers responded in 
appropriate terms, most of the visitors then departing, a few, 
however, lingering behind for a second look round.—A Fruiterer. 
PREPARING FOR FRUIT TREE PLANTING. 
In the preparation of ground and other work connected with 
the planting of fruit trees much may be done at the present time. 
There are so many small items in connection with fruit culture 
demanding attention that it is not always wise to leave everything 
to be done when days are short and atmospheric conditions not 
by no means so favourable. Where a large collection of hardy 
fruit is grown there must of necessity be always something to 
renovate, also to remove and make room for something more 
wrnrthy. A good plan is to take a look round the trees, and jot 
down the names of any which require root-pruning, removal, &c., 
for it is not prudent to trust to the memory alone to carry one 
through. The gardener’s duties are so multitudinous that it is easy 
to forget something, so that notes are invaluable. As regai’ds 
varieties it is needless to traverse the same ground over again, for 
time after time the advice given in these columns is, “ To plant 
only good varieties which are known to succeed in each district, 
and which will amply repay for the trouble.” Then add style of 
training, and order early from a good firm ; nothing is gained by 
buying the rubbish so often seen at some auction sale rooms, for 
the trees in many instances are not worth the trouble of planting. 
Besides, early orders ensure the most prompt attention, and 
naturally the best trees are forwarded. 
If new plantations are to be made the ground ought to be 
drained thoroughly, trenched, and if at all poor have plenty of 
decayed manure incorporated with it, and all made in good working 
order for the reception of the trees at the proper season. Where 
old trees are taken up and young ones have to be substituted the 
ground should be well broken up and all old roots picked out. As 
much of the old soil as can be conveniently removed should be, and 
fresh added with the compost in which the trees are to be planted. 
Good fruit growers will have much of the compost ready, but 
where it is not so the sooner the work is accomplished the better. 
Cuttings of hedges which have been clipped and useless wood out 
of the shrubberies are charred. Old hotbeds are wheeled out and 
plenty of manure provided, and what loam we can spare, with 
lime rubbish, or if this is not available some slaked lime, the whole 
being turned over several times, form the chief elements with 
which our trees are annually dressed at the roots. This if mixed 
now will be in the right order when required a few weeks hence. In 
districts where the soil is good this compost may not be required 
for newly planted trees, but here (near Liverpool), where we have 
in many instances a cold clayey subsoil and the ground throughout 
of a rather cold nature, we find it the one thing needful. Good 
stout stakes for the newly planted trees ought also to be prepared, 
and labels of some approved pattern, so as to be in readiness when 
the work commences. 
The advantage of making possible provision now for planting 
when the time comes cannot be sufficiently estimated by those who 
delay all such matters to the last. On the one hand those who are 
prepared can choose fine days and get through a large amount of 
planting, whilst on the other the work is delayed by having to look 
for and prepare all kinds of things ; the trees, if the weather is 
unfavourable, being planted in a way neither favourable to their 
growth nor creditable to those who have charge of them.—R. P. R. 
