October 81, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
385 
leguminous plants like Medicago sativa or Melilotus leucantba take up 
more nitric acid from the soil than shallower-rooted leguminous plants 
like Trifolium repens. But the supply of nitric acid in some soils, such 
as Clover-exhausted land or Bean-exhausted land, is inadequate to 
account for the nitrogen taken up by other leguminous crops grown on 
such land. No very definite conclusions could be drawn from the 
Kothamsted experiments as to the power of the acid sap of roots to take 
up nitrogenous organic matter from the soil, though it is seen to be not 
improbable that green-leaved plants can “ take up directly, and utilise, 
bodies rendered soluble within the soil by the action of their acid root 
sap.”—E. K. (in Nature). 
(To be continued.) 
WORK.^the WE EK.. KS 
w|g 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Selections of Fruit. — Apples .—A good selection of dessert 
varieties, which may be grown either as cordons, espaliers, pyramid, 
or bush trained, would be obtained by planting Beauty of Bath, Irish 
Peach, Worcester Pearmain, Kerry Pippin, King of the Pippins, 
Gravenstein, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Margil, Fearn’s Pippin, Ross Non¬ 
pareil, Braddick’s Nonpareil, Adam’s Pearmain, Rosemary Russet, 
Ribston Pippin, Cornish Gilliflower, Court Pendfi Plat, Lord Burghley, 
and Sturmer Pippin. All these are good bearers of first-class quality, 
and are given nearly in their order of ripening. If another half a dozen 
arc required these may well consist of Cornish Aromatic, Court of 
Wick, Sam Young, D’Arcy Spice, Wyken Pippin, and Cockle Pippin. 
A corresponding list of culinary varieties would consist of Keswick 
Codiin, Lord Suffield, Duchess of Oldenburg, Stirling Castle, Emperor 
Alexander, Golden Noble, Cellini, Cox’s Pomona, Lord Derby, Ecklin- 
ville, Bramley’s Seedling, Lady Henniker, Lane’s Prince Albert, Kentish 
Fillbasket, Blenheim Pippin, Winter Greening, and Norfolk Stone 
Pippin; Loddington, Tom Putt, Warner’s King, Brabant Bellefleur, 
Dredge’s Fame, and Brownlee’s Russet being also desirable culinary 
varieties. The following is a good selection for orchard planting :— 
Keswick Codlin, Duchess of Oldenburg, Emperor Alexander, Hoary 
Morning, Manks Codlin, Kerry Pippin, London Pippin, Lemon Pippin, 
Reinette de Canada, Lane’s Prince Albert, Beauty of Kent, Bramley’s 
Seedling, Blenheim Pippin, Northern Greening, Dumelow’s Seedling, 
Brabant Bellefleur, French Crab, and Tower of Glammis. Alfriston, 
Annie Elizabeth, Hanwell Souring, Galloway Pippin, and Warner’s 
King are also profitable orchard varieties. Any Apple it is desired 
should attain a large size ought to be grafted on the Crab stock, but the 
most productive miniature trees are those on the dwarfing English 
Paradise or Doucin stock. 
Pears .—The best thirty dessert Pears, arranged somewhat in their 
order of succession, consist of Jargonelle, Williams’ Bon Chretien, BeunA 
d’Amanlis, Flemish Beauty, British Queen, BeunA Superfin, BeunA 
Hardy, Louise Bonne of Jersey, BeunA Diel, Doyenne du Comice, 
Marshal de Cour, Marie Louise, Pitmaston Duchess, Thompson’s, 
Huyshe’s Prince Consort, Hacon’s Incomparable, Winter Nelis, Beurr4 
Bachelier, BeunA d’Aremberg, Glou Monjeau, Huyshe’s Victoria, Gene¬ 
ral Todtleben, Beurrd Sterckmanns, Josephine de Malines, Bergamotte 
Esperen, Easter BeunA, BeunA Ranee, Elisa d’Heyst, Olivier de Serres, 
and Madame Millet. All of these can be grown as espaliers, fan shaped, 
and cordons against walls, and all with the exception of Jargonelle and 
Josephine de Malines are suitable for pyramidal and bush training, 
though the fruit of Glou Moreau and Easter BeunA are seldom of much 
value from other than wall trees. The natural or Pear stock is the best 
in all cases where vigorous trees are required, the dwarfing or Quince 
stock being desirable when smaller quickly fruiting trees are required. 
The following Pears will do well in orchards on the Pear stock :— 
Williams’ Bon Chretien, Hessle, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Windsor, 
Fertility, BeunA Capiaumont, Eyewood, Clapp’s Favourite, Marie Louise, 
Eacon’s Incomparable, Beurre Diel, and Jargonelle. The six. best 
stewing Pears are Vicar of Winkfield, Verulam, Catillac, Gilogil, Black 
Worcester, and Uvedale’s St. Germains. 
Apricots .—These will not succeed in all gardens, and require a sunny 
wall in any case. The best are Early Moorpark, Large Early Moorpark, 
Roman, Hemskerk, and Shipley’s. Apricots are not unfrequently grown 
as standards, but only in the most favoured districts do they succeed 
satisfactorily. The most reliable for this purpose are Breda, Turkey, 
and Brussels. 
Cherries .—For wall culture the best six varieties are Early Rivers, 
Black Tartarian, May Duke, Elton, Late Duke, and Florence. The 
Morello is the most profitable on cool walls, and this, Black Tartarian, 
May Duke, Bigarreau, Governor Wood, Elton, Bigarreau Napoleon, 
and Early Rivers are well adapted for culture either as pyramids in the 
open garden or as standards in an orchard. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —The former under good culture will 
succeed as well against sunny walls as ever they did, but Nectarines are 
more fickle, these seldom attaining perfection without the aid of glass. 
A good selection of the former, arranged somewhat as they ripen, con¬ 
sists of Hale’s Early, Alexander, Dr. Hogg, Grosse Mignonne, Royal 
George, Alexandra Noblesse, Bellegarde, Barrington, Princess of Wales 
and Sea Eagle. In cold late districts the late varieties seldom ripen 
properly, but a trial ought to be given the first seven named. 
Nectarines that sometimes succeed fairly well are Balgowan, Stan- 
wick Elruge, Hunt’s Tawny, Albert Victor, Downton,and Elruge. 
Plums. —For wall culture the most reliable and good in quality are 
Green Gage, Oullins Golden, Jefferson, Kirke’s, Transparent Gage, and 
Coe’s Golden Drop, and principally for culinary purposes—Early 
Rivers, Morocco, Victoria, Magnum Bonum, Pond’s Seedling, and Goliath. 
Most of those named also succeed well as pyramids or bushes, while a 
selection for orchard culture should include Early Rivers, Early Orleans, 
Gisborne's, The Czar, Magnum Bonum, Prince Englebert, Prince of Wales,. 
Victoria, Mitchelson’s, Green and Purple Gage, and the Nectarine Plum. 
Damsons will thrive in almost any position. The Farleigh or Critten¬ 
den’s Prolific is by far the most productive, but the quality of the- 
common and Shropshire Damsons is superior. 
Figs and Grapes. —Neither of these are very generally or so much 
cultivated in the open as they were, being somewhat uncertain in all but 
the most highly favoured southern districts. A sunny sheltered posi¬ 
tion and a firm chalky soil best suits Figs, and if these conditions could 
be more often accorded there would be fewer failures. The varieties- 
that prove the hardiest and most productive are Brown Turkey, Brown 
Ischia, and White Marseilles, the Brunswick, though somewhat shy 
bearing, being also grown extensively. Grapes fail if the wood does not 
ripen properly, and these therefore ought to be planted against the most 
Bunny walls. Royal Muscadine is the most reliable variety, and with, 
this may be planted the Early Ascot Frontignan. 
Small Fruits. —What are considered the best Black Currants are- 
Lee’s Prolific, Black Champion, Baldwin’s, and Prince of Wales. Of 
Red Currants the most profitable are Scotch Red, Red Dutch, or Haugh- 
ton Castle, and White Dutch is the best of the white kinds. Rasp¬ 
berries.— Carter’s Prolific, Fastolf, Bee Hive, and Northumberland Fill- 
basket are all excellent, Semper Fidelis being a good late variety. If a 
yellow fruited variety is required, the Yellow Antwerp is recommended, 
and the October Red is the best for autumn bearing. Gooseberries are- 
more numerous, and it is advisable to grow a greater variety of these in 
order to have a long succession of fruit. The favourite varieties are 
Early Sulphur, Early White, Large Whitesmith, Yellow Champagne, 
Ironmonger, Whinham’s Industry, Rifleman. Red Warrington, Rough 
Red, Crown Bob, Lancashire Lad, and Green Walnut. 
Medlars, Mulberries, Nuts, and Filberts. —The Dutch is 
much the largest Medlar, but the Nottingham is more productive, and 
by far the best in point of flavour. The Black Mulberry is the only 
variety recommended for culture in this country. The Thin-shelled and 
Dwarf Prolific are the best Walnuts, while the most profitable Filberts 
and Cob Nuts are the Lambert Filbert, White Filbert, Cosford, and 
Webb’s Prize Cob. 
When to Order Trees. —It cannot be too often pointed out how 
unwise it is to delay ordering till late in the season. Those that give 
their orders early are certain to get good trees of the varieties they need, 
but as there is usually a run on the best, and therefore usually the 
most popular varieties, the stock of these is liable to be exhausted 
quickly. Those who are wise therefore will decide at once what they 
will have, and lose no time in transmitting the order to a reliable 
nurseryman, who then will have no excuse for sending poor trees, or for 
substituting inferior varieties for those ordered. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Earliest Forced House .—The trees in 
this structure have been at rest for some time, and the roof lights¬ 
having been removed the borders with recent rains have been well 
moistened down to the drainage. The house will have been thoroughly 
cleansed, the trees untied, pruned, dressed with an approved insecticide, 
rearranged and tied on the trellis, the border surface dressed, and all in 
complete order for a start when the time arrives. If, however, the- 
roof lights have not been removed care must be taken not to allow the 
soil to become too dry at the roots of the trees, as that is sufficient to- 
cause the buds to fall. If the trees are weakly or with too many buds, 
as they generally are this season, a supply of liquid manure whenever 
water is necessary will be of great benefit. The surface soil also should 
be removed down to the roots, not disturbing them, but supplying- 
2 or 3 inches thickness of good loam, and if the soil be light a fourth of 
clay marl with a bushel each of steamed bone meal, soot, and wood ashes 
to every cartload of soil, thoroughly incorporated, making it firm, and 
giving a good watering. Borders that are rich [in humus from heavy 
dressings of manure or liquid manure may be dressed with freshly 
slaked lime an inch thick and mixed with the soil as deeply as prac¬ 
ticable without disturbing the roots to any great extent, omitting the 
top-dressing before named. In treating borders it should be pursued 
on both the inside and outside. Complete the pruning and dressing, 
cleansing the house, admitting air to the fullest possible extent. 
The outside border being thoroughly moistened it may be covered with 
a few inches thickness of leaves with litter to prevent their being 
blown about. _ , 
Second Early-forced House .—The trees with us are leafless, ana 
should be pruned (after untying), dressed, and rearranged on the trellis. 
This with a thorough cleansing of the house exterminates all insects 
before they have time to find safe winter quarters. We have some 
brown scale this year, and shall syringe with a wineglassful of petro¬ 
leum to three gallons of softsoap solution, 4 ozs. of soap to the gallon. 
