January 6,1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
11 
good bush, being also a handsome show variety, well adapted for cordons 
on a dwarfing stock. It is of large size, highly coloured, fit to eat, and a 
good cooker ; in season during October and to December. Peasgood’s 
Nonesuch should be grown in every fruit garden or orchard, being of good 
fruitful habit, amenable to any kind of training, while the fruit is usually 
very large and handsome, and good for either dessert or culinary purposes, 
in season from October to January. 
Although I have enumerated a fairly long list of early and second 
early varieties, there are yet several more worthy of commendatory 
notice. Cellini I have observed closely under a variety of conditions, and 
in every instance found it of good fruitful habit, while the fruit are usually 
handsome and of good quality—another market variety, in fact. Lord 
Derby produces extra large irregularly formed fruit, which can be eaten 
or cooked any time from October to late in December. It forms a sturdy 
bush and compact standard, and with us has not failed to bear well in 
five successive seasons. Ecklinville is in season about the same time, and 
is of good free-bearing habit. Cordons of this variety at Sherborne 
■Castle were last season wonderfully prolific. Hollandbury forms a good 
bush or standard; the fruit are large and very showy, and in season 
during November and sometimes to January. Our tree seldom fails to 
r oear, but we never get heavy crops, and this was also my E ssex experience. 
Mbre de M6iage does well in the western counties, being of good free- 
bearing habit either as a standard or dwarf tree, while the fruit are large, 
very highly coloured, and available during November and December. Mr. 
Williams of Canford Manor, Dorset, exhibited a fruit of this variety at 
the Bath Chrysanthemum and Fruit Show that weighed 20 ozs. Tom 
Putt ought to be taken in hand by the fruit-growers in other districts 
beside the West of England. It is common enough in Devonshire, and is 
always well shown at the Exeter exhibitions by both the trade and 
private growers. It appears to do well either as a standard or dwarf, 
usually bearing well, while the fruits are singularly handsome, and in 
season during November and sometimes well into December. It is a 
second-rate dessert variety, and cooks fairly well. 
Tower of Glamis possesses a very robust constitution, but is a sure 
bearer. We have one very strong tree on dwarf stem, and wish we had 
more. Have also seen profitable standards of it. The fruits are large, 
bright yellow in colour, and excellent for cooking purposes during Novem¬ 
ber, December, and sometimes to the end of January. This calls to 
remembrance that handsome variety Golden Noble, and which I should 
have been sorry to have omitted. I have seen profitable cordons, bushes, 
and standards of this variety, especially in the western counties. It is a 
great favourite with exhibitors, and well pleases the cooks from October 
to the end of December. Beauty of Kent all should cultivate. It forms 
a good free-bearing bush or standard, and I have seen well-fruited 
cordons of it. The fruits are large and handsome, and good alike for 
exhibition or cooking ; in season during November, and frequently to the 
end of February. Lane’s Prince Albert I have not had much experience 
with, but I have heard several speak most highly of it. Our chief 
authority, Dr. Hogg, in his “ Fruit Manual,” describes it a9 a very ex¬ 
cellent culinary Apple from October to March, and further adds, “ the 
tree is a marvellous bearer, and rarely fails to produce a crop.” Warner’s 
King is generally popular, and is found one of the best for the markets. 
It is a good sauce Apple, and as such is well known in the London 
markets. Our bush trees rarely fail to bear well, and it does equally well 
as a standard. The fruits are large and of good shape ; in season with us 
from November to the middle of January, or they may be used direct 
•from the tree. 
Blenheim Orange or Pippin really merits a separate paragraph, so ex¬ 
cellent is it in nearly every respect. In a young state it is a shy bearer, 
but well established orchard trees very frequently produce most valuable 
crops. The fruit are handsome in form and colouring, the very largest 
being invincible on the exhibition table, this being in the culinary classes, 
while well selected small or medium-sized examples are nearly as valuable 
in the classes for dessert varieties. None sells more readily in the markets 
at the present time. Season, November to the end of January, and occa¬ 
sionally later. Kentish Fillbasket is one of the surest croppers we have, 
the fruit being heavy and of attractive appearance, and a good cooker. In 
season during December and January. It forms very strong bush trees 
and good standards. Unless I am much mistaken this is known in some 
parts of Kent as the Pork Apple. Fearn’s Pippin is one out of a dozen 
sorts extensively planted by a friend who grows solely for the London 
Eastend markets. He finds it a free-growing very fruitful variety, and 
sells for either dessert or culinary purposes any time during December 
and January. London or Five-crowned Pippin is one of my oldest 
acquaintances. We have a dwarf tree, and in Kent there used to be large 
profitable orchard trees of it. It can be classed as a culinary and dessert 
variety, and is good late in November and till March. Royal Somerset, 
as grown in tbis county and in the neighbourhood of Exeter, scarcely 
answers to Dr. Hogg’s descripton. It is spoken highly of by those who 
have it, and I have seen several dishes of handsome conical-shaped fruit 
exhibited, and it is said to be a good keeper. Dumelow’s Seedling or 
Wellington is so well known and appreciated that I need say but little 
about it. Both dwarf and standard trees are very free bearing, and the 
fruit keep well into March. Alfriston is best grown as an orchard tree, 
and usually produces good crops of heavy good keeping fruit of excellent 
cooking quality. Bedfordshire Foundling is also a good orchard variety, 
the fruit being large and keeping well to the end of February, and some¬ 
times later. Reinette de Canada as a bush tree is a failure here, but in 
Essex 1 had a strong old standard that did us good service. The fruits 
are large and heavy, keeping good to April, and on the whole it may be 
classed as a desirable orchard variety. 
Winter Greening or French Crab I consider one of the best late sorts 
in cultivation. It does well either as a dwarf or standard, and is a sure 
bearer. The fruit are rather small, but keep well into the summer. 
Hanwell Souring with us is a light cropper, but the fruit are large and 
heavy, keeping to April. Dredge’s Fame and Annie Elizabeth I have 
not grown, but at Sherborne Castle and else .vhere in the western counties 
both are highly spoken of. They are free-bearing medium-sized sorts, 
suitable for either culinary and dessert varieties, keeping well into spring. 
Hambledon Deux Ans l have seen bearing heavy crops in two different 
c-chards, and it has the reputation of being a very profitable and good 
1 ing-keeping sort. Norfolk Beefing does well hereabouts, especially as 
an orchard tree, cropping well and keeping well into June. Lemon 
Pippin is not so late-keeping as several of the preceding, ours being avail¬ 
able up to March. It forms a good bush, is a sure cropper, and cooks 
splendidly. 
Having dwelt at length upon the habits, merits, and the suitability of 
the various sorts for all purposes, a selection by me would be scarceiy 
necessary.—W. Iggulden. 
ANTHURIUM SCHERTZERUNUM. 
Anyone having seen a houseful of well-grown plants of A. Schert- 
zerianuni, during their season of flowering, with their bright and showy 
scarlet spathes standing out boldly in contrast with their dark green 
foliage, must have admired them. It is one of those plants we 
cannot afford to be without, as the lasting properties of its spathes 
are such as to make it invaluable as a show or decorative plant for at 
least four months of the year. Those who remember the first plants 
of this Aroid sent out from the nurseries can see the marked difference 
both in size of spathe and foliage, being both broader and longer. 
During the past few years man}' forms have been obtained by hybri¬ 
dising, some of which are beautiful, yet the scarlet-spathed type still 
holds its own, and will continue to do so. The plants are not diffimlt 
to grow, but will show themselves to best advantage where their 
requirements are understood, and will amply repay any extra attention 
that may be bestowed on them. Many of the small spathed varieties 
seen in private establishments are worthless compared with the finer 
varieties, and the former might in many instances produce larger 
spathes and foliage by a little more liberal treatment. I have grown 
a large number of plants for years, and have never failed in having a 
fine show during summer. 
The best material in which to grow them is good sound fibry peat 
and sphagnum, rough charcoal, with a good sprinkling of dried cow 
dung, and a dash of sharp sand to keep the compost open. This must 
be of such a nature as to keep sweet for at least twelve months. The 
plants soon lose their vigour if the material becomes at all *' pasty " 
and retains moisture to an excessive degree. I prefer potting in 
August or the beginning of September, when most of the spathes 
are dying. Some of the plants require the whole of the potting 
material renewed. The plant is very accommodating in this respect, 
and always grateful for having its roots well washed and every particle 
of old soil taken from it. Of course this must be done with care, so 
as to break as few roots as possible. Clean pots half filled with 
crocks, a little of the rougher material placed on them, the plant is 
then placed a few inches lower in the pots than before, so as to 
encourage the emission of roots from the stems, and also to prevent 
it having a drawn appearance. The compost must be worked care¬ 
fully amongst the roots, and made moderately firm. When finished 
the plant will be slightly above the rim of the pot, and the whole 
surface may be covered with green moss, such as is found growing 
under trees or on ledges of rock. It is surprising how soon the moss 
will be filled with roots, they seem to have a great liking for it, and 
it also stands the application of liquid manure better than sphagnum, 
always looks neat and green. A good watering so aB to moisten the 
whole, after potting, is all that is needed for a few days. Some of 
the plants will be found such a mass of good and healthy roots that 
it would be impossible to take any of the old soil from them without 
doing more harm than good ; these are simply shifted into larger 
pots, allowing them to be a few inches lower, and opening out the 
tufts or stems as much as possible by placing the rougher material 
between them to give more room and encourage other stems growing 
from them. It will also give the foliage more room and the plants a 
larger appearance. They are great lovers of water, and in fact should 
never be allowed to become dry at any time. The surface moss may 
be kept moist by syringing even during winter, when less water is 
required. During spring and summer they delight in a moist atmo¬ 
sphere, and syringing twice a day with tepid water will prove 
beneficial and keep the foliage clean. When in full growth they 
need watering liberally ; if the pots are well drained, and the compost 
such as to allow the water to pass quickly through, there need be no 
fear of the result. They are not too fastidious as to the food they 
receive in a liquid form, but that made from cowdung is preferable 
to any other, and may be given continually in a W3ak state rather 
than stronger doses at greater intervals. S lot water may be given 
occasionally with good results. 
