February 24, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
153 
For my part I prefer the bush to the standard, as it comes into bearing 
much earlier, and produces quite as heavy crops, and the fruit is equally 
fine, the trees are not so much exposed to the wind ; but bush trees could 
not be grown in hedges where cattle grazed. About ten years ago we 
had a hundred bush trees from Messrs. F. <k A. Dickson in almost as many 
varieties. The Upton Nurseries are elevated and exposed, and we would 
expect anything that would grow there would answer here, and we are 
not very far from the mark, as we have already abundance of fruit. 
From these trees we are able to make an excellent choice of varieties 
suitable for this locality. 
Two years ago I sent to the Derbyshire Agricultural Show twenty- 
five branches laden with fruit that I considered the most pro¬ 
fitable and suitable for this district, and it was curious to hear the odd 
remarks passed on them. Some thought them too flash and would 
encourage trespassers, &c., but I think if they were more extensively 
cultivated we could spare a few pocketfuls better. At Melbourne, ten 
miles south of us, land for market gardening and fruit growing is eagerly 
sought, and as much as £12 per acre per annum is given, and a few 
miles north of us we have Dale Abbey, once famous for its fine Apple 
orchards, the land only making £2 per acre. The latter place is within 
easy reach of good markets—Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, &c.—yet these 
fine old trees are allowed to go to decay in a favourable locality both for 
producing and selling, and where the land is tolerably cheap and easily 
procured, all for the want of confidence and energy. 
The following Apples succeed best in this locality. We have two 
orchards at different elevations, one on clay subsoil, the other on gravel. 
We get the largest fruit off the clay, and the finest coloured fruit off the 
gravel, but both orchards bear equally well, and the few varieties given 
below are selected from 150 different sorts after careful observation for 
several years. 
Dessert Apples. —1, Early Margaret, August. 2, Mr. Gladstone, 
September. 3, Quarenden, September. 4, Irish Peach, October. 5, 
Lord Lennox, October and November. 6, Kerry Pippin, October ancl 
November. 7, King of the Pippins, November. 8, Cox Orange Pippin, 
November. 9, Claygate Pearmain, November and December. 10, 
Kibston Pippin, December and January. 11, Blenheim Pippin, Decem¬ 
ber and January. 12, Wyken Pippin, January and February. 13, Court 
Pend ft Plat, February and March. 14, Dutch Mignonne, February and 
March. 16, Lemon Pippin, February to April. 16, Sturmer Pippin, 
February to April. 17, Pitmaston Nonpariel, March to May. 18, Royal 
Russet, March to May. 
Kitchen Apples. —1, Lord Suffield, August. 2, Keswick Codlin, 
September. 3, Manks Codlin, October. 4, Bramley’s Seedling, October. 
5, Cox Pomona, October. 6, Warner’s King, October and November. 7, 
Alfriston, November to May. 8, Waltham Abbey, November to March. 
9, Wadhurst Pippin, December to April. 10, Lane’s Prince Albert, 
December. 11, Lord Derby, December. 12, Domino, October to 
December. 13, Peasgood’s Nonesuch, November. 14, Beauty of Kent, 
December and January. 15, Rymer, March to May. 16, Northern 
Greening, March to May. 17, Dumelow’s Seedling, March to May. 
18, Rhode Island Greening, April and May. 
The above are all good growing reliable varieties suitable for either 
private or market gardens. Many of the late keeping kitchen Apples 
are useful for dessert late in the season. I should select a gritty loam 
resting on red sandstone for Apples. I prefer bush trees to standards 
where they can be protected from cattle. Standards are usually twelve 
to fifteen years before they produce anything like a crop, and I have 
gathered here ten bushels of good Apples from bush trees only planted 
eight years.—J. H. Goodacre, Elvaston. 
I WAS much interested in Mr. Warner’s remarks under the above 
heading, more especially regarding Lord Suffield. I grew a few trees in 
Essex in light soil with a gravel subsoil and found they did not thrive 
at all, and I thereupon discarded them. The fruit is exceedingly hand¬ 
some, but is very light and does not keep well. I much prefer Duchess 
of Oldenburg, which is quite as fruitful. Mr. Warner finds Pond’s 
Seedling to be superior. I presume he refers to Potts’ Seedling, which 
is an early and large culinary Apple. I have not grown it myself, but 
have heard it highly spoken of. As an early market Apple I have a 
high opinion of Mr. Gladstone, which is very showy, and if eaten as 
soon as ripe of not bad quality, but it soon gets woolly. Warner’s King 
is a noble Apple in all respects.—H. S. Easty. 
THE HOLLYHOCK. 
In the Journal of February 10th a hope is expressed by “ W. D.” 
that growers of this flower may be tempted to give a list of any good 
named sorts now in cultivation, and any information which may lead to 
renewed interest in this fine old garden plant. In response I would 
. first state that last aut umn south, not north, took the honours :—Mr. James 
Blundell, three first-class certificates for new seedling Hollyhocks, 
Shirley Hibberd, Primrose Gem, and Princess of Wales ; Messrs. Webb 
and Brand, first-class certificate for seedling Crimson Queen, and a 
bronze Banksian medal for a collection of older sorts ; and Mr. Chater 
of Cambridge first-class certificate for seedling Revival. Blooms were 
exhibited by me last autumn from seed sown in March of the same year 
My own list of seedlings for the year 1886 includes the above-men¬ 
tioned Shirley Hibberd, Primrose Gem, and Princess of Wales ; and also 
Excellent, Prince of Wales, A. F. Barron, Contrast, Princess Beatrice, 
Mary Anderson, John Laing, Florence Nightingale, Baroness Rothschild, 
Miss Roupell, Miss Jekyl, and Dr. Hogg. I have at least seventy dis¬ 
tinct double Hollyhocks true to name, show and fancy varieties. 
The article by “ W. D.” is very interesting and singularly correct. 
I could vouch for all he has written. It is evident that he has studied 
the subject long and carefully I well remember the various shows 
alluded to. I have just learnt that Mr. Roupell, F.R.H.S., has offered 
special prizes for Hollyhocks this year at South Kensington.— James 
Blundell, West Dulwich. 
Your correspondent, “ W. D.,” has given us a capital paper on the 
Hollyhock. The present manager of one of our branch nurseries was 
at the time he names (1850-60) our chief Hollyhock grower, and 
exclaimed on reading that article, “ I think ‘ W. D.’ appears to have a 
good knowledge of what he is writing about.” I remember purchasing 
Mr. Parsons’ seedlings which were the foundation of the extensive 
collection we so long cultivated. Some of them were much in advance 
of pre-existing kinds, and it was from them I raised the grand 
varieties, Lizzie, Beauty of Chcshunt, Glory of Cheshunt, and others. 
The demand for these and others was so great that we sold in one year 
24,000 plants ard 4 bushels of seed, the latter going away principally in 
5s. packets of twelve varieties in each packet. When visiting some of 
our large gardens lately there were two flowers I missed, the standard 
Roses in June and July, and the Hollyhocks in August and September. 
The former were absent from fashion or caprice, the latter from the 
uncertainty of a successful flowering, but they must both come back 
again. I remember the late Sir J. Paxton saying to me at Chatsworth, 
“ I want a lot of standard Roses on 4 or 5 feet stems to introduce 
elevated masses of colour that may be seen at a distance when the 
Lilacs, Laburnums, Thorns, and other spring-flowering shrubs are over.” 
And he was right. Large gardens certainly want “elevated masses” of 
Roses in June and July, and no less do they want elevated masses of 
Hollyhocks in August and September. The former may be purchased 
with almost a certainty of realising the object sought. With the latter 
there is more difficulty, or, rather, perhaps we should say less certainty, 
owing to the prevalence of a disease from which they wither and die 
just before coming into flower. Nothing can be more provoking and 
prejudicial to the beauty of the garden than the ugly blanks thus 
created. But we believe the disease may be avoided. Let us ask our¬ 
selves what was the cause of it. The Hollyhock is properly a hardy 
biennial, and as such it should be sown one year (July) out of doors, 
and not in heat to bloom the next. But for years past it has been sown 
in heat in spring and pushed on to bloom in the autumn of the same 
year, treating it as a tender annual, and then trying to multiply it by 
cuttings. This unnatural and fast life is in our opinion the cause of 
the disease which, once existent, may probably be contagious. 8o 
valuable is the Hollyhock for many positions in gardens that it is worth 
while making the experiment, not in one place only but in hundreds of 
places, whether after obtaining the seed from a healthy stock, a system 
of cultivation conformable to the nature of the plant will not give us 
the natural result of a certain development of healthy flowers. Sow 
thinly in the open ground in J uly, transplant where transplanting is 
wanted early in April ; healthy spikes of flowers will, we believe, follow 
in July, August, or September, and healthy seeds for a succession may 
be garnered before winter.— William Paul , Pauli' Nurseries, Waltham 
Cross, Ucrts. 
GRAPES WITHOUT HEAT FOR THE MILLION. 
{Continued, from page 129.) 
Vines can be grown satisfactorily in pots, but they cause more 
trouble in watering and feeding than when planted out. Good 
Grapes can be grown against a wall, the pots stood on the soil, ar.d 
being removed to a cool and dry place in winter, the pots covered 
with dry litter to save the roots from frost. A house is best. It 
may be above ground where the soil is wet. A narrow house will 
do ; G feet wide and 4 feet wide at the top ; the sides 8 feet high ; 
the top lights lifting for ventilation ; a board hung on both sides will 
answer for the bottom ; with boarded sides 18 inches high, which may 
be taken off the length of the lights, or, better, let it add to the height 
of the house. Train the Vines to wires 1 foot from the glass, 
allowing 2 feet 6 inches between the Vines. Another plan is having 
the pathway sunk, the sides held up by single brick walls, 18-inch 
single brick side walls, one course above ground, 8 feet 6 inches in 
centre, top ventilation only, no side lights, simply a glass roof, 
10 feet wide, and a row of Vines on each side, the roof wired a foot 
from the glass. It answers just as well to plant the Vine or Vines 
outside, and introduce the stems beneath the wall plate. Such 
houses were common formerly. The Vines are raised from eyes, 
cut like a wedge, but on the back of the shoot downward for an 
inch and cut transversely above the bud. They are thrust in level 
with the surface of turfy loam in pots singly in 3-inch pots. They 
must he kept moist. Any time before they begin growing is the 
time to insert them, or in February or March. When they have filled 
the 3-inch pots with roots or grown a few inches high, place them 
singly in 6-inch pots. Those in small pots will only need shifting. 
Shade from bright sun until established. Duly attend with supplies 
of water and liquid manure. Train near the glass or wall. Cut 
back to one or two eyes in winter. When grown a little turn them 
out of the pots, remove all the soil, replace in fresh soil, giving 9-inch 
