288 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 27,1804. 
hut trees. I plant about 3300 trees per acre ; at six years they are 
thinned, and sold for Bean stic'rs at 3s. 6d. per 100 ; at seven years 
I*have them cut in two for hedge stakes at 23. per 100. Before 
planting Larch the ground should be well cleared, and the rubbish 
burnt, which destroys the Pine weevil to a great extent. I like 
a good hole made, every root spread out, and sand to cover the 
roots. I have had about 50,000 Larch planted in one piece of 
ground, and I think 100 dead ones will quite cover what loss 
we have had. The bracken is mown twice during the summer. 
Our greatest pests are the rabbits, if they get amongst them they 
soon make a sad havoc. Oldham’s plantation cost about £300 
felling and clearing, and the £2700 includes the sale of all the 
stakes, thinnings, and such like.” 
This season’s growth of the top of the young Larch tree is 
4 feet 4 inches long, with summer laterals varying from 1 foot to 
2 feet in length, and the base of the growth at the point of 
severance exceeds f inch in diameter. The seedling planted in 
1893 is 4 feet long, and well furnished with side laterals and 
satisfactorily robust. Such growth as this points the way for the 
utilisation of land on which “ nothing but trees will grow.” 
IN THE DAMSON COUNTRY. 
Without paying a visit during the season to a district where 
Damsons are cultivated extensively it is scarcely possible to realise 
what enormous numbers of fruit are grown, and distributed, too, 
at remunerative prices. Worcestershire, notably the Pershore 
district, may be said to be one of the headquarters of Plum grow¬ 
ing, and Berkhampstead in Herts is another ; but, as far as 
Damsons are concerned, both will have to “ take a back seat.” If 
we want to see Damsons in perfection we must go to the Mentmore 
estate, and more especially Cheddington, in the County of Buck- 
ingham. Thereabouts the whole country seems to be teeming 
with Damsons. In some instances the trees are old and past their 
best, in others they are in their prime, while still more are quite 
young trees. 
That they pay remarkably well scarcely needs telling, as it is 
very certain such shrewd men as Lord Rosebery and his experienced 
gardener (Mr. Smith) would not go on establishing orchards of 
them for the benefit of the estate and those who rent the farms if 
Damsons were “played out.” But for the Damson orchards it is 
very probable many of the farmers would have been bankrupt ere 
this. Thirty acres of trees cost very little to keep in good order, 
and they rarely fail to produce heavy crops. It must be borne in 
mind that the soil, a mixture of chalk and clay, suits the trees 
admirably, this promoting that exceptionally robust productive 
habit of growth so essential to success. Quite young trees bear 
well, while the older ones seem when the fruit is ripe lo be a mass 
of purple. In addition to the orchards formed and handed over or 
let to the tenants Lord Rosebery has about 100 acres of Damsons 
on his own hands, Mr. Smith still having sole charge. Curiously 
enough the crops in this instance are almost a complete failure. 
The bulk of the trees are located in a valley, and the severe May 
frosts destroyed the crops, whereas those on very slightly higher 
ground escaped with little or no damage. 
In 1893 the crops were very heavy, and no less than GO tons of 
fruit were marketed ; this in addition to a heavy weight, or 
probably another 10 tons, that dropped to the ground and were 
spoilt. Yet many of the trees are comparatively young, and the 
time may come when a weight of 1 ton to the acre may be reached. 
When it is added that as many as 50 tons of Damsons are sent 
from Cheddington station in the season, and occasionally 16 tons 
on a single day, still more being despatched from Stanbridgeford, 
another small station in the neighbourhood, some idea of the 
magnitude of the industry will be gained. As a matter of fact 
whole trainloads of Damsons have been sent from the Mentmore 
district, and the season is by no means a short one, as a long 
succession is kept up by means of a selection of varieties. Where 
they all go to and what becomes of the fruit does not greatly 
concern the growers, but the suspicion prevails that port wine is 
largely manufactured out of Damsons. Nor need we complain if 
such is the case. Anyway the consignments are not all in the 
direction of the metropolis, but all the larger midland and northern 
towns take their full share, and there is no slackening of the 
demand. ° 
Damson nomenclature would appear somewhat at fault, and 
Mr. Smith’s experience ought to be turned to account with a view 
to clearing up the confusion existing. I would suggest that he be 
asked to read a paper at one of the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
meetings during the Damson season, detailing his experience, and 
further illustrating his subject, as well as proving his views as to 
correct nam'ng, by means of large branches of trees in full bearing. 
At Mentmore they have four distinct forms, each doing good 
service. The Worcester is the first to ripen, and were already over 
when I visited the orchards. The tree is of sturdy upright growth, 
very little thinning being needed. Farleigh or Crittenden’s 
Prolific in point of habit somewhat resembles the Worcester, the 
trees in both instances foiming goed round heads without present¬ 
ing the appearance of undue crowding of branches. It is an 
enormous cropper, and the fruits, as might be expected, are some¬ 
what small. Mr. Smith considers Crittenden’s the hardiest—that 
is to say, the flowers are least often injured by frost; and that, 
coupled with its stiff habit of growth, is why outside rows are often 
formed with this. The Shropshire, sometimes misnamed the 
Prune, ripens at the same time as Crittenden’s, and is also a g od 
cropper, but the fruits are larger and more oval in form, while 
the growth is somewhat pendulous. The fruit of the true Prune 
is the largest of all, and is also the latest to ripen, this variety 
carrying on the supply till severe frosts are experienced. This, 
again, is of a more spreading or weeping habit of growth. 
All the varieties are propagated by means of suckers, and are 
grown with clear stems, 6 feet or slightly more in height. There 
is no breaking up the whole of the ground for the tree, nor any 
attempt at growing bushes of any kind under or between them. 
The distances apart favoured is 22 feet each way, and good sized 
holes, or about 6 feet across, are formed for each. Weeds are not 
allowed to shut out warmth and air from the roots while yet the 
trees are young, but all eventually become grassed over and fed 
off by sheep, ample protection being afforded the stems in the 
shape of a thick covering of thorns. Till a good head has been 
formed by the young trees they are freely cut back, but in later 
years very little pruning beyond lightly thinning out is necessary. 
That much should certainly be done, though I am afraid all the 
growers do not imitate Mr. Smith’s good example in this respect, 
nor apparently do they all fully realise that something in the shape 
of manure should occasionally be given to the trees after they have 
attained a highly productive state. What is done at Mentmore 
might also be imitated with advantage in very many other places, 
too many of those in charge of orchards generally failing to realise 
that trees cannot go on producing heavy crops of fine fruit without 
some assistance at the roots. Naturally there is a great accumula¬ 
tion of refuse in such a large private garden as at Mentmore, and 
it is this enormous heap that finds its way to the Damson orchards. 
It is first, however, turned, and has gas lime added to it in layers, 
and afterwards well mixed. A period of not less than six weeks 
has to elapse before the heap is fit for use, and three months is a 
still safer time to keep the lime mixed with the decaying rubbish. 
Then if the ashes resulting from the burning of the more woody 
refuse is also added theie is a valuable heap of stuff. Once in 
every five or six years each tree gets about two barrowloads of this 
mixture, and there is no mistaking the good effect it has on the 
health and superior productiveness of the trtes. Gas lime is more 
often than not voted of no value aid a nuisance on a private place, 
but as Mr. Smith proves, it can safely be turned to good use. All 
the trees are very free of insect pests at Mentmore, and who shall 
say that the gas lime does not tend to keep them so, as it is a fine 
remedy for grubs of all kinds ? 
It is also worthy of note that much importance is attached to the 
way in which Damsons are packed. It would hardly ba credited 
that it is possible to pack them badly when it is only a question of 
filling each half-sieve, but Mr. Smith states that it is only men 
trained to the work can so pack them as to obtain the very best 
prices. There is a habit of lading them up smoothly, cleanly, and 
quickly which has to be mastered, and although grading is not 
attempted there must be no unsound fruit included in a basket. 
The Mentmore Damsons always sell well, no matter how heavy 
may bs the crops, owing to the reputation gained for honest 
packing. There is no forming a top layer with picked fruit, while 
that underneath is much mixed, and it pays belter to throw or 
give inferior fruit away than to mix it with better samples.— 
W. I. 
CARNATION DISEASES. 
One could not help noticing from the articles that have 
appeared recently on this subject that some writers regarded but 
lightly the diseases to which these plants are liable. Oihers seem 
to be of opinion that heavy dressings of manure will bring about 
these unsatisfactory results. It may be safely concluded that those 
who regard these diseases of but minor importance in the culture 
of these popular flowers have never suffered severely from the 
attacks, or they would find Carnation growing difficult and often 
very disappointing. Fortunate indeed are those who have escaped 
