1877. ] 
THE BEST-CEOPPINa HARDY FEUIT-TEEES 
231 
Come we now to the question of the best varieties to cultivate. One import¬ 
ant consideration is to obtain sorts that will continue in season longest. If a 
variety is raised a week earlier or a week later than existing sorts, it will be 
eagerly welcomed, even if it is not so productive as Sir C. Napier, or so richly 
flavoured as British Queen. For the earliest, we still grow Black Prince ; it 
bears freely, and the fruit is a rich dark colour, of fairly good flavour, and much 
esteemed for preserving. Next to it is Keens' Seedling^ still one of the very best 
for flavour, size, and productiveness. President comes next in order of ripening; 
it is a grand sort, and succeeds well in light and heavy soils. Sir C. Napier 
should be grown, when quantity is an object; it is one of the best kitchen sorts, 
and its subacid flavour is esteemed by many palates. British Queen is a standard 
variety of exquisite flavour, but it does not succeed on all soils, preferring a 
deep, rich, clayey loam, where it well repays any attention bestowed upon it. 
Due de Magenta and Auguste Nicaise are varieties of recent introduction, that 
bear abundant crops of large, finely-flavoured fruit; they do well in light soils, 
and were introduced from France. Frogmore Late Pine must not be omitted 
from any collection; it is later than British Queen, and the fruit is very large, 
richly coloured, and abundantly produced. 
For the latest, I grow a variety that has been named Loxford Hall Seedling. 
It was raised in 1873, and selected from over one hundred sorts. For pot-cul¬ 
ture no other bears such crops of even-sized large fruit, and out-of-doors it is a 
week later than Frogmore Late Pine. It is now being sent out by Messrs. 
Veitch, of Chelsea, and I trust that those who purchase it will receive as much 
satisfaction from its culture as we have done at Loxford. All the above succeed 
well on light soils. Some few, such as Sir J. Paxton, we have discarded ; they 
do well on clayey loam, but on our soil suffer from the attacks of mildew.— 
J. Douglas, Loxford Hall., Ilford. 
THE BEST-CROPPING HARDY FRUIT-TREES. 
HE general failure of the fruit crops this year will doubtless make all those 
who intend to plant young trees try to find out the varieties that have 
borne the best crops in their different localities. To begin with Apples, 
the best-bearing varieties here have been, amongst the early ripening, the 
Irish Peach., Early Harvest., and Early Strawberry; of the mid-season sorts. 
Lord Sufjleld., Duchess of Oldenhurgh., Cox's Pomona., Small's Admirable, King of 
the Pippins., and Cox's Orange Pippin; and of the late or winter-keeping sorts, 
New Hawthornden., Tower of Glammis., Blenheim Pippin., Lord Burghley., Dume- 
low's Seedling., and Stunner Pippin have cropped the best. The early varieties of 
Pears that have had half a crop on them have been Beurre Giffard., Clapp)'s 
Favourite (an American Pear of good flavour), Beurre d'Amanlis., and Williams' 
Bon Chretien; of the mid-season Pears, Louise Bonne of Jersey., Fondante 
d'Automne., Doyenne du Comice., Thompson's., Comte de Lamy; and of the 
latest, Knight's Monarch., Ne Plus Meuris., Easter Beurre\ and Hacon's Incom- 
