302 
THE FLORIST. 
generally fine bearing trees, have not a fruit this season ; but on 
this small tree of Lord Suffield there was five splendid fruit, 
which, when gathered about the middle of September, averaged 
in circumference at the largest part twelve inches, and a beautiful 
pale yellow colour all over. 
The cook that used them spoke of the first-class quality for 
kitchen uses. 
If a tree produced such fine fruit under these unfavourable cir¬ 
cumstances, we may expect from established trees good crops of 
certainly one of the finest early kitchen apples in cultivation. The 
tree appears a very free grower, but as mine is intended for a 
pyramid, it has been kept stopped to a few eyes ; by so doing the tree 
is now well furnished with spurs, so I may expect a nice crop next 
year. 
Perhaps some of your correspondents, growing the above variety, 
could favour us with their experience, if they can speak as favour¬ 
ably of it I have no doubt it will soon be more extensively grown. 
S. T. C. C. 
AYRES’ BLACK SPINE CUCUMBER, 
A SORT I have grown for the last two years, and intend to grow 
no other in future. I know no variety to equal it for a supply the 
whole year. The middle of September, 1860, I planted a pit for 
winter supply, the sorts were Sion House, Cuthill’s Black Spine, 
and Ayres’ Black Spine ; the pit is heated by a flue at front for 
top heat, and a lining of dung at back for bottom heat; during 
the sharp weather of last winter it was impossible to keep heat in 
the linings, it would be quite cold for several days together. 
The top heat was seldom above 50° by night, and often below 
that. Through the low temperature, and it being too cold to 
ventilate, the Sion House and Cuthill’s mildewed badly, and the 
plants died away, one after another, without producing any fruit 
fit for table, while Ayres’ continued to grow all through the winter, 
and from three plants of this sort I was scarcely without fruit all 
the winter, and quite without a spot of the disease so much com¬ 
plained of the last few years. 
Last February I planted the same sort in a common three-light 
frame set on a bed of dung and leaves ; from these plants I began 
cutting fruit at the end of March, and have cut cucumbers from 
these plants every day since, and shall continue to do so for some 
time yet,—at any rate until I can cut from plants of the same 
variety in a flued pit, planted about the same time as last year. 
It is one of the finest bearing varieties I know, showing two or 
three fruit at every joint; and I generally leave on all the fruit 
that shows. I do not want fruit the enormous length some people 
like cucumbers ; from twelve to fifteen inches in length answer our 
purpose far better than eighteen inches or two feet, especially as 
we can always cut from the short growers, and only now and then 
from the long ones. 
