22 
THE FLORIST. 
some localities the crops were heavy, whilst in others they were either 
very light or altogether failures. Plums were an average crop ; but, 
like Apples and Pears, the crops were good in some places and bad in 
others. Peaches and Nectarines were an average crop. Apricots were a 
complete failure, owing to the extraordinary heavy crops of 1856, and 
the neglect of lightening the crops by timely and proper thinning. 
To the inhabitants of Halifax, Yorkshire, 1857 must long remain a 
memorable year; for on the 14th of August last the People’s Park, the 
munificent gift of Frank Crossley, Fsq., M.P., was thrown open to the 
public. This beautiful park extends over more than twelve acres and 
a-half. It lies close to the town, and was laid out by Mr. Milner, 
from designs furnished by Sir Joseph Paxton, M.P. To purchase the 
ground and form so tasteful a park has cost no inconsiderable sum. 
More than 30,000/. have been already expended on it; and this 
amount has been wholly contributed by Mr. Frank Crossley. 
Much in the way of ornamental planting has been done in many of 
the private places in this county. 
Without producing anything very new or wonderful in the way of 
glass structures, there has been still a little progress in that department. 
As instances, we may mention the beautiful house erected at the Hol- 
gate Nurseries, York, for Ferns, &c., by the Messrs. Backhouse. The 
erection of a curvilinear iron roof, with rough plate-glass on the large 
conservatory at Ripley Castle, in place of the old dark roof, and the 
cheap, simple, and very efficient glass case for the Peach walls at Kirby 
Hall. We mention these instances to show that the Yorkshire 
nurserymen keep pace with the times in building houses specially for 
the favourites of the day, and that the Yorkshire gentry also keep up 
to the times, by erecting light, elegant, and substantial buildings for 
special purposes, and have an eye to the table, by covering the walls so 
as to ensure regular crops of choice fruit. 
In no part of England—not even in the neighbourhood of London— 
is market gardening carried on with greater spirit and energy than it 
is in Yorkshire. This is to be ascribed to the very great demand there 
always is for garden produce in Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, 
and other large manufacturing towns. Even cottagers, in many places, 
make very considerable sums annually by proper cropping of their allot¬ 
ments. In some places, where the land is favourable, they plant—as at 
Knaresborough—great quantities of Strawberries, which they send to 
Harrogate, Leeds, Bradford, &c., and they manage to get them pretty 
early in June, when they get one shilling per quart for them. In 
other places they plant Rhubarb largely. Others, again, cultivate early 
Potatoes, which come off early in June, in time to sow with Turnips or 
other winter crop; whilst many plant fruit trees extensively. These 
cases refer solely to cottagers; the regular market gardeners have a 
proper rotation. 
The horticultural societies, which are in nearly all the towns, and 
many of the villages, exercise a very salutary influence on the culti¬ 
vation of the several localities. Nor is this influence confined to the 
growth of fruit and vegetables ; many of our florists are among the first 
men of their class. But, strange to say, Leeds has no horticultural 
