244 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION.— July 1, 1850. 
properties, leading the fancy of one to its crispness, and 
the other to the tender leaves of the vegetable in question. 
Here, then, are two different views, and, as far as I am 
able to judge, it appears to me that the English palate, in 
a general point of view, gives preference to piquancy and 
substance, such as the crisp Bath Cos and Celery afford, 
while we, on the Continent, continually aim at tenderness, 
or rather, softness. 1 beg leave to use this term, as it im¬ 
plies the true meaning better than any other word. I do 
not wish to dispute in the least the tenderness of the Bath 
Cos ; but the Cabbage Lettuce possesses peculiarities we 
prefer so much more. 
It is just that delicious white sap, reminding one of 
cream, and the soft yellow heart, untouched either by sun 
or air, melting on the tongue, when very young, like a 
French Beurre, that we Germans admire so much in the 
Cabbage Lettuce, and which we cannot taste in the Bath 
Cos. We give preference to pressing with the tongue, rather 
than setting the jaws in motion, such as you must do with 
crisp Bath Cos or Blanched Celery. 
And this reminds me of another difference in opinion and 
taste. We have repeatedly tried to introduce the Blanching 
of Celery for a general culture in Germany, but it is useless; 
and it is not three months ago I was asked by a friend of 
mine, Mr. Tatter, the very same gentleman who wrote “ On 
Forcing the Apricot in Dutch Pits,” which article was pub¬ 
lished in these columns a few weeks ago, whether I did not 
know of any new or different vegetables in cultivation abroad; 
and when L said, “ Why not try some of the English ?" he 
replied, “Ah, we have done that before; they meet with no 
approbation.” Thus we differ in the Celery in the same 
way as we give preference to the Cabbage Lettuce. Our 
favourite kind is the Bulbous or Turnip-rooted Celery, and 
the toiling cottager must have his row of it as well as it is 
served for the aristocracy. 
When the bulbs have attained about the size of small 
Swede Turnips we take them up, store them in trenches, 
and, any time during the winter, a root or two serve to 
make us an excellent salad, simply by peeling the brown 
skin off, heading down the green top, boiling them till they 
are quite soft, and cutting them in thin slices the same as with 
Cucumbers, and we season these slices, when cold, with vinegar, 
pepper,and a little olive oil; and, taken with beef or mutton, 
it is really a most delicious vegetable, yielding a cooling 
tender salad, when Lettuces and green things are, in our Sibe¬ 
rian winters, out of the question. It is surprising that this 
kind of Celery does not meet with more approbation in 
England, as it is, besides, so very useful for flavouring soups, 
leaving the cut pieces to be eaten with it. In fact, with us 
in Hamburgh, we consider the Celery quite indispensable. 
But to return to the Lettuces (and I must apologise for 
digressing thus far), it is, as has been said, the softness of 
the leaves that we prefer; and I have only to add, in con¬ 
clusion, that in the same way as with the Celery, we eat the 
Lettuces in pieces, mix them well with vinegar and salad oil, 
and garnish the surface with eggs, boiled hard, and cut in 
fours. In gentlemen's houses cream is added, which en¬ 
hances the mild flavour of the salad considerably. 
With regard to White or Green Asparagus, we differ 
greatly, as no head touched by daylight, or greened in the 
least by the sun, would be suffered to appear on gentlemen’s 
tables; but there is room to speak on that subject another 
I time. 
Of all the Cabbage Lettuces, I have always found the 
: Neapolitan to be the finest; and for forcing, to be cut in April 
and May, we choose the Brown Stonehead, that kind being 
so hardy, that little self sown seedlings will brave the severest 
frost when near a wall.—T h. Spreckelsen. 
THIS YEAR’S ORCHARD FRUIT CROPS IN 
KENT. 
Whenever a complaint is often repeated, it usually 
gives rise to the inquiry “ Is there any cause for it? ” 
and an inclination prevails to suppose the complaining 
party is a confirmed grumbler. Be this as it may, I 
must again repeat much of the same unfortunate story 
that I did last year, relative to the fruit crop of this dis¬ 
trict. To those not engaged in horticultural or agri¬ 
cultural affairs, it may seem strange that the markets of 
London and elsewhere are liberally supplied with the 
article he is told is all but totally destroyed in the dis- , 
tricts which usually supply it in greatest abundance. 
Yet it often happens so, for the All-wise Disposer of 
events takes care that a universal failure never takes 
place. Certain districts may suffer, but others are : 
spared ; and the social state of things nowadays is 
such that we have the means of sending long distances 
for any object not to he had at home, and the speedy 
transit of goods from one place to another tends to 
equalise the markets very much. 
In 1854 the fruit crop was entirely annihilated for 
some miles around London at the south and western | 
side; while in Kent, to the eastward of the great metro- j 
polis, the crop, though a slight one, was better than j 
last year, and was, on the whole, a remunerative one to 
the grower, the deficiency elsewhere securing for him 
high prices, and, altogether, the trees were in better 
health ; and it was fairly hoped they had set their 
embryo buds with sufficient streugth to insure a good 
crop last year. This, however, was not the case. The 
crop of 1855 was a poor one, and many orchards were 
much diseased, and, altogether, the fruit crop of 1855 
was so unfortunate that many fine orchards were threat¬ 
ened to be done away with; and in some instances this 
has been the result, but in others they have been spared 
another year, in the hope that perhaps a good crop 
might atone for the loss of the last three or four seasons. 
Alas! the season of 1850 threatens to be worse than 
any that preceded it, as I heard a respectable grower 
affirm his belief that his Apple orchards would not pro¬ 
duce him a bushel of fruit per acre. Another orchardist, 
whose plantations in favourable seasons produce about 
six thousand bushels, will not have more than sixty 
this season, and these all on a few trees, which, by 
some means, escaped the general failure. In fact, it j 
requires very little judgment to determine that many j 
large trees will not produce a single fruit each, as at the 
time I write (June 10th), they have not a single green 
leaf on them ; and mauy a tree has not even the rem¬ 
nant of a green leaf. Leaves there certainly have been ; 
but they have died off as if struck with fire or some 
similar misfortune, as certain tufts of withered bloom ' 
and leaves cling to the trees in such a way as removes 
the impression that they have never started into j 
growth. 
This, of course, is an extreme case, but it is a very 
common one, and is not confined to aged or worn-out trees, ! 
for an excellent orchard of dwarf Apples, about ten or 
twelve years old, which had been carefully trained and 
attended to in their early growth, and which ought now 
to have been in their prime, arc almost without a 
vestige of green about them. The leaf stalks are all 
that many of them have got, and some of them have 
not eveu that. In fact, if solitary trees had been seen i 
iu that condition, they would have been considered as 
utterly dead ; but when a whole orchard presents the 
same appearances, there is certainly something unusual 
to account for. 
It is right to say that all do not look alike bad, but 
none look well ; and I do not hear of any oqe having 
a good crop. In general, the tops of trees are more or , 
less blighted as described above, but a few green leaves 
and caterpillars below give the appearance of life in 
them; and in some cases, wheu very low dwarf pruned 
trees occupy a space below the others, there is more 
healthy foliage on them. Caterpillars abound very 
much, and, after having devoured the Apple foliage, they 
are descending and preying on the under fruits. 
Filberts are suffering very much. Some spirited 
growers are attempting the picking of them off', and one 
gentleman had as many as three bushels picked off in 
