302 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 8. 
j 
i north-eastern part of the county, but what have been 
! grown are certainly not so good as in some years. 
I Insect following a sort of blight has thinned the number 
of pods very much; while the rains, and dull weather of 
; July, increased the growth of stem so much, as to give 
( that undue preponderance over the few seed-pods that 
the blight had left, so that the crop is one that will 
yield more haulm than corn. Only, as I have said, but 
j few Beans are grown here, and those mostly of the 
kind adapted for horses, but plots of Windsor and Long- 
pods may be seen occasionally grown for seed, few being 
raised for market purposes in a green state. 
As but few of the other vegetables which form the 
“ bill of fare ” of a Covent Garden market-day are 
grown around here, the deep, mellow loams near the 
Thames or the Metropolis being better suited for them, 
1 will pass over to the fruits which do form important 
features in the cultivation of the district, and, of course, 
contribute a proportionate contingent to the national 
wants ; and as the most useful one has been glanced at, 
I will follow ou to another, to which a sort of county 
distinction has been given in other districts, with, 
perhaps, as much and no more right to do so, than the 
way many other names are dealt out. 
Long before this paper reaches some of our readers, 
their ears will have been accustomed to the cry of 
“Kentish Cherries;” that is to say, he will have heard 
that if ho has been much in towns where street-hawking 
is carried on, and little boys, doubtless, envy others of 
their class whose lot it is to be born and brought up in 
the county, thinking that the said Cherries must be as 
plentiful as acorns or haws are elsewhere. This, how¬ 
ever, is far from the case, for Kentish Cherries, like 
Durham Mustard, Stilton Cheese, and many other things, 
have long ceased to be exclusively produced in the 
district they receive the name from; for certain it is, 
that Cherries do not form one quarter the feature that 
Apples do in Kent. Nevertheless, there are large 
orchards grown in some places, but they are usually 
planted alone, and under different circumstances to other 
iruits. Cherries are almost universally planted on ground 
that is either in grass, or is very soon after laid down so; 
for, true to its character as a stone-fruit, disliking much 
knife-work, or other mutilation, the roots are likewise 
impatient of the same treatment, and like the repose 
which an undisturbed green sward gives them. A soil 
much more stiff than is usual for others is also preferred 
for Cherries, yet it must be free from stagnant water The 
trees are planted in thickness in accordance with their 
respective kinds, most room being given to Biggarreaus, 
and Black Hearts, while May Dukes being more of an 
upright growth, and not always very long lived, are 
planted tolerably close together, and thinued out after¬ 
wards as wanted. The kinds mostly grown are May 
Dukes, two or three kinds of Black Hearts, including the 
Crown Heart, two or three Biggarreaus, some having 
mere local definition, and the later Cherries, called 
English, Flemish, or Kentish, as the case may be. Certain 
it is, that the one called Flemish is a distinct fruit from 
the otliors, which may also differ from each other, and 
very widely, perhaps, iu the way the terms are made use, 
for it is by no means a fixed or general rule to call any 
one here “ a Kentish Cherry.” However, I may observe, 
that the Flemish seems to be one of the most useful 
kinds grown, that I would advise those who have not 
grown it to try it, not for table purposes, but for the 
kitchen and preserving, for it partakes too much of the 
character of the Moretto to be relished by every one; 
■ in fact, it seems a sort of link between that fruit and 
the Duke, and other fine table fruits; only being more 
hardy than the Morelia, it bears well as a standard, and 
the smallness of the stone and large fleshiness of the 
lruit, in addition to its good colour, give it many advan- 
l tages. I may also add, that the Morello does not seem to 
answer well here as a standard, few being grown; 
neither have the later-improved varieties of the garden 
found their way into the orchards yet to any extent. 1 
mean such as the Black Eagle, the Tartarian, and 
Elton, and some others. Although “ Kentish Cherries” 
may form the yearly cry of street-vendors, as the season 
comes round, yet it is not every one that produces a 
good crop; in fact, it is not more than one seaEon in 
five or six that does so; the present one being, perhaps, 
the best since 1847, though nothing like so good 
as that year. Now, having said the crop has been 
tolerably good, I may tell our north country readers 
that they need not altogether envy the Kentish fruit 
i grower, for though it would be difficult to imagine any¬ 
thing more handsome than a nice, healthy tree loaded 
with ripe Cherries, still, there are times when these same 
trees cut a very sorry figure. The spring of 1853 
witnessed them in a deplorable state. A late frost 
destroyed not only the blossom, but also much of the 
shoots which had made a little growth, and their 
withered, blackened appearance was anything but in¬ 
viting, and such seasons are of more frequent occurrence 
] than those producing good crops. 
j Plums are certainly a less precarious crop than 
; Cherries, and adapting themselves to circumstances 
where the Cherry is unsuitable for, they are more a 
| staple fruit of the county than the Cherry ; for suffering 
less from the depredations of birds, they can be planted 
with advantage amongst other fruits, although it is 
needless to mention that they, too, prefer the repose of 
a nice turfy surface. Many sorts are grown, which, 
having more local names, are of little use to a stranger; 
! suffice it to say, that the crop is, on the whole, good the 
present year, some of the more hardy kinds being, in 
fact, heavily laden. But I am reminded that my space 
is fully occupied, and will leave the further remarks ou 
this subject until another opportunity. J. Robson. 
THE WEATHER AND STATE OF THE CROPS. 
We had here (Uxbridge), during the last week of 
July, very hot weather. The thermometer, hung up in 
a tree, and exposed to the full current of air, indicated, 
on the 27th, 100°. As yet, we are in this neighbourhood 
clear of the Potato disease, with every prospect of a 
most abundant crop. Wheat looks uncommonly well, 
crops even, and only in one instance laid. Oats are 
also a good crop, and ripening fast; I saw a field partly 
cut on Saturday, July 29th. Barley also is ripening, 
and looks promising as a crop. “ There never was 
such a season for blight,” said an old labourer to me; 
and it is true. The Bean crop is nil but destroyed by 
the black aphis, and the Hops are iu the same condition. 
The Hay harvest is nearly over; the crops here are better 
; than was expected, aud it has been secured in excellent 
condition. Apples are nearly all gone. There are a few 
Pears; and at Flnckwell Heath, near Wycombe, there 
is a good crop of Cherries. The smaller fruits, such as 
Gooseberries, Currants, and Raspberries, have suffered 
greatly by the blight. I find this word “ blight,” a very 
convenient one, meaning, as it is usually used, every 
disease that fruits are heir to; but in this case, this 
year, the blight is caused by the extensive number of 
insects, chiefly the green and black Aphides. Last year 
wo had a great number of the insect devourer, the Lady 
Bird (Coccinella), but this season not one is to be seen, 
which may partly account for the multitudes of the 
insects upon which they feed. T. Appleby. 
