July 24.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
253 
Lavoisier will arise to correct the absurd gibberish of 
this science. It was but the other day we had to 
explain that the name of a plant meant jumping-for-joy, 
and that this was employed because the finder of the 
plant was frantic with pleasure at finding water near 
the place where it grew ! It would be difficult, in the 
whole annals of science, to find a deeper stain of folly. 
Vanda tricolor is a native of Java, whence it was first 
obtained by Messrs. Yeitch. Its leaves are in two opposite 
rows, channelled, and shorter than the raceme of flowers ; 
flowers with leathery-clawed sepals, which are pale yellow, 
spotted with crimson; lip, 3-lobed and purple striped with 
white ; spur, short and blunt. B. J. 
THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 
Retarding Fruit. —This is really an interesting and 
useful theme, and we can only wish the remarks about 
to be offered had been made three weeks sooner, being 
persuaded that, to cany the principle out most effectually, 
a somewhat early commencement is necessary. The 
benefits of retarding many of our fruits are very consider¬ 
able, as bearing on the subject of long succession, and 
an ample supply for the dessert-table. Moreover, when 
taken in connection with modes of acceleration, inde¬ 
pendent of in-doors or forcing matters, it is evident that 
ample means are within reach of the cultivator—means 
seldom called fairly into action, and which admit of 
much consideration with a view to future progress. As 
before observed in these pages, fruit-culture is, doubtless, 
capable of more improvement than, any one division of 
horticultural affairs. To convey an idea to our unprac¬ 
tised readers of what may be done, it will be well to offer 
a list of some of our out-door fruits, pointing to the pro¬ 
bable length of succession through acceleration and 
retardation :— 
Accelerated. 
Retarded. 
Gain. 
Strawberries . 
2 weeks... 
4 weeks 
0 weeks 
Gooseberries. 
3 
do. 
8 
do... 
11 
do. 
Rasps (the ordinary kind 
2 
do. 
3 
do... 
5 
do. 
Currants (White & Red) 
2 
do. 
12 
do... 
14 
do. 
Do. (Black) . 
2 
do. 
2 
do... 
4 
do. 
Cherries. 
3 
do. 
8 
do... 
11 
do. 
Plums .. 
2 
do. 
3 
do... 
5 
do. 
Pears. 
3 
do. 
3 
do... 
6 
do. 
Such may convey an idea of what can be done in this 
way; and will, at one glance, serve to show how impor¬ 
tant it is to take such thing's fully into consideration, j 
Indeed, how often do we hear it remarked, that Mr. A. 
has still gooseberries quite fresh; at which Mr. B. is 
astonished, and instantly calls his gardener “ to book.” 
Mr. C. has dined out at Mr. D.’s in the end of August, 
and quite surprised to find May-duke cherries as plump 
and fresh as in June; and a dish of fine Elton straw¬ 
berries on the table. Now these are not speculative 
ideas, but genuine facts of every-day occurrence, and 
point to the necessity of a due attention to both the 
accleration and the retarding of fruits as a very neces¬ 
sary branch of garden economics. 
Of course the accleration consists mainly in collecting | 
superior sites for the trees. It does not, however, lay in 
every one’s power to take every one of the fruits in this 
list “ by the hand ” in this way. To retard is, however, 
in every one’s power, and requires very little experience; 
labour, or rather a little attention in due time, being the 
principal thing. 
Now, in doing this, there are, as in everything else, 
certain principles which must not be lost sight of. It 
will not suffice to place a heavy shade over a tree at the 
“ eleventh hour,” and keep it there in a continuous way 
for several weeks. By so doing, the proprietor may be 
disagreeably surprised some day to find all his currants, 
which were so fresh and plump when covered up, hang¬ 
ing in clotted, shrivelled, and mouldy groups, and the 
trees half destroyed into the bargain. We must here 
admit, that our own experiments this way are too limited, 
at present, to enable us to show forth principles equally 
applicable to all our fruits. This is one of the garden¬ 
ing points not yet sufficiently investigated, and in which 
there is much room for advance. Such things, we are 
aware, may not be settled in a dogmatical way, but 
require to be submitted to actual experiment. With 
these necessary preliminary remarks, we trust there will 
be no harm in examining the subject by the light of 
what knowledge is at present extant; and then the whole 
may stand in a somewhat hypothetical position for the 
present. 
It would appear, then, that there are three distinct 
periods in the seasons when an amount of retardation 
may be carried out without any important injury to the 
tree. Of course, any person may adopt one, two, or the 
whole. The first period may be dated at, or rather just 
before, the bursting of the bud, in early spring; the 
second, just before the fruit takes its last swelling, or 
just after the process termed “stoning” is completed; 
and the third, when the fruit is ripe, or nearly so 
With regard to the first period, it is now well known 
that, to retard the opening of the blossom, is to increase 
the chances of a milder atmosphere, and, by conse¬ 
quence, the “ setting ” of the fruit. Here, then, it would 
appear, two objects may be carried at once. The retard¬ 
ing, however, must take place betimes in the spring ; it 
will not do to commence a heavy shading when the 
blossoms are expanding. Such a proceeding should 
commence even before any visible swelling of the bud 
takes place ; perhaps the very beginning of February for 
most fruit. At this period we would use a thick cover¬ 
ing; for no injury could accrue to the trees so early 
by even a total exclusion of light. Ordinary garden 
mats, old carpeting, or even such material as oil-cloth, 
would, doubtless, answer well. The latter painted white, 
to reflect the solar rays, would, probably, answer exceed¬ 
ingly well. Whatever the material be, it would be well 
to select it on the ground of non-conducting properties; 
inasmuch, as any augmentation of temperature within 
the cover would soon tend to “draw” the young bud. | 
Such a cover might remain on until the bud beneath 
was actually bursting its winter coat, when it might be 
removed, and canvass or bunting substituted for it. 
The latter material will now suffice for the remaining 
process. Henceforth, the spring retarding would have 
