THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, May 12, 1857. 
I 
i 
l 
) 
I 
large trusses; mottled rose lower petals; upper petals 
darkly spotted and margined with carmine. 
5. Governor General (Dobson).—White centre, deep 
rose, tinted with orange; free and constant. 
0. Lord Raglan (Hoyle). —Orange scarlet colour; 
striking, distinct, and good. 
7. Lord Cardigan (Turner).—Dark, with scarlet mar¬ 
gin ; lower petals bright crimson. 
8. Meteora (Foster).—Bright orange scarlet, with rich 
dark spot on the upper petals; very smooth petal; free 
bloomer and constant. 
9. Serena (Hoyle). — Lower petals shaded purplish 
rose; upper petals nearly black, evenly margined with 
purplish carmine. Very distinct and good. 
10. Topsy (Hoyle).-—Bright shaded rose lower petals; 
upper petals nearly black, with a large white centre. 
11. Una (Hocken).—A free-blooming white, very large 
truss, with a rich carmine spot on the upper petals. A 
good exhibition variety. 
12. Wonderful (Hoyle).—A good variety, of excellent 
form; lower petals rose, shaded with orange; rich vel¬ 
vety maroon upper petals; large trusses, and a free and 
constant bloomer. 
(2s. (Sd. to 6s. each.) 
T. Appleby. 
(To be continued.) 
OLD VARIETIES OF FRUIT WEARING OUT. 
Much discussion lias arisen of late on the de¬ 
terioration of certain favourite fruits, or what is more 
generally understood as the wearing out of certain 
varieties which at one time stood in the foremost rank. 
That such a “ wearing out” has been and is going on I 
believe there are not ten practical men in the kingdom 
will deny,* but there are some points connected with it 
which render it difficult to reconcile with other events 
of a like nature. I therefore make no apology for 
noticing a few of them. 
Beginning with Strawberries, it is somewhat odd 
that Keens Seedling , a variety that has done thirty 
years or more hard service, should be as healthy and 
vigorous as ever, and is by far the most popular variety 
we have, while Wilmot's Superb and some others which 
iollowed it are now nowhere to be found. It is, perhaps, 
wrong to infer that these were worn out; but if we come 
to a much later variety, Myat's British Queen , we see 
unmistakable tokens of an exhausted constitution, for 
there are many situations it cannot bo made to grow in 
even by all the careful treatment that can be devised, 
whereas a few years ago it answered moderately, 
though never so vigorous, certainly, as Keens Seedling 
and some others. Maybe some will be saying that it 
came first into existence with a debilitated constitution, 
and consequently cannot survive long. If that be 
admitted the key of the whole argument is surrendered, 
for it is only a matter of time whether a variety lasts 
five years or fifty years, or whether one lasts the former 
period and another the latter. 
Human and animal life is governed by like laws, and j 
doubtless a time will come when Keens’ Seedling will > 
cease to be as healthy, prolific, and useful as it is now; 1 
but we hope to see its place taken by others of equal 
it not superior merit. Other examples of Strawberries 
might be given, but we pass on. 
Gooseberries. —There being no lack of good varieties 
ol this fruit, few care what becomes of the old ones; 
but, one old favourite kind is certainly consumptive, 
the old Warrington , or what, in the north of England, 
is called the Ashton Red. The limited growth and 
unhealthy appearance of this tree convey the lesson 
♦ We know some first-rate authorities who deny that fruit trees 
wear out.~— Ed. C. Gr. 
that it has got one foot in the grave. Another favourite 
old sort, the Green Gage , is still farther advanced in 
disease, and though the Warrington is still grown, 
because it has established a name which we are un¬ 
willing to part with, there are few extensive plantations 
of it now, and the Green Gage Gooseberry is all but 
extinct amongst those who grow for the market. Perhaps 
the most common one grown about here (Staplehurst) 
is a rough yellow one, early, but ol no other merit than 
being a heavy bearer, and the buds on its shoots are 
less tempting to small birds than those of other kinds. 
Large Reds, Greens, and Whites are also grown, but few 
Warringtons. 
Passing over Currants and Raspberries, the varieties 
of which are too few and less noticed to afford examples 
either of endurance or otherwise, we come to the larger 
fruits, which furnish by far the most decisive proofs of 
“ wearing out.” 
Pears. —Whoever has seen two or three good crops 
in succession of Gansell's Bergamot , the fruit being also 
good ? or where is the Grassanne grown as perfect 
as it was thirty years ago ? Probably thirty years hence 
the Jargonelle will be a fruit known only to history, for 
healthy trees of this variety are few and far between. 
Many other useful old varieties are fast approaching 
the same end. Green Chissell, Autumn Bergamot , St. 
Germain , Crawford, and Chaumontelle are rarely met 
with in the healthy condition they were some years 
ago; and assuredly we cannot attribute theif decay to 
any other source than the debility of the tree, the 
soil, treatment, and other things being the same as 
before. 
Apples. —This is the fruit so often referred to for 
examples, and numerous old kinds are significantly 
pointed to as affording decisive proofs of decay. The 
old Golden Pippin , Golden Reinette, several of the 
Pearmains and Codlins, and a host of others are no 
longer to be met with in the healthy, profitable, bearing 
condition they once were, while some are discarded 
entirely. The Ribston Pippin and Golden Knob are 
fast following to the same end, and would, perhaps, 
have been extinct before, only they beiug particular 
favourites have been propagated wherever there was 
a chance of their succeeding; still the supply of them 
is daily diminishing, and in a few years Ribstons will 
cease to exist in very many places. To account for this 
on any other score than that of “wearing out” I confess 
to being unable, and to suggest a remedy or preventive 
would be only recommending what had been done over 
and over again with successive disappointments. 
As it is needless to multiply examples it is only 
necessary to take a glance at the condition under which 
fruit trees are grown. Apples, for instance, are the 
offspring of Grabs, the best kinds being the produce 
of repeated sowings of the seeds of improved varieties; 
but be it remarked that this improvement cannot be 
effected without in some way sacrificing the constitution 
of the plant, and, like the breeding in and in of animals, 
a delicate race is the result, differing more or less in 
degree as the case may be, yet still bearing tokens of 
that effeminacy resulting from the artificial position a 
grafted tree is in. This would be still more so were it 
not for the vigorous nourishment it receives from the 
hardy stock it is worked on. Still this is not sufficient 
to maintain in good health scions taken from aged or 
long-propagated varieties, and each succeeding genera¬ 
tion getting weaker, an abandonment of the whole takes 
place, as is the case in the old Apples no longer cul¬ 
tivated. Some varieties threaten to be very short-lived; 
the Hawtliorndeu Apple, for instance, is seldom seen 
in good condition, and is often a complete mass of 
canker. 
Now, the obvious lesson taught by the above is to 
cultivate only the varieties known to be healthy and good, 
