THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 6, 1857. 
11 
most only very slight seminal varieties. An excellent late 
Peach is Montague Tardive , a variety which Mr. Rivers ob¬ 
tained from Holland. It is of a lively green colour, marked on 
the side next the sun with broken, dark red stripes. The 
flesh separates freely from the stone, and is melting, juicy, 
sweet, aromatic, and vinous, and very slightly tinged with 
red next the stone. Gregory's Late , which is red at the 
stone, was not equal to the preceding in flavour ; but it was 
evident that this variety, which is usually excellent, was not 
in its best state. Desse is also a late variety, and perfectly dis¬ 
tinct from the preceding, being of a very pale, almost waxen 
colour, covered on the shaded side with numerous minute red 
dots. The flesh separates freely from the stone, where it is 
of a pale pink colour. It is melting, very juicy, sweet, and 
aromatic, and is, perhaps, the finest of all the late Peaches. 
The flowers are small, and the leaves hear globose glands. 
The tree is said to he very hardy, and hears well. 
Mr. Turner, of Slough, sent specimens of the Salway 
Peach , a variety which was submitted to the Society on a 
former occasion so late as November. Evidently on account 
of the late excessive heat those present were prematurely 
ripened, and were lacking that juiciness and vinousness 
which characterised those originally submitted. They were, 
in fact, rather pasty, like the Albergc. 
Messrs. Yeitch, of Exeter, sent specimens of a seedling 
Nectarine, and of the Syrian Peach. The former is a very 
large fruit, and quite green in colour, with a little dull red on 
the side exposed to the sun. It was scarcely ripe, and 
lienee the flesh cut rather firm, hut it was very juicy, remark¬ 
ably sweet, and with all the flavour of the Stanwick. The 
kernel is sweet and the flesh adheres to the stone. This is, 
therefore, a Clingstone Stanwic/c , which would, in fact, he a 
very appropriate name for it. Unlike the Stanwick it has 
the property of not splitting the stone. The Syrian Peach 
is the type of a new race of Peaches, as the Stanwick is 
among Nectarines. It has a sweet kernel! The flesh sepa¬ 
rates freely from the stone, is very melting and sweet, and 
has a remarkably fine and rich flavour. This we regard as 
a great and valuable addition even to the already very nu¬ 
merous varieties at present in cultivation. Messrs. Yeitch 
also sent specimens of a seedling Thin-shelled Nut. This 
is large, widest at the top, and narrowing towards the base, 
of a pale brown colour, and banded with dark brown streaks 
throughout its whole length. It struck us, however, that 
the shell is not so thin as that of the Cosford. The kernel 
is large, firm, and nicely flavoured ; and if the plant is a good 
and early bearer, with a compact habit of growth, it cannot 
fail to be a desirable acquisition. 
Of miscellaneous fruits Mr. Rivers brought specimens of 
Belle Agathe Cherry, a variety about the size of a Merry, 
and heart-shaped, with afirmPigarreau flesh,and of excellent 
flavour. The colour is dark red. A Cherry in October is valu¬ 
able, and one which the birds and insects will not touch is 
doubly so. Belle de Septembre Plum is a very excellent kitchen 
variety, with rather more flavour than kitchen varieties usually 
have late in the season. We have seen it cooked, and its 
juice is of a beautiful lively crimson, as if coloured with 
cochineal. It also makes an excellent preserve. 
A specimen of the Golden Pippin was also on the table, 
taken from a tree eighty years old, and was, both for size, 
flavour, and colour, all that could possibly be desired, as if 
ignoring the very idea of such a theory (for theory it is) as 
degeneracy. It "was tasted along with Sudbury Beauty , 
brought by Mr. Whiting, of the Deepdene, and was found 
to be incomparably superior to that variety, which was so 
much extolled by the Horticultural Society a few years ago. 
Mix Turner brought a dish of the fruit of Eugenia Ugni 
grown at Slough in the open air. They were the size and 
shape of the berries of the Hawthorn, and pretty much the 
same colour, but perfectly ripe. The taste is that of the 
Black Currant flavoured with allspice, and without its pre¬ 
vailing acid, being, in fact, rather sweet. This fruit is 
certainly very agreeable to taste, but we do not think it is 
one which can be eaten to any extent, or which will establish 
itself as a recognised fruit in this country. It wants suc¬ 
culence, as its substance is rather dry. When novelty has 
passed and other subjects have engrossed public attention 
Eugenia Ugni , as a fruit-bearing shrub, will, in our opinion, 
retire to enjoy a quiet respectability among other half- 
hardy exotics. Should it be otherwise the taste of the 
fruit-eating portion of society must materially alter. 
Mr. Whiting, of the Deepdene, submitted for examina¬ 
tion specimens of Pears, among which were Thompson's 
and Comte de Lamy , both exquisite in flavour, and certainly 
two of the best Pears grown. Napoleon was very badly 
grown, and execrable in flavour, and Mr. Whiting stated 
that it was always so with him, and w r as evidently not 
adapted for his description of soil round Dorking in Surrey. 
These are facts worth knowing, as generally the Napoleon 
is one of our best Pears. There "were also excellent 
specimens of Althorpe Crasanne, well ripened, and with 
their fine flavour of the old Swan’s Egg which many 
admire, but -which, perhaps, as many reject. 
Collections of Pears were produced by Mr. Rivers, of 
Sawbridgeworth, and Messrs Paul and Sons, of Cheshunt. 
Among the former were Beurre Rouge d'Amboise , generally 
supposed to be the same as Brown Beurre, but certainly in 
this case distinct. They were grown on horizontal trellises 
almost close to the ground, but the flavour was inferior. 
Paradis d'Automne is a small pyriform fruit, covered with a 
coat of cinnamon-coloured russet. It is very melting and 
juicy, w r ith a fine flavour, and it was stated at the Meeting by 
several members that they had always found it very constant 
in its characters. De Bavay is a nice-looking Pear, and 
rather large, but the flesh is coarse-grained and only half 
melting, though sweet and agreeably perfumed. Albertine is 
a fine-looking and handsome fruit, with a very tender, melt¬ 
ing, and buttery flesh, and a piquant and perfumed flavour. 
Beurre Woronzoff is coarse-grained and only half melting, 
with a perfumed flavour. 
In Messrs. Paul’s collection were Souvenir de Printcmps, 
an agreeably flavoured variety, but somewhat gritty. Lodge, 
an American variety, with a tender, melting, and juicy flesh, 
but with no particular flavour or aroma. Bonne d'Ezee , only 
half melting, with a coarse, gritty flesh, but juicy, and with 
an agreeable perfume. Doyenne Bonssoch. —This is a very 
fine Pear, with an exceedingly melting, very juicy, and vinous 
flesh, a fine sprightliness, and a delicate aroma. There are 
many other varieties of both of these gentlemen’s collections 
which we would notice, but our space is so limited we must 
leave them till next week. 
T. M. Jones, Esq., of G, Constitution Row, Gray’s Inn Road, 
produced a fruit-gathering instrument which w 7 as very highly 
approved of by the Meeting. The apparatus consists of a rod, 
which maybe of any length, say six lector three feet, and on 
the end of it is placed a moveable contrivance composed of 
two rings, which meet and part like a pair of shears; and these 
rings are covered with a disc of vulcanised India rubber. They 
are worked by means of a sort of trigger, which is at the 
hand end of the rod, and when they clasp the fruit the two 
discs of India rubber yield to the pressure, and the fruit is 
gathered uninjured, in place of these discs Mr. Jones can 
also fix a netted bag and a cutting and holding apparatus for 
gathering Grapes. This is .a very desirable invention, and 
cannot fail to come into general use among amateurs and 
ladies who do not care to mount a ladder, or risk the safety 
of their necks by practising gymnastics up a Pear tree. 
Alexander Scrutton, Esq., of Wandsworth, sent several 
specimens of an Apple he called Seek no Farther , but ydiich 
had been sent by Dr. Davies, of Pershore, under the name 
of Flanders Pippin. Some idea may be formed of their size 
when we state that they measured four inches and a half 
wide at the base, and thirteen inches and a half in cir¬ 
cumference. 
The following gentlemen were elected members: — 
Mr. Thomas Staples, Albion Hotel, Aklersgate Street. 
Mr. Henry Curtis, Ashburton, Devon. 
