THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, January 13, 1857. 
that with great regret, that the Society has not met with the 
encouragement which it is justly entitled to, ancl I hope that 
for the next season it will very much improve. I am sorry to 
say, and I hope every individual present will feel as I feel, 
that I have not done enough for this cause, and that for 
the forthcoming season, whether as ordinary member or as 
officer of the Society, still greater exertions ought to he made to 
assist the Society, and to enhance its benefits. This can very 
easily be accomplished without any pain to one’s personal 
feelings, or by depriving the employer of bis time or money 
—for time is money—but simply to ask our fellow-labourers 
in the vineyard, Do you belong to the Sick Fund ? By 
exerting ourselves to increase the number of members, 
every one will be fulfilling a duty which he owes to himself 
and his fellow-creatures. 
“ ‘ Since the formation of this Society no less a sum than 
£14= 5s. 6d. has been distributed to the sick members, and 
the sum received amounts to T18 19s. 4d., leaving a balance 
in the hands of the Treasurer of £4 13s. lOd. The books and 
papers of the Society are here for the inspection of the 
members, and I only hope that the members will interest 
themselves and inspect them. 
“ ‘ Having performed the duties of Secretary for the past 
year, I am now out of office; but I am, together with my 
brother officers the Chairman and Treasurer, eligible for re- 
| election, and offer myself accordingly, dependent upon your 
i consideration.’ 
“All three officers were re-elected, and a vote of thanks 
j passed. 
“ Mr. Brewer said, ‘ Considering the vast amount of 
good this little Society has done since its commencement, 
1 I feel quite persuaded that much more can be accomplished, 
and to the satisfaction of all parties in any way concerned or 
interested. 
“‘I now recommend that we take into consideration 
forthwith the following, which I beg leave to put as a 
proposition:— 
‘“That, in consequence of severe weather during the 
winter season, it often happens that many a man is pre¬ 
vented from making full time; and this comes at a season 
of the year when hunger and cold are felt most acutely by 
those who have not the means to obtain their common 
| necessities for want of money. I therefore propose that, 
! in conjunction with the Sick Fund Society, relief be given 
\ to those who have not been able to make full time, or have 
not received their full pay through loss of time occasioned by 
! the severity of the weather, but that they shall on no account 
i receive monies for loss of time by their own caprice, but such 
: as arises from the employer’s command; that the amount 
! to be given under these circumstances be regulated 
| according to the amount in the hands of the Treasurer, viz., 
when the balance exceeds £5 the applicant be eligible to Is. 
per day; when T4 and under £5, 9d. per day; when T3 and 
under £4, 6d. per day; and when the balance is under T3 
that no relief be given for any loss of time. Furthermore, 
that this loss-of-time relief can only be allowed to those who 
are subscribers to the Sick Fund Society at the rate of 2d. 
per week, and that relief be allowed only on account of 
illness, or on account of loss of time, not for both at the 
same period to the same individual.’ 
“ Seconded by Mr. Herod. Carried.” 
APPLE PROPAGATION.—STOCKS, &c. 
We come now to one of the most generally useful 
fruits under culture, and which has been called “ the 
poor man’s fruit.” 
Our readers are aware, as before observed, that there 
is a great deal of similarity in the mode of rearing 
young fruit-trees, although much subsequent difference 
in the mode of training and pruning. Still, as young 
beginners like to know the very alphabet of gardening, 
I must chat a little about Apples. There are two stocks 
in ordinary use in Britain; the common or Crab stock, 
and the Paradise Apple. Now, knowing that our 
continental friends make more fuss about stocks than we 
do, I requested some information from a very ingenious 
young German gardener, who has ample chances for a 
251 
knowledge of the matter both in this country and on the 
Continent, and I give a short extract or two from his letter. 
He says, “ The different varieties of the Apple stock of 
the Continent all go under the one collective name of 
Paradise in England.” Again, “ On the Continent there 
are three varieties: first, the Pomme cle Paradis; 
second, the Pomme de St. Jean, or, as it is called, the 
French Doucin, in order to distinguish it from the third, 
or the Dutch Doucin. The last stock is perfectly identical 
with the variety in England generally known as ‘ the 
creeping Apple.’ These are the three species known and 
acknowledged by all scientific pomologists.” 
Thus, then, stands the case as to stocks, and I could 
only consider it necessary to place such facts before the 
readers of The Cottage Gardener, hereby thanking 
my friend for his information. 
I believe that a very small proportion of those called 
Crab stocks are simply the Crab in its wild state, but 
what may be termed seedling Apples from expressed 
cider pulp, and such-like sources. It is probable, how¬ 
ever, that such come to fruiting earlier than the wilding, 
as they possess, in the main, a greater tendency to make 
fibrous roots. The nurserymen, I should imagine, prefer 
them, as they generally make much growth in a little time. 
Apples, as is well known, are planted extensively 
as standard orchard-trees on stems of from four to six 
feet in height, the latter height placing their boughs 
somewhat above what is called the browsing line, where 
cattle of any kind gain access to them. The use of 
dwarf trees of various kinds, however, having been on the 
increase for many years, our business, for the present, 
will lay more with them than the tall stems. As in other 
stocks, they may be raised from seed like any ordinary tree, 
or may be obtained in a young state, after being trans¬ 
planted, from any respectable nurseryman; the latter 
course is, in general, preferable. Grafting and budding 
are both resorted to with the Apple, and they are per¬ 
formed on young stocks just as in other fruits. The 
nurserymen in general proceed by whip-grafting, which, 
indeed, in all ordinary fruits, is the readiest mode. In 
the case of amateurs budding their own fruits I see no 
reason why they should not place a pair of buds, or 
more, on opposite sides of the stock, especially if the 
young trees are to be trained somewhat horizontally; 
such will the sooner carry out the objects in view. The 
stocks should be established a year previously to budding 
or grafting; and their character and mode of handling 
being at this time so ihuch like the Pear, I may refer 
the reader to the sketch under that head for the first 
year from the graft, and pass on to the second year. 
We may suppose, then, that under common circum¬ 
stances the young grafts will have made shoots of from 
three to four feet or more in length, and the buds nearly 
as much. The following may convey an idea:— 
Graft at first winter’s pruning. Bud at first winter’s pruning. 
The cross lines marked a indicate the pruning point. 
