TIIE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 10,1858. 
slioots, and soon cover tlie wall. Did tlie planter even 
cut back pretty freely, the vigorous state of the roots 
I would soon produce a correlative vigour of branches. 
It would thus have some of the characteristics of what 
I our correspondent humourously styles the nursery¬ 
man’s old ewe, and which he can thus easily change into 
: young lamb fashion at pleasure. In fact, his cut back, 
old plants are in a similar position to a strong, healthy, 
' Willow stool. None of these characteristics can exist 
| to any great extent, in the case of trees taken up, 
transferred in a bundle to their destination in March, 
put into the ground at the coldest part of the year as 
I respects the soil, and with the increasing heat telling 
| chiefly on the swelling and expansion . of buds into 
shoots, before there is healthy root action to supply 
their wants. Spring planters, then, unless they can 
use extra care, have themselves, and not nurserymen, 
to blame for many of the evils and disappointments 
that ensue. 
I have several times, when nurserymen and seeds¬ 
men were blamed, attempted to show, that the blame 
rather rested upon gardeners than upon them. But 
there is one thing, as respecting fruit trees, that is 
deserving more attention than it practically receives, 
—I do not mean so much from the heads of firms, as 
that they shall see and insist, that fruit trees, and 
especially trained ones, shall be taken up with more 
care than is frequently practised, under what is called 
the drawing system, by men who, it may be, are only 
employed for short intervals, and feel no particular in¬ 
terest in the way the work is done. I have seen beau¬ 
tiful trained fruit trees, sent with their roots so 
chopped and ruptured, and withal sent packed in such 
dry material, that the fine trained tree, for all prac¬ 
tical purposes, was scarcely so good as a healthy 
maiden plant, wrought that or the previous season. 
There might be a chance, even with such trees, 
if planted very early in the autumn. Planted late 
in spring, the shoots, if left, would most likely 
become stunted; if cut back,—in opposition to the 
general rule, that roots and tops should not be cut 
back at one and the same time,—there is a good 
chance that many of them would follow in the wake of 
those of our correspondent. So much is there of fact 
in this latter representation, that many gardeners, on 
going to a nursery, not only choose their plants, but 
see them taken up carefully, and the roots surrounded 
I with damp mulching. Without they can do this, they 
| make it a point to order maiden plants; these they 
can train, and more carefully, at pleasure. The train¬ 
ing of trees is a matter of much importance to nursery¬ 
men and their customers. If such trees are taken up 
with more care, even if more should be charged, and 
if planters could only make up their minds to plant in 
autumn, then the cutting back almost to the stump of 
trained trees, and thus rendering all the training of no 
avail, will soon be numbered among the things of the 
past. R. Pish. 
ANNIVERSARY OF THE POMOLOGICAL 
SOCIETY. 
A numerously attended Meeting of the British 
Pomological Society was held at St. Martin’s Hall, 
; Long Acre, on Thursday, the 5th inst., Robert Hogg, 
Esq., Vice-President, in the chair. 
The following gentlemen were elected ordinary 
members :— 
Joseph Martineau, Esq., Basing Park, Alton. 
Richard S. YAtes, Esq., Sale, Cheshire. 
Richard Ellison, Esq., Sudbrooke Holme, Lin¬ 
coln. 
E. Milner, Esq., Oxford House, Anerley Road, 
Norwood. 
Mr. James Sclater, Nurseryman, Exeter. 
Mr. John Perkins, Nurseryman, Leamington. 
Mr. William Iveson, Sion House, Isleworth. 
This being the annual Meeting of the Society, the 
accounts for the past year were submitted and ap¬ 
proved. After paying" all the expenses incurred in 
the management of the Society, there was a balance in 
hand. Some alterations were made in the Rules 10 
and 11, to make them accord with the new days of 
meeting, as they have been arranged for the current 
year. ‘ Air. Edmonds, of Chiswick, and Mr. Busby, 
were added to the Council, in the room of Messrs. H. 
Low, and John Lee ; and Mr. Davidson was appointed 
to tlie office of Secretary, in the room of Air. John 
Spencer, resigned. The office of Assistant Secretary 
was abolished. 
peaches. 
A Seedling Early Peach was received from Mr. 
Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth. It is of small size, about 
the size of the Acton Scot, or the Early Anne; round, of 
a sulphur-yellow colour, flushed with crimson on the side 
exposed to the sun, and mottled with deeper crimson. 
The flesh is yellow, pale pink at the stone, from which 
it separates freely, very tender and melting, remark¬ 
ably juicy, sugary, and vinous, and with a rich, de¬ 
licious flavour. The stone is small, rugged, and thick, 
and the kernel bitter. This seedling was raised from 
the Early York, but is said to be ten days earlier than 
that variety. Air. Rivers also sent specimens of the 
Early Anne, grown in an orchard-house under similar 
circumstances, but it was very much inferior in flavour. 
Mr. Rivers also sent specimens of the little Peach 
called Petite Mignonne , a nicely-flavoured, early 
variety. 
Mr. Edmonds, of Chiswick, brought a specimen of 
the Kew Early Purple Peach. This is what is known 
also by the name of Poyal Charlotte. The fruit was 
ripened against a wall, in the open air, and was per¬ 
fectly matured; but the flesh was dry, and neither 
sugary nor vinous. 
nectarine. 
Air. Rivers exhibited specimens of his seedling from 
the Stanwick Nectarine, and it was found to maintain 
the same excellent properties as last year. 
APRICOTS. 
Air. James Veitch, of Exeter, sent specimens of 
three varieties of Syrian Apricots, all of which have 
sweet kernels. One of them, called the Kaisha 
Apricot, has for some years been in cultivation. The 
fruit of this variety, as exhibited, was small, uneven in 
its outline, and depressed on the apex; it has a deep 
wavy furrow on one side, which extends from the base 
to the apex ; the skin is yellow, with orange cloudings, 
and the flesh, which separates freely from the stone, 
is, in those specimens not highly ripened, mealy and 
pasty, but in those which have russet markings on 
the skin, and which appear to be highly ripened, it is 
much more juicy and highly flavoured; but, al¬ 
together, it is an inferior variety to the Moorpark. 
No. 24, Seedling Apricot, is of the size and shape 
of the Kaisha, and very similar to it in flavour, but 
perhaps hardly so good. 
No. 27, Seedling, is a most delicious variety, and 
when a little shrivelled is a perfect sweetmeat. The 
fruit is somewhat oval in shape, an inch and three 
quarters long, and an inch and a half wide. It is 
marked on one side by a shallow suture, and it is 
slightly hollowed at the apex. The skin is primrose 
yellow in the shade, but as it becomes highly matured, 
and where it is exposed to the sun, it assumes an orange 
tinge, and speckled with crimson on the sunward side. 
The flesh parts freely from the stone, and is of a deep 
orange colour, and gelatinous appearance; remarkably 
