1878.] 
THE VARIETIES OF DAMSONS. 
ICO 
2 ft. to 2 ft. 6 in. in lieiglit, handsomely pro-, 
portioned, and laden with flowers. It is no 
wonder that they find such a ready sale, for 
these plants, when well finished, as the Messrs. 
Hayes and other growers finish them, are abso¬ 
lutely perfect as specimens. The Gardeners' 
Chronicle was recently deploring the falling-off 
in the culture of the Fuchsia, as represented at 
Horticultural Exhibitions, and there is too much 
reason for some such remonstrance being 
addressed to gardeners. The Fuchsia is not a 
difficult plant to do well, and there is scarcely 
any other plant that so well repays good 
cultivation in its valuable decorative properties. 
A few London market-growers of the Fuchsia 
should be sent into the provinces, to show 
gardeners how Fuchsias might be grown. 
Many of them are badly in need of the lesson. 
The varieties grown for market-work by the 
Messrs. Hayes are chiefly Avalanche (double), 
Wave of Life , Improvement , a very fine dark 
variety ; Constellation , Prince of Orange , a 
capital variety, said to be twenty years old; 
Try-me-0 and Sedan , the latter a very fine and 
distinct variety. All the foregoing are char¬ 
acterised by that short-jointed, free habit of 
growth, out of which symmetrical specimens, 
large and small, can be made. The light 
varieties are not so numerous as the dark ones; 
they consist mainly of Mrs. Ballantine and Mrs. 
Marshall or Arabella , both of which are 
excellent for the purpose. 
One great secret of success with the Fuchsia 
is to grow on the plants without rest, from the 
time the cuttings are struck till the plants are 
ready for market. The late Mr. Charles J. 
Perry, of Castle Bromwich, of Verbena renown, 
was one of the best amateur Fuchsia cultivators 
for exhibition of his day, and he used to strike 
his cuttings in August, and exhibit the plants 
the August following, having grown them 
3^- ft. to 4 ft. in height, of pyramid shape, and 
nearly 3 ft. through at the base. What Mr. 
Perry did, others can do. 
The market-growers put in two main batches 
of cuttings, one in spring, to flower at the end 
of February and in March; the other in 
August, to flower through April and May. 
The cuttings are potted off into thumb-pots 
when rooted, and again into 00-pots, so there 
is little or no check ; the plants to be marketed 
in early spring are got into 48-pots in early 
autumn, the others not till spring, It is during 
the time that the plants are in 00-size pots 
that they lay the foundation of the future 
specimens. The accomplished market-grower 
knows when and where to pinch to secure uni¬ 
formity of shape ; he is constantly among his 
plants, noting their progress day by day, 
and giving them any little attention neces¬ 
sary. How much is involved in this word 
“ attention.” Ask any market-grower the 
secret of his success, and he will reply,—“ It 
is the constant attention they receive.” People 
are led to suppose that it is some peculiar 
mode of treatment that produces such results, 
or a system of feeding with stimulants, that 
forces the plants into good specimens in spite 
of themselves. Tlio only stimulant applied is 
a little weak guano-water, given to the 
plants when they are coming into bloom.—R. 
Dean, Ealing , IF. 
THE VARIETIES OF DAMSONS. 
[Plate 479]. 
f HE Damson which is the subject of the 
accompanying plate, is one of the most 
popular and widely cultivated of English 
fruits. Many hundreds of acres of land in 
certain districts of the country are devoted to 
its cultivation, but it is in our cottage homes, 
and in labourers’ gardens, that the Damson is 
most prized, the crop of this fruit being looked 
upon as security for the rent. The Damson is 
a true English fruit. It is not found in culti¬ 
vation on the Continent, or elsewhere, except¬ 
ing America, where it has probably been intro¬ 
duced from this country. Of Damsons there 
are several varieties, all originating from the 
wild plum, Prunus insititia. Our plate repre¬ 
sents three of the most important and distinct. 
Fig. 1. The English Damson. —This is the 
most common variety, and is sometimes called 
the Round Damson, Common Damson, Black 
Damson, &c. The fruits are small, roundish- 
ovate ; the skin deep purple, or nearly black, 
with a fine bloom. Flesh greenish yellow, 
acid, almost as austere as a sloe until quite 
ripe. It ripens early, and is a great cropper. 
Fig. 2. The Shropshire Damson, or Long 
Damson, Prune Damson, &c.—The fruits of 
this are much larger and longer than those of 
the common English Damson. It is of a long 
ovate shape, tapering mostly to the stalk ; the 
skin thick ; flesh thick, adhering somewhat to 
the stone. This is a variety of excellent 
quality, and the best for making preserves, but 
it is not such a prolific bearer as the Common. 
Fig. 3. The American Damson. —With this 
variety we have not much personal acquaint¬ 
ance, having only fruited it one season. The 
fruits are large and round, the skin dark purple, 
and slightly spotted with brown. Flesh 
greenish yellow, adhering to the stone, juicy, 
melting, and sweetly flavoured. Mr. Scott, in 
his Orchardist : says it is synonymous with 
