DECEMBER, 
257 
LUDWIG’S BIGARREAU CHERRY. 
WITH AN ILLUSTRATION. 
Ludwig’s Bigarreau Cherry, which forms the subject of our present 
illustration, was introduced by Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, and it was from 
a tree fruited in one of his orchard-houses in 1865 that our figure was taken. 
This variety is remarkable on account of its shape, which is long heart-shaped, 
being much more so than any other Cherry with which we are acquainted. It 
is a fine early Bigarreau, ripening just after the Early Red Bigarreau, in the 
end of June and beginning of July. The flesh is pale yellow, very melting 
and juicy, and much more tender than Bigarreaus usually are. 
GESNERA ZEBRINA AND SPLENDIDISSIMA. 
The dry parched atmosphere of dwelling-rooms is very injurious to plants, 
particularly during the autumn and winter months when strong fires are kept 
up. Valuable plants that would suffer by being kept a few days in such an 
atmosphere should on no account be used for this purpose. Plants that do not 
suffer by this treatment should be as much as possible employed for in-door 
decoration. There are numerous plants well adapted for this purpose; I find 
these Gesneras very useful. The roots are all fresh potted in April, and then 
placed in one of the vineries at work. I put one root into a small pot, three 
into larger pots, five into larger still, and as many as a dozen roots into very 
large pots. By this plan I have plants of all sizes. I have the pots well drained, 
and I use a compost of nearly equal portions of loam, peat, and leaf mould mixed 
up with plenty of coarse river sand. 
The plants soon begin to grow when put into heat. As soon as they are a 
few inches high they should be tied up neatly to stakes, and kept tied up from 
time to time as they advance in growth. I never shift them after they are 
potted. Gesnera splendidissima comes soonest into flower, generally in Septem¬ 
ber, and lasts till December. G. zebrina begins to flower in October and lasts 
till January. They both withstand the dry atmosphere of rooms for weeks; 
and as the roots are generally full grown by the time they are in flower, they 
can be dried off when they are out of bloom on any shelf in the coolest part of 
the stove, and can remain there until the time for potting, in April, comes 
round again. M. Saui. 
REMARKS ON ERUIT TREE CULTURE.—No. 15. 
The young maiden Apricot trees should be planted as before recommended 
as soon as maturity of growth is indicated by the ripening and falling of the 
leaf, which is generally about the middle of October. Let them be headed 
back in March to a length of 6 inches or thereabouts, according to the position 
of the buds; a transverse cut should be made at the back of the extreme bud, 
and the knife should be brought out a quarter of an inch above it. This is 
often disregarded by young practitioners, which induces me to be more par¬ 
ticular in mentioning it minutely 7 ; for it must be remembered that the tree 
will always have to face one way, and this must be kept in view both in the 
training and pruning in these preliminary stages of preparation, and every cut 
must be made at the back of the shoots, not only that the cuts may be hidden, 
but because they are more likely to heal over without injury when they are not 
