1884.] 
FEEESIA REFRACTA ALBA.-THE WYEDALE PLUM. 
41 
do not expect the younger to surpass the 
senior variety. First bloomed in 1882 ; sent 
out last autumn. 
W. M. Hewitt [Doiiylas ).—A sport from 
James Merryweather, r.f., shown by my friend 
and colleague in excellent character in 1882, 
up to which year it had been very constant to 
the sport. Last year some of the plants re¬ 
turned to their original Rose Flake character, 
as, in my experience, this particular variety 
had always done. Nevertheless, many remain, 
and as a c.b. it is very fine. 
William Murray (Adams). — Raised at 
Swalwell simultaneously with John Harland by 
Mr. Edward Adams. Described by Mr. Rudd, 
in 1877, as the best of the Newcastle c.b.’s, 
but longer experience inclines me to give the 
palm to John Harland. Nevertheless, it is a 
fine variety, with a broad smooth petal, and 
plenty of colour. First bloomed in 1873, and 
sent out in 1875.—E. S. Dodwell, Stanley 
Road, Oxford. 
FREESIA REFRACTA ALBA. 
f T the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on February 12, Messrs. 
Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea, exhibited 
a number of plants of this lovely Cape 
bulb. The flowers being pure white, blotched 
with yellow on the lower segments, and very 
fragrant, it is indeed a lovely spring flowering 
plant, bearing to be gently forced, and extremely 
valuable for cutting. 
The best mode of cultivation appears to be 
one comparatively easy to carry out. The 
matter of a suitable compost is one of some 
importance ; it should be made up of two parts 
loam, one part leaf soil, and one part peat, 
with the addition of sufficient silver sand to 
render the whole thoroughly porous. The 
bulbs may be potted at any time from August 
to the end of October, but certainly not later, 
as they begin to grow out very early, and 
should not be disturbed afterwards. When 
potted the pots can be stood in the open, under 
the shelter of a wall if possible, and for the 
first month at least may be plunged in cinder- 
ashes or cocoa-nut refuse. It is necessary to 
examine the plants from time to time, and as 
soon as they have fairly started into growth 
the covering should be removed; and if there 
are indications of frost setting in, the plants 
must be removed to a cold frame or a cold 
greenhouse, where they can have plenty of 
light and air. But little water is required 
until the grass-like foliage begins to appear ; 
and then as the plants progress they must 
have waterings as required, and a little weak 
liquid manure given occasionally will be found 
very beneficial. 
If it is desired to have the plants in bloom 
early, they should be placed in a warm house 
as soon as the flower spikes are visible, but 
plenty of air is a necessity, and the forcing 
process should not be extreme, else the head 
of bloom may prove unsatisfactory.—R. Dean. 
THE WYEDALE PLUM. 
[Plate 606.] 
believe this variety of Plum is but 
little known, but its excellence as a 
late ripening sort, would render it 
valuable as an addition to any collec¬ 
tion. It was, we are informed, introduced to 
cultivation from Yorkshire by Messrs. Rivers & 
Son. We have seen it growing in Mr. Lane’s 
orchard at Great Berkhamstead, but for the 
samples figured, and for much of the following 
information, w^e are indebted to Mr. G. Bunyard, 
of Maidstone. Of a diffuse style of growth, and 
with rather slender shoots, the Wyedale Plum is 
not unlike Rivers’ Prolific in its habit, forming 
for the most part short-jointed wood w’ith a few 
shoots running out to a considerable length ; 
it is not, however, to be regarded as a robust 
grower. The leaves are rather small and of 
thin texture. 
One of the gi’eat merits of this Plum is, 
that it is a good bearer, and another is that it 
ripens its fruit very late in the autumn—in 
October and November. Mr. Bunyard informs 
us that he has gathered fruit as late as 
November 9 ; that from which our figure was 
drawn was received from him on October 28, 
the sample being from an open standard, 
though he considers it would be quite worthy 
of a north wall. The tree is a fair cropper 
when allowed to grow naturally, but when root 
pruned and grown as a pyramid it bears much 
more freely. 
Fruit medium size, roundish-oblong, very 
dark dull reddish purple, with a thin bloom. 
Stalk about half an inch long, set in a small 
but deepish basin, from which a shallow indis¬ 
tinct suture extends to the apex where the 
fruit is slightly depressed. Flesh yellowish or 
deep straw colour, transparent, veiny, parting 
freely from the stone. Flnvoicr somewhat 
austere when raw, but excellent when cooked 
with a slight smatch of roughness. For cooking 
purposes indeed there are few Plums which 
are equal in quality to the Wyedale. In the 
figure the flesh is represented of a darker 
yellow than it appears in a fairly ripened 
fruit, the deep colour being attributable to the 
fruit having been kept too long, or not being 
sketched as soon as cut.—T. Moore. 
