122 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 22, 1887. 
made of sail-cloth, about 5 ft. square, with eight stout 
ropes fastened to it by eyelets; the ropes give a 
good opportunity to lift the tree evenly and in keeping 
it upright, and is useful for either large or small trees. 
The tree is partly laid over on one side, and the cloth 
is doubled in the middle under the tree, then by 
canting the tree over in the opposite direction the 
ropes underneath can be grasped, and the half of 
the cloth which was doubled under can be drawn 
out; thus the tree is securely placed on the centre of 
the cloth, ready for removal anywhere; the same 
process is gone through to unload it. 
If the soil is in any way dry about the roots, as we 
find it is this year, a good soaking of water should be 
given. When the soil is filled in, it is trodden firmly 
about the plant, and mulching is done at once ; if 
necessary the tree is firmly secured by a stake, or three 
wires set in triangle form, according to the size of the 
tree. It is important that the tree should be firm 
after planting, for root-action cannot take place freely 
when the wind is constantly rocking the tree to and 
fro. This detail of tree planting is too often neglected, 
which is a great mistake, and my advice is, do it at 
once, for fear it is forgotten until it is too late. If the 
following summer be dry, attention should be given to 
newly-planted shrubs and trees, by watering them 
thoroughly and re-mulching them.— Practice. 
-- 
APPLE AND PEAR CONGRESS, 
EDINBURGH. 
The Apple and Pear crops being exceptionally heavy 
in Scotland in the year 1885, the Council of the Eoyal 
Caledonian Horticultural Society, with commendable 
energy, organised a special exhibition and conference 
on Apples and Pears, to be held in connection with 
their winter show in the Waverley Market, 25th and 
26th November. The report of the Pomological 
Exhibition is now before us, showing it to be compiled 
in a precisely similar fashion to those of the Apple 
Congress held in 1883, and Pear Conference held in 
1885, in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
Chiswick. 
The Congress was admitted on all hands to be a mar¬ 
vellous success, and the samples of fruit, numbering 
some 12,730, represented all parts of Great Britain and 
Ireland, from Kent to the Orkneys, and Mayo to 
Norfolk. Some collections were sent from other 
countries ; chiefly a collection of Apples from Nova 
Scotia, but the primary object being to get a com¬ 
pletely representative collection of Apples and Pears 
grown in Scotland, it necessarily follows that this part 
of the exhibition received most attention. The 
greatest number of contributions, consisting close upon 
8,000 samples, of which 1,000 were Pears and the rest 
Apples, were drawn from different parts of Scotland. 
Midlothian contributed the largest number (1,475) of 
samples from any one county; and Orkney the smallest, 
namely, 21. 
Several of the collections were sent without name3, 
while others had to be corrected. Seventeen jurors 
were appointed to revise and correct the nomenclature; 
and some idea of the labour attached to it may be 
gleaned from the fact that 5,000 samples out of the 
12,730 had to be dealt with in this way ; and four days 
were occupied in the process before a satisfactory report 
of its completion could be given. No description of 
the different varieties of Apples and Pears exhibited at 
Edinburgh has been given in the report, except in the 
case of the Nova Scotia exhibit. This omission may 
be due to the fact that British Apples and Pears have 
frequently been described, and recently so, in the reports 
of the Chiswick congresses, drawn up by Mr. A. F. 
Barron. The cultural and other remarks made by 
experienced growers and exhibitors with regard to the 
altitude, aspect, site and soil of the gardens and 
orchards in different parts of the country are very 
valuable. 
One of the chief features of the report is the selection 
of a limited number of the best kinds of Apples and 
Pears, for particular purposes, in different countries, 
and for the whole of Scotland, as well as for the United 
Kingdom. It is notable that the Apple, King of the 
Pippins, has received the highest number of votes as 
being the best dessert Apple both for Scotland and the 
United Kingdom; yet there are gardens in some 
parts of Scotland, particularly in Kincardineshire, 
where the same Apple is very unprofitable and unsatis¬ 
factory in every way. King of the Pippins is also at 
the top of the poll in a list of 120 Apples selected for 
the whole of Great Britain, at the National Apple 
Congress, held at Chiswick ; and is, likewise, the best 
dessert Apple for the whole of Ireland, as shown by 
the report before us. Many other findings and results 
of the congress at Edinburgh are identical with those 
of the National Apple Congress and the Pear Conference, 
held at Chiswick, so that all three books will form 
excellent guides for planters. 
-- 
A WAYSIDE GARDEN IN 
ABERDEENSHIRE. 
In thickly populated places where gardens are 
numerous, there is often great similarity between one 
and another in any particular neighbourhood ; but 
when isolated, as in country places, there is often great 
individuality displayed in the absence of neighbours to 
emulate or copy the design. Where there is no inherent 
love for gardening, on the other hand, the garden is 
often a miserable waste, choked up and overrun with 
weeds. 
At Cragiefold, in Aberdeenshire, as the traveller 
wends his way westward from Fraserburgh, on the top 
of a car, brake or omnibus, with a rocky sea-coast on 
the right and a purely agricultural country on the left, 
he is struck with the trimness and well-stocked condi¬ 
tion of a garden in front of the house. When at their 
best many a wayfarer pauses to admire the flowers, of 
■which there is little other evidence in the neighbour¬ 
hood. It soon becomes apparent to the observant all 
along the way that in the cultivation of trees, flowers 
and other garden subjects, there are not only climatic 
conditions to contend with, but that the vicinity to 
the sea makes it difficult to cultivate anything above 
the shelter of a wall or other protection, as the sea blast 
ever and anon in stormy weather, and laden with briny 
spray, cuts off the stems in a sloping direction as with 
a pruning knife above the point of protection. The 
soil, however, is rich, as the state of the agricultural 
crops testify. 
Behind the shelter of a low wall, annual and peren¬ 
nial herbaceous plants blossom to perfection. The 
front of the house is adorned with Honeysuckle, double 
Scotch Roses, the wilding Rosa tomentosa and other 
kinds that find a congenial home. The Tea plant 
(Lycium barbarum), as it is popularly called, seems 
quite at home—as it does in many other parts of 
Britain—and rambles over the garden fence with 
rampant vigour. The thick and fleshy character of 
the foliage seems to imply that a maritime situation 
and salt spray not only accord with but contribute to 
its welfare. Ribes sanguineum thrives well, but makes 
its wonted display early in spring. Plants of low 
growth are evidently most at home, and the vigour 
with which Cerastium tomentosum (here called Snow 
in Summer) and Saxifrages ramble over a sloping bank 
is astonishing. The robust character and the size of 
the leavesjrf Saxifraga umbrosa give it more title to 
the name of St. Patrick’s Cabbage than is generally 
the case in suburban and other villa gardens. Pinks 
and Carnations make a fine display, lasting over many 
weeks ; Ten-week and East Lothian Stocks compete 
with China Asters, Adonis autumnalis and all the best 
double varieties of the common Marigold (Calendula 
officinalis), including the popular striped variety, 
Meteor. Perennial Asters and Hollyhocks flower late ; 
but Dahlias, though dwarf, are very floriferous, and 
even ripen seed. Amongst the choicer herbaceous 
plants, Malva moschata and Schizostylis flower remark¬ 
ably well, and what is more notable, the latter proves 
quite hardy. These are but a tithe of the things that 
arrest the attention of the wayfarer, and proved 
interesting to a Tourist. 
- —>*<— - 
FERNCLOUGH. 
The residence of Mrs. J. K. Cross is one of a number 
of good gardening establishments that have sprung up 
in the neighbourhood of Bolton during the last few 
years, and like many others of limited area, there is 
always something worthy of note and admiration to be 
seen when an intelligent head is in charge, as many of 
the most important operations have to pass through 
his hands. At Fernclough I was pleased to see in one 
of the vineries, some of the best Alicantes I have seen 
in this part. The bunches were even and well shaped, 
and would turn the scale at 4 lbs. Much larger, I am 
aware, have been recorded, but not in a climate like 
that of Bolton, where many hardy fruit trees, and even 
forest trees, declare by their appearance that they are 
merely existing. In the same vinery were equally 
meritorious bunches of Muscats on canes grafted on 
Foster’s Seedling. So satisfied is Mr. Hud with the 
Foster as a Stock, that the Muscat will now be allotted 
the space occupied by the foster parent. 
The Peach house is notable for the prolonged supply 
of fruit it yields from a judicious selection of sorts, and 
the method of planting. The front trellis is furnished 
with three dwarfs and three riders, and three of the 
latter form of trees cover the back wall. Fruit gather¬ 
ing commences in the second week of July, and extends 
far into September. Only old and well-tried sorts have 
been planted, such' as Early Anne, Royal George, 
Bellegarde, Noblesse, and Barrington Peaches, with 
Elruge, Yiolette Hative and Pine Apple Nectarines, the 
latter being highly thought of. 
In a span-roofed stove at right-angles to the vineries, 
and leading from one of them, were healthy plants of 
Cibotium princeps, and Areca lutescens, occupying the 
centre, with smaller plants of the usual subjects used 
for house decoration underneath as well as round the 
side stages. Another long span-roofed house was 
planted with Tea Roses and Lapagerias on the north 
side in a raised bed, supported by a wall, the remain¬ 
ing space being filled with Chrysanthemums necessarily 
confined to a height of 3 ft. to 4 ft. in order to be 
accommodated in the house. All the glass is on the 
outskirts of the pleasure grounds, and on the west of 
the mansion, but so arranged that it does not appear 
at all out of character. The space not laid down with 
grass in the pleasure grounds is taken up with Rhodo¬ 
dendrons, of which there must be some thousands, 
including the best sorts of recent introduction, and all 
looking the picture of health, and well covered with 
flowering buds, which rather surprised me after witness¬ 
ing the dreary aspect of timber trees for some distance 
as we approached the town by rail. Where Rhodo¬ 
dendrons are bordering on the grass, Yiolas of sorts are 
planted as a margin to cover the vacant spaces. These 
were as bright as could be, and were the only out-of- 
door flowers to be seen ; 12° of frost on the previous 
evening having destroyed everything that was more 
tender. 
Mr. Hud speaks highly of Rhododendron Cunning- 
hamii for smoky districts, as he finds it withstands 
more hardships than the Ponticum varieties. The 
pleasure ground with its pleasing undulations is divided 
by a narrow stream flowing through a rocky ravine, 
apparently 30 ft. below the bridge we crossed on the 
east side of the mansion on our way to the kitchen 
garden. Here I saw an even breadth of an excellent 
strain of Brussels Sprouts with scarcely 2 ins. difference 
in the height of any of the plants, and the stems brist¬ 
ling with Sprouts larger than a large unshelled Walnut, 
and almost as hard. Celery was being earthed up 
breast high, contrasting favourably with that in the 
majority of gardens this year.— W. P. E. 
-—- 
THE BIGNONIA-LIKE CATALPA 
(Catalpa bignonioides). 
The exceptionally dry and ■ warm weather which we 
experienced during the past summer must account for 
the fruiting of various exotic trees that rarely produce 
fruit under ordinary circumstances in our climate. 
This applies to Ailanthus glandulosa, Koelreuteria 
paniculata, and the above species of Catalpa, all of 
which are now heavily loaded with fruit, and although 
sufficiently ornamental from the foliage alone to deserve 
cultivation, the two latter are also handsome flowering 
trees, and all are now rendered immensely interesting 
each from their peculiar and respective kinds of fruit. 
The Catalpa is flowering at several places in the 
neighbourhood of London, particularly in the Duchess 
of Cambridge’s Garden at Kew, and at Gunnersbury 
House, Acton. At the latter place is a broad spreading 
tree about 20 ft. in height, literally laden with its 
singular pendent horn-like fruits, which are cylindrical 
or terete, green, with a brownish purple tint on the 
exposed side, and from 6 ins. to 12 ins. long, or nearly 
so. The tree is planted by the side of a small pond or 
tank, into which, presumably, its roots dip, and draw 
water supplies. This would be in accordance with its 
likings, as in its native home it grows on the banks of 
rivers in Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It seems to 
thrive admirably, however, elsewhere, as it may be seen 
in a wide diversity of positions and situations around 
London, where it seldom fails to flower every year, but 
is seldom seen to fruit. 
At Gunnersbury House the seed vessels are by no 
means proportionate to the number of flowers in a 
panicle ; but in some cases there are from eight to a 
dozen, the combined weight of which is considerable 
owing to their solid character and large fleshy 
placentas, which seem out of all proportion to the rest 
of the fruit. The fleshy character of this central 
portion would seem to indicate that it was meant to 
be eaten were it not for its bitterness. The seeds are 
arranged in two rows in each of the two cells, and are 
twice or three times as broad as long, with curious 
