October 29, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
139 
WIND AND THE FRUIT. 
Seldom, if ever, lias there arisen such a wide-spread 
wail over fallen fruit from the effects of wind as the 
present season, and one correspondent after another 
noted this in their fruit report. I noticed one or two 
who have a word now and then to say in favour of the 
natural, alias extension or go-as-you-please, method of 
fruit culture, showing a sneaking love towards the 
restrictive and more systematic method of treating the 
trees. This is no doubt due to the practical lesson the 
wind has taught them, that whatever fruit they may 
have on these pruned trees, wind will be no agent to 
reduce its number. I have observed for some years 
now, that we are visited with showers in September 
that have proved most destructive to the crops of 
Apples and Pears on naturally-grown or unpruned 
trees. 
This year has been an exception, but then it 
came in August ; and twice during the season the 
ground may be said to have been covered with wind¬ 
blown fruit. Not that the fruit is actually blown from 
the trees, but it is the dashing of one branch laden with 
fruit against another, that forces the fruit from the 
trees. 
It was shortly after one of these storms that I left a 
garden, the ground of which was covered with wind- 
fallen fruit, to pay a visit to one of the most extensive 
fruit gardens—private, at least—that I have seen or 
heard of in Lancashire ; and excepting a few gardens 
around Liverpool, where they have fairly good depth of 
soil on the red sandstone, J. Stanning, Esq., J.P., 
Broadfield, Leyland, near Preston, might challenge the 
whole county for quality. On my first visit there I 
supplied The Gardening World with a few par¬ 
ticulars respecting the fruit trees, which I wish to 
supplement now that I have seen the fruit on them— 
where it ought to be until wanted, and not on the 
ground. 
It was only under the early ripeners that I noticed 
odd ones down, which, perhaps, in a few days, would 
have fell in the absence of wind, which, speaking 
broadly, is powerless on these trees from the fact that 
they are subject to a course of summer pruning, there 
being, consequently, very little left to obstruct the 
passage of wind through them, and the strong sturdy 
branches are immovable. 
Some time previous to my visit, Mr. Kirkman, the 
gardener, had shortened all the shoots to two or three 
eyes, except the leader, which was left full length for a 
time. The fruit was even in size and regularly dis¬ 
tributed, and it would be puzzling to make firsts and 
seconds. The trees are 5 ft. in diameter, rather more 
in height, and an average crop would be about two and 
a half score Apples, that being the mode of valuation in 
vogue in this district. The crop of ten trees of Eekling- 
ville Seedling was exactly this average. The largest 
Apple was Grenadier, 12J ins. round, the next being 
Rylance’s Surprise, a variety said to have been raised 
by Mr. Bylance, of Ormskirk, but I could not say how 
long ago. The first I heard of it was about two years 
ago, when a neighbour invited me to see crops on trees 
grafted two years previously ; but the' crop was too 
heavy to show the character of the Apple, and I could 
scarcely credit it could be grown to the dimensions it 
has been at Broadfield. 
Warner’s King, commonly known as King or King 
of the Apples, was nearly as large as the above. Tom 
Put had eighteen good Apples on a tree the third year 
from the graft, and Court Pendu Plat at the same age 
had a like number within 2 ft. of the ground, and 
another with thirty-four 3 ft. above the soil. Other 
heavy croppers were Pott’s Seedling, Kinger, Cellini, 
Worcester Pearmaiu (highly coloured), and Golden 
Spire. Where did the latter variety spring from ? It 
is not many years since I first heard of the name in 
one of your contemporaries, and singularly enough 
that was from the pen of a reverend gentleman who 
has a garden near here, where he grows flowers as well 
as fruit largely ; he forms a conspicuous figure almost 
daily on the local railway platform, loaded with the 
produce of his garden, which he conveys to town to 
distribute amongst his parishioners. Little less prolific 
were White Codlin, Hawthornden, Lord Suffield, Lord 
Derby, and Keswick Codlin. The best Pears were 
Louise Bonne of Jersey, Beurre d’Amanlis, Williams’ 
Bon Chretien, Doyenne du Comice, and Beurre 
Bose. 
Plums were also bearing well, but their produce was 
getting sadly mutilated by wasps, which for two or 
three weeks devoured all before them in the way of fruit 
in this district. The onslaught in this garden was 
something frightful, as fifty large Currant trees laden 
with fruit were cleared in less than a fortnight ; and 
it was dangerous to attempt to pick, except early in 
the morning. Nests were effectually destroyed by the 
dozen nightly within a few hundred yards of the 
garden without any apparent diminution in the 
number of wasps until we had rain and a lower tem¬ 
perature, and there are still plenty about on the 
Apples and Pears. Damsons escaped the best of 
anything, and have been fine. Mr. Kirkman speaks 
highly of Rochester Cluster, which is a new name to 
me. —IF. P. E. 
- 1 - 
Hardening Miscellany. 
Hybrid Eucharis. —Mr. Cooper, gardener to the 
Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, M.P., Highbury, Birming¬ 
ham, has succeeded in raising a hybrid between E. 
Candida (seed parent) and E. Sauderiana (pollen parent). 
The plant is now in flower, and proves to be identical 
with E. Mastersii. It is two years from seed, and is 
flowering now for the second time, having bloomed 
before early in the spring of this year.— A. 0. [Mr. 
Cooper has kindly sent us a flower and leaf, which bear 
out the above statement. E. Mastersii is figured in the 
Botanical Magazine, t. 6831, and there described as 
being intermediate between E. grandiflora and E. 
Sanderi. It was introduced from New Grenada by 
Mr. Sander, and would now appear to be a natural 
hybrid.—E d.] 
Victoria Nectarine. — It is surprising how 
differently Peaches and Nectarines behave in the 
northern and cooler climate of Scotland compared with 
the same kinds in the south. The variety in question 
ripens on an open wall towards the end of August or in 
September in the south, while we noticed specimens 
under glass at Arbuthnot, Kincardineshire, which had 
barely ripened in the second week of September. Mr. 
Gairns states that no fire-heat is applied—that, in fact, 
the house is an unheated one, and the fruit of this 
variety seldom ripens properly except in warm summers 
with an unusual amount of sunshine, such as we enjoyed 
in June, July, and August last. It is a first-class 
Nectarine, however, when it ripens satisfactorily, and 
is not so liable to split as the Stanwick variety, which 
matures even later. The size of the stone is remark¬ 
able, whether compared with other Nectarines generally 
or with that of Peaches. 
Vitis tricuspidata. —In the open air this is 
later in changing colour, and longer in succumbing to 
frost than its congener V. quinquefolia, known also as 
Ampelopsis hederacea. The generally accepted and 
popular name is Ampelopsis Yeitchii, and there are 
still many who cannot believe that both names can 
apply to the same species. This arises from the leaves 
of young plants being almost entire, whereas in robust 
specimens of the adult plant the leaves are deeply 
three lobed. YYhat gives greater strength to the belief 
is, that old plants with closely crowded branches 
continue to develop with undivided leaves ; strong 
shoots sooner or later, however, throw out the char¬ 
acteristically three-lobed leaves. For a week or two 
back, in the neighbourhood of London, the foliage, 
although never so brilliant or striking as that of V. 
quinquefolia, has certainly been attractive in its garb 
of metallic-brown, red, and green. Judging from the 
great numbers annually required, it is at present the 
most popular species for planting. This, no doubt, 
arises from its neatness and the tenacity with which 
it clings to a wall when once it has fairly commenced 
to grow, rendering any after-training or nailing un¬ 
necessary. The young foliage in spring is also of a 
beautiful bronzy red, and all through the summer it 
wears a clean and attractive appearance. 
Isoloma Cecilise. —The various species of Tydara 
are now included under Isoloma ; but the conservatism 
that prevails so widely amongst gardeners with regard 
to nomenclature prevents the ready adoption of names 
different from those under which plants originally get 
disseminated. Letting alone the question of names, 
the species under notice deserves some attention at the 
hands of cultivators as a dwarf and free-flowering sub¬ 
ject for autumn and winter work. A batch of it in the 
Begonia house at Kew, and which has been in excellent 
condition for weeks together, is equally floriferous now, 
and very attractive. The tubular declining flowers 
are large and inflated on the underside, and of a soft 
rose colour, spotted with purple all over the throat 
and lamina. The short stems are so thickly clothed 
with heart-shaped leaves that the pot is completely 
hidden. Originally the species was introduced from 
Cundinamarca in 1877. The treatment generally 
accorded to the Gesneras will answer equally as well 
for this plant. 
Brunswick Drumhead.— Amongst a number 
of kinds grown at Chiswick, in the trial grounds of 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, this sort stands out pre¬ 
eminently as the best hearting and most reliable of this 
type of Cabbage, which recommends itself for winter 
use on account of its hardiness. The stem is remarkably 
short, so that should snow cover the ground the heads 
would escape various dangers to which winter stuff is 
liable in severe weather. The heads are large, very 
much flattened or depressed, and as firm as anything 
of this kind is desired to be. Considering its size, 
there is very little waste or loose leaves, and these 
being of moderate dimensions, it follows that a large 
quantity or bulk of winter Greens could be taken off a 
small piece of ground. In its hardiness and dwarf 
character it may be compared to the Savoy, while the 
produce on the same piece of ground is greater. 
Mrs. Pearson Grape. —Being in doubt as to 
the true character of the above Grape, I should deem it 
a great favour if some of your numerous correspondents 
will clearly describe both fruit and foliage to me. The 
variety I possess under the above name is of distinct 
form, and slightly more oval in the berry than Muscat 
of Alexandria, which, however, it greatly resembles in 
size and colour, being of a deep amber. The bunches 
are only slightly’- shouldered, and I find it takes rather 
a long time to ripen. At the same time it hangs well, 
and, as we have grown it, is most decidedly a very 
valuable Grape. The foliage resembles that of Lady 
Downe’s, but on the underside is rather more downy. 
I have been told that the true Mrs. Pearson is an 
almost round berry. [Yes]. If this is the case I do not 
possess it, but, withal, a variety of high merit. Can 
it be Golden Queen ?— Ignoramus. 
Madame Destranges Chrysanthemum. 
—What an accommodating plant this is ! Suitable 
alike for outdoor culture or for the greenhouse, and 
being white, very early and most useful, is always in 
demand for decoration. On visiting Mr. Strachan, 
Garden Farm, Hill Park, Stroud, I was particularly 
struck with a long row of Madame Desgranges growing 
in the kitchen garden border, and literally smothered 
with its charming blossoms—a true gardeners’ friend, 
to cut and come again. Mr. Charman, the head 
gardener, informed me that he struck the cuttings 
early in October, 1886, and nursed them on in small 
pots in a cold frame until the following April, when he 
planted them out in the open border. They were well 
attended to during the summer with water and 
staking ; and any amateur who possesses a garden 
frame to nurse his plants in through the winter, may, 
with a little extra labour, be as successful as Mr. 
Charman. — IF. Drioer, Longfords. 
Wintering Choice Hardy Plants.—There 
are many amateur cultivators of plants who grow a few 
choice things in pots, but experience a little difficulty 
in bringing them through the winter successfully. It 
is not so much the plants as the roots which require 
protection, and what the amateur should endeavour to 
do is to prevent the soil in the pots from becoming 
frozen. It is in this way so many of them are killed. 
Calling upon an amateur gardener, a few days ago, I 
found him busy preparing to winter some choice hardy 
plants in pots. He first of all constructed a rough 
frame against a wall, with a 9-in. high boarded front 
and sloping sides. Then he made the soil level, placing 
upon it cinder-ashes to the depth of 1 in., afterwards 
plunging the pots containing his choice plants up to 
their rims in cocoa-nut fibre, pressing it firmly between 
them. - Further, he has constructed a rough framework 
to lay upon the top of this home-spun frame, and over 
this he can throw mats or any kind of covering when 
needed. In open weather the covering is removed, 
though it is sometimes necessary to keep it on when 
heavy rains are falling. He states that he seldom 
loses a plant from frost, and never has a pot cracked 
by its action.— E. D. 
Vaccinium leucobotryg. —The species now 
included under Yaccinium number at least 100, and 
as the characters of this large assemblage are very 
diverse, it happens that they were originally arranged 
or classified under a different genera. The distinctions, 
however, are not sufficiently great to warrant this 
breaking' up of the various members that are now 
included under the above genus. The plant under 
notice was formerly named Epigynium leucobotrys, 
and may be seen under that name in the temperate 
house at Kew. The specific name is given in reference 
to the colour and character of the fruit, and signifies 
