November 5 , 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
140 
A FRUIT-TREE NURSERY AT 
EALING. 
Those interested in the cultivation of fruit trees 
could not fail to be both delighted and instructed by 
the admirable way in which the art is carried on at 
Messrs. C. Lee & Son’s Ealing nursery. The nursery 
consists of twenty-three acres, and forms an oblong 
piece of ground, running at right angles to the 
Uxbridge Road, from which it extends to the distance 
of half a mile. A broad walk runs along the centre, 
bounded on either side by a border planted 
with various ornamental Conifers and other trees or 
shrubs. 
The soil consists of a deep yellow loam, which cannot 
be otherwise than fertile, considering the luxuriant 
growth made by the closely planted squares of Apples, 
Pears, Peaches, Plums, Cherries, and Roses. The 
various methods of training, grafting, budding, and 
arrangement of the different subjects are highly in¬ 
teresting and instructive, and point to the care that is 
exercised in securing the best results. Budding is the 
method most frequently adopted with Peaches, Plums, 
Nectarines, Cherries, and Roses, while they are trained 
in different ways and grown on different stocks, so as 
to meet the requirements of every planter. 
Apples. 
All the best and leading varieties of these are grown, 
and their healthy and vigorous appearance speaks to 
the favourable conditions under which they are cul¬ 
tivated. A large piece of ground is occupied with 
pyramidally trained specimens two years old, grafted 
on the Crab, and we could not help admiring the free 
unstinted vigour of growth, and the regularity and fine 
appearance of such a large number of young trees. 
Grafted on the stock mentioned they are calculated to 
be long lived, and should they be planted sufficiently 
far apart to allow of their natural and proper develop¬ 
ment, a fertile future is before them. The leading 
varieties are also grafted on the Paradise, and grown 
as small pyramids or upright cordons with single 
stems. 
Amongst the two-year-old pyramids we noticed Ribston 
Pippin, King of the Pippins, Stirling Castle, Ecklinville 
Seedling, Early Julien, Pott’s Seedling, New Haw- 
thornden, 'Wellington, Mank’s Codlin, Cox s Pomona, 
Cox’s Orange Pippin, Cellini, Lord Suffield, Blenheim 
Orange, Peasgood’s Nonsuch, Lady Henniker, Lord 
Derby, Mere de Menage, and Irish Peach. All these, 
it will be seen, are Apples of first-class merit, and to 
begin with trees possessing the healthy vigour of those 
we inspected is a matter of great importance. 
The above were grown as pyramids by themselves, 
but another equally extensive set of trees five years old 
were grown as pyramids and standards planted 
alternately. The latter are also grafted on the Crab. 
We can notice a few of them only, but the collection of 
kinds is really very extensive. As might be supposed, 
many of the sorts included in the above list are also 
found among the five-year-old trees, so that they may 
be omitted here. The alternate arrangement of 
pyramids and standards allows the ground to be more 
closely occupied with large specimens, which includes, 
among others, Scarlet Pearmain, Margil, Sturmer 
Pippin, Early Red Market, Cat’s Head Codling, Clay- 
gate Pearmain, Old Hawthornden, Beauty of Kent, 
Bess Pool, Court Pendu Plat, Northern Greening, 
Cockle Pippin, Northern Spy, Herefordshire Pearmain, 
Adams’ Pearmain, Red Astrachan, Warner’s King, 
Reinette du Canada, Small’s Admirable, Lord Gros- 
venor, Annie Elizabeth, Eastern Pearmain, Frogmore 
Prolific, Red Hawthornden, Duchess’s Favourite, Tower 
of Glam mis, Boston Pippin, Mr. Gladstone, Ashmead’s 
Pearmain, Lane’s Prince Albert, Keswick Codling, 
Stone’s Apple, and Bellefleur Brabant. Low-trained, 
fan, double cordon, and espalier trees are also grown in 
considerable numbers. 
Pears. 
The variety of ways in which the Pear tree may be 
grown according to the sort is astonishing, and the 
demand for them is a sufficient guarantee that they 
may be grown with profit on the various kinds of soils 
to be met with in gardens, or that they suit the 
convenience or taste of individual cultivators. The 
Pear, too, amongst fruit trees is only second in im¬ 
portance to the Apple as a national and food-producing 
subject for this country. A quantity of standards two 
years old were noticeable for the clean stems of the 
stocks. 
Other fan-trained specimens, also grafted on the 
Pear stock, were 5 ft. to 6 ft. high. A quantity of 
stocks just budded with dormant buds were notably 
clean and strong. There was also a fine lot of espalier- 
trained trees, four years old, consisting of six tiers of 
branches, two of which had been produced in some 
years. Trained in this way are such excellent sorts as 
Marie Louise, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Beurre Ranee, 
Beurre Diel, Williams’ Bon Chretien, Glou Morceau, 
Jargonelle, Winter Nelis, and Doyenne du Comice. 
The following are also grown as pyramids on the Quince, 
namely, Bergamotte Esperen, Fondante d’Automne, 
Marie Louise d’Uccle, Belle Julie, White Doyenne, 
Beurre Hardy, Duchesse d’Angouleme, Nouvelle 
Fulvie, and others. They are all three years old, and 
ripen early. 
Peaches and Nectarines. 
Trees of this class are worked on the Brompton or 
Mussel Plum stocks, and are remarkable for the vigour 
of their new well-ripened shoots, from which the 
leaves were dropping the other week at the time of our 
visit. All are trained according to the most suitable, 
and now almost universally recognised method, namely, 
the fan shape ; and the labour entailed in the construc¬ 
tion of frame-work, and driving of stakes, on which to 
train the trees annually, must necessarily be consider¬ 
able. 
Although all are trained in this way, economy or 
convenience necessitates grafting at various heights. 
Thus there are dwarf-trained trees whose lower branches 
ate near the ground, while others again are raised on 
stems 2| ft., 3 ft. or 5| ft. in height. A stock of trees 
grafted at the latter height about twelve months ago 
are now furnished with fine heads, and will make 
suitable riders for high walls. 
A large collection of trees, both Peaches and Nec¬ 
tarines, either three or four years old, are grafted or 
budded on stems varying in height from 2J ft. to 6 ft. ; 
but the greater number of them are on those either 
3 ft. or 5| ft., or both, the dwarfer ones being con¬ 
sidered as half-standard trees. All the more valuable 
and better-known Peaches are grown in this manner, 
including Royal George, Grosse Mignonne, Noblesse, 
Dr. Hogg, Albatross, Early Grosse Mignonne, Osprey, 
Early Rivers, Yiolette Hative, Bellegarde, Prince of 
Wales, Princess of Wales, Dymond, Royal Vineyard, 
Stirling Castle, Early Silver, Marquis of Downshire, 
Alexander, Early Beatrice, Hale’s Early, and others. 
A considerable number or all of the above are also grown 
as dwarf-trained trees, as also are Early Admirable, 
Walburton Admirable, Belle Beuce, Lord and Lady 
Palmerston, Golden Eagle, and Sea Eagle. There are 
no standards, however, of Goshawk, Crimson Galand, 
or Early Canada. 
All the leading varieties of Nectarine and some that 
are less widely known, are grown in a similar way to 
the Peaches. Being of considerable size, they would 
cover a great amount of wall space, and come into 
bearing the first year after being planted. The fol¬ 
lowing are grown as standards or half-standards, viz. :— 
Violette Hative, Pine Apple, Pitmaston Orange, Vic¬ 
toria, Downton, Elruge, Lord Napier, Victoria, Rivers’ 
Early Orange, Prince of Wales, and others. There is 
also a corresponding set of dwarf-trained trees, including 
Humboldt, Hardwicke Seedling, and others. 
THE PHCENIX KALE. 
The valne of a good winter Kale, or something that 
can be used in the shape of Greens, is becoming more 
apparent on the frequent recurrence of severe winters, 
by which everything in the shape of a green vegetable 
is destroyed. The Phoenix Kale is described as new, 
but has been known to Messrs. Clark Bros & Co., 
Carlisle, for the last fifteen years, and with whom 
Messrs. J. Carter & Co., High Holborn, London, 
made arrangements for putting it into commerce. It 
was found by the growers above mentioned to resist 
the terribly severe winter of 1879-80, when every 
other winter vegetable was almost wholly destroyed. 
The same result was experienced in succeeding winters, 
particularly that of 1885-86. Seeds should be sown in 
March or April when sowings of other winter stuff are 
made. Unlike those of Curled Greens, the leaves are 
smooth and flat, or nearly so, and not to be recom¬ 
mended for use, as in the latter kinds of Kale. In 
spring, however, when growth recommences, numerous 
shoots or sprouts develop on the sides of the stem, and 
these, when properly cooked, constitute a delicately 
flavoured and highly desirable vegetable. 
- - >X< - - 
THE GIANT ARBOR VIT2E, 
THUJA GIGANTEA. 
Delighting and thriving most luxuriantly in cool 
moist soil, the climate of Great Britain is peculiarly 
well suited for the successful culture of this handsome, 
fast-growing, and valuable timber-producing tree —a 
statement the truth of which requires no other corrobo¬ 
ration than that although introduced to us only five 
and thirty years ago, numerous specimens fully 70 ft. 
in height are to be met with. Professor Macoun, 
botanist to the Geological and Natural History Survey 
of Canada, tells me that he has always found the largest 
specimens of this tree in damp alluvial deposit ; indeed, 
that it is almost unknown in the dry central plateau, 
but plentiful along the coast and river margins, as well 
as in the great mountain valleys of the Canadian wilds. 
Judging from its growth in this country, and that on 
an estate where it has been planted by the hundred, 
and under the most varying circumstances as regards 
soil and situation, we should say that a deep and 
dampish sandy loam best suits this giant Arbor Vibe, 
although we have it doing well and forming timber 
rapidly on decayed vegetable refuse, rocky slate delves, 
gravelly loam, loam of a plastic clayey nature, and 
well-drained peat bog. Be it remembered, however, 
that in each case abundance of moisture is present in 
the soil—not of a stagnant nature, but just sufficient to 
keep the soil in a dampish condition, and prevent it 
becoming dust-dry even during our warmest and driest 
of summers. 
Some days ago we took the dimensions of several 
specimens of this tree which were planted twenty-five 
years ago in a rich and deep sandy loam incumbent on 
gravel, and with a deep natural top-dressing of decayed 
woodland dibris, and found the average annual growth 
to be fully 2 ft. 8 ins. ; whereas others, planted at the 
same time on rather dry gravelly loam, but fairly rich, 
had made an annual upward growth of hardly 2 ft. 
Of twenty-four trees planted under ordinary circum¬ 
stances as to soil and situation, the average annual 
growth we found to be 22 ins. ; but then it is well to 
remember that in these particular instances no special 
care was bestowed, either in the planting of the trees 
or choice of soil in which they were placed. On re¬ 
claimed peat bog the upward growth of the tree is 
surprising, several specimens having for a number of 
years formed a leading shoot of fully 37 ins. per year. 
The bog, previous to draining and reclaiming, was 
employed for peat-making ; but at the time of planting 
a small quantity of soil was added to the pits in which 
the Thuja was planted. 
As an experiment we some years ago formed a small 
plantation of this tree in a well-sheltered piece of 
ground near the sea-level, and about two miles inland ; 
but as the soil was of a stiff and cold nature, though 
perfectly drained, the plants did not at first succeed as 
well as could have been desired. Now, however, that 
they have become perfectly established, the upward 
growth has become rapid—far more so than that of 
any of the other trees with which they were mixed, 
and which were only planted to fill up the ground 
temporarily and to be removed at an early date. The 
soil was of a half clayey and half boggy nature, which, 
previous to being drained, cut like cheese ; but when 
exposed to the atmosphere for a length of time 
crumbled down, and was then well fitted for plant food. 
It was naturally damp, as was shown by the rank 
growth of such semi-marsh plants as the Lousewort 
