250 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 17, 1887. 
the causes leading to a mellow or ripe condition ; it is, 
indeed, the earlier part of the ripening process. Ex¬ 
perience has proved that equable and dry conditions of 
the atmosphere are best for keeping fruit, especially 
Apples and Pears. It is observed that sweating affects 
Apples more than any other fruit, and it is, therefore, 
to be guarded against. And this consideration brings 
us to 
Gathering and Storing. 
The careful cultivator will, of course, gather his fruit 
by hand, and see that it is laid in flat baskets, lined 
with moss or some soft material, as the smallest bruise 
on the fruit would hasten decomposition. Now in 
Apples and Pears we observe frequently that there is 
but little colour, and that one side is larger than the 
other, the highest coloured, and the fullest side of 
the fruit being almost invariably that which is most 
warmed and influenced by solar heat. The largest, 
ripest, and sweetest fruits will be found where the sun’s 
heat has most influence. 
Gathering early results in the retention of nearly 
all the colouring matter, and the fruit becomes after¬ 
wards yet brighter, and more highly coloured. If early 
gathering were more generally practised, many of the 
conditions damaging to fruit would he prevented. 
Early gathering ensures the best results in keeping. 
Fitness for gathering is not always clearly indicated by 
outward appearance, but fruit for keeping should never 
be allowed to hang on the tree as long as it will. As 
a general rule it is safe to gather when the seed cavity 
has become hollow, and the seed has changed to a pale 
brown colour. It is not so safe to wait till the seeds 
are a dark brown. 
The general condition of the leaves as to colour, and 
the degree in which they adhere to the branches, 
also afford means of estimating the state of maturity 
of the fruit. The American Pomological Society 
appears to have given these matters careful study, and 
are entirely in favour of early gathering. Amongst 
other experiments is that of colouring in the dark. 
Fruit gathered two weeks before ripening, and having 
then scarcely any colour on the sunny side, increased 
rapidly in colouring when ripening in the dark, present¬ 
ing a brilliant appearance when ripe. Darkness cannot 
be considered to have anything to do with bringing 
out colouring, so it must he the result of the ripening 
process. Early-gathered fruit, then, can be so managed 
as to have it quite as fully coloured as if gathered late ; 
and the keeping properties, which are even more 
important, are increased by the same management. 
The nutritive qualities must always he of higher 
value than mere appearances, though the latter greatly 
affect prices in the market. Early gathering ensures 
both results in the greatest perfection. 
After fruit is gathered its resistance to evaporation is 
increased by every reduction of temperature down to 
32°—our freezing point—when evaporation and the 
wasting of the fruit cease. Generally, the temperature 
of cellars and fruit-rooms is not, and need not be, kept 
down to that point. In general terms, warm storage 
hastens the season of the fruit, cold storage retards it. 
Packing Apples. 
One word as to packing Apples. We take a great 
deal of trouble, as a rule, in packing with hay, moss, 
and such things, with the usual result that during a 
long journey these packings give way, and the fruit 
finds room to move and gets seriously bruised. Our 
American friends ignore our old-world ideas ; they 
just put their Apples into barrels, heaping them up till 
they form a flat cone in the centre above the level of 
the head, then by slow pressure the head is forced on. 
The Newtown Pippins thus packed are found in Covent 
Garden as fresh and free from bruises as our Blenheim 
Oranges that have travelled but a few miles. 
In the last forty years the American Apple trade 
with us is said to have increased from five barrels to 
nearly 7,000,000 barrels. 
Fruit may he suitably stored in any cool moderately 
dry room or granary where a regular temperature of 
45° can be maintained in all weathers. A dry frost¬ 
proof cellar is as good a place as can generally be found. 
Where Apples and Pears are grown on a large scale 
special places will be built or fitted as fruit-rooms ; and 
these should be wholly devoted to the fruit, as it is 
very sensitive to taking up and long retaining odours. 
Therefore, also, storing the fruit on straw, dry sawdust 
and such things is to be avoided. Deal shelves are 
objectionable for the same reason. The white woods, 
such as Sycamore or Poplar, form the best shelves ; 
but if resinous woods are used they should be painted 
and varnished. Shelves of open lattice-work are very 
suitable ; and, for economy of space, they may be in 
tiers of shallow shelf-drawers, with lattice bottoms, the 
drawers to pull out singly, and allow 2 ins. or 3 ins. 
clear between the fruit and the drawer above. 
This arrangement will stow away a very large 
quantity in a comparatively small space, and allows 
the fruit to be got at singly, with plenty of air space. 
All choice fruits should be stored singly. This, with 
cool uniform temperature and a moderately dry atmos¬ 
phere, furnishes the most favourable conditions for 
keeping fruit, remembering that the cooler fruit is kept 
the longer is deterioration kept away. Cool storage 
retards and warm storage hastens the natural season of 
the fruit ; and they may be employed to extend the 
fruit season at both ends, so as, by means of a proper 
selection of fruit, to make it possible to enjoy it all the 
year round, without falling into such a quandary as 
Shakspeare seems to suggest, when he says, in the 
Taming of the Shreiv, “There’s a small choice in rotten 
Apples.”— Edward Durnford, Lieut.-Colonel, Rotharn- 
sted Lodge, Harpendcn. 
-- 
SELBORNE HOUSE, STREAT- 
HAM. 
What can be done in the way of gardening, and 
plant growing under glass especially, can be well 
illustrated in many cases in thickly populated places 
in London or its suburbs ; and those concerned in 
Orchid growing would be greatly interested, as we were 
the other week, in the inspection of the hothouses at 
Selborne Lodge, Leigham Court Road, Streatham, 
the beautiful suburban residence of J. Southgate, Esq. 
There are two gardens under the care of Mr. C. J. Salter, 
one of which is devoted to the cultivation of fruit, 
chiefly Grapes, Cucumbers and vegetables. Mr. Salter 
has some capital bunches of Gros Colmar, Alicante and 
Muscat of Alexandria Grapes still hanging on the 
Vines, although the presence of bedding and other 
plants in the house must be very detrimental to their 
keeping properties. 
The Orchid and other plant houses are located in the 
immediate vicinity of the mansion itself, and are 
literally filled to overflowing with healthy well-grown 
stuff in admirably clean condition. This last feature 
is one of the most important, and to it no doubt is 
traceable a great amount of success attained in Orchid 
culture, either here or elsewhere. In the cool Odonto- 
glossum house a fine lot are staged, chiefly varieties of 
O. crispum, although there is a good admixture of 
other species, all in robust condition, and preparing to 
throw up flower-spikes. Amongst those now flowering 
we noticed a strikingly blotched variety under the 
name of O. crispum Dormaniana, which, if not equal 
to some of the more recent acquisitions, is certainly a 
very desirable form, with the sepals, petals and lip 
boldly blotched all over with brownish purple. 
In a warmer house was staged a collection of various 
kinds, a good percentage of which showed flower. A 
very distinct species is Ccelogyne barbata, producing a 
long, slender, terminal and erect flower-spike, at the 
apex of which the curious medium-sized flowers emerge 
from the axils of large straw-coloured bracts. Con¬ 
siderable interest attaches to the heavy beard of deep 
brown fringes all along the centre of the lip and at the 
margin of the terminal lobe ; otherwise, the flowers 
are white and showy. A pretty species is C. ocellata, 
much in the way of C. ochracea, but producing its 
flower-spikes at the apex of the pseudo-bulbs when 
finished. A magnificent piece of Ccelogyne Massange- 
ana, recently in flower, fills a basket 18 ins. square 
(inside measurement). The daik brownish orange 
flowers of Maxillaria nigrescens, although large, are 
not particularly attractive, but diffuse a delicious 
odour through the house ; and the same quality might 
be ascribed to the flowers of Trichosma suavis, which 
are, however, pretty as well. Odontoglossum Londes- 
boroughianum is a showy species, if we regarded it as 
an Oncidium, which its habit and the general appear¬ 
ance of its flowers would indicate ; but, owing to a 
peculiarity of the column, it must be retained under the 
present name. The long, creeping rhizomes which 
bear the pseudo-bulbs necessitate that it should be 
grown against a block, to which the roots may cling. 
Other Orchids, growing under similar treatment as to 
temperature, were the sweet-scented C. Roezlii alba, 
the red-eyed variety of Calanthe Veitehii, named C. 
Sandhurstiana (a large piece), Cymbidium Lowianum 
atropurpureum, and a specimen of C. Mastersi affine, 
bearing a twelve-flowered spike of flowers. 
In a house at a somewhat higher temperature we 
were confronted with the dark and richly coloured 
flowers of Vanda insignis, whose sepals and petals are 
heavily blotched with rich brown on a yellow ground, 
while the lip is rose. A bold Slipperwort is Cypri- 
pedinm euryandrum, with long declining petals, broad 
and heavily blotched with blackish purple on a yellow 
ground. The standard is also very conspicuous, and 
striped with purple on a white ground, and green at 
the base. C. insigne punctatum violaceum was also 
well flowered, and is known as one of the best varieties 
of C. insigne in cultivation. Another instance of a 
sweetly-scented winter-flowering Orchid is Dendrobium 
heterocarpum, here grown on a block of wood hung 
up near the light. Grown in a similar way, in another 
house, was Cattleya luteola Holfordii, the smallest of 
all the Cattleyas, while the variety is characterised by 
a broad plum-purple blotch on the lip. A specimen of 
the sweetly scented Maxillaria venusta was conspicuous 
by the great size of its pure white flowers. Masdeval- 
lias are grown in a shady position behind the house, 
and although they escape the fierce rays of the sun in 
summer, they cannot escape a visitation of fog, 
which greatly damages the flowers. 
Some healthy well-grown specimens of Pancratium 
fragrans were bearing buds about 9 ins. in length before 
expansion, while those in full bloom were delightfully 
fragrant. A pleasing bit of variation from what we 
are accustomed to see is the unconventional way in 
which the Fernery is laid out. The central basin 
was lowest and contained water, surrounded by a ridge 
planted with Ferns and other things. Bold projecting 
pieces of rock stood out here and there in prominent 
positions, covered in places with moss, and planted 
with Ferns and Begonias. 
Chinese Primulas are grown to great perfection hy 
Mr. Salter, and prove very successful at exhibitions, as 
well they might. All the single-flowered kinds are 
seedlings, and now somewhat over a year old, as the 
batch to take their place next year are now small 
plants, bearing three or four leaves. The old Alba 
plena is grown to a large size, and furnishes a great 
quantity of cut blooms. A deep red and single-flowered 
variety exhibited evidence of good cultivation by the 
large size of the flowers, which measured about 2^ ins. 
in diameter, and by the robust habit of the foliage. 
Pearl is another strong-growing variety, with white 
flowers, tinted with pink, and contrasting well with 
the five-1 obed orange eye. For quautity of flower and 
general excellence they would be difficult to beat. 
-—>X<—- 
Hardening §[iscellany. 
Chrysanthemum Emily Dale. —With great 
pleasure I will inform “A. IV. D.” why I left this 
variety of Chrysanthemum out of my list of in¬ 
curved varieties published in a contemporary ; simply 
because I do not regard this variety and Golden Queen 
of England sufficiently distinct to grow and show 
together. In giving lists of varieties of any section of 
Chrysanthemums for the guidance of beginners, I 
always avoid any concerning which there is any doubt 
whatever as to their distinctness, as I find such 
lists compiled in the manner 'described are of much 
more value to those for whom they are intended, than 
giving synonymous names. I have fully tested the 
matter to my own satisfaction, that Golden Queen of 
England and Emily Dale are not sufficiently distinct in 
character to be shown separately ; therefore I contend 
that this is a sufficient reason for not naming the latter 
kind as one of a selection where all others are entirely 
distinct. I always try to give such advice in selection 
of varieties as I would follow myself. I believe that the 
Golden Queen is the original variety, and Emily Dale is 
supposed to be a sport from it, therefore I think the 
former name the more proper one to use. As before 
stated, I have grown the two supposed varieties together, 
and failed to find sufficient difference to warrant me 
retaining the names. My stocks in each case were 
obtained from our best growers, and the only difference 
I could see was caused by the different conditions of 
culture, such as selection of buds, temperatures during 
expansion of the flowers, and so on ; but under exactly 
the same conditions the flowers exhibited no distinct 
features. At a large show where I was one of the judges, 
in a large class these two names were given upon the 
stand in good faith, I have no doubt, that the blooms 
were distinct. My colleague and myself had not the 
slightest doubt whatever of their being duplicate 
blooms, therefore we were compelled to disqualify the 
stand in fairness to other exhibitors, who staged 
according to schedule requirements. Of course the 
exhibitor felt at first much aggrieved, and in argument 
of his case said, “Mr. So-and-so (naming one of our 
