294 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 10, 1891. 
FRUIT-GROWING FOR PROFIT. 
Although a great deal has already been spoken and 
■written on this subject, I should be glad if you would 
allow me to throw out a suggestion which may not 
prove unworthy of consideration. It is clear that if we 
are to mike old England independent of imports from 
America and other countries, we must grow more 
Apples, Plums and Pears, and we must grow them 
better on the whole than hitherto has been done. This 
means also that more trees, and many more too, must 
be planted, but who is to bear the first cost ? It is not 
to be expected that any tenant will plant fruit trees 
on land belonging to someone else, that he may have 
to relinquish without compensation, and this brings me 
to the suggestion I wish to make, which is that the 
planting should be done by the landlord, he adding to 
the rent 3 per cent, on the outlay for the first five 
years, and 5 per cent, afterwards. 
I think if landlords were to plant a reasonable amount 
of land on all farms where there are favourable soils 
and situations, on some such arrangement as this, and 
have the planting and the trees looked after for a few 
years by a practical maD, it would in the end prove a 
benefit to the landlord, the tenant and the community 
in general. There are plenty of good and well-sheltered 
sites for small orchards in most counties, and where 
the conditions are not favourable, planting should 
certainly not be attempted. 
My own idea would be that whatever amount of land 
is planted, the proportion of kinds to be planted should 
be, say ten Pear trees and the same number of Plums 
to fifty Apples, with perhaps a few Cherries if the 
climate is favourable ; and as regards the Apples the 
sorts should be so selected that one-fourth should be 
ripe for marketing in October, one-fourth in November 
and December, and two-fourths after Christmas. 
All the trees should be planted on grass in lings, so 
that a mulching of manure could be put over the roots 
every winter, and the rows should be 21 ft. apart and 
the trees 15 ft. asunder in the rows. I understand 
that the Duke of Westminster and Lord Egerton of 
Tatton are doing something to extend the cultivation 
of fruit on their estates, and it would be interesting to 
know on what lines they are working. While the land 
laws remain as they are it seems to me that the exten¬ 
sion of fruit culture must depend more upon the action 
taken by the landlords than upon anything done by 
the tenants, and the landlords want educating on this 
subject quite as much as the tenants.— John, Yeomans, 
Northenden, near Manchester. 
BRITISH FERNS.* 
The interest attached to British Ferns continues to 
elicit books of greater or less merit from collectors and 
cultivators, so that there is now no w r ant of literature 
on the subject. The work under notice, however, 
records more varieties than any of its predecessors, and 
variety alone is one of the great incentives to Fern 
culture. It must, however, be described as an historical 
rather than a botanical work. The labour that the 
author has expended in getting the collection together, 
and of obtaining their history must have been 
enormous. The history of the variety (for the de¬ 
scriptions are few and meagre), as well as their 
arrangement in divisions so as to obviate the repetition 
or even the use of the divisional name, we appreciate 
very much, but we should have liked a pithy and 
intelligible description of each variety, so as to give 
some chance of identifying specimens coming under 
our notice for the first time, or even for reference in 
cases of doubt. 
We acknowledge, however, that descriptions of that 
kind would greatly increase the bulk of the book, and 
after all might be comparatively valueless to identify 
one half of them, owing to the variability of one and 
the same plant in different stages of its growth, as well 
as to innate variability over which we have no control. 
The specimens sent for naming are, moreover, often 
very imperfect or mere scraps, not in any way char¬ 
acteristic of the variety it is desired to name. 
What very much interests us is the author’s assertion 
that we can, by crossing several varieties of Ferns 
together, obtain the characters of all combined in one. 
Further on he speaks of “judicious intercrossing,” as 
if it were a scientific and incontrovertible fact, in the 
same sense as in the case of Potatos, Melons or Orchids. 
We have in mind a certain Frenchman who gave a long 
list of Ferns of hybrid origin, together with the 
parentage of some of them, and finally said, “but 
* British Ferns and Where Found. By E. J. Lowe, F. R.S., 
F.L.S., &c. (Swan, Sonnenschein & Co.) 
these are only suppositious.” The innate variability 
of many of our British Ferns land the same holds good 
with many exotic species in a state of nature), and the 
impossibility of manipulating the organs of reproduction 
in the present state of science, will continue to breed a 
certain amount of scepticism as to the scientific identity 
of hybrids or crosses amongst Ferns. 
We are in accord with the author in the retention of 
old names, and in the division of them into groups and 
sections, whereby the adjectives expressive of the same 
are removed, thus simplifying while retaining the 
identity of the name. For instance, it would be 
extremely cumbrous to write the full name of some of 
the Aspidiums, Aspleniums, Seolopendriums, or of 
many others on a garden label. By the use of this 
book the young collector or the cultivator may avoid 
such expressions as ‘ 1 Aspidium aculeatum angulare de- 
compositum-roagnifieum-polydactylum,” or “Asplenium 
(Athyrium) Filix-fcemina ramosum ramulosissimum.” 
Greek and Latin names are used in the naming of all 
the varieties ; but it is a pity that simpler ones have 
not been adopted in certain cases where such words as 
echnomocladon, foecundulosissimum, and deorsopin- 
natum are used ; for gardeners unacquainted with those 
languages must often be stumped in spelling them from 
memory. Then, in one group of Scolopendrium, five 
varieties are named in succession, albescens, albulum, 
album, aureolum, and aureum—all requiring great care 
to prevent mixing or confusing the names and the 
plants. 
Some idea of the enormous range of variation 
amongst several of the British Ferns may be gleaned 
when we say that of Aspidium angulare alone, some¬ 
thing like 394 varieties are named and classified in the 
little book which runs to 167 pages, and may be 
described as a cheap shilling’s-worth, considering the 
large amount of facts and statistics which are tabulated. 
Asplenium Filix-foemina, Scolopendrium vulgare, 
Lomaria spicant, and some others are particularly rich 
in varieties, while there are few of the species which 
have not afforded a certain amount of variation. It is 
to be regretted that expense alone forbids the putting 
on permanent record, by means of authentic and well- 
executed figures, all the leading varieties, at least of 
British Ferns, which differ in form, division or some 
other character of structure which could be represented. 
-- 
STAKING NEWLY PLANTED 
TREES. 
Under this heading, at p. 278, “A. D.” seems to 
object to the staking of newly planted trees, but he 
gives no reason for his objection, unless it is because 
nurserymen plant thousands without staking them at 
all. The nurserymen, no doubt, have reasons for not 
staking their trees, but I hardly think that one of these 
reasons would be the benefit the trees derive from 
the motion of the wind. The staking of thousands 
of trees would entail considerable expense, which would 
be a substantial reason against staking, especially as the 
trees would not occupy the ground permanently, and 
where they are planted so closely as in nurseries, there 
is little danger of them being blown out by the roots, 
as is quite likely to happen in the case of isolated 
trees. 
Few gardeners would court the chance of having 
to plant the same tree two or three times, minus 
a few of its roots each time, if by staking all 
danger of that is avoided. No doubt nurserymen 
plant carefully, but I think gardeners plant with even 
greater care. Independent of staking the tops they 
take greater pains with the covering of the roots. 
Despatch is the nurseryman’s motto. He seldom 
troubles to lay out all the roots carefully in tiers, 
covering each separately with a little soil as the 
gardener does. The tree goes into the hole with a 
bump, the soil is thrown over the roots in spadefuls 
till it is all in, then a stamp or two to make it firm, 
and on to the next. No doubt this is all done skil¬ 
fully, but I maintain that gardeners exercise greater 
care, with quite as much skill. 
“A. D.” recommends three strands of tar-cord or 
stout string, but I fail to see why this should be 
preferred to a good stout stake, except in the case of 
specimen Conifers, or such subjects as do not admit 
of a stake near the stem, and in their case they would 
require something stronger than stout string or the 
average tar-cord if they required a support at all. One 
objection I have to the pegs and strings is that they 
are always in the way, either in the garden or on the 
grass, and causing three obstructions where if a stake 
were used there would be no obstruction at all. He 
says: “Just as branches develop under the action of 
wind, so will tree stems if allowed some play.” To use 
his own words, “it seems to have escaped his notice’’ 
that branches are perfectly firmly fixed to the stem, so 
that there is no motion at all at the point of junction, 
and therefore no danger of their making sockets for 
themselves to swing about in, as newly planted trees 
generally do if not staked. 
“ A. D.” refers to primeval forests as grand examples 
of the development of trees without artificial support, 
but he would appear to have overlooked the fact that 
they are not composed of transplanted trees, but of 
seedlings which would be supplied with a strong tap 
root, perhaps 3 ft. or 4 fc. long, before the top was 1 ft. 
high, and which, by the time the tree was in danger from 
the wind, would have a firm hold of the ground, and be 
a very strong support. 
All transplanted trees are robbed of their natural 
support for a time, therefore they require an artificial 
one. “ A. D.” will see from this that I am one of 
“ those who strongly advocate the rigid staking of 
newly-planted trees.” I would even help the stakes by 
pegging the strongest of the roots down with a hooked 
wooden peg, in the case of large trees where the roots 
are strong enough to require a peg, and so make 
assurance doubly sure, that the roots do not get 
disturbed till the young ones are tough enough to stand 
a little strain. If this strain is put on them while 
young and brittle, they must get broken, and the 
consequence is at the end of the season the tree has 
only half as many roots as it ought to have.— TV. M. 
Alexander. 
- - ——— 
THE YOUNG MEN. 
Surely the dense fogs and dull depressing weather we 
have lately experienced must be held accountable for 
the depression and despondency from which “Father 
Christmas ” evidently suffers (p. 265). But are not 
his fears groundless ? He says he fears the majority of 
the young men, who hope to be leaders in the future, 
spend their leisure time in profitless reading, eagerly 
seeking after and relishing baneful rubbish, card 
playing, and too frequently visiting the public house. 
This last assertion, I venture to say, is as unjust as it is 
unfounded. It is true there are in the gardening pro¬ 
fession, as in every other trade and profession, those 
whose aim in life is of a low order, and who, so long as 
they can grovel along without any great exertion, are 
content, and who sneer at all ideas of self-improve¬ 
ment ; but these are not likely to be leaders in the 
future. 
What harm can “Father Christmas” see in an 
innocent game of cards ? He admits that recreation is 
necessary, but why confine it to such narrow limits ? 
What would life in bothies, where young men are 
frequently cooped together, be worth if we had not 
some form of amusement and recreation in common, 
and what tends more to promote good fellowship than 
a quiet rubber at whist, or any other game in which all 
can mutually join ? Of course, I do not for a moment 
defend gambling, nor the practice of spending whole 
evenings in such a manner. As to novel reading again, 
why should a young gardener’s reading be restricted to 
horticultural works ? Docs not a gardener’s mind 
require to be cultivated? Who would say that a portion 
of our leisure time is frittered away over a good novel? 
Who that is fond of reading has not enjoyed a hearty 
laugh with Dickens, or drawn some sound ideas and 
useful lessons from the works of Kingsley and Scott 
and many others ? A correspondent in one of your 
contemporaries a few weeks ago deplored the inability 
of gardeners to commit their thoughts to paper with 
any literary decency, and yet we are frittering away 
our time in reading novels, many of which are gems of 
English literature ! 
What encouragement do employers and head gar¬ 
deners give to the young men in bothies to improve 
themselves in this direction? Botany, I have been 
told, is of no use to a practical gardener, and the study of 
wild flowers is all nonsense. Cold water is thus thrown 
on two branches of knowledge, both of which I am 
very fond of as being both profitable and recreative. 
Frequently housed in buildings far inferior to those 
provided for their employers’ horses, what have young 
men (with about 14s. or 15s. a week) to spare for 
scientific works. After deducting necessary expenses 
for food, clothing, &c., there is very little left for such 
purposes, and especially in the suburbs of London, 
where living is dearer than in many country districts. 
A great deal could be done by employers, and I am 
glad to say it is done by a few, in providing a small 
library in the bothy of standard works on subjects 
