November 28, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
19 
ORCHIDS AT MAIDA 
VALE. 
The collection of Mr. P. McArthur, at the London 
Nursery, Maida Vale, is being considerably aug¬ 
mented from time to time, so that the houses are 
always packed quite full. Plants in bloom are not 
yet very abundant, but those coming into season are 
showing their flower spikes plentifully, and Catt- 
leyas sheathing up. Cypripediums flower more or 
less abundantly all the year round, and amongst those 
in flower at present are C. Spicerianum, the hybrid 
C. Seegerianum, C. insigne violaceum punctatum, C. 
callosum, C. calurum, and others. The last named 
has been flowering for the past four months and ex¬ 
hibited branching stems. All the leading Miltonias 
are kept in stock, and a very noticeable feature of 
them is that both the pseudo-bulbs and foliage ex¬ 
hibit a grass green colour such as are seldom if ever 
seen in other collections, the usual colour being quite 
of a yellow tint. Mr. McArthur attributes his suc¬ 
cess to the keeping of plenty of moisture in the ashes 
immediately beneath the wooden stages on which 
the plants are stood. The white-flowered Cymbi- 
dium Mastersi, as well as the fragrant Maxillaria 
picta, are now in bloom ; and near by were the dis¬ 
tinct Vanda Amesiana and V. Kimballiana, a pleasing 
variety of the latter being in bloom. 
Amongst the smaller species of Angrsecum, A. 
bilobum is a neat little thing with white flowers well 
adapted for suspending in small baskets. The flower 
spikes are showing abundantly upon almost every 
plant of a recent importation of A. sesquipedale. 
What appears a distinct Grammatophyllum and per¬ 
haps anew species has been imported with G. Ellisii. 
At all events only one piece of it was' obtainable, and 
the pseudo-bulbs are much shorter, more acutely 
angled, and different in colour. Amongst autumn¬ 
flowering Laelias were L. anceps Barkeriana, and 
L. autumnalis. A quantity of Coelogyne Gardner- 
iana with its curious pseudo-bulbs is showing flower 
spikes freely. Amongst fragrant winter-flowering 
Orchids that may be grown in a cool house, Tri- 
chosma suavis can hardly be overlooked, as it makes 
its presence felt by the powerful but agreeable odour 
emanating from it. Other cool Orchids now in 
bloom are Odontoglossum Alexandrae, a fine form ; 
0 . Pescatorei, and O. vexillarium rubellum. 
FRUIT GROWING IN 
IRELAND. 
We have been favoured with a transcript of the 
paper read by Mr. Richard Hartland, of Lough Nur¬ 
series, Cork, at the late fruit conference in Cork. 
As a text, Mr. Hartland propounded the following 
questions :—ist. Has this fruit growing been tried, 
or is it a new venture ? 2nd. Have we a climate and 
a soil suitable ? 3rd. Is it reasonable to expect a 
fair return for outlay and labour ? 4th. Will the 
industry give healthy employment to families ? 5th. 
Is there danger of overdoing with excessive supplies ? 
6th. How do you propose starting and carrying on 
this work ? 
For brevity, Mr. Hartland said, I think the first 
three questions may be answered together, and the 
replies confined to this country. In Smith’s “ County 
of Cork," published 1749, volume 1, page 358, we 
read :—" Some years ago the Blackwater cider made 
at Mr. Drew’s lost the premium given by the Dub¬ 
lin Society. Being so excellent, the judges supposed 
it to have been mixed with foreign wine ; but the 
following year, being undeceived, they granted this 
premium to a hogshead made at Macollop." Smith 
frequently refers to the Blackwater orchards, and 
to the large cider export trade carried on in this city 
150 years ago. He further adds that it bore the 
very highest reputation throughout England. 
Another reliable authority, Arthur Young—" Tour 
in Ireland," 1776, vol. 1, page 351—writing from 
Dromoland, says:—"The County Clare is famous 
for orchards. I never beheld trees so laden with 
Apples; it amazed me that they did not break 
under the immense loads which bowed down the 
branches, and Sir Lucius O'Brien assured me that 
he expects a hogshead a tree from several. The 
Coccagee, an Irish fruit, is especially fine, and I pro¬ 
pose taking grafts to England.” 
In the early part of the present century Robert¬ 
son of Kilkenny (see “ Pomological Magazine,” 
1838) introduced many favourite varieties. One, to 
which he gave his name, is universally grown 
throughout that country, although the surname ap¬ 
pears lost. About twenty years ago, passing through 
I.ord Bessborough's gardens, I found an entire line 
of " Sam Young" laden with fruit, and to test the 
aged gardener who accompanied me, I said, ” What 
do you call that Apple?" He looked surprised at 
my ignorance, and answered, ”1 thought everyone 
knew that; it is a Sammy. I have been gathering 
them for the past fifty years, and I never heard any 
other name given.” The fruit is small, very prolific, 
and about Christmas is mellow and rich ; and here I 
may tell you that we possess a rich store of true 
Irish Apples, and in my humble judgment quite un¬ 
equalled in their respective seasons. With your 
permission I shall name a few in the order of ripen¬ 
ing :—The Irish Eve, the Irish Peach, the Kerry 
Pippin, the Donoughmore, the Blackwater Pear- 
main, the Molly, Gibbon's Russet, the Ross Non¬ 
pareil, the Scarlet Cluster, and that grand Belfast 
Apple, the Echlinville. The two last are bakers, the 
remainder table fruits. This is an abridged list and 
by no means exhausts the number, for almost every 
Irish county has favourite varieties raised by local 
men, and it is a proud statement to say—if obliged 
to choose, I would prefer growing our own. I have 
disposed of the three first queries, and now proceed 
to the fourth and fifth, bracketed—-Will this industry 
give employment to families, and is there any danger 
of excessive supplies ? Twenty years ago a basket 
of choice fruit had to be hawked through the city 
and was often returned unsold. This is now all 
changed ; several firms will buy by the ton. 
Our soil and climate offer early and special advan¬ 
tages, and the greater portion of fruits find a ready 
and profitable sale in Dublin. One case came under 
my notice where £50 gross annually was received 
during years from half an acre of Strawberries, 
which were daily gathered, dispatched at night, and 
reached the Dublin market in the morning, weeks 
before any could be had there. As to the employ¬ 
ment, children are nimble fresh fruit gatherers, and 
anyone who has visited the continent at summer time 
must have been delighted to see whole families thus 
healthily and profitably employed. Some may have 
seen this in our own country fifty years ago, when 
the autumn drive along the Blackwater was not soon 
forgotten. That most charming valley, thickly 
covered with splendid fruits, and its groups of joyous 
gatherers ; the aged carried out of doors to drink 
the wine of a glorious sunshine, and gladden the old 
loving eyes that feasted on the scene around, the 
nimble climbers among the branches, the little 
pickers-up of showers of golden fruits, whose joyous 
songs and merry laughter made the valley ring; 
forcing the wayside traveller to tarry, for no matter 
what necessity for haste, spellbound he was, and 
became and another sharer of this rich, heaven-sent 
feast. May we have many such throughout our 
land! and waking from a long night’s sleep and folly, 
may Ireland become rich and happy. Beautiful 
even in her poverty and nakedness, what may be her 
charms where her bare mountains and wastes are 
covered with valuable timber, with its numerous 
industries, and when every farmer has his orchard 
plot, ranges of bee hives, and trailing Roses covering 
his little home. Thus were charming Wicklow and 
Wexford counties in my early days. 
I now come to my last question, No. 6. " How do 
you propose starting and carrying on this work?” 
Anyone who has observed our market gardeners, the 
humble men who have made Cork vegetables so 
famous, who may be seen early and late, moving 
among their Cabbages, &c., digging and manuring; 
these are precisely the class most suitable for grand 
fruit growers ; and consider the amount of healthy 
employment for their children which would attend 
this industry. The day cannot be far distant when 
fruit will form a part of every meal. No American 
or Canadian house is without its supply, and during 
many months spent in both countries I lived on fruit. 
Surely, if our American and Australian brothers can 
deliver here from so great a distance, we should not 
be undersold in any British market. To our shame, 
bleak Ulster leads, is a long way foremost, and with 
your permission, I will read a letter from a northern 
grower ; it is in answer to some inquiries I have been 
making ; ” It is difficult to say exact acreage under 
Apple orchards in the counties of Down and Armagh, 
probably 500 acres ; three-fourths of this in the 
latter and one-fourth in the former. The average 
quality of the fruit is not good, being small, and fit 
only for beiliag d-CWQ- V uring recent years the most 
enterprising firms and fruit growers have renewed 
their orchards; in many instances laid down new 
ones, with the best and most useful fruits: many 
very fine young plantations are now to be seen all 
through the country, and those who took this matter 
up eight or ten years ago have found it to be a very 
profitable investment. The sorts most profitable in 
the north are Hawthornden, Echlinville, Pomona, 
Dumelows, Northern Greening, Warner's King, 
Cox’s Orange. Elizabeth, Peasgood’s Nonsuch, Lady 
Henniker, Lord Derby, Lord Suffield, Keswick Cod- 
lin, Alfreston, Lane’s Prince Albert, Baron Hill, Jim 
Montgomery, and Gravenstein. About £8,000 repre¬ 
sents the annual average value of Apples sold in 
these two counties. The per acre yield varies from 
one to four tons, average value £10 ; sometimes £15 ; 
often £20 and upwards is freely paid. Average life 
of an orchard is about forty years, if properly cared ; 
after this trees begin to decline. Preserve manufac¬ 
turers from England and Scotland purchase the 
great bulk of the fruit in the north. The Scotch 
buyers speculate and purchase the fruit on the trees ; 
in fact, all the best is sold in this way, and they send 
over their own men to pull, select, and size for their 
various uses. This market (Portadown) is the largest 
and by far the most important in Ireland. In the 
season twenty to thirty tons of ripe fruit changes 
hands on market days. Considerably more attention 
is given to good fruit culture than formerly ; either 
very early or very late varieties are most in demand, 
and we prefer planting only a few kinds found most 
suitable. 
“ The old orchards are not profitable, because of 
age, neglect, and the bulk of fruit coming all at one 
season. The bulk of our fruit goes to preserve 
manufacturers. Tree planters now prefer low stems 
3 ft. to 31 ft., and mmy find bushes still better, so 
that they are sheltered, and the best fruit can be 
ground hand-picked. In five or six years there is a 
good, profitable return for the outlay. We have 
still much to learn by careful work and close obser¬ 
vation ; for instance, Lord Suffield does badly on 
lime-stone, but splendidly in cool soil." Our men 
are poor. Government would, I am sure, assist 
with small loans, repayable during six years, and 
proper security could be given, as to our fishermen. 
Holders of, say, four acre plots, could begin fruit 
planting one acre, growing vegetables between until 
the trees would require more space. Have good in¬ 
structors to teach ; very few lessons will suffice ; 
and this fine industry may be at once established, 
possibly in a small way at first, but rest assured the 
growth would be rapid, and a good slice of those 
millions sent to America, and to the continent, would 
find plenty of empty pockets at home. Should there 
be any doubters here, allow me for a moment to 
refer to a few leading pomologists, beginning nearest 
home. The late much-respected Mr. Thomas Rivers, 
of Sawbridgeworth, in conversation many years ago, 
said, “It is a wonder, considering that you are 
favoured with so fine a climate in the south of Ire¬ 
land, that fruit growing should be so entirely neg¬ 
lected.” 
Further north, my old and valued friend, Mr. John 
Anderson, of Perth, said, when I showed him Beurre 
Superfin and Bartlet Pears laden with fruit in the 
open border : “ Oh, if we had your climate, Scotland 
would be a fruit garden." Messrs. Elwanger and 
Barry, the great American growers, paid me a visit 
two years ago: “Wonder of wonders," they said, 
“that you are not growers instead of buyers of 
fruits ! ” Go a long way off to your brothers at the 
Antipodes, and see what the Chaffys are doing at 
Mildura—250,000 acres south of the Murray River 
being laid out in two years for fruit growing and 
250,000 acres north of the river, taken from the New 
South Wales Government, is being operated 
on. England is the great market that these 
enterprising men are looking to. We are within a 
few hours of London; they are 8,000 miles away. 
Is it not really absurd to think how folly should per¬ 
mit our being beaten from a market at our very 
door? Oh, perhaps, some one will say, we can' 
never grow such fruits as the Australians. No, I 
don’t think we can, except in very favoured seasons, 
produce that splendid high colour ; but here is my 
eldest son’s opinion. Holding a forestry post under 
the Victoria Government, he has taken shares at 
Mildura ; is a good judge of fruit; loves the grand, 
sunny land of his adoption:—“Splendid Apples, 
bright and shining ; but give me the Irish Peach, the 
Kerry pippin, and the host of home Apples, with all 
their varied and special richness of flavour.”— Irish 
Farmers' Gazette. 
