Nov. 22nd, 1884, 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
185 
The Messrs. Cheal are no believers in the old 
system of cutting back and hard-pruning, and their 
trees show that they are right in confining their 
pruning operations, as closely as possible, to summer 
pinching late in July, and the leading shoots are not 
stopped then. Winter pruning encourages the for¬ 
mation of useless shoots, and it is found by practical 
experience in the nursery, that regular transplanting 
to keep the roots in bounds, and summer pinching 
arc the best means of inducing the trees to develop 
fruitful spurs. To those who appreciate successful 
cultivation regularly and systematically carried out on 
a large scale, no greater pleasure can be afforded 
than a walk through the quarters of a well-managed 
nursery such fas this. Quarter after quarter are 
berries, &c., also claim attention in the fruit depart¬ 
ment. 
On the occasion of our visit the fruits had all long 
been gathered, but a visit to the fruit-room amply 
confirmed previous impressions as to their quality. 
Here were all the leading varieties, carefully arranged 
for inspection and as carefully named, the Messrs. 
Cheal being particularly careful in the important 
matter of nomenclature. We have no time to go 
through them all, but note a few specially fine 
samples. Cellini is highly praised, it suits this soil 
well and makes a handsome Cordon. Two local 
Apples are also pointed out as the favourites among 
the cottagers in that part. These were the Forge 
Apple, a delicious little fruit, raised at the Forge 
owing to the clean healthy growth the trees make or 
to the presence of the iron in the soil, but little 
trouble is given by blight, and that what American 
blight does make its appearance is soon killed by the 
use of a dry stiff brush. We noted too the large use 
made of discarded canes from an umbrella factory 
for training the trees to, and ■which being stiff and 
uniformly straight, are so much better fit for the 
■work than the coppice wood generally employed. 
The nursery, which covers an area of about fifty 
acres, also contains a flourishing stock of forest and 
ornamental trees and shrubs, the commoner sorts in 
large quantities, a choice stock of about one hundred 
varieties of Rhododendrons, which make a clean 
growth, and bud freely in the stiff loam. Roses too 
ROCKERY AND SUMMER-HOUSE IN THE LOWFIELD NURSERY. 
passed as it were in review order, every Cordon as 
straight as a gun barrel, weU-ripened to the tip, studded 
with spurs down to the stock, and the bark as fresh 
and bright as one can desire to see it, while the 
strength of the plants may be inferred when we say 
that the trees two seasons from the bud, range from 
4 ft. to 6 ft. in height, and others in proportion. 
It must not be supposed that because we have so 
far confined our remarks to the upright Cordons, there 
are no espaliers, no standards, or fan-trained trees to 
be seen in the nursery, for these, too, are done well, 
notably the trained Peaches and Nectarines, Cherries, 
and Plums, but, as we said before, the Cordons are 
the speciality. Pot Vines, Peaches, and other trees 
in pots, for orchard-houses; Strawberries, Rasp- 
Farm, about a mile away; and what is locally known 
as the Pomeroy or Duck’s Bill, but which Dr. Hogg 
considers is the true old Winter Pearmain. The 
Forge Apple is a somewhat slow grower, taking a 
year or two longer to make a tree than most other 
varieties, but its habit is very neat and it is a 
wonderful bearer. Samples of Manx and Keswick 
Codlins were shown us that had been allowed to hang 
on the trees till the end of October. The Golden 
Reinette, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Ribston Pippin, 
Cornish Gilliflower, Hoary Morning, and Hanwell 
Souring were pointed out as being especially fine, and 
the latter variety as one that should be much more 
planted than it is. 
We learnt going through the nursery that whether 
are largely grown, and herbaceous plants, Dahlias, and 
the usual miscellaneous assortment of plants to be 
found in a large nursery establishment, are grown 
here, and done justice to. Near the residence of 
the Messrs. Cheal, which faces the main road to 
Brighton, there is a pretty combination of water rock- 
work and summer-house, which we have chosen as the 
subject of the accompanying illustration. A few 
roots of good size have been used, but the bulk is 
composed of the dull red stone of the district, put 
together in a natural way, and being planted with 
alpine and spring-flowering bulbous plants, mixed 
with Cotoneasters, Escallonia macrantha, and a few 
other evergreens of a similar character, has a pleasing 
effect in a garden that is otherwise monotonously flat. 
