646 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
June 13th, 1885. 
SCOTTISH GARDENING. 
Winter, Spring, and Early Summer Vegetables.— 
It is seldom that one has to complain of a scarcity of 
vegetables during the early winter months, but often 
after severe frost gardens present a very bare appear¬ 
ance, and variety is reduced to a minimum. The 
present season has been exceptionally favourable for 
early and late crops, and continuous supplies from 
the open ground have been well maintained. Three 
successions of Brussels Sprouts kept a daily supply 
from September till late in April. Curled Kale were 
at the end of May chopped up and turned into the 
ground, with plenty of manure, which is a good 
preparation for Leeks (a vegetable not used half so 
much as it should be, there being such a variety of 
methods of preparing it for use). The Scotch 
peasantry put much value on their Green Kale and 
Leeks. Broccoli has been and is unusually abundant; 
no blanks are to be seen in a collection of eight 
or nine sorts ; but to say that all these kinds are true 
to name would not be telling the truth. It is as rare 
as it is pleasing to meet with crops of Broccoli true to 
name, and we think the difficulty of securing what we 
ask for is certainly not decreasing. However, where 
a large percentage comes true and the whole crop is as 
useful as ours^-with enough and to spare, enabling us 
to help our neighbours who have little ground to 
supply them with fresh green vegetables—we have 
much to be thankful for. 
The kinds which we are inclined to select as the 
best out of the varieties which have been on trial for 
two seasons are well known for their excellence, and are 
by no means “ novelties.” The latter term is too often 
surreptitiously used to palm off old kinds as excellent 
new ones. But if one gets a good selection, even by 
such means, it is not a real loss, though a good sum is 
paid for the thin packets which may contain the said 
11 novelties.” We could not well dispense with such 
old friends as Grange’s Autumn and Walcheren for late 
autumn and early winter supply. Then comes the 
very valuable Yeitch’s Protecting, often lasting during 
mild seasons till February. Osborn’s and Snow’s 
whites have stood the test for many years; but to get 
these two excellent kinds true is very difficult indeed. 
Backhouse’s Winter Broccoli is a very hardy and good 
kind, and comes in well before the later spring sorts. 
Knight’s Protecting has always been a favourite with 
us, whether in Scotland or in the South of England, 
and often may be had very late. Though called a 
second late variety we have in large quantities at 
present (though none are quite true to name) Gordon’s 
late, Addison’s, and Cattell’s white. The first and last 
of these three kinds have been known to me for many 
years, and I have often seen them remarkably good 
and true to name. 
At Burghley Gardens, near Stamford, I saw, some 
dozen years ago, the most even plot of Cattell’s late 
Broccoli which it is possible to imagine, and by no 
means a small plot either. All were dwarf, and their 
hearts protected like York Cabbages. Mr. Gilbert, the 
presiding genius at Burghley, believes strongly in 
firm soil for Broccoli, and I as strongly favour his 
opinion, but I think that in waxy, damp soils the 
“ crowbar” system of planting is not to be commended. 
After well-cultivated Strawberries have been skinned 
off the surface is generally in good condition for 
planting, but it is not often that in the northern 
districts of England or in any part of Scotland 
the Strawberry crop can be cleared off in time to 
plant Broccoli to be fit for use. In the southern 
districts of England, as well as in the eastern and 
western counties, w r e have planted Broccoli late in 
August which did well, but in northern districts, 
where autumn growth terminates early, it is not of 
much use planting after July, though in such seasons 
as the last the case is materially altered. 
Planting will soon be general in the north, and as 
no one can tell what next winter may be like we would 
counsel the planting of a quantity of Broccoli in soil 
free from rich manure. The plants may be trans¬ 
planted on ground to grow' steadily and firmly till 
Potatos or some other crops are cleared off. The 
large plants transferred thus become, by the partial 
check, sturdy and W'ell suited to stand severe weather. 
A store of dry litter or Fern to pack among the stems 
of Broccoli during severe weather is a valuable auxil¬ 
iary in securing a crop. 
Brussels Sprouts are confined to very few kinds— 
most of what we have seen are only good selections 
from the good old sorts we were familiar with in our 
youth. We do not object to such selections, as when 
they are had from reliable hands one need not fear 
having the worth of one’s money. We like good, 
strong, well-cultivated land for Brussels Sprouts, and 
three successions, one of which, the first, is sown early 
in August, another in a frame in February, and a 
third in March. We have sowm in England late in 
April and had useful crops, but sowings in March in 
Scotland will give good pickings till April, but no 
certain dates can be given either for sowing or 
planting, as soil (light or heavy) has much to do with 
success. Climate always rules.—JI. T. 
— g_-- — 
APPLES AND APPLE SOILS. 
The soils and management best suited to the 
growth of Apples are points which have been much 
discussed in recent years. Various authorities—such 
as Mr. Charles Whitehead, in The Journal of the 
Royal AgriciilturallSociety : Mr. T. B. Woodward, in a 
paper read before the London Farmers’ Club last 
year; and'Mr. W. H. Eley, in a lecture to the 
Rochester Farmers’ Club—have all treated of fruit 
farming and of Apples. It appears at first sight 
singular, says a writer in The Field, that estimates of 
the first cost of an orchard should differ so widely, and 
that, while Mr. Eley makes out the total expense of 
planting an orchard at £10 an acre, another grower, 
speaking in the subsequent discussion, estimated the 
cost at £20 per acre. The latter, however, included 
trenching at £10 an acre as a necessary item of expen¬ 
diture, doubling the cost by that one operation. Our 
own experience is that the necessity for trenching de¬ 
pends on the character of the subsoil, and that it is not 
always desirable. On those soils which are naturally 
adapted to the growth of Apples, such as the deep green 
sand of Kent and Surrey, or the sandstone of Devonshire 
and the cider districts, this heavy outlay may be 
avoided. Differences of opinion like those just 
noticed are explained by the fact of great differences 
in soils. Apples will grow on all soils, and the 
preparation of the ground for an orchard must be 
suited to its character. In offering advice, therefore, 
as to the growth of Apples, it becomes essential to 
quote the experience of more than one locality, and 
for that reason the Report entitled British Apples, 
and prepared by Mr. Barron, of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s Gardens, after the close of the Apple 
Congress of last year, is, perhaps, the most reliable 
guide that can be found to the cultivation of Apples 
on all kinds of soil. 
We have no intention of repeating here the melan¬ 
choly statistics relating to the absence of English 
Apples in our markets, and their inferiority compared 
with the produce of America. It is said that the best 
English dessert Apples are the luxuries of the rich, 
and it seems to us that Mr. Barron’s report explains 
why this is so, and proposes a suitable remedy. His 
informants state, with much truth, that good Apples 
may be grown on almost all soils with proper manage¬ 
ment, but not always with profit—certainly not v ith 
the same profit on land that requires elaborate pre- 
Xireparation as on those soils where but slight outlay 
is needed. We learn from Mr. Barron’s pages that 
varieties of management are due to varieties of soil, 
and that almost anybody may grow good Apples 
at a certain cost, which will vary from small to large 
according to circumstances. Some of the best Apple 
orchards in England are on the well-drained, warm 
soils of the old red sandstone of North Devon, Here¬ 
fordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. There 
are capital orchards on the same formation in Scot¬ 
land, including those of the Carse of Gowrie, from 
which a specimen of Lord Suffield—one of the best 
of early bearers—was sent to the Congress, weighing 
17£ ozs., or exactly the same weight as a Blenheim 
which we weighed recently from an orchard in Sussex. 
It matters not what the formation may be, so that the 
soil is deep, good, dry, and warm ; and in support 
of this we could point to a dozen sites, including 
the Vale of Holmdale, in Surrey, which is famous 
for its old orchards, and where, the soil being suitable, 
a costly system of management is unnecessary. Else¬ 
where the case is different. The variety of the beds 
interposed between the new and the old red sandstone 
(both Apple-growing formations) may serve to recall 
those varieties in the natural constitution of soils 
which dominate the fanning and the character of the 
Apple crop. There are, for example, the coal measures, 
as poor at top as they are rich below; the miserable 
millstone grit, with its wretched pasturage; and the 
mountain limestone succeeding it, and often covered 
with rich turf. 
The varieties of management described in Mr. 
Barron’s Report are therefore not surprising. “We 
find it a good plan,” says one of his informants, “ to 
lift as many trees as possible every year, and to put 
a quantity of old brick rubbish under them, and 
maiden loam round the roots.” The orchard occu¬ 
pies a loam with a wet gravel below, and when the 
roots reach this wretched subsoil, we are told the 
trees cease bearing. No doubt they do, and to bring 
them into bearing they must be lifted and reset in 
better soil. Scores of similar examples are given in 
this very practical Report. Those growers whose 
soils are ungenial, and who plant Apples on chalk or 
sand, or wet clay, must remedy the defect, or they 
cannot grow good Apples. The soil must be made, 
hr fact, and only small trees capable of being lifted 
should be attempted to be grown. A fine sample of 
Apples reached the Congress from Dover, having 
been successfully grown on thin chalk on pyramids, 
planted in good turfy loam, in which these small 
trees grew well and ripened their wood. But the 
cultivation was entirely artificial, and as the sub¬ 
stratum on the cliff at Dover is by no means suited 
to Apples, holes had been dug and filled with loam, 
which was frequently manured. “ The great secret 
is,” writes the grower, “ to mulch well with good 
manure; the better manure I use, the better the 
fruit.” 
So far as soil is concerned, you may grow Apples 
anywhere, at a price ; but you can only grow them 
profitably on those deep soils where they become 
great trees, and still continue to bear good fruit. 
The soil should be sound, deep, dry, and friable, like 
the wholesome loams of the cider districts, or the 
ragstone loams of the Medway Valley, and others of 
that class. In the orchards near Maidstone, the 
favourite Apples are Cox’s Orange Pippin, Margil, 
Cornish Gilliflower, Dumelow’s Seedling, Winter 
Nonsuch, King of the Pippins, and others. 
On these best soils only can we hope to compete 
with the favoured Apple districts of the United States. 
Large crops of fine fruit may be produced, no doubt, 
on trees which are purposely dwarfed in gardens and 
elsew’here, for reasons which have been already 
stated. But the big trees are far less expensive in 
their management, being easily manured; and all 
fruit trees in full bearing require plenty of manure. 
An orchard of small trees must be kept in tillage for 
the convenience of moving them when required; 
but a Kentish orchard is invariably kept in turf, for 
the sake of manuring it by the depasturing of cattle 
fed on Corn, and also because turf is more favourable 
than tillage to the surface-feeding roots and to the 
elaboration of healthy sap. Mr. Barron’s Report does 
not treat specially of Apple farming and the econo¬ 
mical aspect of our subject, and we may therefore 
supply the omission by pointing out how greatly 
stock-keeping may assist fruit culture in a good 
district. 
Orchards may be pastured with calves, yearlings, 
and other highly fed cattle, including a few sheep; 
and as farming stock generally are fond of Apples, 
they will eat all worm-eaten windfalls before the 
escape of the grubs into the earth, and will thus nip 
in the bud an injurious pest of many orchards. Cows 
are as useful in orchards as their offspring, and will eat 
up the wormy fruit with the same relish. The quan¬ 
tity of stock for an orchard is one calf per acre for 
young turf not yet producing much grass, each 
animal having a quart of oats and two quarts of 
middlings daily, or other mixture of feeding stuffs, 
according to the views of the feeder. But this is a 
branch of Apple-growing on which we need not enter. 
Our object is to supply a few hints from an agricul¬ 
tural standpoint, and to correct a common error, 
that, because Apples are everywhere found, they are 
therefore capable of being everywhere grown with 
profit for markets where only the best sorts find a 
sale, and where the competition in regard to price is 
keen. 
