July 23, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
739 
ORCHIDS. 
Clean Healthy Plants at Low Prices. 
Always worth a visit of inspection. Kindly send for Catalogue , 
JAMES CYPHER, 
Exotic Nurseries, CHELTENHAM. 
FINEST MEDAL COLLECTION 
^ IN THE WORLD. 
Send for CATALOGUE to 
JOHN PEED & SONS, West Norwood, London 
The Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent. 
GEORGE BUNYARD & GO., 
Are now booking orders for early delivery of the very best 
NEW AND OLD STRAWBERRIES. 
For crop 1899, or for forcing. 
They offer the largest stock and the best plants in the trade. 
Change of stock pays. 
Catalogue of Strawberries and Summer Fruits now ready. 
GLOXINIAS 
FINEST COLLECTION 
in the World. We make 
a speciality of CALA- 
DIUMS. Gold Medals 
Manchester& Leicester. 
Silver Cup, R.H.S., &c. 
Satisfaction guaranteed. JOHN PEED AND SONS, 
- West Norwood, London. 
Caladiums 
WEBBS’ 
EMPEROR CABBAGE. 
The Earliest and Best. 
6d. and Is. per packet; Is. 6d. per oz. 
From Mr. J. TURNBULL, Tin School House. 
July 9TH, 1898. 
“ I sowed some seed of Webbs’ ’Emperor Cabbage' and 
the Cabbages have been simply grand ; they get better each 
time we have them." 
WEBBS’, WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
O RCHIDS of the highest quality, every 
plant guaranteed true to name, from 2/6 each. Please 
send for free list.—P. McARTHUR, The London Nurseries, 
4, Malda Vale. London W. 
“ Gardening Is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man."— Bacon. 
RETARDED LILY OF THE VALLEY CROWNS. 
Headquarters at Dersingham. 
For prices &c., apply to — 
T. JANNOCH, 
Lily Nursery, Dersingham, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. 
(Over 150 Pages. Nearly 150 Illustrations.) 
of Florists’ Flowers and Hardy Border Plants 
is got up regardless of trouble or expense, with the result that 
it is by unanimous consent pronounced the most comprehen¬ 
sive, most accurate, most reliable, most complete and best 
extant. 
It gives full and accurate descriptions of everything in the 
way of Florists’ Flowers, also colour, height, time of 
flowering, and price of all the best Hardy Border Plants, 
together with theii English or Common Names, and a mass of 
other Valuable Information that cannot be had else¬ 
where. 
It is In fact a veritable reference-book, Invaluable to all 
growers of these plants, and should be in the hands of all 
intending purchasers. Free on application. 
JOHN FORBES, 
Nurseryman, Hawick, Scotland. 
ESTABLISHED 1870. 
A 7 TOLET Roots. R. W. Hockey, Brid- 
V port, has been honoured with the distinguished patron¬ 
age of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen. Is receiving 
orders for Comte de Brazza, Lady Hume Campbell, Marie 
Louise, California, Czar, &c. Prices on application. 
A 
NEW 
SHADING. 
As Cool 
as a 
Cucumber. 
FROSTEEN 
SHADING. 
Heat, but not light proof. Easily 
applied. No heating required; no 
mess, no trouble; the latest scientific 
discovery; beautifies the greenhouse, 
inexpensive and won’t wash c£f; 
entirely superseding old fashioned 
methods and preparations. Can be 
ordered through all seedsmen and 
florists, or direct from the makers, 
price is. FROSTEEN AZO must be 
used in addition to make it permanent, 
price is. 6d. Both sent carriage paid 
I for P.O. 2s. 6d. 
FROSTEEN SYNDICATE, LTD., 
341, Argyle Street, Glasgow. 
Hints by Specialists upon 
Successfully Cultivating 
Ainil A Tl All A 
IMPORTANT 
CARNATIONS 
Also our new Ulus- 
TO 
trated Supplement sent 
post free upon application 
to— 
GARDEN[RS 
WM. WOOD & SON, LTD., 
Garden Specialists 
(33 Medals and Awards for 
Excellence), 
WOOD GREEN, LONDON 
Uin|li 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , JULY 23 rd, 1898. 
NEXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Tuesday, July 26th.—Royal Horticultural Society : meeting 
of committees at 12, noon. 
Wednesday, July 27th.—National Carnation and Picotee 
Society’s Show at the Crystal Palace. 
Friday. July 29th.— Redhill, Relgate and District Carnation 
and Picotee Society. 
$||roBURN Experimental Fruit Farm.— 
Some three or four years ago the 
Duke of Bedford established a fruit farm at 
Ridgmont,Beds., for the purpose of conduct¬ 
ing experiments, with the view of settling 
various questions concerning the cultural 
treatment of fruit trees and bushes, which 
arise from time to time either in gardens of 
large or small extent. The experiments are 
superintended by Spencer Pickering, Esq , 
who is managing director, and is assisted 
by Mr. Lewis Castle. In response to an 
invitation, a party of gardeners and other 
experts connected with fruit in some way 
or other, visited the Woburn Experimental 
Fruit Farm on the 13th inst., and were con¬ 
ducted over the place by Mr. Pickering. 
The experiments are of a very varied and 
sometimes complicated character, and like¬ 
wise vary in importance, though the points 
they are intended to settle are of frequent 
occurrence in gardening and fruit culture. 
Geologically, Ridgmont is situated on the 
oolite formation, not far from the lower 
cretaceous, but decidely on the former. The 
surface soil of some depth consists of sub¬ 
stantial loam inclined to clay and well mixed 
with sand. It gets very hard and lumpy 
during droughty periods, but readily crum¬ 
bles down on the advent of rain, and in 
winter assumes a very plastic and adhesive 
condition. It is very fertile, however, as the 
fruit trees amply testify by the vigorous 
growth they make where good tillage is 
carried out. This is not accomplished 
throughout, however, because the intention 
is to demonstrate the results of good and 
bad methods of cultivation. The ground 
slopes gently towards a brook, which 
occasionally overflows its channel and sub¬ 
merges the low lying ground in its vicinity. 
This has been going on for centuries 
evidently, for the soil in the lower part of 
the grounds consists of alluvial silt laid 
down by the brook, and even presents a 
peaty appearance, being soft and allowing 
the feet to sink into it. 
We shall here indicate the nature of a 
few of the varied experiments we noted in 
passing over the grounds with the results 
hitherto obtained. Trees of 1, 2, 3, and 4 
years of age were planted, and up till now 
the 3 year old trees have done best. Rows 
of trees were pruned in autumn, others at 
mid-winter and some in spring, but little 
difference is observable amongst them. Plan¬ 
tations of mixed cropping are under trial, 
standard Apples being planted wide apart, 
with bush andpyramidal Apples, Pears, and 
Plums between the primary rows, and Cur¬ 
rants and Strawberries in the interspaces. 
A cottager’s plantation was established in 
1899, fruit and vegetables being grown 
separately in the upper portion, and in 
mixture in the lower part of the grounds. 
The mixed plantation did better the first 
year, which happened to be a dry one, be¬ 
cause the resulting shade prevented evapor¬ 
ation to some extent. Dwarf Apples are 
grown on the Paradise stock, and standards 
on the Crab. Bramley’s Seedling, Cox’s 
Orange and Stirling Castle are largely used 
in these experiments, and it was noted that 
the first named, being the most vigorous 
grower, took the longest time to become 
established after removal, owing apparently 
to its influence upon the stock. 
A series of experiments were instituted 
to prove the advantage or disadvantage of 
various methods of pruning. During the 
first year or two the leaves were counted, 
and the leaf surface actually measured, but 
this is now practically impossible, but the 
leaves are weighed and the branches 
measured in order to determine the amount 
of annual growth. Some trees were pruned 
when first planted and others not till the 
end of the first year. The latter lost in 
vigour during the first year, but made up 
for it during the second. One row of trees 
was pruned when planted, but not pruned 
subsequently. Long portions of the 
branches are now without either leaves or 
spurs, so that this method is inadvisable. 
One row has not been cut back at all from 
the time of planting till now, with the result 
that the branches are long and slender, 
being weighted to the ground whenever 
they carry a crop of fruit. This is ocular 
demonstration that the practice is a bad 
one and should not be adopted in garden or 
orchard. Another row that has been 
pinched in summer like a trained tree, 
carries a crop that is making good progress ; 
but perhaps this may not prove an economi¬ 
cal plan in the long run. A row of trees, 
having the shoots shortened in summer but 
not further pruned after the fall of the leaf, 
has given similar results. Cox’s Orange 
was the variety used in both cases. 
Root pruning has been tested in various 
ways, and the results in many cases are 
quite obvious. Good growth has been 
made by trees root-pruned every third year, 
and they are carrying a good crop of fruit. 
Growth is not very rampant, however, in 
the case of trees upon the Paradise. Trees 
that have been root-pruned every year have 
made little growth, the trees remaining 
small and stunted. Lifting and replanting 
trees with a ball of soil, and as little injury 
to the roots as possible has given little or 
no check. Trees conveyed to a distance 
could hardly be placed under so favourable 
conditions. Mulching with dry straw has 
hitherto given no results even in dry sea¬ 
sons. The whole of the ground was origin¬ 
ally treated alike by being trenched 2^ ft. 
deep. After the ground was planted a 
broad strip containing a row of trees was 
sown down with grass to imitate an orchard. 
Another band was trodden very firm but 
kept clear of weeds, but this gave no results 
over the untrodden. On a third piece the 
weeds were allowed to grow, and the results 
were thoroughly as bad as when sown down 
with grass. The trees in both cases remain 
