March 18, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
Onion was a sort of Heckfield favourite in his eyes, 
for he alwaj s included it in his collections of vege¬ 
tables and won many prizes with it. Size and 
keeping qualities are its chief recommendations ; but 
it also possesses that quality which gardeners term 
depth, which has a tendency to be deficient in some 
of the large sorts much in vogue at the present day. 
457 
ripening a bit before the above. The fruit is rather 
small but most refreshing, and requires to be eaten 
soon after gathering. The tree crops well and is 
amenable to any mode of training. 
Devonshire Qcjarrenden. —As a Devonian I 
should be failing in my duty did I not advocate the 
claims of this showy variety. It has a dark red skin 
when matured, while the flavour must be classed as 
good. The fruit is of medium size, and fit for use 
in August and the following month. The tree is 
most prolific as a standard, and forms excellent 
pyramids. Unfortunately I lose a good percentage of 
my crop, as the birds appear to be particularly fond 
of this variety. 
American Mother is a most showy kind of 
pearmain shape, a capital Apple and of good flavour, 
very sweet and juicy, and is in use towards the end of 
October up to near Christmas. I cannot say it bears 
well annually, doing better every other year with me 
as an espalier. It makes a very telling dish on 
account of its good shape and high colour. 
The list is far from exhausted, but as planting time 
for this season is about over I will defer further 
remarks until the Autumn .—James Mayne, Bicton. 
--«*—- 
Potato Devonian, 
Horticultural Society, Chiswick, last year, was one 
of some forty-nine stocks of Potatos. The import¬ 
ance of this vegetable keeps up a perennial interest, 
not merely in keeping stocks true to name, but in the 
raising of new varieties from seeds so as to maintain 
the constitution of the race, thereby rendering it as 
disease-resisting as possible. The trials at Chiswick 
also aim at securing high quality as well as good 
appearances, which used to be the chief aim of 
exhibitions. Thirteen of the forty-nine varieties 
inspected at the Fruit and Vegetable Committee meet¬ 
ing at Chiswick, on August 30th last, so commended 
themselves by their appearance and heavy cropping 
qualities, that the committee ordered some of each 
to be cooked. Seven of them were highly com¬ 
mended on this occasion, and when presented at the 
Drill Hall meeting of September 6th, 1898, an 
Award of Merit was unanimously recommended to 
each of the seven, including Devonian. The 
accompanying illustration represents a dish of this 
new variety, which is a white-skinned late kidney, 
heavy cropping, and of fine quality when tested by the 
process of cooking. The tuber is of medium size, 
with a roughish skin, and very shallow eyes, so that 
there is no waste in paring, while the appearance is 
handsome. The variety was sent to Chiswick by 
Mr. Owen Thomas, gardener to Her Majesty at 
Windsor, and who, having grown it, formed a high 
opinion of its merits. The moderate size of the 
tuber, its table qualities, heavy-cropping character, 
freedom from disease, and evenness of the crop, are 
all recommendations as to the suitability of the 
variety for cultivation in private establishments. 
The accompanying illustration has been placed at 
our service by Messrs. R. Veitch & Son, Exeter, 
Devon. 
“A. D.,” writing in the Journal of Horticulture 
on December gth, 1898, says regarding Devonian 
Potato, “ Not at any time since the days of the once 
famous Victoria have I been enabled to taste so 
delicious a Potato. The flesh is tinged with yellow, 
as all the best flavoured ones are. It is flaky, 
starchy, soft right through, and quite delicious. 
The variety is of a longish flat form, some tubers 
almost kidney shaped; skin white and roughly 
netted.’* 
After trying it at Chiswick, the Royal Horticultural 
Society described it as a large, globular Onion with a 
brown skin, of exceptional weight and firmness. It 
is the property of ripening off thoroughly that deter¬ 
mines its firmness and capability of keeping well. 
Being also thoroughly hardy it is suitable for both 
autumn and spring sowing. Messrs. R. Veitch and 
Son, Exeter, obtained the stock of it from Mr. Wild- 
smith himself, and now recommend it for kitchen 
use as well as exhibition purposes. They lent us the 
accompanying illustration of it. 
SOME GOOD APPLES. 
(Concluded, from p. 409 ) 
Lady Sudeley is a very early Apple and of recent 
introduction. The fruit is large and of handsome 
TURNIPS. 
In common with many others we are feeling the 
effects of last summer's drought in more ways than 
one. The particular instance I have in mind now 
(which is daily brought to notice) is the loss of our 
Turnip crop; and also Winter Spinach. Although 
we made repeated sowings of both these vegetables 
and used every precaution, we failed to get a crop. 
So far as the water supply was concerned we were at 
the mercy of the clerk of the weather, and he failed 
us at that particular time. Well grown Turnips are 
always in demand, both for flavouring, and also as 
a vegetable; aod in spring there is also a call for 
Turnip tops, some people having a preference for the 
rather bitter property of these greens when boiled. 
In his book " Gardening for Profit” Peter Hender¬ 
son gives an instance of how a farmer was led to 
alter his mode of cultivation with much profit to 
himself. " A gentleman of colour having the consti¬ 
tutional weakness for chickens peculiar to his race, 
got into a hen roost and helped himself bountifully. 
In evading the high road, he struck a bee line 
through a newly sown Turnip field, where he left 
tracks that led to his detection. But these tracks 
did more. They showed to Squire Buncombe, whose 
chickens had suffered, that wherever the foot of the 
coloured citizen had fallen he had a stand of Turnips 
and nowhere else (for they had been sown too loosely 
ONION THE WILDSMITH. 
While not exactly a new Onion this has been brought 
into prominence by the trial of it in the gardens of 
the Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick last 
year. It is appropriately named after that enthus¬ 
iastic gardener, the late Mr. Wildsmith, of Heckfield, 
who used to be so well known wherever gardeners 
and horticulturists generally were gathered together. 
Mr. Wildsmith was a frequent exhibitor, and the 
Onion The Wildsmith. 
appearance, with a pale yellow skin, streaked with 
crimson, while the flavour is good for so early an 
Apple, which is usually ripe about the middle of 
August. It bears well as an espalier, the only form 
of tree that I have of this variety. 
Irish Peach is another excellent dessert kind, 
and the weather was dry). The lesson shot home, 
and has been worth tens of thousands of dollars to 
the farmers of South Carolina, who, it seems, were 
never before sufficiently alive to the importance of 
firming the soil until the unfortunate negro showed 
them the way .—A .P. 
come across.” The fair lady in question had a 
tongue which had been wagged at the gardener more 
than once, and the old chap didn’t forget it. 
POTATO DEVONIAN. 
Amongst other trials in the gardens of the Royal 
