THE GARDENING WORLD 
469 
' March 25 , 1899. 
SUTTON’S 
ASTERS 
FOR SUMMER GARDENING. 
SUTTON’S SUPERB BEDDING. 
A splendid selection of dwarf varieties, specially 
adapted for producing masses of colour in beds. 
per pkt. 
Scarlet .. .. T/- 
Delicate rose II- 
Bright rose .. 1 /- 
per pkt. 
Blue .. .. i/- 
Lilac .. • • 1 1- 
White.1/6 
Collection of six colours, separate, 5 /-. 
“Your Bedding Asters have been 
admirable. The Rose, White, and 
Blue are true to a plant in colour, and not a quarter 
of an inch difference in height.”—Mr. R. Allan, 
Gardener to J. Harrison, Esq. 
SUTTON’S SEEDSi 
GE NUINE ONLY FROM SUTTON 5 SONS,READING. / 
Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY, MARCH 2 5 th, 1899. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monday, March 27th.— Annual General Meeting of the 
Nurserymen, Market Gardeners, and General Hailstorm 
Insurance Corporation, at Simpson’s Hotel, Strand 
W.C., at 3 p.m. 
Tuesday, March 28th.—Royal Horticultural Society : Meeting 
of Committees at 12 noon. 
JRardy Fruit Culture. —This question 
^ continues to agitate the minds of 
growers and intending planters in this 
country. On the other hand, experiments 
continue to be made by some with the 
ostensible object of educating the British 
public to the possibilities of our soil and 
climate under the skilled and intelligent 
management of Orchards, and a close 
a jt en ti°n to the commercial aspect of the 
situation. Mr. Lewis Castle, of the Duke 
of Bedford’s Experimental Farm, Ridg- 
mont, near Woburn, took “ Hardy Fruit 
Culture ” as the subject of his paper before 
the Chiswick Gardeners’ Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Association on the 16th inst, The time 
being limited he dealt with the subject 
generally, but briefly, introducing some of 
the problems of fruit growing, and the 
questions of profit and prospects. In deal¬ 
ing with cultivation he divided the subject 
into tree formation, and fruit production, 
the two phases of culture being distinct, 
though not always distinguished by those 
Who deal with the subject. The one has 
for its object a vigorous development of 
wood and foliage, while the other keeps in 
view such treatment as would favour, the 
production of fruit. Both are, of course, to 
a certain extent correlated. 
In speaking of propagation he considered 
that in the case of budding the wound soon 
healed over, and the process afterwards 
favoured fertility, that is, the early produc¬ 
tion of fruit by the tree so propagated. On 
the other hand grafting, while not so 
economical as a method of multiplying 
trees, it favoured vegetative vigour, that is, 
a vigorous development of the tree. It is 
well known, however, that the adoption of 
both these methods of propagation has the 
effect of greatly lengthening the period 
during which the operation can be per¬ 
formed. Any failures that may occur in 
grafting can be rectified later on by 
budding. The latter operation can be carried 
out at a season when garden and nursery 
operations are seldom so pressing as in 
spring. 
The question of manuring came in for 
some attention, and several kinds were 
mentioned for use with a given end in view. 
They had some negative as well as positive 
results in their experiments at Ridgmont, 
and the conclusions arrived at were that no 
dogmatic or definite lines of procedure 
could be laid down, because the plants 
grown, the soil, and the manures all varied 
so much, that the subject was a complex 
one, and rules that would apply to certain 
soils and crops in one district, might not 
give the desired results in other parts of 
the country. Liquid manure was generally 
fairly serviceable to fruit trees. The use of de¬ 
caying vegetable matter or humus of various 
natures had a distinct and separate effect 
independently of any manurial properties it 
might contain. Superphosphates favoured 
the production of flowers. Much might be 
done with heavy soils in the cultivation of 
fruit, but they required a deal of working, 
in order to insure the best results. 
Iri T the matter of the most suitable age at 
which trees should be planted, he had come 
to the conclusion that maiden trees grew 
away more vigorously than those of several 
years standing, which might be explained 
by the fact that they sooner recovered from 
the process of transplanting, and thereby 
got more quickly established in their new 
quarters, than older trees. The subject of 
pollination is one that seldom receives any 
attention from cultivators in this country, 
or from those who discuss the question of 
fruit culture in public. Should any variety 
of fruit be self sterile, that is, infertile by 
the use of its own pollen, it would be a 
great mistake to plant an orchard or any 
large portion of it with this one sort, for the 
simple reason that it might produce a wealth 
of flowers year after year, without producing 
fruit as a result of this blossoming, and quite 
apart from meteorological conditions during 
the flowering period. The obvious con¬ 
clusion would be that only a few rows of 
one variety should be planted together; 
and that other sorts should be planted in 
rows alternately with and alongside of the 
first so as to favour the cross pollination of 
different varieties. We think it would be 
well to institute experiments in this coun¬ 
try that would have for their object the 
determination of which varieties of Apples, 
Pears, Plums and other hardy fruits were 
capable of being fertilised with their own 
pollen, and which, were not. The need- of 
this may become more apparent in the near 
future when large breadths of one variety 
of tree come to be planted for market work. 
Should plantations of one variety prove 
unproductive, the solution' may be'that the 
pollen is unefficacious when applied to the 
flowers of the same variety, though capable 
of fertilising the flowers of other sorts. 
The prices of first-class Apples' have 
increased rather than otherwise during past 
years in spite of the increased production 
and extensive foreign supplies. This in 
itself should encourage the extension of 
fruit culture, and give heart to those who 
may be doubtful of the issue. The question 
of profits also brought out the fact that 
very successful results were obtained, from 
the experimental plots planted with mixed 
crops of trees, bushes, Strawberries, &c., at 
Ridgmont. Some discussion arose upon 
the advantage or otherwise of planting fruit 
trees upon grass. Some trees at Ridgmont 
were handicapped for a number of years 
under these conditions, but afterwards grew 
away vigorously as a result, it might have 
been, of the penetration of the roots more 
deeply into the soil or their extension 
beyond the grass into the neighbouring 
tilled ground. The fruit from trees so 
grown was more highly coloured than from 
trees on ground subjected to tillage. The 
discussion also brought out the fact that 
some orchards on grass succeed, though the 
general opinion was that trees on tilled 
ground more often give the better results. 
--» i~ ■■ — 
Mr. G. H umphry, for the past five years head gar¬ 
dener at East Hill House, Ashford, Kent, has been 
appointed head gardener to T. G. Peckham, Esq., 
Hall Place, Harbledown, Canterbury. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The next fruit and 
floral meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
will be held on Tuesday, March 28th, in the Drill 
Hall, James Street, Westminster, 1.5 p.m. A lecture 
on ” Some of the plants exhibited” will be given at 
3 o’clock, by tfae Rev. Prof. G. Henslow, M. A. 
V'. M. H., &c. 
The Vladimir Cherries —This is the name given to 
a race of Cherries which bear very large and good 
quality fruit, and which are much grown in Eastern 
Russia. The trees are said to endure a temperature 
of 40° below zero Fahr., or 72 0 of frost without 
sustaining any injury. 
The National Carnation and Picotee Society [Southern 
Section). —The 22ndannual report, being that for the 
year 1898, has just been issued by the Southern 
Section of the National Carnation and Picotee 
Society. The committee's report is in a congratula¬ 
tory vein, and the large increase in the number of 
Carnation growers, and in the quality of the flowers 
exhibited is commented upon. The exhibition of 
1898, held at the Crystal Palace, was postponed, 
owiug to the backwardness of the season, but was 
a great success ultimately, the number of new varie¬ 
ties shown being quite exceptional Passing to the 
statement of accounts we find that the receipts dur¬ 
ing the past year have been £526 gs. 9Jd., including 
the very substantial balance of £208 16s. g^d. The 
subscriptions have totalled £248 6s, and there 
appears a donation from the Crystal 'Palace Co. cf 
/50. On the expenditure side, /182 16s. 6d. hhis 
been given away in prizes, and printing, stationery, 
and postage have cost £43 3s. 5d. The balance has 
been swollen to £263 15s. 7^d. The exhibition for 
the coming year is to be held at the Crystal Palace 
on July 19th, when upwards of £250 and three silver 
cups will be given in prizes. There are in all some 
forty-five classes, and the special classes for undressed 
flowers, shown with a sprig of their own foliage, are 
repeated. Embodied with the report are the 
Dames of the prize-winners in their respective 
classes, together with the varieties of’flowers they 
showed at last year's exhibition. Mr. T. E. Henwood, 
Auricula Villa, 16, Hamilton Road, Reading, still 
performs the duties of hon. secretary and treasurer, 
and Mr. Martin R. Smith is also at the head of 
affairs in the ; president ’s diair. 
