September 29, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
71 
Sutton’s Eest of All, evidently correctly named. 
Some good rows of Peas, Sutton’s Autocrat, will 
furnish a nice dish every day for some time, and 
Mr. Chamberlain is proud to say he has not missed 
a day since before Ascot races, May 12th, without 
sending in a dish of Peas. His Onions Ailsa Craig 
were very large, as was also the Celery. There 
is a Roman Catholic Chapel on the estate which has 
to be re-arranged with fresh plants and flowers 
twice a week, and numerous other duties which 
must keep the gardener and his staff very busy.— 
C. P.C. 
THE RASPBERRY-STRAWBERRY. 
This new fruit has of late been receiving some 
attention through the medium of the daily press, and 
from all appearance it is well worthy the attention of 
the horticulturist. 1 
A certain amount of doubt seems to exist as to the 
origin of this species, and as I am unable to comment 
on the point with any authority I will leave it to the 
more enlightened readers of your valuable paper. 
Some very good samples of the fruit were shown 
at the Royal Caledonian Show last week, especially 
those exhibited by Mr. John Downie, Beechhill 
Nurseries, Murrayfield. 
This enterprising firm had rather a novel depart¬ 
ure in the way of a group of young fruit trees— 
Apples, Plums, &c., loaded with fruit with a collec¬ 
tion of dishes of other fruits interspersed between 
them. These included the Japanese Wineberry, 
Perpetual Strawberry, Oregon, and the Raspberry- 
Strawberry. 
The latter fruit is, however, the most striking of 
all, some of them measuring nearly 2 in. in length, 
and the colour being of a vivid crimson, gives it a 
very tempting appearance. From the size of the 
fruit one would naturally expect less quantity, but 
that is not so, for in this case the branches were 
literally covered with berries. 
That the flavour is lacking I will freely admit, it 
being slightly acrid and scarcely pleasant to the 
average palate. Careful cultivation will, however, 
tend to remedy this defect, and should it never reach 
the standard of a dessert fruit, I have no doubt but 
that it will be in demand with the preserve maker.— 
T. Kirkwood, Garvald Gardens, Dolphinton. 
--s—- 
TOMATO TRIALS AT READING. 
The relatively warm and dry weather that has 
prevailed since the beginning of the present month 
has been responsible for the ripening of a large 
quantity of Tomatos in the open and entirely without 
protection of any kind, except a single stake to 
support the stem. After seeing the extensive trials 
of Tomatos in the Trial Grounds of Messrs. Sutton 
and Sons, Reading, one feels a little doubt whether 
walls, fences and similar protection can effect such 
an acceleration of growth and maturity as they are 
supposed to do. In any case we are convinced 
after such an unstable and cold summer as the past 
has been that walls are unnecessary for the ripening 
of Tomatos out of doors. Messrs. Sutton & Sons 
have 230 trials of Tomatos in the open, each con¬ 
sisting of ten plants, so that the total is 2,300 plants, 
grown in a fully exposed position. Plenty of sun¬ 
shine and air is all that they evidently require to 
ripen a bountiful crop of fruits. They are kept to 
single stems by the removal of the laterals ; yet the 
leading stem has not been stopped, nor the leaves 
cut about and maimed as we frequently see them. 
All of these trials were put out in two days’ time, so 
that all have had an equal chance of displaying their 
relative earliness. 
Earliest of All is the most reliable for ripening in 
the open air and was the earliest this year by some 
days. The fruits commenced to colour in July, and 
large quantities are now nanging ripe. Eight lines 
of them were planted. By a process of selection 
the fruits of the variety are evidently getting 
smoother or less corrugated every year. Winter 
Beauty is not much behind Earliest of All, and 
though it did not commence colouring in July it did 
so soon after. It is one of the best for winter work. 
Chiswick Red is an enormous cropper, the oval 
fruits being produced in great quantity. Magnum 
Bonum is naturally dwarf, producing a great crop of 
heavy, dark red fruits from the base of the stem up 
wards. There are several rows of Early Large Red, 
the fruits of which, although corrugated, are pro* 
duced in great abundance 
Fruits of exhibition size, form and smoothness are 
produced by Ruby, which has ripened a wonderful 
crop of fruit, the bunches at the base of the stems 
being already dead ripe. The small, round fruits of 
Sutton’s Peerless are smooth and handsome, being 
produced in large clusters close together, from the 
ground upwards. The fruits of Princess of Wales 
are much larger, quite smooth, slightly flattened, 
deep red and handsome. Another fine variety is 
Sutton’s Abundance, a dwarf variety producing a 
wealth of medium sized, smooth and deep red fruits. 
Between and amongst the above are many selections 
on trial to prove their relative merits. Sutton’s 
Maincrop has foliage like a Potato and is singularly 
distinct on this account. The fruits are large, 
mostly smooth, and produced in great quantity. 
Small fruited varieties are pretty numerous here, 
commencing with the Currant Tomato, the minia¬ 
ture fruits of which resemble red Currants but are 
produced in racemes of great length, and highly 
suitable for decorative purposes. Red Cherry 
produces large clusters of fruits about the size of a 
Cherry. Wonder of Italy seems to be a develop¬ 
ment or selection from Pear-shaped, but the fruits 
are Plum-shaped, and the flavour excellent. The 
enormous bunches range from fifty to eighty fruits, 
making the plants highly ornamental. Pear-shaped 
is also a fruitful variety, the deep red fruits 
resembling a small Pear. Of small kinds few are 
more distinct than Sutton’s Cluster, the globular 
fruits of which are produced in long, two-ranked 
racemes. The lower bunches are almost touching 
the ground, while many of the top bunches are 
already ripe. The fruits are solid, of good flavour, 
and vary useful for dessert purposes. Sutton's 
Dessert produces considerably larger fruits than 
Cluster, and in bunches rather than racemes. They 
are globular, smooth, deep red and of excellent 
flavour, so that they are very useful for dessert 
purposes. 
The fruits of Eclipse are of a clear bright red, of 
good size, perfectly smooth, very solid, with hardly 
any seeds, and of excellent flavour. The stems are 
short-jointed, and there is an absence of small and 
useless fruit, so that the variety is one of the best 
and suitable for general purposes. Sutton’s Ai was 
hard picked for the recent show at Edinburgh, yet 
the fruit continues to ripen freely. It is a free 
bearer, the Apple-shaped fruits being of good size 
(like a Cox's Orange), solid, and of excellent flavour. 
Ten rows of this variety are grown, which will give 
some idea of the estimation in which it is held. 
Best of All is not such a deep fruit as Ai, being 
more flattened, though less so than Perfection. It is 
a large and good market fruit, with a solid, deep red 
flesh of first-rate flavour. Twelve rows of it are on 
trial. Perfection is a large and shapely, smooth and 
popular variety for exhibition purposes. There are 
ten rows of it, and the fruits commenced to col our ia 
the second week of August. 
The Peach was one of the parents of a new race 
of Tomatos, which have been undergoing develop¬ 
ment for some years past. Tender and True is one 
of the best. The large and handsome, smooth fruits 
may be described as of terra cotta colour, while the 
crop is very heavy. The large, smooth fruits of 
Peachblow are much paler in colour, while the flesh 
is solid and light red, with a brisk, sub-acid flesh, 
becoming quite mild, however, when perfectly 
mature. The lower bunches are hanging almost 
upon the ground. Pomegranate may be described 
as brick-red, verging towards the ordinary scarlet- 
red of the most popular types. The d rk red flesh 
is very solid with few seeds. 
Yellow Tomatos in great variety enjoy a place in 
the trials, and constitute a striking contrast 
with the red sorts. Very handsome are the Plum¬ 
shaped, smooth, golden-yellow fruits of Sunbeam, 
which often assume beautiful amber tints. The 
fine fruits are of brisk flavour, with a sweet juice, 
and at maturity highly suitable for dessert purposes. 
Though small, the globular, rich golden-yellow fruits 
of Golden Nugget may yet find many admirers. 
They are produced in great profusion. Golden 
Queen is of dwarf habit, and the golden-yellow, 
corrugated fruits ripen early. It is the largest of the 
yellow varieties. A beautiful variety is Prince of 
Wales, having globular fruits of moderate size, and 
pleasantly tinted with amber at full maturity. 
Dwarf Gem stands only 2$ ft. high, though the 
stems have never been stopped. The smooth, 
globular fruits are of a light yellow hue. Golden 
Perfection is similar in shape to the well-known red 
variety of that name, but produces perfectly smooth, 
golden-yellow fruits. 
The light, gravelly soil of the district is evidently 
highly suitable for the production and ripening of 
Tomatos in the open air, and so successful has the 
crop been that gardeners and others might follow the 
example in choosiog the lightest soil in their gardens 
for Tomato growing in the open. 
KitcRen Barden Calendar. 
Outdoor Tomatos.— Close attention must be paid to 
these, as we may now expect frost to cut them down. 
Any fruit that has grown to its full size should be 
gathered and taken to a dark room where it is warm 
to ripen. We have been successful by placing such 
in boxes, which were afterwards stocked in the 
boilers in the stoke hole. Green fruit is very useful 
for a variety of purposes, it makes a good pickle, 
preserve, or marmalade, so that all that are of any 
size ought to be taken care of. The late hot weather 
has been very beneficial to the growth of these, so 
that good crops are the result. 
Late Peas. —Dwarf varieties that were sown on 
borders or other sheltered places with a view of pro¬ 
tection ought to have every attention paid to them. 
If temporary frames have been made canvas should 
be put over at night to ward off the frost. With us 
the thermometer has on several occasions fallen 
below freezing point, so that it is no longer safe to 
leave them neglected. 
French Beans. —These must now be afforded 
protection at night, otherwise the first frost will cut 
them down.. Those sown in pits should have the 
lights removed in the day-time while this hot weather 
lasts to keep them as sturdy as possible. Another 
sowing should now be made to keep up a supply of 
fresh pods about Christmas. 
Winter Crops. —Late Turnips in spite of the dry 
weather are looking well, though they do not make 
much progress. Where a plentiful supply of water 
is to be had, a good soaking would be very beneficial 
to them. See that thinning is done in good time that 
the plants may be sturdy from the commencement. 
Winter Spinach must also be looked to and kept 
singled out that a robust growth may be made. 
Cauliflower plants that have made two or three 
leaves should be pricked out into cold frames. The 
old-fashioned plan of wintering them under hand 
lights has quite died out since it has been possible 
to raise the early varieties in a gentle heat in spring. 
Plants wintered in frames will turn in about the 
same time as thosa sown in February, but they pro¬ 
duce finer heads, and are less difficult to establish in 
the open quarters should dry weather prevail in 
April. It is, therefore, worth while to have a frame 
set apart for their protection. Any that are now 
turning in should be looked over daily in case we 
should have a sharp frost. Instead of bending the 
leaves down, as is usually done, bring them 
together and tie thorn near the top ; this will form a 
perfect protection against several degrees of frost. 
As the days get shorter, and the ground becomes 
moist they will not turn in so quickly; therefore 
where a supply has to be kept up a reserve must be 
had. This difficulty can be readily overcome by 
pulling up some and hanging them up in a cool shed 
or cellar. It will soon be time for storing roots, 
therefore preparations should be made for their 
winter quarters. Carrots are very fine this season, 
and if we should have a quantity of rain fall, in all 
probability many of them would split owing to the 
excessive moisture. It would, therefore, be a good 
plan to lift them before this happens. It is, how¬ 
ever, not well to be in too great a hurry as those 
stored early do not keep sound so long. Select a 
cool dry place for storing; a few degrees of frost 
will do them no harm, so long as they are not frozen 
hard. Protection can usually be afforded in severe 
weather. Beetroot, too, must also be lifted and 
treated in like manner. Celery should be earthed up 
to protect it from frost when fully grown, but the 
late planted lots ought to be left exposed as long as 
possible, as the stems are much hardier when not 
blanched. Prick out winter Lettuce, Endive, 
Parsley, and Cabbage plants as they become 
forward enough to prevent them becoming unduly 
drawn.— F. W. J. 
