October 3rd, 1903. 
fHE Gardening World 
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and A GROUP OF ALOCASIAS. 
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ROTUNDIFLORUM and D.n. NOBILIUS. 
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July ll. _ AUSTRALIAN PITCHER 
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August l.-BORONIA HETEROPHYLLA. 
September 12.-SIX NEW DAFFODILS. 
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M ith the PRESENT ISSUE we pi 
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PLA.YPHYLLUM SHIRLEY VAR. 
NEXT WEEK we shall 
i late of A GROUP OF 
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five a Half-tone 
CAMPANULA 
Views and Reviews. 
Fruits in the Olden Times. 
In reference to the writings of old cul¬ 
tivators, it is astonishing how much their 
views were related to those taken or given 
by people at the present, day. In, a, book 
termed the “ New Herbal ” of Dodoens, we 
have many reference's to different kinds off 
fruit as far back as 1578. This Dodoens 
was physician to the German Emperor of 
those days, so that the hook under notice 
was made in Germany, was translated into 
French, and from that was Anglicised or 
Englished and published by Gerard Dewes 
in St. Paul’s Churchyard, at the sign of the 
Swan. The book was devoted to all sorts 
of subjects, so that fruit was more or less 
included by way of completing the various 
subjects then in cultivation. Additions were 
made to indicate the extent to which tree® 
were grown in this country, together with 
some idea of the number of varieties belong¬ 
ing to the various kinds, either grown in 
Britain or imported from 'abroad. Much 
stress was placed upon their uses, real and 
imaginary, and in that particular phase of 
the book it was the least useful of the in¬ 
formation given. 
Apples were, of course, grown in this 
country long prior t 0 ' that period, as the 
Romans in all probability introduced all 
their most useful varieties of improved and 
cultivated fruits'. Dodoens informs us that, 
in his day Apples were grown in gardens and 
orchards made for the purpose. Even then 
they existed in a great number of varieties, 
as the author often speaks of them as if con¬ 
fused with the number of the same. The 
varieties were described as either sweet oi 
sour, rough, astringent, or watery. They 
were evidently then put toi all purposes for 
which we use them a,t the present day. 
A little later on, in. 1597, John Gerard, in 
speaking of the number of varieties, said he 
heard of one who intended to write a. peculiar 
volume on Apples, yet he assured his readers 
that -when the would-be author had said all 
that there was to be said upou them, he 
would have said nothing by which the 
varieties of Apple could be distinguished. 
That information is very much to the point, 
even at the present day, and the descriptions 
of Apples, or, in fact, any other fruits, are 
merely useful hints by which one may be 
assured that he has got a particular variety, 
if he previously knew the name. But as far 
as classification is concerned, we are as much 
at sea at the present day as they were in 
the olden times. No> one has given us a 
book whereby, the varieties may be hunted 
down from mere description, and the varieties 
are so numerous that coloured illustrations 
would become extremely expensive, and 
might not even then always prove reliable. 
Some of the illustrations of Apples in these 
herbals were taken from older works, and 
one of these in Gerard’s Herbal, named the 
Baker’s Ditch Apple, very much resembles 
in shape that known as Winter Queening at 
the present day. One of the varieties alluded 
to was actually named Queening or Queen of 
Apples, and if the variety really existed, then 
it may be regarded as one of the most an¬ 
cient in cultivation. 
Concerning the distribution of Apples in 
those days., we have the interesting informa¬ 
tion that “Kent doth abound with Apples of 
most sorts,” which shows that Kent was 
naturally well adapted for the cultivation of 
Apples even in those days, as it is at pre¬ 
sent. Hereford is also mentioned in the 
same category, and Gerard mentions one cul¬ 
tivator named Master Bodnome who was a 
very extensive cultivator of Apples, includ¬ 
ing those grown for cider. The servants of 
this cultivator drank no other beverage but 
cider. What was even more interesting was 
that the master’s pigs had become quite par¬ 
ticular over this kind of food. They had 
them in such quantity and so frequently 
that they would only eat of the best Apples. 
Gerard also advised his readers to graft, set, 
plant, and nourish up fruit trees, so that the 
people of the land would have plenty, and 
even if the poor people did help themselves 
occasionally to* another’s fruits, they might 
not miss them in. their great abundance. The 
information often given at fruit conferences 
is strongly reminiscent of something to the 
same purpose as this, so that the fruit ques- 
