392 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 13, 1905. 
Reviews of Books. 
“ Practical Hints on Fruit Farming.” By Charles Whitehead, 
F.L.S., F.G.S. With ten illustrations. London : John 
Murray, Albemarle Street. Price-Is. 
The above is one of the pamphlets recently issued by the 
Royal Agricultural Society, or under its auspices. Mr. White- 
head, of Banning House, Maidstone, is a well-known authority 
on fruit fanning. The pamphlet runs to 43 pages, and con¬ 
sists of articles on methods of preservation and distribution of 
new orchards and man tat ions, the renovation of old orchards, 
and the cultivation of the principal fruits for market purposes. 
Pruning, grafting, budding, picking, grading, and packing are 
also dealt with in a.practical way, and the subject of his re¬ 
marks is illustrated by photographs and sketches. Insect 
enemies also> come in for review, and a few of the principal 
injurious insects with which the cultivator has to cope are 
made; plainer by means of the woodcuts interleaved in the text. 
In speaking of the renovation of old orchards, he deals with 
points that are fairly well known to the professional gardener, 
though in orchards devoted to commercial purposes the opera- 
tion is often neglected until toe trees get into a distressful con¬ 
dition. Such work takes- time, and the cultivator is often in¬ 
duced to let things slide until a convenient period, while all the 
time the trees are getting into a bad condition. 
In speaking of orchards upon grass lie says that poultry are 
an admirable acquisition inasmuch as they not only bring in 
revenue, but consume quantities of insects. The crop of a hen 
examined in the autumn contained forty wingless females of 
the winter moth. The writer also states that their avidity for 
earwigs and weevils is remarkable. What will seem less appro¬ 
priate is that pigs, if allowed to root in orchards, not only 
manure the trees, but improve the pasture. He admits, how¬ 
ever, that if they are penned in a small area at a time, arid 
Peas and Maize thrown over the grass, it may be necessary to 
sow fresh seed after harrowing and rolling the ground. He 
is also in favour of the keeping of bees in orchards. 
“ Practical Hints on Vegetable Farming.” By James Udale. 
With fifteen illustrations. London: John Murray, Albe¬ 
marle Street, Price Is. 
The author of this pamphlet, recently issued by the Royal 
Agricultural Society of England, is a good practical gardener 
and knows his subject thoroughly. He is also horticultural 
lecturer to the Worcestershire County Council. His practical 
details relate to cultivation on a large scale of all the principal 
vegetables which are here described in alphabetical order. The 
principal insect enemies injurious to vegetables are also dealt 
with, and remedies described. Experiments with manure on 
the cultivation of vegetables is an important point which his 
experience in connection with the experimental garden at 
Droitwicli will enable him to speak with some authority. 
He has some pertinent remarks on the cultivation of Onions, 
and pictures of Onions treated with different manures show 
remarkable differences in the way of crop produced. Rousham 
Park Hero was sown in March, and gave a return of 9 tons per 
acre from ground that had been treated with chemical manure 
only. Another sowing of the same variety, manured with 
garden refuse only, gave a return of 25 tons per acre. A 
third sowing of the same variety under similar conditions, but 
dressed with stable manure and mixed chemical manure, gave 
a return of 26 tons per acre. 
The value of garden refuse is here clearly brought out in 
the culture of Onions, a fact that has been well known to us 
for many years when cultivating Onions on soil which bore 
crops of the -same kind for twenty-one years in succession. It 
may not have been the most economical method of manuring, 
but as the garden refuse practically costs nothing beyond 
wheeling it upon the ground, it was turned to splendid account. 
In Mr. Udale’s experiments he only got 1 ton per acre extra, 
from land that had been dressed with stable manure and mixed 
chemical manure. This extra ton would have to pay for the 
extra cost of the natural and artificial manure. According to 
the illustration, the Onions manured with garden refuse bad 
much thicker- necks at the same period of growth than the 
plantation of Onions grown with stable manure and mixed 
chemical manure. This would raise another question_namelv 
whether these other manures produced bulbs capable of keep- 
ing for a longer period under the same conditions. Mr. Udale 
says that an average crop of Onions would be about 10 tons 
per acre, though that may be largely increased. _ A uood crop 
he states, is worth from £40 to £60 per acre. 
“ Summary of Horticultural Lectures.”' Delivered under the 
auspices of the Blairgowrie School Board. 1905. 
The district of Blairgowrie, Perthshire, seems destined to 
become the orchard of Scotland, and to earn a reputation for 
fruit growing exceeding that of the old orchards of the Cars© 
of Cowrie. According to the general accounts, Raspberries 
and Strawberries, but especially the former, are the favourites, 
and this seems to be bearing out the idea which we suggested 
many years ago in 1 he Gardening TV orld of growing certain 
fruits is those districts best adapted to them, rather than con¬ 
tinuing to experiment with fruits under unsuitable and un¬ 
favourable conditions as to soil and climate. The Raspberry 
delights in a cool, moist situation. The local authorities seem 
determined to rise to the occasion, as we learn from this pam¬ 
phlet., which contains a summary of lectures delivered under 
the auspices of the School Board, and, furthermore, the 
Blairgowrie and Rattray Horticultural Societv has come to 
the rescue and published the lectures by permission of the 
lecturers so as to make them permanently available for the 
use, we presume, of its members. As far as we can see, the 
pamphlet is not priced, but the preface informs us that the 
lectures were put in this permanent form at the request of 
those who enjoyed them and profited from the same when de¬ 
livered. The School Board gave the school free as a meeting 
place, and also made a grant from their special fund to meet 
the expenses of the lectures. The lecturers themselves were 
either nurserymen or gardeners, and welt up in their respective 
spheres of labour upon which they dealt in the lectures. Mr. 
James Simpson, the Cambustay Nurseries, Broughty Ferry, 
spoke of Roses for pleasure and profit. The first idea would 
relate largely to exhibition Roses and those intended merely 
for garden decoration. Of decorative and other varieties 
together lie reckons there are something like 20,000. He 
then proceeds to deal with culture, planting, pruning, and thin¬ 
ning. Mr. G. II. Beale, Manor Farm, Blairgowrie, took up 
1 oniato growing for profit. In referring to Blairgowrie as the 
largest centre in Britain for Raspberry growing, he suggested 
that it might one day be overdone, and instead of having all 
the eggs in one basket, attention might be given to other pro¬ 
ducts, including Tomato®. These had to be grown under glass, 
and he described a. suitable site for the glass as well as the 
size and form of houses most suitable for the purpose. Pro¬ 
ceeding, he dealt with soil, the plants, essentials, and the crop. 
Mr. D. Storrie, of the Glencarse Nurseries, Perthshire, dealt 
with the principal factors in successful fruit culture, including 
capital, which meant not only knowledge but gold ; also soil, 
culture, manure, organic matter and tillage, rational planting, 
and rational pruning. Concerning the latter factor, he did not 
believe in allowing quite young trees to bear fruit. The 
furnishing of the tree with strong, healthy branches was a good 
beginning in the establishing of an orchard. While the tree is 
young it should be pruned for suitable wood in suitable places, 
and, later on, for fruit. Hard pruning was necessary in build¬ 
ing up the tree, but after a good foundation had been laid, thin¬ 
ning, it was evident, was the most important item in keeping 
the trees in good order. Light and air were of the utmost im¬ 
portance, hence the necessity for thinning. Mr. John Eaing, 
The Gardens, Craighall, brought up the rear with a. lecture on 
a. profitable crop of vegetables. The principal kinds were dealt 
with under their respective headings, and it is evident that he 
Understood the method of growing Parsnips and Carrots for 
exhibition. 
