722 
November 21, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
- THE — 
Apple Orchard 
In the Norfolk Nurseries of Hobbies, 
Ltd., there is a stock of 250,000 dwarf 
or bush Roses, and 40,000 standards. 
Here also are grown 800 varieties of 
Dahlias. 
-—And How to Improve It. 
The thoughtful person interested in 
fruit culture, when passing through our 
rural districts, cannot but be struck with 
the deplorable state of the majority of- 
our orchards. On ever)' hand one sees 
old and neglected moss-covered trees, 
incapable of bearing fruit worthy the 
name. With care and forethought all 
this might be altered. Why cannot we 
produce in this country, more especially 
in our southern counties, apples which 
for size, flavour and quality, would equal 
if not surpass those on the market which 
are imported from over the seas, and thus 
make fruit prove a source of profit to the 
home grower ? 
I think that many ways of training 
young trees, either as bush pyramids or 
others in suitable styles, would be prefer¬ 
able to the old-fashioned standards. 
Many advantages would be gained by so 
doing. The fruit could be thinned out, 
and thus made to produce Apples of the 
first quality, and a vast saving of labour 
would be effected in attending to the cul¬ 
ture of them, as regards the pruning, 
stopping, and the whole routine work 
attendant on their growth. 
A winter application of lime and soot 
will quickly rid the trees of their cover¬ 
ing of moss and lichen, and at the same 
time a liberal dressing of rotten manure 
round the base of the trees for a circum¬ 
ference of from six to eight feet will 
materially benefit them. Many people 
never think that their trees need feeding, 
and yet look year after year for a crop 
of fruit. With the large number of really 
good kinds, which can now be cheaply 
purchased, our orchards might be planted 
with kinds which would soon return 
handsome profits on the outlay. 
Amongst the best, which I would 
strongly recommend for planting this 
autumn, are: Alfriston, Beauty of Kent, 
Blenheim Orange, Tower of Glamis, 
Northern Spy Ecklinville Seedling, 
Bramley Seedling, Mere de Menage, Lord 
Grosvenor, Warner’s King, and Lane’s 
Prince Albert. If on light, warm soil, 
plant Cox’s Orange Pippin; no Apple 
will compare with this and it will com¬ 
mand the highest price. 
I do not go so far as to say that we 
ought to discard the standard Apples 
altogether, but trees with some four or 
five feet of clear stem from the 
ground will be found most suitable 
for the majority of growers. There 
is a great demand in our towns for 
good Apples, and there, is no earthly 
reason why, with ordinary care, they can¬ 
not be grown in England, if growers will 
only get out of the beaten track, and cul¬ 
tivate new and better kinds which will 
produce fruit that will keep out the 
foreigner, and provide labour and em¬ 
ployment for our own countrymen. 
J. SCAMMELL. 
- 
The Devonshire Apple crop was so 
large this year that many farmers have 
found it more profitable to feed pigs with 
the fruit than convert it into cider. 
A German Flower City. 
Erfurt, a thriving commercial city of 
Southern Prussia, is known throughout 
Germany as the “flower city,” and has a 
world-wide reputation for flower and 
farm seeds and plants. While there are 
no statistics available in regard to the 
total annual output of the Erfurt seed 
and plant concerns, a single firm pro¬ 
duces each year from 70,000 to 80,000 
Cyclamen, 400,000 Lilies of the Valley, 
60,000 Apple grafts (in pots), 20,000 Pear 
grafts, 10,000 Plum, Apricot, Peach and 
Quince grafts, 30,000 Strawberry plants, 
300,000 short-stemmed, and 40,000 long¬ 
stemmed Roses. The annual shipment of 
Cauliflowers alone amounts to 6,000,000 
pounds. The cultivation of the Gilli- 
flower in Erfurt dates from the year 1810. 
It first appeared in the window of one of 
the inhabitants, and from this one pot 
hundreds and thousands of these flowers 
have been propagated. The estimated 
annual production is 680,000 plants. 
—- Q. W. - 
Prize Competitions. 
GENERAL CONDITIONS. —Competitors must 
write on one side of the paper only. Begular 
paid contributors to THE GARDENING 
WORLD or other gardening journals are de¬ 
barred from entering, but occasional con-,, 
tributors may compete. The name and ad¬ 
dress of the competitor must appear on each 
article sent for competition. The Editor's 
decision is final, and he reserves the right 
to reproduce, in any way,' any article or photo¬ 
graph sent for competition. The conditions 
applying to each competition should be care- 
fully read. 
WEEKLY 
PRIZES. 
A PRIZE OFTEN SHILLINGS will be given 
for the best paragraph or short article on any 
gardening subject, such as hints of practical 
interest to gardeners, notes on the propaga¬ 
tion or cultivation of flowers, fruits or vege¬ 
tables, eradication of pests, etc. The para¬ 
graph or article must not exceed a column, but 
value rather than length will be considered in 
making the award. Mark envelopes “ Com¬ 
petition,” and post not later than the Monday 
following date of issue. Entries received later 
than Tuesday (first post) will be left over until 
the following week. 
Two prizes of 2s. 6d. will be awarded each 
week for the two best letters, not exceeding 
150 words, on any interesting gardening sub¬ 
ject. 
RESULTS OF 
LAST WEEK’S 
COMPETITIONS. 
Some of the beat papers in this competition 
are too long, and we desire readers to keep 
within a column. 
A prize in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded tb “ A. Dennett,” for the article 
on “ The Cultivation of Hippea c trums,” 
page 710. 
Owing to pressure on space the Prize Letter 
Competition was held over last week. 
Petunias 
C - 
As Pot Plants. 
The glowing colours of these decorative 
plants are very attractive, especially on 
dull, .cloudy, and perhaps cold days, 
for they may be had in flower in the 
winter months without the expense of 
fire heat. Seedlings raised in April will 
flower twice a year if managed cor¬ 
rectly. 
For instance, seed may be sown the 
second week in April in a genial tem¬ 
perature of say from 50 to 55 degrees, 
in a compost of equal parts of loam 
and leaf-mould and enough sand to keep 
it porous. When sowing, cover the seed 
lightly, and afterwards water with 
a fine rose, and cover the pan or box 
in which the)' are sown with paper or 
painted glass, as darkness helps ger¬ 
mination. When germinated, keep them 
fairly moist, but never go to excess one 
way or the other. As the seedlings be¬ 
come large enough to handle, pot them 
singly in thumbs, or three in a three-inch 
pot, if large specimens are required, and 
replace them in the same temperature, 
shading from very bright sunshine. 
When the roots show fairly thick 
around the pots, commence to give them 
their final shift. Care in potting and 
attention afterwards will be needed, or 
a large proportion of the plants will damp 
off. 
For the final potting there are two 
composts suitable, namely: (1) loam two 
parts, leaf-mould one part, and enough 
sand to keep it porous, with a little arti¬ 
ficial or other manure to supply their 
wants, as they are gross feeders; and (2) 
one part loam and two parts of refuse 
from the burn-heap; put through a half¬ 
inch sieve to take out all the large stones 
and long bits of stick, with some sand as 
before advised, but no manure, as it en¬ 
courages rank growth. 
After potting has been finished, return 
them to the same house again until 
started, when they may be shifted to a 
cold frame until blooms appear, when 
there should be a space near the glass in 
the conservatory ready to receive them. 
This will be about the second week in 
June, and here they will bloom profusely 
until the middle of August. They should 
then be cut back and top dressed with 
a compost consisting of loam and leaf- 
mould in equal parts, with a good addi¬ 
tion of Clay’s Fertilizer, and afterwards 
removed to a cold frame, being kept close 
until started, when air may be freely ad¬ 
mitted. They come into bloom again 
about the end of September, and con¬ 
tinue for several weeks. 
The chief points to remember are, 
never to over water or they will damp 
off; to keep the foliage staked out to pre¬ 
vent crowding; and never to let them 
starve for the want of a little stimulant. 
They may be pinched twice if sturdy 
plants are desired. Emperor and Empe¬ 
ror White Pearl are two good pot varie¬ 
ties. 
H. Page. 
-- 
The Malmaison Carnation is Queen 
Alexandra's favourite flower. 
