January  2i,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
55 
■tated  that  trees  thoroughly  thinned  looked  thin  only  relatively,  because 
they  had  previously  been  so  inordinately  dense.  If  the  heads  now 
looked  thin,  they  would  look  thick  enough  in  leaf  ;  also,  that  relieving 
the  heads  of  so  many  branches  enabled  the  roots  to  support  crops  of 
fruit  of  far  superior  size  and  quality,  and  that  the  gain  eventually 
would  be  great.  _____ 
I  gave  an  exhibition  of  grease-banding  of  tree  stems  to  check  the 
winter  moth  in  its  effort  to  climb  the  trees  in  the  late  autumn.  The 
band  was  made  of  treble  folded  brown  paper,  9  inches  broad,  tied  round 
the  stem  tightly  with  string  about  12  inches  from  the  grass,  then  daubing 
it  neatly  with  cart  grease.  I  explained  the  nature  and  habits  of  the 
winter  moth,  the  time  of  year  it  deposits  its  eggs,  its  sexuality,  and 
habits,  and  showed  how  the  grease  properly  laid  on  proved  to  be  a 
having  little  or  no  fibre,  and  seemed  in  the  lifting  to  have  been  care¬ 
lessly  cut  with  a  spade.  It  was  a  pity  that  trees  so  ruthlessly  served 
should  ever  be  sent  out.  No  wonder,  in  spite  of  fair  treatment,  the  trees 
began  to  canker,  and  seemed  to  be  literally  stunted  and  starved. 
The  bulk  of  the  varieties  grown  in  the  orchard  and  locally  are  local 
ones,  and  many  are  small  and  of  indifferent  quality,  even  for  cider 
making,  apparently  the  chief  use  to  which  Apples  are  put  in  the  West  of 
England.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  growing  for  such  purposes  gets 
little  sympathy  from  me  or  from  horticulturists  generally,  who  think  the 
Apple  has  far  higher  and  nobler  purposes  to  Berve,  as  good  whole¬ 
some  food  to  satisfy  the  needs  of  a  vast  fruit-loving  people  than  to  be 
converted  into  an  intoxicating  beverage. 
Fig.  16.— L^ELIO-CATTLEYA  BOSALIND. 
barrier,  over  which  the  female  insects  could  not  pass,  but  were  caught, 
and  died.  This  information,  which  was  listened  to  with  deep  interest, 
seemed  to  be  new  to  many  present,  and  the  demonstration  was  very 
successful. 
Then  we  had  a  tree-planting  demonstration.  A  neighbouring  farmer, 
who  works  his  own  standards,  sent  in  a  few  capitally  rooted  trees  about 
three  years  grafted,  and  having  plenty  of  fibre.  Holes  were  opened  in 
the  soil,  which  is  of  a  reddish  stone  brash,  yet  apparently  excellent  for 
Apples,  the  bottoms  well  broken  up,  some  of  the  soil  returned  as  to  bring 
the  bottom  up  to  within  6  or  7  inches  of  the  surface,  and  the  trees 
were  planted.  I  first  went  over  the  roots,  cutting  out  all  striking 
downwards,  all  jagged  or  badly  placed  ones,  and  paring  off  the  severed 
ends,  then  in  planting  setting  them  out  evenly  and  thinly.  I  had  some 
fine  clean  fresh  soil  brought  to  lay  about  the  roots,  and  afterwards  the 
natural  soil  was  filled  in.  A  few  of  those  young  trees  planted  in  the 
winter  of  1895-96  that  were  evidently  doing  poorly,  were  on  my  advice 
lifted.  These  were  named,  were  of  good  known  varieties,  and  came  from 
a  nursery  of  repute.  Yet  it  was  evident  the  roots  had  been  in  lifting 
shamefully  mangled,  for  they  were  mere  stumps  of  a  few  inches  long, 
It  is  not  possible  to  deal  fully  with  all  that  was  said  and  done  in  this 
orchard  during  the  two  days’  demonstration.  It  was,  however,  most 
evident  that  in  inviting  tenants  and  neighbours  to  look  in  that  Mr. 
Bathurst  wished  or  hoped,  especially  seeing  how  deplorably  bad  is  the 
general  condition  of  the  Apple  orchards,  that,  stimulated  by  his  example 
at  home,  they  would  follow  it ;  and,  indeed,  there  is  need  they  should. 
If  they  have  no  higher  claims  than  now  exist  it  is  but  too  evident  that 
the  grand  county  of  Gloucester  will  never  put  into  the  market  a  single 
Apple  calculated  to  counteract  that  tremendous  competition  the  home 
grower  is  now  experiencing  at  the  hands  of  the  American  and  Canadian 
Apple  growers.  _ _ 
The  situation  of  the  Lydney  orchards  being  a  short  distance  from  the 
Severn,  is  naturally  a  humid  one.  No  wonder,  therefore,  moss  and 
lichens  abound  on  the  older  trees.  I  told  my  auditors  that  a  thorough 
dusting  on  a  quiet  night  or  morning,  when  the  trees  were  moist,  with 
fresh-slacked  lime,  literally  smothering  the  trees,  was  a  most  efficacious 
remedy .  I  had  arranged  to  give  a  lecture  on  "  Apple  Culture  in 
Orchards,”  in  accordance  with  the  best  methods,  at  the  National  Schools, 
on  the  evening  of  the  13th  inst.  In  response  to  the  invitation  Mr, 
