388 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  24,  1895. 
the  course  of  about  three  years  a  good  cluster  of  fruit  spurs  should 
result.  If  the  trees  are  too  vigorous,  and  nothing  but  wood  buds 
followed  by  strong  lateral  growths  result,  then  in  some  instances 
nothing  but  partly  or  wholly  lifting  them  will  correct  this  unfor¬ 
tunate  state  of  affair.^.  Not  unfrequently,  however,  the  practice  of 
laying  in  all  leading  growths  required  for  furnishing  blank  wall 
spaces,  or  any  thin  places  among  the  older  branches,  to  their  full 
length,  has  an  excellent  effect  on  the  productiveness  of  a  tree. 
These  leading  branches,  if  well  ripened,  will  usually  develop  fruit 
buds  at  nearly  every  joint  and  good  crops  of  fruit,  and  are  an 
excellent  preventive  of  grossness,  the  fruitful  habit  gradually 
extending  to  other  parts  of  the  tree.  On  no  account  should  well 
matured  leading  shoots  be  topped  or  shortened  back,  however 
slightly,  as  this  is  certain  to  defeat  the  object  in  view;  in  fact, 
unless  they,  if  pruned  at  all,  are  cut  back  to  about  one-third  of 
their  length  the  greater  portion  as  a  rule  will  not  even  be  furnished 
with  laterals  next  season. 
Much  may  be  done  in  the  way  of  reducing  the  length  of  old 
spurs  by  foreshortening,  but  in  many  instances  the  more  drastic 
measure  of  sawing  them  off  cleanly  to  within  1  inch,  or  even  closer, 
to  the  main  branch  ought  to  be  resorted  to.  The  former  is  perhaps 
the  slower  method  of  the  two,  but  if  persisted  in  every  autumn 
till  such  times  as  the  spurs  are  all  sufficiently  close  to  the  branches 
there  will  be  no  appreciable  falling  off,  but  rather  the  reverse,  in 
the  weight  of  the  crops,  while  the  quality  will  be  gradually 
improved.  Foreshortening  in  this  case  merely  consists  in  cuttifag 
back  the  longest  spurs  to  a  well-placed  bud  or  cluster  of  buds  much 
nearer  the  branch,  and  if  this  is  done  piecemeal  the  greater  portion 
will  push  out  back  buds,  and  an  improvement  in  every  way  soon 
becomes  apparent.  Long  naked  spurs  cannot  be  treated  in  this  way, 
but  as  these  are  usually  found  on  trees  too  densely  clothed  with 
so-called  bearing  wood  the  removal  of  one-half  of  these  would  act 
neneficially,  even  if  many  of  them  failed  to  break  afresh  round  the 
stump  left.  The  trees  1  have  served  in  this  way,  the  work  of  thus 
freely  shortening  back  being  extended  over  two  or  three  years, 
have  failed  to  break  well  in  a  few  instances  only,  and  none  need 
be  afraid  to  adopt  the  plan,  as  the  trees  must  be  in  a  very  miserable 
plight  at  the  roots  if  they  fail  to  respond  to  knife  or  saw.  The 
spurs  on  several  of  the  Pear  trees,  the  roots  of  which  we 
gradually  lifted  and  relaid  in  fresh  soil,  were  extensively  sawn 
off,  and  not  a  blank  space  on  the  main  branches  is  to  be  seen. 
A  tree  of  Vicar  of  Winkfield,  which  covers  a  wall  space  24  feet 
by  12  feet,  this  season  produced  twenty-four  dozen  fine  clean 
fruit,  and  the  crop  was  nearly  as  heavy  last  year.  Marie  Louise 
has  greatly  improved  under  this  process  of  top  and  bottom 
renovation,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  Glou  Mor^sau,  Louise 
Bo*nne  of  Jersey,  Winter  Nelis,  and  Easter  Beurie.  I  ought  to 
add  that  we  take  particular  care  not  to  drag  off  old  spurs  with  a 
part  of  the  main  branch  attached,  as  they  are  either  cut  with  a 
strong  sharp  knife  or  are  sawn  off,  the  wounds  being  pared  and 
smoothed  with  a  knife. 
Not  only  is  it  advisable  to  replace  old  spurs  by  short  new  ones, 
but  in  the  case  of  Apricots  and  Plums  especially  worn  out  or 
stunted  old  main  branches  may  often  with  advantage  be  replaced 
by  young  ones.  Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  cut  back  a  few  of  the 
main  branches  to  near  the  main  stem  or  base  of  the  tree,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  requisite  young  shoots  for  laying  in,  while  in  others 
they  are  naturally  produced  where  most  needed,  and  in  this  case 
those  they  are  to  replace  need  not  be  cut  out  till  the  young  ones 
are  two  or  three  years  old.  Not  a  few  Plum  trees,  notably  where 
the  head  room  is  much  restricted,  form  a  thicket  of  lateral  growths 
at  the  top  of  the  wall,  the  lower  portion  of  the  main  branches  being 
very  badly  furnished  with  fruiting  spurs.  Either  these  top-heavy 
branches  ought  to  be  freely  shortened  back,  so  as  to  promote  the 
formation  of  shoots  nearer  the  bottom  of  the  walls,  or  else  the  long 
spurs  must  be  sawn  off,  and  more  care  taken  of  the  lower  shoots 
that  may  be  formed,  and  also  in  pruning  the  laterals  resulting  from 
the  stumps.  When  trees  grow  thus  strongly  near  the  top  of  the 
walls  those  in  charge,  or  it  may  be  the  owners,  are  apt  to  let  them 
extend  as  much  as  they  will,  the  consequence  being  a  bushy  head 
fully  exposed  to  all  weathers,  the  rest  of  the  tree  gradually  getting 
weaker  and  still  more  useless.  It  may  be  urged  that  these  more 
naturally  grown  heads  are  frequently  much  the  most  productive 
part  of  the  trees,  and  this  I  readily  admit  is  the  case  ;  but  the 
proper  place  for  standards  are  in  the  open,  as  walls  ought  to  be 
more  profitably  utilised. — Pomona. 
POTATO  TRIALS  IN  SURREY. 
A  MOST  interesting  exhibition  of  fruit  and  vegetables  was  held  in 
the  Public  Hall,  Carsbalton,  on  the  16th  and  17th  instant,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Beddington,  Wallington,  and  Carshalton  Horticultural 
Society,  in  conjunction  with  the  Surrey  Council.  An  entirely  new 
feature  was  introduced  in  the  shape  of  classes  for  honorary  exhibits  of 
Apples,  Pears,  Potatoes,  and  other  vegetables,  for  which  awards  of  merit 
and  County  Council  certificates  were  granted,  and  the  fruits  examined 
with  a  view  to  correcting  the  nomenclature.  For  the  success  of  the 
exhibition  great  credit  is  refiected  on  A.  H.  Smee,  Esq.,  of  “  My  Garden,” 
Carshalton,  who  everyone  knows  is  a  keen  horticulturist,  and  through 
whose  generosity,  interest,  and  ability  privileges  are  held  out  to  the 
inhabitants  of  these  Surrey  villages  such  as  but  few  districts  enjoy.  As 
was  justly  remarked  by  Mr.  Halsey  after  lunch,  Mr.  Smee  has  made 
commendable  use  of  his  time,  money,  and  opportunities  in  making 
horticultural  experiments,  the  results  of  which  are  published  for  the 
benefit  of  the  gardening  fraternity.  In  these  efforts  Mr.  Smee  has  an 
able  lieutenant  in  his  gardener,  Mr.  G.  \V.  Cummins,  the  Honorary 
Secretary  of  the  Society,  by  whom  the  arrangements  of  the  show  were 
managed  in  a  masterly  and  orderly  manner.  The  Technical  Education 
Committee  of  the  Surrey  County  Council  is  also  to  be  highly  con¬ 
gratulated  for  its  share  in  making  the  show  so  great  a  success. 
Amongst  the  honorary  exhibits,  ”  My  Garden  ”  was  well  represented 
by  fine  collections  of  Apples,  Pears,  and  vegetables;  and  in  the  nur¬ 
serymen’s  class  Messrs.  G.  Bunyard  &  Co.,  Maidstone,  Ji  Cheal  and 
Sons,  Crawley,  and  J,  Peed  &  Sons,  Norwood,  assisted  in  making  the 
fruit  section  a  success  by  staging  excellent  exhibits  of  Apples  and 
Pears. 
The  most  interesting  and  instructive  feature  in  the  show,  however, 
was  the  fine  display  of  Potatoes  grown  on  the  County  Council  trial  plots, 
and  brought  together  by  Mr.  A.  Dean  on  behalf  of  the  Technical  Educa¬ 
tion  Committee.  Not  only  are  these  trials  unique,  but  of  immense 
value,  bringing  out,  as  they  do,  the  advantages  of  growing  varieties  of 
Potatoes  most  suitable  to  the  different  kinds  of  soil.  What  added  still 
more  to  the  interest  was  the  boiling  of  the  Potatoes,  which  was  carried 
out  by  a  County  Council  expert  with  the  object  of  proving  which  varie¬ 
ties  were  of  the  best  flavour  when  cooked.  These  trials  were  the  first 
of  their  kind  ever  held  in  this  country  with  Potatoes,  though  trials  of  a 
somewhat  similar  character  with  fruit  took  place  a  few  years  ago  at 
Chiswick  under  the  direction  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  It  is 
patent  to  all  that  one  variety  of  Potatoes  will  do  well  where  another 
almost  entirely  fails  ;  hence  the  usefulness  of  such  trials  to  find  out 
what  soils  and  Potatoes  are  most  suitable  to  each  other.  If,  as  we  hope 
it  will  be,  the  example  set  at  Carshalton  is  followed  in  other  parts  of  the 
country  the  Surrey  County  Council  will  have  the  gratification  of  being 
the  pioneers  of  a  movement  which  should  have  great  bearing  on  the 
better  cultivation  of  this  most  important  vegetable.  Collections  of 
tubers  were  sent  from  ten  trial  plots,  together  with  samples  of  soil  in 
which  they  had  been  grown,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  those  which 
were  selected  as  the  most  satisfactory  on  each  different  kind  of 
soil. 
In  the  following  list  we  give  the  district  in  which  the  Potatoes  were 
grown,  description  of  the  soil,  number  of  kinds  shown,  and  the  varieties 
selected  by  the  judges  as  being  most  suitable  for  each  particular  kind  of 
soil.  The  results  of  the  cooking  experiments  are  also  appended. 
Mitcham  No.  1. — From  this  district  twenty-two  varieties  were  sent, 
which  had  been  grown  on  Messrs.  Miller’s  farm.  The  soil  is  a  black, 
close  bog,  which  had  been  previously  dressed  with  animal  manure.  The 
Potatoes  were  planted  on  April  the  .  19th,  and  lifted  September  24tb. 
Out  of  the  collection  the  following  were  selected  as  being  suitable  for 
that  soil : — Satisfaction,  Supreme,  Dreadnought,  Colossal,  Best  of  All, 
and  Chancellor. 
First,  Goldfinder,  moderate  tops,  capital  crop  ;  very  good,  floury, 
takes  a  long  time  to  cook,  best  steamed.  Second,  Supreme,  very  good, 
floury,  boils  quickly,  not  much  trouble,  took  shortest  time  of  any. 
Third,  Satisfaction,  good,  floury,  rather  too  solid.  Colossal,  coarse, 
rather  watery,  thin  skin,  but  too  solid.  Dreadnought,  too  solid,  takes  a 
long  time  to  cook.  Chancellor,  rather  solid  ;  25  minutes  to  cook.  Best 
of  All,  35  minutes  ;  requires  careful  cooking,  as  it  gets  too  broken. 
Mitcham  No.  2. — Twenty-five  varieties  came  from  this  district,  which 
had  been  grown  on  Messrs.  Miller’s  farm  on  a  very  lumpy  soil  of  stiff 
clay.  The  previous  crop  was  Sprouting  Broccoli.  The  Potatoes  were 
planted  on  April  19th,  and  lifted  September  27th.  Selected  as  being 
most  suitable  for  growing  in  the  above  soil  were  Satisfaction, 
Renown,  Windsor  Castle,  Goldfinder,  Reading  Giant,  The  Bruce,  The 
Canon,  and  Prime  Minister. 
First,  Windsor  Castle,  35  minutes  cooking,  floury  ;  good.  Second, 
Satisfaction,  35  minutes,  floury  ;  good.  Third,  Renown  (Webb’s), 
35  minutes,  floury;  good.  Reading  Giant,  35  minutes;  solid  right 
through.  Goldfinder,  35  minutes  ;  fair.  The  Bruce,  35  minutes  ;  fair. 
The  Canon,  30  minutes  ;  dark  colour,  not  at  all  floury.  Prime  Minister, 
30  minutes  ;  rather  dark  and  solid. 
Mitcham  No.  3. — Twenty-one  varieties  were  staged  from  here,  which 
had  been  grown  on  sandy  soil  over  gravel.  The  previous  crop  was 
Sprouting  Broccoli.  No  dressing  had  been  given.  The  tubers  were 
planted  April  19th,  and  the  crop  lifted  September  23rd.  Selected  as 
being  suitable  fot  growing  on  the  above  soil  were  The  Canon, 
Triumph,  Dreadnought,  Satisfaction,  Renown,  Prime  Minister,  Congress, 
and  The  Biuce. 
First,  Supreme,  30  minutes  cooking  ;  the  best  variety  from  this 
group.  Second,  Satisfaction,  35  minutes  ;  rather  too  solid.  Third, 
The  Bruce,  35  minutes  ;  good  colour,  fair  quality,  too  solid.  Renown 
(Dean),  35  minutes  ;  good  colour,  fair  quality.  Congress,  40  minutes  ; 
fair  quality.  Dreadnought,  30  minutes;  too  solid.  Prime  Minister, 
45  minutes  ;  not  good  in  colour  or  quality.  The  Canon,  30  minutes  ; 
too  solid.  All  grown  on  this  soil  would  steam  well,  hut  are  very 
solid. 
