88 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  27,  1898. 
THE  TROPICAL  SUMMERS  OF  1896-97:  THEIR 
EFFECT.^  0\  THE  FRUIT  TRF’ES  AND  FRUIT  CROFvS. 
In  reviewing  the  many-sided  effects  of  the  tropical  summers  of 
1896-97,  the  facts  range  themselves  as  favourable  and  unfavourable.  The 
tropical  heat,  combined  with  drying  winds,  and  that  general  absence  of 
rain  during  the  spring  months  of  the  period  under  notice,  dried  the  soil 
to  an  unusual  extent ;  and  although  in  1896  abundant  autumnal  rains 
fell,  in  1897  the  months  of  September  and  October  were  the  driest  known 
for  years.  The  effect  of  the  heavy  rains  of  the  autumn  of  1896  was  felt 
in  the  activity  of  the  sap  and  the  adhesion  of  foliage  on  fruit  trees  rather 
later  than  usual,  and  consequently  the  ti'ees  did  not  get  that  rest  which  is 
as  necessary  for  the  vegetable  world  as  for  the  animal  creation  ;  and  vve 
agree  with  Mr.  R.  D.  Blackmore  that  the  general  failure  of  fruit  crops  in 
the  spring  of  1897  was  largely  due  to  that  cause. 
There  was  a  want  of  power  in  the  trees  themselves  to  lay  up  the 
necessary  nutriment,  and  ability  to  perfect  embryo  fruit  buds,  at  a 
critical  period,  [and  as  reported  in  the  gardening  papers,  many  cases  of 
imperfect  blossoms  were  noted  in  fruits,  and  doubtless  many  more  facts 
would  have  been  discovered  had  they  been  suspected  and  looked  for.  To 
outward  appearance  the  blossoms  were  perfect,  the  corollas  being  bold,  as 
usual  ;  but  in  many  individuals  either  stamens  or  pistils  were  wanting, 
and  no  doubt  also  the  upper  or  fruit-nourishing  roots  suffered  from  the 
want  of  surface  moisture,  and  thus  were  prevented  from  doing  their 
work — ^while  lower  anchor  roots  struck  deeper  and  deeper  to^  gain 
moisture  and  sustenance  for  the  development  of  the  tree,  making  it 
less  fertile,  and  adding  gross  wood  to  all  garden  trees,  and  thus  trees 
were  found  to  require  root-pruning  more  than  usual  to  restore  that  relative 
balance  of  fruit  and  wood-producing  power  which  a  well  managed  fruit 
tree  should  exhibit. 
In  orchards  (especially  among  young  trees)  the  lack  of  fruit  was  a 
distinct  benefit,  as  the  trees  were  better  able  to  form  vigorous  growth 
before  starting  to  crop,  and  thus  lay  a  foundation  for  full  development  and 
after  success  ;  as  if  a  young  orchard  tree  commences  to  crop  in  its  earlier 
stages,  its  after-growth  is  checked  for  years,  and  in  the  future  such 
checked  trees  produce  pecks  where  bushels  of  fruit  should  be  garnered. 
In  the  dry  autumn  of  1897  matters  were  different,  and  the  glorious  and 
gorgeous  colours  of  the  foliage  on  Cherries,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines,  and 
the  fine  russet-brown  of  the  Apple  foliage,  and  the  golden  Plum  leaves, 
leads  us  to  infer  that  Nature’s  work  has  been  well  and  truly  done,  and 
with  a  fair  spring  a  good  all-round  crop  may  be  anticipated  in  1898. 
Although  from  a  nurseryman’s  point  of  view  the  shorter  and  stouter 
growth  fruit  trees  made  in  1896-97  meant  some  loss  and  extra  expense 
in  staking  standard  trees,  still  the  growers  cannot  fail  to  be  great 
gainers  in  having  the  wood  of  fruit  trees  well  ripened,  hardened,  and 
consolidated  for  future  benefit,  as  heavy  frosts  tell  much  less  severely  on 
such  perfected  trees.  If  this  is  felt  in  the  south,  how  much  more  must  it 
benefit  planters  who  live  in  the  midland  and  northern  counties !  The 
pretty  fruit  shown  by  Mr.  Day  from  Galloway,  and  the  grand  Pears 
from  Mr.  Divers,  Belvoir  Castle  Gardens,  sent  to  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  bear  out  this  fully. 
The  fruit  crop  of  the  Jubilee  year,  1897,  wil  be  noted  in  our  minds 
for  its  remarkably  high  colour  and  development  more  than  for  great  size. 
Many  examples  submitted  to  us  i  ave  been  beautiful  beyond  all  former 
years:  for  example,  crimson  Blenheim  Orange  Apples,  Warner's  King, 
and  other  green  Apples  with  scarlet  Hushes  on  the  sunny  side.  Doyennd 
du  Comice  and  other  Pears  had  lovely  red  cheeks,  while  many  Russets 
lost  their  character  and  come  out  with  golden  skins,  only  broken  here  and 
there  with  russet.  Many  of  the  less  hardy  Apples,  as  Lord  SufBeld, 
Ribston  Pippin,  King  of  Pippins,  and  Glou  Mor^eau,  Bergamot  Esperen, 
Gansel’s  Bergamot,  and  other  Pears,  have  been  so  handsome  and  good 
that  planters  have  called  for  them  freely,  forgetting  that  they  are  not  to 
be  relied  upon  (as  a  rule)  for  freedom  from  canker  or  quality.  Their 
extra  good  appearance  and  flavour  point  a  moral,  and  doubtless  we 
ought  to  place  these  and  similar  good  but  variable  Apples  on  walls  or  in 
warmer  places.  Apples  of  the  type  of  American  Mother,  Melon,  Scarlet 
Nonpareil,  Allen’s  Everlasting,  Duke  of  Devonshire,  Sturmer  Pipp  n, 
with  those  that  do  not  always  ripen  well,  such  as  Calville  Blanc,  Boston 
Russet,  Calville  Rouge,  Reinette  du  Canada,  Dutch  Mignonne  with 
Beurrd  Diel,  Bergamot  Esperen,  Olivier  des  Serres,  Beurr6  Ranee, 
Beurre  Baltet,  President  (Ismonville,  Easter  Beurre,  and  Zephirin 
Gregoire  Pears,  would  not  be  out  of  place  on  many  walls  which  are  well 
situated,  and  now  devoted  to  a  doubtful  crop  of  Peaches  or  Nectarines, 
especially  those  old  walls,  unpointed  and  full  of  nail-holes,  one  often  sees 
in  ancestral  gardens,  where  choice  Pears  and  Apples  would  flourish  and 
give  good  results. 
The  extended  use  of  large  and  handsome  Apples  for  decoration  should 
lead  growers  to  place  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch,  Buckingham,  Belle  de 
Pontoise,  The  Queen,  King  of  Tomkin’s  County,  Twenty  Ounce, 
Gascoigne's  Seedling,  and  others  on  walls  for  this  purpose. 
One  special  feature  of  the  1897  fruit  crops  was  the  general  success  of 
the  British  raised  varieties,  such  as  Nonpareil,  Northern  Greening,  Wyken 
Pippin,  Blenheim  Orange,  Devonshire  Quarrenden,  Yellow  Ingestre, 
Stirling  Castle,  Wellington,  Ecklinville,  Kerry  Pippin,  Keswick  Codlin, 
Winter  Queening,  Nanny,  Hormead  Pearmain,  Lane’s  Prince  Albert 
among  Apples  ;  and  Hessell  (Hessle),  Althorp  Crassane,  Hacon’s  Incom¬ 
parable,  Bishop’s  Thumb,  Pitmaston  Duchess,  Crawford,  Aston  Town, 
Eyewood,  and  Knight’s  Monarch  among  Pears,  causing  a  demand  to  arise 
for  trees  of  many  old  and  superseded  kinds,  which  for  market  purposes 
are  yet  valuable.  The  general  crops  on  the  Codlin  and  early  Apples  and 
Pears  need  only  to  be  noted  to  state  the  fact  that  such  kinds  have  time 
to  recover  themselves  after  the  fruit  is  gathered,  and  so  prove  regularly 
fertile. 
Flxceptional  prices  have  been  made  of  some  fruits.  In  our  district 
Devonshire  Quarrenden,  Yellow  Ingestre,  and  Ribston  Pippin  Apples  sold 
well  (one  grower  selling  100  bushels  of  the  latter  as  gathered  at  14s.  6d. 
per  bushel),  while  Cox's  Orange  Pippins  made  up  to  25s.  per  bushel  retail, 
and  Wellingtons,  with  a  Peach- like  colour,  made  10s.  6d.  wholesale. 
As  might  be  expected,  ihe  heat  and  drought  has  caused  all  late  Pears 
to  ripen  months  before  their  usual  season,  and  by  the  time  this  is  in 
print  many  fruit  rooms  will  scarcely  have  a  Pear  in  them.  At  present 
Olivier  des  Serres  and  Beurrd  de  Jonghe,  with  a  few  Easter  Beurr6  from 
open  trees,  are  all  we  possess.  But  we  are  inclined  to  think  thorough 
ripening  will  allow  us  to  keep  Apples  as  late  as  usual,  though  they  will 
certainly  not  be  so  large  ;  in  short,  beauty  will  compensate  for  mere 
size. 
Perhaps  no  outside  fruit  felt  the  grand  weather  of  1896-7  more  than 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  on  walls.  The  trees  made  that  reddish  wood  so 
dear  to  the  cultivator’s  eye,  and  the  crop  set  well  ;  while  the  fruit  where 
the  trees  were  copiously'  watered  grew  to  a  fine  size,  and  coloured  to 
perfection,  raising  the  almost  lost  hopes  of  many  old  gardeners  to 
encourage  them  to  persevere  in  their  open-wall  cultivation  ;  those  who 
had  late  Peaches  made  long  prices,  as  the  fruit  under  glass  was  forwarded 
by  the  heat,  and  thus  made  a  market  for  the  outdoor  crop.  Peaches  and 
Nectarines  are  yearly  more  in  demand.  We  attribirte  the  failure  of  the 
Plum  crop  to  the  causes  already  named,  which  by  their  surface-rooting 
nature  would  naturally  be  affected  more  than  deeper-rooting  fruits. 
We  cannot  refrain  from  again  cautioning  gardeners  from  relying  on 
a  few  varieties  for  an  annual  crop  ;  and  the  best  for  quality  should  be 
planted  in  various  positions  to  insure  a  return,  and  also  to  lengthen  the 
season  of  each  kind.  Market  growers  naturally  go  in  for  the  sorts 
favoured  by  the  public,  but  we  are  inclined  to  think  many  less  known  but 
reliable  croppers  should  be  introduced.  Strawberries,  Raspberries,  and 
bush  fruits  generally'  cropped  where  good  deep  cultivation  was  practised. 
In  conclusion,  it  is  evident  that  cultivators  should  do  all  in  their  power 
to  utilise  all  the  sunshine  possible,  and  the  protection  they  possess  added 
to  careful  thinning  of  boughs  and  fruit,  and  by  giving  liberal  encourage¬ 
ment  to  the  trees  that  crop,  and  not  over-stimulating  those  that  are 
barren. — (Read  at  a  meeting  of  the  Horticultural  Club  by  Mr.  George 
Bunyaed,  V.M.H.) 
EUPHORRIA  JACQUINIHIFLORA, 
It  is  at  this  season  of  the  year  when  the  heauty  of  the  few'  remaining 
Chrysanthemums  is  daily  decreasing  that  any  gorgeous  display  of  toral 
beauty  is  bound  to  be  more  than  usually  appreciated.  I  do  not  recollect 
for  some  years  having  seen  so  pleasing  a  display  as  that  made  by  a  grand 
group  of  the  winter- lowering  plant  under  notice,  together  with  their 
well-known  relative  the  Poinsettia,  as  in  the  conservatory  of  C.  E. 
Lambert,  Esq.,  at  the  Manor  House,  Effingham,  this  week.  Not  only 
are  these  plants  grow  n  as  successfully  there  as  I  have  ever  seen  seen  them, 
but  the  able  gardener,  Mr.  G.  Bristol,  is  an  adept  in  effective  grouping. 
Contrast  these  brilliant  colours  mounted  in  a  bank  with  Arums,  white 
Azaleas,  Roman  Hyacinths,  and  Freesias,  with  the  graceful  foliage  of 
Ferns  and  Cyperus  alternifolius,  and  you  have  an  association  the  beauty 
of  which  is  better  imagined  than  described. 
As  the  Eupho  bia  mentioned  does  not  seem  to  be  so  generally  grown 
as  its  attractiveness  at  this  season  demands,  the  few  cultural  hints  I  here¬ 
with  append  may  be  of  use.  Propagation  is  effected  by  cuttings.  The 
old  plants  having  ceased  flowering,  they  may  he  laid  on  their  sides 
and  water  withheld  in  any  structure  w'ith  a  temperature  not  lower  than 
45®.  At  the  end  of  six  or  eight  weeks  they  should  be  introduced  into  a 
brisk  heat  with  their  stems  intact ;  young  shoots  will  soon  appear,  which, 
if  taken  off  when  about  3  inches  long  with  a  portion  of  the  old  wood 
attached,  make  the  cuttings. 
These  are  best  placed  singly  in  thumb  pots  in  a  mixture  of  two  parts 
peat  and  sand  to  one  of  fibrous  loam,  plunged  in  bottom  heat  of  about 
80".  As  soon  as  rooted  more  light  and  air  must  be  given,  a  shelf  near 
the  glass  with  brisk  heat  and  moist  atmosphere  being  chosen  ;  in  this 
position  the  pots  soon  become  filled  with  roots.  It  wdll  then  be  necessary 
to  transfer  the  plants  to  their  flowering  pots,  the  6-inch  size  being  most 
suitable.  Care  must  be  taken  in  removing  them  not  to  break  the  ball  of 
roots,  but  shift  them  as  nearly  as  possible  without  disturbing  the  soil. 
The  compost  should  be  formed  of  two  parts  good  peat,  two  parts 
loam,  to  one  of  sand.  The  plants  ought  then  to  be  placed  in  a  light  house 
or  pit  with  warmth  and  a  fair  amount  of  sunshine,  shading  only  for  an 
hour  or  so  from  the  midday  sun.  In  August  shading  may  be  altogether 
dispensed  with,  and  they  may  be  plunged  in  cold  pits  or  frames,  so  that 
their  growth  may  become  w'ell  matured,  as  upon  this  in  a  great  measure 
the  size  of  the  bloom  depends.  A  little  stimulant  may  be  given  once  a 
week  when  the  pots  are  full  of  roots,  withholding  gradually  as  the  flowers 
develop. 
In  September  the  plants  should  be  removed  into  the  house  and  syringed 
daily,  not  only  to  keep  down  mealy  bug  and  other  insect  pests,  but  to 
promote  free  and  healthy  growth.  Under  this  treatment  sprays  of  bloom 
may  be  produced  from  10  inches  to  a  foot  in  length,  and  the  plants 
become  w'ell  worthy  of  the  attention  bestowed  upon  them.  The  enclosed 
sprays  are  forwarded  as  samples.— AV.  R.  G. 
[The  sprays  are  bright,  broad,  and  beautiful,  and  highly  creditable  to 
the  grower  of  them.] 
