December  8,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
433 
until  they  are  taken  in  hand  by  a  capable  man,  whose  first  operations 
are  not  to  manure,  but  to  thoroughly  break  up  and  cultivate. 
^  ithout  referring  to  back  volumes  of  the  Journal  I  cannot  say 
bow  many  years  it  is  since  the  application  of  superphosphates  and 
sulphate  of  ammonia  was  first  recommended  by  the  writer  as  a  manure 
suitaole  for  pot  plants.  I  mention  the  fact  now  merely  to  say  that 
surface  applications  of  the  dry  manure  are  better  than  dissolving  the 
manure  in  water,  and  applying  it  by  means  of  the  watering-pot.  The 
former  method  has  not  a  little  of  clumsiness  about  it,  nor  is  it  possible 
that  evtry,  or  perhaps  any,  plant  receives  the  dose  intended  for  it.  On 
the  other  hand,  dry  manure  dissolves  slowly.  We  determine  the 
amount  given  to  each  to  a  nicety,  and,  perhaps  mechanically,  it  induces 
a  freer  root  action. 
As  a  last  word  at  present,  gardeners  ought  to  beware  of  the  follies 
of  Science.  I  have  seen  Peas  starved  because  it  was  thought  they 
secured  from  the  atmosphere  sufficient  nitrogenous  food  for  their 
requirements.  Two  or  three  years  ago  there  was  quite  a  stir  over  the 
idea  of  sowing  ground  with  artificially  grown  bacteria.  This  and  the 
latest  scheme  of  keeping  fields  for  ever  fertile  by  means  of  nitrate 
drawn  from  the  atmosphere  were  received  with  “  open  mouths  ”  by 
scientists  and  men  who  seem  to  be  ever  on  the  look  out  for  obtaining 
maximum  crops  in  the  absence  of  thorough  cultivation.  They  have 
yet  to  wait  for  the  miracle  ! — E.  P.  Brotherston. 
APPLES  WORTH  GROWING. 
We  have  entered  upon  another  season’s  planting  by  the  fruit 
grower.  Apples  for  culinary  purposes  are  more  sought  after  by  the 
general  public  than  any  other  fruit.  The  grandest  show  varieties, are 
not  necessarily  the  most  profitable  to  plant.  Dumelow’s  Seedling  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  valuable  culinary  Apples,  but  as  a  show 
Apple  is  not  in  the  running  with  some  others.  Pcasgood’s  Nonesuch 
is  a  magnificent  Apple,  but  I  doubt  if  it  would  pay  as  well  to  plant 
a  thousand  trees  as  it  would  to  plant  a  similar  number  of  Lane’s  Prince 
Albert,  Stirling  Castle,  Ecklinville,  Warner’s  King,  Cox’s  Pomona, 
Bismarck,  Gascoyne’s.  Scarlet  Seedling,  and  a  few  others.  By  all 
.  gleans  plant  for  exhibition  where  time  and  space  can  be  afforded  for 
producing  fine  specimens  for  that  purpose,  but  at  the  same  time  do  not 
forget  to  cater  for  the  general  public. 
Mammoth  Apples  are  not  what  the  great  body  of  consumers  prefer, 
but  sound,  clear,  bright  specimens  from  5  to  7  ozs.  in  weight  without 
any  admixture  of  trash,  flliere  need  be  no  fear  about  glutting  the 
markets  with  first-class  samples.  I  could  sell  a  hundred  times  more 
than  I  have  to  dispose  of  if  I  had  them  in  proper  saleable  form, 
y  hen  you  have  intimations  from  three  different  persons  in  one  day 
that  they  would  be  glad  to  purchase  all  you  have  to  dispose  of  if  you 
will  state  a  price  it  is  almost  ns  p  rplexing  as  when  you  cannot  find  a 
buyer.  Last  year  (1897)  I  sold  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin  to  the  shops  at 
4s.  Gd.  per  stone,  culinary  App'es  2s.  Gd.  to  2s.  9d.  per  stone.  My 
greatest  trouble  was  in  not  having  more  to  sell.  The  public  would 
have  to  pay  sd.  to  Id.  per  lb.  more  than  1  received,  as  retailers  must 
have  a  profit,  which  they  generally  contrive  to  make  on  good  fruit.  I 
will  name  a  few  Apples  such  as  they  like  to  buy  and  I  like  ^rowm-T 
for  them. 
.  Cox’s  Pomona.— If  there  is  one  Apple  more  valuable  than  another 
with  me  this  is  the  onn.  It  is  good  to  look  upon,  good  to  eat,  good 
to  cook,  an  abundant  cropper,  but  not  quite  so  heavy  in  the  basket  as 
some  varieties — that  is,  we  require  a  larger  bulk  for,  say,  a  stone  than 
of  such  as  Tower  of  Glamis  or  Mere  de  Menage.  Setting  aside 
weight,  Cox  s  Pomona  is  a  splendid  Yorkshire  Apple,  but  rather  liable 
to  canker  when  grown  on  the  starvation  system. 
.Lane’s  Prince  Albert. — I  consider  this  is  one  of  the  grandest 
culinary  Apples  we  possess,  and  will  keep  to  April  and  May.  °  It  is  a 
good  cooker  and  attractive  fruit,  with  a  flu-hed  cheek.  The  tree  is  a 
heavy  cropper,  and  requires  generous  feeding  when  there  is  a  crop 
swelling,  and  I  have  not  seen  Prince  Albert  without  one  in  any 
season.  J 
Bismarck. — Another  grand  variety.  The  tree  is  not  only  a  heavy 
cropper  but  a  healthy  grower,  and  bears  large  richly  coloured  fruit. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  1000  trees  each  of  Lane’s  Prince  Albert  and 
Bismarck  planted  on  good  land  and  w<  11  cared  for,  giving  rich  top- 
dressings  and  mulchings  in  the  summer,  would  in  no  long  time  provide 
an  industrious  and  intelligent  worker  with  a  good  living. 
Gascoyne’s  Scarlet  Seedling.— This  is  my  next  favourite.  The 
trees  when  the  fruits  are  developing  are  the  admiration  of  all  b  holders. 
This.  Apple  possesses  size,  colour,  and  flavour,  also  good  keeping 
qualities.  The  tree  is  a  beautiful  grower  and  free  cropper,  but  a  little 
discretion  is  required  when  pruning,  or  many  of  the  fruit  buds  are 
liable  to  be  cut  off,  because  a  fine  blossom  bud  is  the  terminal  to  a 
summer  shoot  in  many  cases.  I  do  not,  however,  advise  leaving  lon<* 
sh oo. s  with  terminal  fruit  buds,  if  such  shoots  are  not  required  for 
furnishing  the  tree,  because  heavy  fruits  at  the  end  of  long  slender 
branches  swing  about  with  the  wind,  bruising  and  spoiling  themselves 
and  others.  By  the  exercise  of  judgment  in  pruning  damage  of  that 
kind  may  be  easily  averted. 
Stirling  Castle. — I  find  this  a  capital  Apple  for  quick  profit. 
Its  one  fauL  in  cronping  so  early  and  heavily,  so  much  so  that  if 
the  fruits  .  go;  LeAy  thinned  they  are  small,  and  the  buds  much 
weakens  :  r  the  following  year.  Starting  Castle  is  a  splendid  kitchen 
Apple,  so  symmetrical  that  little  waste  occurs  in  paring,  and  is  a  good 
cooker.  The  tree  must  have  several  rich  top-dressings  with  liquid 
manure  in  the  growing  season. 
Warner’s  King. — Very  few  growers,  I  think,  can  dispense  with 
this  Apple.  The  tree  is  a  heavy  cropper,  and  hears  noble  fruit,  which 
cooks  well.  The  trees  grow  strongly  and  carry  grand  foliage,  but  are 
rather  prone  to  canker  in  some  districts,  perhaps  because  the  strong 
wood  is  not  always  sufficiently  matured. 
Small’s  Admirable. — So  certain  and  free  is  this  variety  that  it  is 
not  planted  half  so  freely  as  it  deserves  to  be  in  small  gardens  as  well 
as  larger  ones.  It  is  an  excellent  cooker,  heavy  cropper,  and  the  tree 
grows  very  much  like  Lane’s  Prince  Albert. 
Lord  Derby. — This  is  another  variety  with  money  in  it  if  well 
cultivated  and  highly  fed  with  phosphatic,  anel  less  freely  with 
nitrogenous  manures,  though  it  does  not  appear  to  succeed  if  left  to 
take  its  chance  in  cold,  strong  soils,  in  some  districts. 
Northern  Dumpling. — A  heavy  cropping  variety  hearing  fine 
large  conical  fruit,  which  cooks  excellently.  The  tree  is  a  very 
healthy  and  upright  grower,  just  the  tree  for  a  small  garden. 
New  IIawtiiornden. — Many  good  points  are  combined  in  this 
Apple  to  recommend  it  to  small,  as  well  as  large  growers.  The  tree 
bears  freely  in  a  young  state,  while  the  fruits  are  large  and  of  good 
cooking  quality.  If  the  trees  are  lightly  cropped  and  well  supplied 
with  stimulants,  the  fruit  can  be  grown  to  an  enormous  size  for  show 
purposes,  but  that  is  not  a  paying  crop.  New  Hawthornden  requires 
great  care  in  pruning  in  its  young  stages  of  growth.  The  branches 
grow  inwards,  therefore  care  is  requisite  to  prune  to  an  outside  bud, 
and  even  then  the  tree  is  better  with  some  of  the  branches  drawn 
outwards  and  tied  to  stakes  driven  into  the  ground  for  that  purpose. 
Ecklinville. — I  think  no  one  can  err  in  planting  this  Apple 
where  there  is  room  for  a  tree.  It  is  a  capital  grower,  heavy  cropper, 
and  with  care  I  find  the  fruit  will  keep  through  October.  Assistance 
at  the  roots  is  very  desirable  when  the  crop  is  swelling. 
Lord  GrosvenoR.-  Certainly  this  is  a  first-class  early  kitchen 
Apple.  The  tree  is  a  free  grower  and  heavy  cropper,  the  fruits 
attaining  a  marketable  size  almost  sooner  than  any  other,  and,  well 
developed,  are  very  first-class  cooking  quality.  I  will  mention  one 
more  to  make  a  baker’s  dozen. 
Newton  Wonder. — A  point  to  be  mentioned  in  this  Apple  is  that 
it  is  not  difficult  to  keep  till  May.  The  tree  is  a  good  grower  and 
free  bearer  of  beautiful-looking  fruit,  which  partakes  of  the  flavour  of 
Dumelow’s  Seedling,  but  trees  of  this  are  unfortunately  prone  to 
canker,  while  those  of  Newton  Wonder  are  so  free  from  any  sign  of 
the  gangrenous  infection. 
The  description  I  have  given  of  the  above  thirteen  varieties  is  from 
their  behaviour  in  East  Yoikskire.  Pirhaps  in  other  parts  of  the 
country  some  of  the  varieties  may  prove  less  useful.  I  have  grown 
many  others,  but  for  productiveness,  good  appearance,  and  affording  a 
sup|  ly  of  good  saleable  fruit  from  July  to  May,  I  do  not  know  thirteen 
better  varieties  for  this  part  of  the  country  which  is  not  the  best  in 
the  kingdom  for  Apples.  Who  can  select  and  give  reasons  fora  better 
dozen  cooking  Apples,  apart  from  those  named  ? 
I  have  mentioned  feeding  when  the  crops  are  swelling.  Though 
this  is  often  important,  I  wish  it  to  he  understood  that  it  is  not  the 
only  time  that  feeding  can  be  done  with  great  advantage.  It  has  been 
many  times  mentioned  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  that  liquid 
manure  may  be  given  in  the  winter,  when  it  can  pass  freely  into  the 
ground  with  great  advantage  to  enfeebled  fruit  trees.  I  have  proved 
by  experience  that  it  is  safer  to  give  liquid  manure  twice  as  strong  in 
the  winter  as  in  the  summer 'season.  The  present  is  a  good  time  to 
give  J  lb.  of  basic  slag  to  the  square  yard  to  all  fruit  trees, 
dusting  the  slag  18  inches  further  than  the  branches  extend  all  round 
the  tree,  and  pointing  in  2  or  3  inches  deep  ;  then  spread  1  or  2  inches 
thick  of  half-decayed  manure  on  the  surface;  the  rains  and  snow  will 
wash  the  nutriment  down  to  the  roots.  If  in  addition  20  gallons  of 
good  liquid  manure  can  be  given  to  each  free-hearing  tree,  so  much  the 
better  for  the  fruit  and  trees  in  the  following  season. 
Fruit  trees,  treated  as  mentioned,  will  bear  a  crop  every  year.  I 
consider,  and  not  without  good  reason,  that  trees  treated  as  advised 
will  carry  their  flowers  more  safely  through  a  cold  night  with  5°  or  6° 
of  frost  than  will  trees  that  are  badly  managed,  or  grown  on  the 
starvation  system,  with  the  temperature  at  or  about  freezing  po:nt. 
I  have  a  few  notes  on  dessert  Apples,  and  will  send  them  to  the 
Editor,  in  case  they  may  be  considered  worth  the  paper  that  they  are 
written  on. — G.  Picker. 
[Our  practical  correspondent  had  better  send  them  along  soon.  If 
they  are  similar  in  character  to  his  present  series,  the  “paper  on  which 
they  are  written”  will  not  go  into  the  W.P.B.,  but  into  the  hands  of 
