December  22,  1893, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
471 
strip  of  bark  behind  the  stern  against  the  wall  escaped  injury,  kept 
life  in  the  tree,  which  as  by  a  miracle  became  as  fruitful  as  it  had 
been  barren. — Edward  Luckhurst. 
[We  regret  that  the  attempt  to  have  the  photograph,  obligingly 
sent,  reproduced  has  ended  in  failure.  The  young  branches  thinly 
disposed  and  left  unshortened  as  advised,  and  growing  out  from  tire 
wall,  are  simply  wreathed  with  blossom — as  fine  a  display  as  could  be 
imagined.  We  have  seen  mauy  similar  results  fronr  trees  in  the  open, 
when  a  departure  has  been  made  from  the  fruit-preventing  method  of 
pruning,  and  the  more  rational  system  described  adopted.  The 
“saw”  pruning,  though  it  answered  with  trees  against  walls,  would 
not  be  so  safe  for  trees  in  the  open,  as  the  wind  might  “fell  ”  them.] 
COMMENTS  ON  APPLES. 
is  an  excellent  representation,  is  superior  in  every  respect  to  several 
of  those  that  have  been  enumerated.  It  is,  however,  a  very  hand¬ 
some  kitchen  Apple,  and  is  said  to  be  an  excellent  cropper  out,  of 
course,  only  time  can  prove  whether  or  not  it  can  oust  either  <K 
those  in  Mr.  Picker’s  selection  on  page  433.  The  variety  was 
exhibited  at  the  Drill  lla’l  on  October  11th,  1S93,  by  Mr.  D.  Bo  la’ 3% 
Green  Norton,  Towcester,  when  the  Fruit  Committee  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  recommended  that  it  have  an  award  f  merit. 
The  fruits  arc  of  large  size,  3]  inches  high,  and  as  much  in  diameter 
slightly  angular,  and  rather  higher  on  one  side  than  the  other.  The 
skin  is  greenish  yellow  on  the  shaded  side,  covered  with  russet  dots 
and  flushed  with  crimson,  with  short,  broken  streaks  of  brighter 
crimson  on  the  side  exposed  to  the  sun.  The  eye  is  deeply  inserted 
in  a  wide  cavity,  while  the  very  short  s'alk  is  imbedded  in  the  fruit. 
It  is  an  Apple  of  promise,  and  if  this  be  fulfilled,  may  beeome  popular. 
Under  this  heading  some  very  interesting  notes  appeared  on 
page  458,  and  I  was  pleased  to  sec  Mr.  Molyneux’s  signature  supporting 
the  practical  remarks  by  Mr.  Picker  which  appeared  in  a  previous 
issue.  It  occurred  to  me,  as  it  did  to  Mr.  Molyneux,  that  the  selection 
of  cooking  Apples  was  a  very  good  one  for  any  purpose.  In  a  private 
garden,  where  the  fiuit  is  required  only  for  home  use, 
Ecklinvillo  really  is  a  mast  useful  Apple,  because  of  its 
freedom  and  constant  bearing,  its  large  size,  and  good 
cooking  qualities.  For  market  use  it  is,  no  doubr,  too 
delicate  in  the  skin  to  stand  the  ordeal  of  packing  and  travel. 
When  Mr.  Picker’s  and  Mr.  Raillem’s  opinions  and  experience 
are  compared,  it  is  easy  to  understand  how  difficult  it  is  to 
condense  the  wealth  of  variety  into  a  dozen  Apples  possess¬ 
ing  all-round  qualities  suitable  for  planting  anywhere. 
Mr.  Raillcm  says  the  best  variety  is  omitted  from  Mr. 
Picker’s  list — namely,  Bramley’s  Seedling.  After  the 
eloquent  testimony  in  its  favour,  given  some  time  since 
in  the  Journal,  one  feels  somewhat  nervous  in  expressing 
a  contrary  opinion,  but  nevertheless  it  is  a  fact  that 
Bramley’s  is  not  a  success  everywhere.  Evidently  it  was 
not  so  in  Mr.  Picker’s  case,  nor  is  it  so  in  mine,  although 
my  actual  experience  is  limited.  A  friend  who  had  graft'  d 
some  standard  orchard  trees  witli  this  kind,  invited  me  to 
see  them,  now  four  years  since,  and  the  heavy  loads  borne 
by  these  grafted  trees  and  the  high  character  given  of  them 
for  keepifig  induced  me  to  plead  there  and  then  for  sufficient 
grafts  to  furnish  one  fairly  large  tree.  Ti.eso  were  fretlv 
granted,  and  they  were  in  due  time  put  ou  a  healthy  stock. 
Their  progress  was  so  remarkable  in  the  first  two  y<ars, 
that  the  tree  itself  became  almost  as  large  as  it  was  previous 
to  being  headed  down  preparatory  to  grafting.  Root-pruning 
was  then  resorted  to  in  order  to  check  the  tendency  to 
grossness,  and  to  bring  it  into  that  free-bearing  state  I  bad 
seen  so  enviously  illustraied  in  my  friend’s  orchard.  So 
far  my  expectations  are  measured  only  by  disappointment, 
for  there  has  neither  been  the  freedom  in  bearing,  nor  does 
the  fruit  keep  so  well  after  being  gathered  as  others  report 
of  it.  To  the  nature  of  the  soil  only  can  one  look  for 
an  explanation  of  such  diverse  results,  both  obtained  by  grayling. 
Here  there  is  a  sandy  clay  subsoil  of  some  depth,  in  the  other  case 
an  equally  deep  bed  of  gravel  formed  the  understratum — extremes 
as  diverse  as  could  be  well  imagined — and  there  is  in  the  condition 
of  the  crops  quite  as  marked  a  difference.  This  is  only  anodier 
instance  of  an  everyday  rule,  that  where  one  succeeds  another  may 
fail,  though  the  cultural  attention  may  not  vary  much. 
The  fact  that  Mr.  Bunyard  has  erased  Small’s  Admirable  from  his 
list  settles  the  point  with  Mr.  Riillcm.  I  know  plenty  of  Apples 
which  are  popular  that  are  not  equal  to  Small’s.  Dumelow’s 
undoubtedly  is  a  sharp  Apple  in  a  raw  state,  but  is  a  splendid  juicy 
fruit  when  cooked. 
On  strong  soil  I  find  Stirling  Castle  all  that  can  be  desired  ;  a  good 
grower,  constant  and  free  bearer,  large  in  size,  and  a  beautiful  cooker. 
I11  poor  ground  it  fruits  so  persistently  that  if  is  quite  unsuited  for 
orchard  planting  because  its  growth  ir  so  slow  and  stunted.  I  regard 
Stirling  Castle  as  one  of  the  very  b  st  Apples  I  have;  but  this  opinion 
would  bo  modified  if  I  were  planting  on  poor  or  gravelly  soil.  Lane’s 
Prince  Albert  is  almost  as  persistent  as  the  last  named  iu  fruiting. 
Mr.  Raillem  correctly  describes  it  as  acid  ;  but  while  admitting  this 
as  a  dessert  Apple,  few  would  complain  of  it  when  cooked.  Perhaps 
Mr.  Raillem  objects  to  the  addition  of  sugar  in  the  use  of  cooked  fruit. 
If  this  is  so,  it  is  ea-y  to  understand  his  objection  to  varieties 
possessing  much  acidity. — W.  S ,  Wilts. 
APPLE  INVINCIBLE. 
The  numerous  practical  observations  that  are  now  being  made  in 
the  pages  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  relative  to  culinary  Apples, 
renders  the  reproduction  of  a  new  variety  more  than  ordinarily  appro¬ 
priate.  It  cannot  be  said  that  Invincible,  of  which  the  woodcut  (fig.  80) 
APPLES  IN  IRELAND. 
Mr.  Bardney’s  interesting  article  on  page  434  refreshes  or.«  by  its 
enthusiastic  tone.  How  the  editorial  eye  must  have  beamed  on  those 
brilliant  Bramley’s  from  Ireland.  Is  it  that  our  poorer  people: — the 
great  majority — are  yet  to  revel  in  dumplings  galore,  as  yefc  ij> 
Fig.  80. — Apple  Invincible. 
unknown  luxury  in  their  menu?  Would  that  it  were  so.  There, 
indeed,  would  Bramley’s  be  blessed  above  the  nll-too-proniinenfc  Apple 
here — the  ubiquitous  Pomme  de  terre.  Why  you  have  oaly  to 
Bramleyiso  tho  Green  Isle  and — heigh,  presto  !— it  is  the  garden 
the  Hesperides. 
Seriously,  there  has  been  so  much  disappointment  among  all  sort* 
and  conditions  of  would-be  Apple  growers  on  this  side  of  the  Channel 
that  Mr.  Bardney’s  intelligent  notes  will,  I  fear,  receive  not  a  tithe  of 
the  attention  they  deserve.  Intelligent?  Yes,  “saving  his  presence;4' 
lucid  and  to  the  point — in  fact,  so  much  so  that  one  fears  the  chief 
point  may  be  overlooked,  and  the  chief  point  is,  of  -course,  the 
i  11  Wicklow,  and  that  gold  is,  like  the  Bramley’s,  of  the  finest  kind, 
but — and  to  save  a  Klondike  stampede — it  is  Very  scarce.” 
As  one  of  the  few  Englishmen  who  can  D-alise  what  Ireland  is 
“really  like,”  the  Irish  notes  upon  this  subject  have  begotten  mmjr 
thoughts,  hence  the  delay  in  this  scanty  expression  of  them.  I  must 
now  repeat  what  has  been  often,  but  not  hast  ly,  advanced— that 
Ireland  is  not  an  Apple  country.  One  sees  not  only  “  old  orchard* 
worn  out,”  but  young  orchards  that  never  had  any  wear,  and  never 
will,  supposing  that  tho  old  ones  did,  which  is  questionable.  I  saw  an 
orchard  planted  with  some  500  trees  about  fourteen  years  ago,  md 
propeily  planted  on  a  well  chosen  site,  but  alas  !  [or  the  sequel.  The 
dead  and  dying  remains  were  recently  cleared  off  to  nuke  room  for 
something  that  would  pay.  The  sorls  ?  Well,  nearly  every  popular 
kind  you  could  mention,  save  Bramley’s;  and  that,  I  take  it,  is  ths 
crux  of  the  question. 
These  remark-*,  be  it  unders'oed,  arc  Apropis  of  orchard  cultu*s 
