492 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  ‘29,  1898. 
Schroderiana,  has  completely  eclipsed  it.  This  remarkable  Dendrobe, 
to  which  a  small  span-roofed  house  is  largely  devoted,  commences  to 
flower  in  August,  and  there  are  enough  plants  to  keep  up  the  display 
till  midwinter,  hundreds  of  flowers  in  good  variety  being  open  when  I 
was  there.  The  plants  appear  to  thrive  best  established  in  small 
pans  suspended  near  the  roof  in  a  strong  heat. 
Very  beautiful  also  were  the  large  numbers  of  Oncidium  varicosum 
Rogersi.  The  great  branching,  many-flowered  spikes  of  this  pleasing 
yellow  Orchid  are  most  attractive,  and  this  as  well  as  the  Dendrobium 
above  named  ought  to  be  extensively  grown  in  private  gardens  where 
choice  plants  are  required  for  house  and  table  decoration  for  short 
periods  during  the  winter.  _ 
Of  Cattleya  labiata  there  iwere  still  several  good  forms ;  while 
Bowringiana  and  C.  aurea  were  very  beautiful.  Vanda  ccerulea  is 
extensively  grown.  A  few  grand  spikes  of  this  lovely  Orchid  were 
expanded,  and  manv  others  were  showing,  three  or  more  on  each  single¬ 
stemmed  plant.  They  are  wintered  suspended  near  the  roof  in  the 
centre  of  a  large  Cattleya  house,  a  position  that  appears  to  agree  with 
them.  I  was  too  early  to  see  the  annual  display  of  Lselia  anceps  and 
varieties,  but  the  spikes  were  showing,  and  by  midwinter  hundreds 
of  blooms  of  this  deservedly  popular  Orchid  will  be  open,  together 
with  other  less  showy  but  serviceable  kinds. — W.  I. 
COMMENTS  ON  APPLES. 
“D.  W.  ’s”  surmise  (page  458)  is  perfectly  correct  when  he  men¬ 
tions  that  my  meaning  was  that  Cox’s  Pomona  is  a  good  Apple  to 
grow  in  Yorkshire,  but  I  am  glad  I  did  not  put  it  in  that  form,  or  I 
should  not  have  learned  the  origin  of  this  free  bearing,  attractive,  and 
useful  variety.  I  was  pleased  to  read  his  interesting  paragraph  re 
Sykehouse  Russet,  which  has  also  elicited  information  which  I  am 
glad  to  possess. 
I  wish  to  thank  Mr.  E.  Molyneux  for  his  comments  on  my  selec¬ 
tion  of  thirteen  varieties  of  kitchen  Apples.  I  endeavoured  from  my 
own  experience  to  make  the  selection  as  good  as  possible  for  affording 
generally  acceptable  fruit  over  a  h>ng  period  for  private  or  market  use. 
The  reason  I  left  Alfriston  out  of  the  list  and  included  Ecklinville  was 
that  the  latter  has  a  rather  better  saleable  coloured  skin  in  this 
district  than  Alfriston  has,  though  this  is  a  fine  Apple  and  a  good 
keeper,  while  the  tree  grows  well  with  me,  and  bears  freely. 
There  is  a  good  demand  locally  for  Ecklinville ;  the  fruit  is  not 
bruised  on  a  railway  journey,  as  Hull  is  only  five  miles  from  where 
our  fruits  are  grown.  It  is  all  the  same  well  that  the  weak  points 
of  this  useful  home  Apple  should  be  known. 
Mr.  W.  R.  Raillem  is  rather  severe  in  his  comments  on  my  selec¬ 
tion  of  thirteen  varieties  of  kitchen  Apples.  As  stated,  I  mentioned 
those  which  I  found  did  well  with  good  cultme  in  Yorkshire, 
and  that  the  varieties  had  proved  suitable  both  for  private  use  and  for 
market.  I  am  certain  there  need  be  no  waste  if  the  fruits  are  well 
growu  and  disposed  of  when  they  are  ready.  I  know  Bramley’s 
Seedling  very  well,  as  I  did  the  late  Mr.  M.  Bramley  of  Southwell, 
the  raiser,  and  whose  name  will  pass  far  into  posterity,  for  his  famous 
Apple  has  a  constitution  that  will  not  easily  wear  out.  Like  some 
other  varieties  it  makes  rather  more  wood  and  foliage  in  light  rich 
soils  than  we  found  suitable  for  the  position.  With  room,  and  in  time, 
it  would  produce  crops  with  which  I  should  find  no  fault. 
I  have  an  idea  that  Mr.  W.  R.  Raillem  only  grows  Apples  to  suit 
his  own  individual  palate.  I  am  pretty  certain  he  is  not  a  gardener,  as 
if  he  were,  and  had  a  large  family,  with  a  practical  cook,  to  provide  for, 
he  would  find  that  certain  varieties  would  often  be  asked  for — 
Dumelow’s  or  Wellington,  for  instance  —  and  would  find  it  was 
to  his  advantage  to  grow  acidity  in  the  garden,  rather  than  have  to 
swallow  a  larger  share  from  the  household.  If  he  were  asked  for 
certain  varieties  for  sauce,  or  other  special  purpose,  and  instead  of 
supplying  them,  said  they  had  been  done  away  with  because  so  acid, 
he  might  then  receive  a  taste  of  the  household  article  that  would  not 
be  altogether  pleasing.  If  he  lias  only  himself  to  study  he  has,  of 
course,  the  right  to  choose,  and  in  all  cases  to  communicate  the  results 
of  his  experience.  In  one  case  he  confesses  he  does  not  know,  but 
assumes  that  Small’s  Admirable  is  not  worth  attention  because  it  is 
not  in  Mr.  Bunyard’s  list,  but  others  are  in  it  which  Mr.  Raillem 
does  not  like,  and  therefore  too  much  importance  must  not  be  attached 
to  his  not  liking  what  he  doe»  not  know.  Small’s  Admirable  is  in 
Messrs.  Yeitch’s  and  other  lists.  It  is  described  by  Messrs.  Veitch  as 
being  “excellent  and  bears  freely.”  Forty-seven  dishes  of  it  were 
exhibited  at  the  great  Apple  Conference  at  Chiswick,  and  Mr.  Barron 
describes  it  in  “British  Apples”  as  “first  quality,  and  very  free 
cropping,”  and  it  is  described  in  the  “Fruit  Manual”  by  the  late  Dr. 
Hogg  as  “excellent  and  an  immense  bearer.”  My  experience  enables 
me  to  agree  with  those  authorities.  It  is  an  early,  free,  and  certain 
bearer  in  the  north-eastern  counties  of  serviceable  fruit,  not  of  the 
first  size,  but  large  enough  for  use  and  sale.  I  do  not  know  whether- 
it  would  succeed  with  Mr.  Raillem  or  not,  nor  does  he. 
Referring  to  Lane’s  Prince  Albert  being  acid,  about  a  fortnight 
ago  I  called  on  a  gardener.  At  the  time  he  was  taking  in  for  his 
employer’s  table  a  dish  of  this  Apple  tor  dessert,  as  it  was  often 
appreciated  for  that  purpose  as  a  change  from  other  varieties,  so  Mr. 
Raillem  is  right  in  suggesting  that  “others  may  not  agree  with 
him.”  Northern  Dumpling  is  a  similar  looking  Apple  to  Tower  of 
Glamis,  but  not  quite  so  heavy.  The  tree  of  the  last  named  is  a  rather 
strong  and  spreading  grower ;  Northern  Dumpling  is  a  strong  yet1 
compact  grower,  also  very  healthy. 
For  the  life  of  me  I  cannot  understand  Mr.  W.  R.  Raillem 
when  he  says  that  his  land  is  too  poor  to  grow  such  varieties  as 
Gascoyne’s  Seedling,  while  it  will  grow  that  superb  variety  Cox’s- 
Orange  Pippin.  I  know  that  if  Cox’s  will  grow  well  very  few  others 
will  fail  under  good  management.  I  do  not  know  any  variety  that 
requires  more  careful  cultivation,  or  better  repays  that  care,  than  this 
prince  of  dessert  Apples.  Has  Mr.  Raillem  tried  Domino  as  a 
kitchen  Apple  for  early  use  ?  But  I  forget,  he  only  wants  two  for' 
cooking  from  the  “  beginning  to  the  end  ” — Lord  Grosvenor  and 
Bramley’s.  They  are  good  when  both  are  in  full  bearing,  but  I  should 
not  like  to  rely  on  any  two  Apples.  Your  critical  correspondent 
evidently  possesses  a  “  fixed  ”  taste,  and  if  he  attends  church  (as  I 
hope)  might  be  satisfied  with  the  same  two  sermons  a  week,  if  very 
good,  for  eight  or  nine  months. 
Mr.  Raillem,  however,  has  no  doubt  attained  his  object  in 
expressing  and  eliciting  ideas.  Very  often  it  is  not  the  paper  that  is 
written  which  is  the  most  valuable,  but  the  discussion  and  ideas  which 
follow.  I  am  pleased  that  1  have  been  able  to  write  anything  that  a 
gentleman  of  Mr.  W.  R.  Raillem’s  capacity  should  deem  worthy  of 
his  notice. — G.  Picker. 
SALADS. 
It  is  part  of  the  duty  of  many  gardeners  to  provide  salad  vegetables 
the  whole  year  round,  and  in  order  to  do  this  effectively  a  large 
variety  must  be  grown.  Some  of  the  most  useful,  such  as  Celery  and 
Beetroot,  have  already  been  referred  to,  and  others,  including  Cucumbers 
and  Tomatoes,  requiring  glass  accommodation,  can  hardly  be  dealt  with 
comprehensively  in  a  brief  article.  Generally  speaking,  salads  do  not 
play  an  important  part  on  the  exhibition  table.  A  few,  including 
those  named  above,  are  frequently  shown  in  vegetable  collections,  and 
at  some  shows  a  separate  class  is  provided  for  salads.  Salads  of 
different  kinds  are  highly  appreciated  on  the  tables  of  the  affluent,  but 
among  the  working  section  of  the  community  they  are  not  consumed 
so  largely  as  one  would  suppose,  considering  the  simplicity  of  growing, 
and  the  ease  of  making  a  very  palatable  dish  at  a  small  cost.  There 
seems  to  be  an  idea  that  salads  are  among  the  luxuries  of  the  garden, 
and  this  mistaken  impression  leads  to  the  neglect  of  a  most  useful 
section  of  vegetable,  and  so  far  as  the  million  is  concerned,  the 
palatable  qualities  of  simple  salads  are  not  appreciated,  simply  because 
they  are  unknown.  It  will  perhaps  be  as  well  to  refer  to  a  selection 
of  useful  salad  vegetables  in  rotative  order. 
Chicory. 
This  plant  generally  belongs  to  the  forcing  division,  and  the 
blanched  growths  are  much  in  demand.  The  culture  is  simplicity 
itself.  If  a  piece  of  friable  well-dug  ground  is  selected  in  April,  and. 
the  seeds  sown  in  drills  a  foot  asunder,  and  the  seedlings  afterwards 
thinned  to  6  inches  apart,  no  further  culture  is  necessary  during  the 
growing  period  beyond  an  occasional  hoeing  between  the  rows. 
A  start  may  be  made  in  November  by  taking  up  a  portion  of  the 
roots,  and  packing  them  closely  together  in  soil  in  a  dark  moist  atmo¬ 
sphere.  The  conditions  of  a  Mushroom  house  are  very  suitable.  By 
keeping  the  tops  and  roots  moist  the  blanched  growths  will  soon 
appear,  and  after  these  are  cut  the  old  roots  should  be  removed.  In 
this  way  a  succession  of  Chicory  may  be  obtained  throughout  the 
winter.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  make  a  fresh  sowing  every  spring. 
Watercress. 
In  addition  to  the  indispensable  Mustard  and  Cress,  that  is  so 
accommodating  and  common  as  to  need  no  cultural  reference,  good  crisp 
Watercress  is  a  favourite  salad.  Though  an  aquatic,  water  is  not 
absolutely  necessary  for  its  culture,  and  if  sown  in  a  moist  position  in 
the  garden  thinly  in  drills  about  a  foot  apart  good  Cress  may  be 
obtained.  The  plants  should  be  thinned  w  about  6  inches  apart  when 
large  enough,  and  water  be  applied  in  times  of  drought,  otherwise  the 
Cress  will  be  hard  and  tough.  The  strongest  shoots  must  be  picked 
for  use  in  a  careful  manner,  and  the  plants  will  then  keep  through  the 
winter.  There  is,  however,  no  Cress  like  that  grown  in  a  clear 
running  stream  of  spring  water,  and  where  such  accommodation 
exists  the  trouble  of  sowing  or  planting,  and  care  after  in  keeping  the 
growth  clean  and  free  from  obnoxious  weeds,  is  amply  repaid  by  the 
quantity  of  crisp  good  flavoured  Cress  that  may  be  obtained.  Under 
