October  20,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
3G5 
Kathleen  Rogers,  a  very  fine  pure  white  Japanese  incurved  with 
broad  grooved  drooping  florets  ;  R.  Hooper  Pearson,  fine  massive 
flowers  of  deep  golden  yellow  ;  Mrs.  Coombs,  a  pretty  shade  of  delicate 
lilac  mauve  tinted  pink ;  Lord  Ludlow,  large  flower,  pale  lemon 
yellow,  rather  broad  florets ;  Mrs.  White  Popham  is  as  big  and  as 
solid  as  last  year.  Others  of  recent  introduction,  such  as  H.  J.  Jones, 
dazzling  crimson  and  gold,  Emily  Towers,  Lady  Phillips,  and  Jane 
Molyneux  are  advancing  rapidly. — C.  H.  P. 
SCHEDULES  OF  SHOWS. 
Lvesham.— November  3rd. 
The  schedule  of  the  Evesham  Chrysanthemum  Society,  whose 
Show  will  be  held  in  the  Town  Hall  on  the  above  date,  comprises 
thirty-nine  classes  in  all,  of  which  about  fifteen  are  devoted  to 
Chrysanthemums,  while  the  remainder  include  prizes  for  fruits, 
vegetables,  and  plants.  An  8-guinea  challenge  cup  and  £2  are 
offered  in  a  class  for  a  group  of  Chrysanthemums  not  exceeding 
40  square  feet  in  size;  the  second  and  third  prizes  being  of  30s.  and 
20s.  respectively.  In  the  cut  bloom  section  the  principal  interest  will 
be  centred  in  the  class  for  twenty-four  Japanese,  distinct,  for  which  the 
Committee  offers  £5,  £3,  and  £2,  which  ought  to  bring  good  competi¬ 
tion.  Mr.  George  Witt-,  Bengeworth,  Evesham,  is  the  Secretary,  and 
all  entries  must  reach  him  by  the  30th  inst.  Mr.  Witts  will  also 
furnish  necessary  particulars  to  intending  exhibitors. 
Leeds  Paxton.— November  14th  and  15th. 
Before  calling  particular  attention  to  the  leading  features  in  the 
schedule  of  the  Leeds  Paxton  Society,  we  wish  to  correct  an  error 
which  appeared  in  the  list  of  shows  on  page  338  of  our  last  issue.  It 
was  there  stated  that  Mr.  Campbell  was  the  Secretary,  whereas  we 
should  have  said  tbit  Mr.  Wm.  Smith,  The  Gardens,  Weetwood  Hall, 
Leeds,  is  the  Secretary,  to  whom  all  communications  must  be  addressed, 
and  who  will  receive  entries  up  to  November  6th.  There  are  two 
open  group  classes,  one  for  miscellaneous  plants  and  the  other  for 
Chrysanthemums,  and  amongst  the  prizewinners  £26  will  be  divided. 
For  twenty-four  incurved  a  7-guinea  challenge  cup  and  £5  constitute 
the  premier  prize,  with  £3  and  £2  for  second  and  third.  For  a 
similar  number  of  Japs  £6,  £3,  and  £2  are  offered,  these  two  clrtsses 
also  being  open.  In  the  restricted  section  a  5-guinea  cup  is  offered  for 
twelve  incurved,  distinct,  and  a  cash  prize  of  £3  will  be  added  to  the 
best  exhibit;  the  second  and  third  prizes  are  £2  and  £1.  The  sum  of 
£7  is  allotted  for  twelve  Japanese,  while  there  are  numerous  other 
prizes  in  this  section,  as  are  there  in  the  classes  limited  to  members  of 
the  8ociety.  In  this  age  of  big  blooms  it  is  curious  no  cup  is  offered 
at  Leeds  for  Japanese  Chrysanthemums.  The  total  prize  money 
offered  exceeds  £133.  The  Show  will  be  held  in  the  Town  Hall. 
Sheffield. — November  IOtii  and  11th. 
As  usual  the  Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Society’s  Exhibition  will 
be  held  in  the  Corn  Exchange,  and  will  doubtless  be  of  the  customary 
excellent  standard.  Mr.  Wm.  Housley,  28,  Joshua  Road,  Nether 
Edge,  Sheffield,  is  the  well  known  Secretary,  and  he  will  be  open  to 
give  any  information  required ;  all  entries  must  be  received  by 
November  3rd.  In  the  open  cut  bloom  section  there  are  two  classes, 
one  lor  twenty-four  incurved  and  the  other  for  twtnty-four  Japanese, 
the  prizes  in  each  case  being  of  the  respective  values  of  £7  10s.,  £5, 
£3,  and  £2,  which  certainly  ought  to  prove  sufficiently  tempting.  In 
the  restricted  section  £4  10s.,  £4,  £3,  £1  10s.,  and  £1  are  offered  for 
a  group  of  Chrysanthemums  arranged  for  effect,  while  there  are  in 
addition  many  prizes  for  cut  blooms,  specimen  plants,  and  fruit.  The 
Sheffield  Society  supports  an  excellent  amateur  and  cottagers’  section, 
that  comprises  about  fifteen  classes,  and  in  some  of  which  most  excel¬ 
lent  piizes  are  offered.  Despite  the  limited  conveniences  they  can 
command  the  Sheffield  amateurs  show  excellently  every  year. 
Windsor.— November  9th. 
The  Royal  Albert  Institute  has  been  chosen  as  the  venue  for  the 
eighth  annual  Show  of  the  Windsor  and  Eton  Chrysanthemum  and 
Horticultural  Society,  for  which  the  entries  close  on  November  2nd. 
The  schedule  contains  about  3£  dozen  classes  for  Chrysanthemums, 
various  plants,  fruits  and  vegetables.  There  are  open  classes  for  a 
group,  four  specimen  plants,  and  Japanese  and  incurved  blooms.  In  the 
section  for  residents  in  the  Society’s  district  there  is  a  class  for  twelve 
Japanese  and  twelve  incurved,  in  which  a  5-guinea  challenge  cup  is 
added  to  the  premier  award  of  30s.  The  second  prize  is  30s.,  and 
the  third  10s.  Applications  for  schedules  and  information  must  be 
made  to  Mr.  Herbert  Finch,  Bank  House,  Eton,  who  is  the  Honorary 
Secretary. 
Ilford  Recreation  Ground. — The  first  prize  of  50  guineas,  for 
the  best  design  for  laying  out  the  Green  Lane  Recreation  Ground  at 
Ilford,  nas  neen  awarded  to  Messrs.  W.  Barron  &;  Sou,  landscape  gardeners 
at  Elvasion  Nurseries,  Borrowash. 
PUNCHING-  FRUIT  TREES. 
Yes,  I  still  consider  Mr.  Mitchell  (page  277)  a  bold  man,  and  a  pains¬ 
taking  one  to  boot.  He  seems  to  have  been  pinching  experimentally 
for  years,  the  result  being  abundance  of  dormant  blossom  buds,  but  no 
fruit.  In  the  study  of  blossom  bud  lormaticn  Mr.  Mitchell  has 
evidently  fully  employed  his  powers  of  deep  thinking;  but,  like  many 
other  deep  thinkers,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  the  gilt  of  making  the 
best  practical  use  of  his  deductions,  or  he  certainly  would  not  have 
been  contented  to  pinch  for  ten  years  a  tree  growing  under  unfavour¬ 
able  conditions.  Knowing  the  conditions  were  unfavourable,  how 
much  more  practical  it  would  have  been  to  have  lifted  and  replanted 
the  tree  in  question  in  a  better  site,  or  have  carried  out  his  experiments 
on  trees  more  favourably  placed,  so  that  his  labours  might  have  met 
with  due  reward. 
I  will  enter  into  no  argument  against  the  points  raised,  that  “a 
check  to  the  sap  will  cause  fruit  buds  to  appear,’’  or  that  the  circular 
motion  of  the  sap  caused  by 
pinching  will  result  in  the 
formation  of  extra  incipient 
buds,  which  break  through 
the  bark,  as  I  believe  it  to 
lea  true  statement  of  facts, 
and  have  never  expressed  a 
contrary  opinion.  But  this 
is  not  the  ground  on  which  I 
object  to  pinching  as  it  is  too 
often  practised.  My  point 
is  this  —  that  pinching  is 
necessary  under  an  artificial 
system  of  culture,  in  order 
to  crowd  a  number  of 
blossom  buds  into  a  given 
space ;  but  when  trees  are 
allowed  ample  room  to 
develop,  with  correct  treat¬ 
ment  in  other  respects, 
blossom  buds  will  form 
naturally  without  the  aid  of 
pinching.  In  such  cases  the 
only  real  necessity  for  pinch¬ 
ing  is  first  to  form  a  properly 
balanced  tree,  and  sub¬ 
sequently  to  keep  the  centre 
of  such  tree  open,  so  that 
the  sun  and  air  may  reach 
every  part. 
Now  let  me  hark  back  to 
Mr.  Geo.  Picker’s  note  (page 
317)  which  started  this 
interesting  controversy.  The 
question  he  put  was,  “Can 
any  practical  reader  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture 
prove  that  pinchiDg  or  stop¬ 
ping  of  the  shoots  of  fruit 
trees  will  produce  large 
healthy  fruit  buds  on  trees 
so  pinched  earlier  than  trees 
that  are  not  pinched  ?” 
Mr.  Mitchell  certainly 
Fig.  70.— Fruit  Bud  Formation,  does  not  attempt  to  do  so. 
What  he  has  shown  us  is 
that  pinching  produces  a  greater  number  of  such  buds  (or  dormant 
ones)  in  a  given  space,  and  to  my  mind  that  is  the  weak  point  about 
restricting  trained  trees  ;  we  get  too  many  blossom  buds  in  a  given 
space,  so  many  that  it  is  olten  necessary  to  thin  them  to  get  large 
healthy  buds.  For  this  reason  I  quite  agree  with  Mr.  Picker  that, 
“  if  a  dozen  trees  were  grown  side  by  side,  six  of  them  being  pinched, 
and  the  others  only  pinched  for  training,  at  the  end  of  six  years  the 
unpinched  trees  would  have  produced  more  and  better  fruit  than  the 
pinched  ones.” 
I  cannot  hope  to  approach  Mr.  Mitchell  in  the  clear  portrayal  of 
shoots,  leaves,  and  buds,  as  my  early  efforts  at  drawing  were  directed 
to  the  science  of  geometry  rather  than  to  the  art  of  sketching,  but  it 
your  artist  will  step  in,  and  give  to  my  rough  sketch  due  proportion 
between  leaves  and  buds,  my  slight  effort  may  not  have  been  made  iu 
vain.  I  have  tried  to  show  that  an  unstopped  shoot  will  produce  buds 
quite  as  quickly  as  one  that  has  been  stopped.  The  illustration  shows  a 
shoot  cut  from  a  standard  tree  of  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin  Apple.  No.  1 
is  the  growth  of  the  current  year,  which  started  from  a  point  between 
buds  2  and  3 ;  these  are  buds  which  will  blossom  next  year,  when 
they  will  be  slightly  under  two  years  old.  No.  4  is  a  bud  formed 
close  to  the  bark,  which  close  examination  shows  was  the  base  of  a 
former  fruitstalk ;  it  will  not  blossom  next  year.  Nos.  5  and  6  are 
