JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  26,  lb90. 
368 
The  Growth  of  the  Fruit  Trade. 
Such  was  the  title  of  a  paper  read  during  the  afternoon  by  Mr.  Geo. 
Monro,  Y.M.H.,  before  a  comparatively  large  attendance  of  Fellows,  who 
bad  gathered  to  hear  the  essayist’s  views  on  this  subject,  and  no  one,  it 
will  be  admitted,  is  better  qualified  for  the  task.  Mr.  Monro  referred  to 
the  enormous  development  in  the  traffic  in  fruit,  noticing  not  only  the 
immense  increase  in  home  productions,  but  also  the  consignments  that 
reach  us  from  practically  all  quarters  of  the  globe.  He  observed 
that  thirty  years  ago  there  were  few  beyond  English  orchard-grown 
Apples  in  the  market,  while  now  we  receive  supplies  from  Canada,  Nova 
Scotia,  New  Zealand,  Tasmania,  Australia,  and  American  States.  The 
excellence  in  packing  was  also  dealt  with,  and  emphasis  laid  on  the  fact 
that  the  form  in  which  produce  was  placed  on  the  market  made  practically 
the  whole  difference  between  success  and  failure.  Pears  claimed  a  brief 
share  of  attention,  and  Mr.  Monro  apparently  favoured  Californian  and 
other  imported  fruits  over  the  English.  Outdoor  soft  fruits,  such  as 
Strawberries,  with  the  several  other  kinds,  were  adverted  to  in  an 
interesting  manner,  and  many  elucidatory  figures  were  given. 
Mr.  Monro  then  proceeded  to  speak  of  the  crops  of  Grapes  and 
the  quantities  of  home  grown  fruit  that  were  produced,  and  in 
illustration  of  his  text  mentioned  that  his  firm  distributed  in  the  week 
preceding  last  Christmas  34  tons  of  excellent  Grapes  from  Covent  Garden 
alone  with  6  tons  from  the  Manchester  house.  He  spoke  in  high  terms  of 
the  excellence  of  English  Grapes,  both  as  regards  appearance  and  flavour, 
and  mentioned  the  fact  that  his  firm  did  a  regular  traffic  in  them  with 
Germany,  Austria  and  Sweden,  but  confessed  to  inability  to  deal  with 
France  owing  to  the  prohibitive  duty  of  2s.  on  every  pound.  Tomatoes, 
Pines,  Bananas  and  other  fruits  each  came  in  for  turn,  and  the  subject 
proved  most  entertaining  to  the  audience. 
CARYOPTERIS  MASTACANTHUS. 
THIS  would  be  a  welcome  addition  to  the  garden  at  any  time  of  the 
year,  but  it  is  doubly  welcome  from  its  blooming  in  the  autumn,  when 
good  flowering  plants  are  apt  to  be  scarce.  A  native  of  China,  it  is 
fairly  hardy  in  the  London  district,  but  farther  north  it  would  probably 
require  a  certain  amount  of  shelter.  It  succeeds  well  in  pots  if  not 
kept  too  warm  or  close,  and  forms  a  good  plant  for  conservatory  or  house 
decoration.  The  flowers  are  very  useful  tor  cutting,  as  they  keep  fresh 
a  considerable  time  in  water,  and  will  expand  if  cut  in  a  bud  state. 
Of  a  sub-shrubby  or  nearly  herbaceous  habit,  it  throws  up  numerous 
shoots  from  near  the  ground,  forming  a  graceful  plani  about  3  feet  high, 
and  having  a  striking  appearance  when  covered  with  its  brilliant  violet- 
blue  blooms.  The  flowers  are  in  axillary  clusters  on  short  stems,  and 
individually  small,  but  are  borne  in  large  numbers  from  nearly  every 
joint  of  the  upper  half  of  the  stems.  The  leaves  are  2  to  3  inches  long, 
nearly  ovate  in  shape,  with  large  coarse  teeth  on  the  upper  two-thirds  of  the 
margins,  dull  green  above, and  covered  on  the  under  side  with  a  white  down. 
It  will  grow  in  almost  any  well-drained  soil,  but  should  never  be 
allowed  to  become  dry  during  the  summer,  or  no  flowers  will  be  produced. 
It  can  be  increased  by  cuttings  or  divisions  of  the  root  ;  if  by  cuttings, 
care  should  be  taken  to  guard  against  damping-off,  which  they  are  very 
liable  to  do  if  kept  too  moist. — C. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Eupatoriums. 
The  winter-flowering  greenhouse  varieties  of  Eupatoriums  are 
indispensable  in  an  establishment  where  cut  flowers  and  plants  in  pots  are 
in  considerable  demand.  They  are  also  most  useful  in  the  conservatory. 
The  loose  corymbs  of  the  small  white -flowered  kinds  are  valuable  for 
mixing  in  bouquets  and  associating  with  other  flowers  in  glasses,  as 
they  afford  a  light  and  graceful  appearance. 
E.  Weinmannianum,  which  is  sweet-scented,  is  now  in  flower,  and  will 
be  followed  later  by  E.  riparium.  Both  these  will  root  readily  from 
cuttings  inserted  in  the  spring  and  placed  in  a  warm  propagating  frame. 
Indeed,  E.  riparium  will  root  under  almost  any  circumstances,  small 
shoots  broken  off  and  merely  pushed  into  the  soil  with  the  finger  rooting 
quickly.  It  also  seeds  freely,  and  numbers  of  seedlings  can  often  be 
obtained  by  searching  under  the  stages  or  on  the  bels  where  the  plants 
have  stood  to  flower.  When  the  cuttings  are  rooted  they  should  be 
gradually  hardened  and  eventually  placed  in  cold  frames  for  the  summer, 
potting  them  as  they  require  it.  Occasional  feedings  with  weak  liquid 
manure,  preferably  soot  water,  during  the  growing  season  will  prove 
beneficial. 
We  find  it  an  excellent  plan  with  old  stock  of  E.  riparium  to  plant 
in  the  open  border  during  the  summer,  dividing  the  large  roots  if 
necessary.  These  are  lifted  with  a  good  ball,  as  soon  as  frost  threatens, 
are  potted,  and  placed  in  a  cool  structure  where  heat  is  obtainable  if 
necessary,  shading  from  bright  sunshine,  and  syringing  frequently  to 
prevent  flagging  till  established.  E.  Weinmannianum  can  be  grown  into 
a  large  bush  4  or  5  feet  high  if  kept  for  several  years  and  lightly  pruned 
into  shape  after  each  flowering  season. 
The  red  varieties  atrorubens  and  ianthinum  are  said  to  require  a 
slightly  warmer  temperature  than  those  mentioned  during  the  flowering 
period.  There  are  several  others,  some  of  which  are  hardy  summer¬ 
flowering  shrubs.  We  have  found  thrips  and  red  spider  somewhat  trouble¬ 
some  during  the  recent  hot  dry  season,  but  these  pests  can  be  kept  in 
check  by  the  regular  use  of  the  syringe,  and  by  slight  fumigations  after 
the  plants  are  housed. — S.  X. 
. — .  i 
Eg  WORK™^  WEEK..  * 
HARDY  FRUIT  GARDEN. 
Renovating  Standard  Apples  and  Pears. — When  these  trees  grow 
and  fruit  indifferently,  it  may  be  owing  to  causes  which  can  be  removed. 
The  lack  of  moisture  and  proper  food  in  the  soil  may  be  the  cause,  or  the 
trees  are  crowded  with  growths.  The  condition  of  the  trees  is  indicated 
by  the  texture  of  the  leaves,  the  length  and  strength  of  the  current  year’s 
wood,  and  the  quality  of  the  fruit.  When  the  leaves  are  thin,  small,  and 
deficient  in  colour,  the  wood  made  during  the  season  short  in  length  and 
weak,  and  the  quality  and  size  of  fruit  distinctly  below  the  average,  there 
is  ample  scope  for  improvement  in  managing  the  trees. ^ 
Remedying  Overcrowding. — The  general  growth  of  the  trees  may  be 
satisfactory,  but  if  the  brancnes  are  allowed  to  remain  too  closely  together 
the  buds  cannot  be  properly  built  up  or  the  wood  ripened.  These  are 
important  points  in  the  production  of  fruit.  The  present  is  a  suitable 
time  to  rectify  the  common  evil  of  overcrowding,  especially  when  it  can 
be  carried  out  before  the  leaves  fall,  as  their  presence  is  a  good  guide  in 
forming  a  correct  judgment  as  to  the  disposal  of  the  branches.  Those 
which  cross  one  another,  interlace  and  grow  inwards,  must  be  first  dis¬ 
carded,  dealing  with  the  centres  of  the  trees  to  commence  with.  As  far 
as  practicable,  all  branches  removed  in  the  process  of  thinning  should  be 
cut  out  close  to  the  main  stems  or  to  the  stems  from  which  they  originate. 
The  chief  object  in  reducing  the  amount  of  wood  in  crowded  trees  is  to 
admit  light  and  air  freely.  When  the  trees  are  in  full  foliage  abundance 
of  light  is  necessary  to  induce  a  stout  and  leathery  tissue  of  each  leaf, 
and  this  cannot  be  secured  if  sunlight  does  not  reach  them  in  a  direct 
manner.  Under  the  best  conditions  important  work  is  done  by  the  leaves 
in  elaborating  the  food  material  received  into  the  plant  and  storing  it  in 
fruit  and  wood  buds. 
Weakly  Trees. — Trees  that  may  not  be  unduly  crowded  with  growth 
may  yet  be  unsatisfactory,  owing  to  the  weakly  character  of  the  growth 
and  buds.  Lack  of  moisture  for  the  roots  may  be  the  cause  of  this,  as 
well  as  the  impoverishment  of  the  surface  soil  through  long-continued 
withdrawal  of  food  elements  in  the  soil,  and  Deglecting  to  replace  it  with 
suitable  manurial  applications.  Moisture  in  the  soil  is  the  chief  factor, 
and  this  should  be  supplied  to  the  trees  unstintedly,  not  only  as  far  as 
the  few  feet  radius  from  the  stem,  popularly  supposed  to  contain  the 
bulk  of  the  roots,  but  as  far  as  the  branches  extend,  where  the  principal 
feeding  roots  may  be  found.  The  moisture  applied  to  old  trees  like 
these  need  not  be  confined  to  simple  clear  water,  but  any  liquid  manure 
or  sewage  may  be  given  liberally  and  without  dilution.  Dressing  of  wood 
ashes,  manures,  and  lime  will  act  beneficially  on  such  trees,  and  give 
them  a  new  lease  of  life  in  the  course  of  a  few  seasons.  In  the  winter 
the  stems  and  branches  should  be  cleared  of  moss,  lichen,  and  American 
blight. 
Improving  Wall  Trees. — Trained  trees  on  walls  are  frequently  too 
well  furnished  with  branches,  and  the  least  necessary  ought  to  be  boldly 
cut  back  to  the  main  stems.  Every  other  one  can  be  removed  in  many 
cases,  to  the  permanent  advantage  of  those  remaining.  A  space  of  a  foot 
to  15  inches  is  not  too  much.  The  reduction  in  the  length  of  ungainly 
spurs  and  the  thinning  out  of  crowded  c'umps  follows.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  remove  some  of  the  old,  inert  soil,  down  to  the  roots,  and  give  a 
thorough  soaking  of  water  and  liquid  manure,  then  fill  in  with  fresh,  rich 
soil,  and  mulch  with  short  manure. 
Opening  out  Bush  Trees. — Crowded  Gooseberries  and  Currants  rankly 
furnished  with  old  worn  out  branches  and  a  too  great  profusion  of  young 
growths  may  be  effectively  opened  out  now.  Nothing  but  good  will 
result  from  the  thinning.  Gooseberries  will  bear  freely  on  lengths  of 
youug  wood  distributed  over  the  bushes,  not  allowing  these  to  be  crowded, 
but  yet  avoiding  thinning  too  severely  owing  to  birds  attacking  the  buds 
in  winter.  Similar  treatment  accorded  to  Black  Currants  produces 
iruitful  bushes.  The  vigorous  young  wood  is  the  best  for  bearing,  and 
each  season  the  oldest  parts  may  be  cut  out.  Red  and  White  Currants 
are  best  furnished  with  five  to  seven  main  branches,  the  young  wood  on 
these  spurred  in  each  winter.  The  older  branches,  as  they  are  weakened 
by  over-production  may  be  replaced  by  young  strong  shoots  from  the 
base,  in  this  manner  keeping  a  bush  perpetually  vigorous  and  fruitful. 
How  to  Improve  Fruitless  Plum  Trees. — As  a  rule  Plum  trees  are 
best  left  with  little  or  no  pruning,  especially  standard  and  half-standard 
trees  in  the  open,  and  informally  trained  bush  trees.  Of  course,  like  other 
fruit  trees  they  must  be  pruned  in  the  early  stages  to  form  a  proper 
foundation,  but  after  that  desired  end  is  secured  no  shortening  of  the 
branches  must  be  practised.  It  is  rarely  that  Plum  trees  become  over¬ 
crowded  with  growth,  and  are  prevented  bearing  in  consequence,  but 
should  they  do  so  some  judicious  regulating  will  be  of  benefit.  They  do, 
however,  refuse  to  flower  and  bear  from  an  inadequate  supply  of  lime  in  the 
soil,  this  having  been  used  up  or  washed  away  from  the  surface  soil.  Trees 
that  appear  in  every  way  suitable  lor  bearing  but  do  not  do  so  require  a 
dressing  of  lime  and  wood  ashes,  then  a  thoroughly  good  soaking  with 
liquid  manure,  followed  by  a  top-dressing  of  short  decomposed  manure. 
In  the  course  of  the  winter  season  two  or  three  effective  soakings  of 
liquid  manure  or  sewage  may  be  given,  and  a  few  copious  waterings 
applied  in  summer. 
