Janaary  18, 1896, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
49 
behind.  Such  cases  are  no  mere  figures  of  imagination  ;  real  they 
are,  and  occurring  every  day,  as  many  know  to  their  cost — the 
struggling  widow  and  helpless  children  ;  what  is  to  become  of 
them  ?  Then  steps  forward  this  Institution  and  says,  “  I  will  help 
you,”  and  help  it  does,  as  we  all  know,  and  would  do  more  but  for 
the  old,  old  reason — lack  of  funds.  I  know  of  no  society  more 
noble  than  this,  helping,  as  it  does,  those  who  are  unable  to  help 
themselves. 
It  is  the  duty,  then,  of  those  more  fortunate  in  life  to  hold  out 
the  hand  of  assistance  and  push  forward  the  good  work  of  this 
Institution.  Though  still  young  much  good  has  already  been  done 
by  the  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund  in  assisting  to  make  respectable  men 
and  women  of  those  whose  future  without  its  aid  holds  out  such 
possibilities  that  you  and  I  shudder  to  think  of. 
Different  in  its  objects,  but  no  less  useful  and  worthy  of  support 
is  the  United  Horticultural  Provident  and  Benefit  Society,  whose 
work  has  been  more  than  once  enlarged  upon  in  this  Journal.  In 
character  it  is  somewhat  similar  to  such  societies  as  the  Hearts  of 
Oak  and  the  Oddfellows,  while  its  benefits  are  said  to  be  even 
greater.  It  provides  amongst  its  benefits  help  in  case  of  sickness, 
with  the  provision  of  an  accumulation  fund,  while  the  payments 
required  are  such  as  most  gardeners  can  afford.  It  has  often  been 
said  there  is  little  co-operation  amongst  gardeners,  and  indeed  in 
the  case  of  our  benefit  societies  there  is  room  for  much  more. 
Powerful  they  are  we  admit,  but  how  much  more  so  would  they  be 
if  the  whole  horticultural  community  would  give  the  support  they 
deserve,  and  by  so  doing  render  practical  these  thoughts  of  the 
future. 
How  sad  it  is  for  a  gardener,  after  long  years  of  toil,  to  find 
himself  in  his  old  age  face  to  face  with  what  ? — the  workhouse,  an 
establishment  of  which  everyone  holds  an  honest  dread,  and  justly 
so,  for  though  our  poor  laws  have  been  greatly  improved  since  the 
days  of  Bumbleism,  a  system  which  separates  man  and  wife  in  their 
old  age  has  not  much  to  commend  it.  We  do  not  like  to  think  of  such 
an  end  to  a  perhaps  useful  life,  but  it  is  no  mere  sentiment,  as 
many  gardeners  would  have  found  themselves  in  such  a  position 
but  for  the  assistance  of  our  benefit  societies.  These  lines  are 
therefore  penned  to  advocate  their  support,  and  gardeners  will  do 
well  to  consider  these  points  when  their  minds  are  occupied  with 
thoughts  of  the  future. — G.  H.  H. 
FRUIT  CULTURE  SIXTY  YEARS  AGO. 
Really  the  year  1834  was  sixty-two  years  ago,  therefore  it 
is  to  that  date  a  far  cry,  and  when  to  that  fact  is  added  the  other 
that  a  book  before  me  on  fruit  culture  so  long  since  was  the 
product  of  a  writer  eighty-three  years  of  age,  we  seem  to  be  carried 
back  to  the  beginning  of  the  century,  although  the  author  appears  to 
have  brought  his  observations  up  to  date.  The  book  was  given 
me  just  recently  by  a  friend,  and  I  have  found  it  to  be  of  singular 
interest,  not  only  because  it  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  old  books 
devoted  solely  to  fruit  culture,  but  also  because  it  was  written 
by  John  Rogers,  formerly  of  the  Royal  Gardens,  and  grandfather 
of  the  present  proprietor  of  the  Red  Lodge  Nurseries,  Southampton, 
Mr.  Alderman  Rogers,  J.P.,  at  which  delightful  place  the  book  was 
evidently  written. 
We  find  of  Apples  a  list  of  140  varieties.  Some  are  cider  Apples, 
and  not  a  few  are  to-day  almost  out  of  cultivation.  Still,  a  consider¬ 
able  number  is  found  that  rank  well  at  the  present  time,  as  a  selection 
will  presently  show.  The  descriptive  notes  atttached  to  these 
varieties  by  the  author  are  somewhat  voluminous  and  most  interest¬ 
ing  ;  indeed,  he  seems  to  have  been  personally  acquainted  with  the 
origin  of  not  a  few  of  them.  Of  Pears  there  are  fifty-one  sorts, 
of  which  about  a  dozen  are  still  well  known  and  widely  grown  ; 
of  Grapes  twenty-eight  varieties,  the  best  known  of  them  now 
being  White  Sweetwater,  Black  Hamburgh,  Muscat  of  Alexandria, 
and  the  Frontignans.  There  is  a  list  of  sixty-four  Gooseberries 
furnished,  the  best  known  of  which  now  are  Champagne,  Iron¬ 
monger,  and  Pitmaston  Greengage,  of  small  fruiters  ;  and  Red 
Warrington,  Crown  Bob,  and  Whitesmith,  of  larger  varieties. 
Currants  get  little  notice,  none  others  being  mentioned  but  Red, 
White,  and  Black.  Oddly  enough  the  author  in  his  notes 
descriptive  of  pruning  these  treats  all  alike  ;  happily,  we  know 
better  now. 
Only  six  varieties  of  Raspberries  are  mentioned,  the  best  of 
them  being  Red  and  White  Antwerps.  There  is  a  much  more 
formidable  list  of  thirty-three  Plums,  those  best  known  of  to-day 
being  Green  Gage,  Purple  Gage,  Orleans,  Nectarine,  Coe’s  Golden 
Drop,  still  the  best  late  variety  ;  the  White  and  Red  Magnum 
Bonums,  Kirke’s  Blue  Imperatrice,  and  the  old  and  Prune 
Damsons.  We  have  advanced  materially  in  relation  to  Plums  as 
well  as  other  fruits  since  1834.  Of  Strawberries  there  are  thirty 
named,  but  not  more  than  three  now  exist,  the  Grove  End  Searlet, 
the  best  for  preserving  ;  Carolina  superba,  still  found  in  gardens  ; 
and  Keen’s  Seedling,  also  grown,  but  largely  for  forcing  as  well  as 
for  outdoor  picking.  The  author  refers  to  it  as  being  new,  hence 
we  may  hold  that  it  has  been  in  existence  some  sixty-five  years. 
Reverting  to  the  Apple,  we  learn  that  the  different  characteristics 
of  the  Broad-leaved  or  Dutch  Paradise  and  the  French  Paradise 
stocks  were  well  understood  by  the  author,  thus  showing  that  there 
is  little  that  is  new  to  be  said  of  that  tree.  Strong  is  his 
remonstrance  against  deep  planting,  many  orchards  then  having 
been  ruined  through  that  practice,  and  to-day  we  have  to  urge  as 
strongly  as  ever  the  same  advice.  Better,  says  Mr.  Rogers,  “  lift 
and  replant  the  trees  more  shallow  than  allow  them  to  remain.” 
Even  in  that  long  ago  the  competition  from  France  and  America 
had  forced  itself  on  the  writer’s  notice,  for  he  remarks,  “The 
great  quantities  of  Apples  imported  from  France  and  America  is 
certainly  a  national  loss,  more  especially  as  there  is  so  much 
vacant  British  ground,  well  calculated  for  the  growth  of  the 
Apple,  now  lying  waste.”  We  are  saying  the  same  thing  to-day, 
only  with  much  greater  force,  yet  there  seems  to  be  even  greater 
need  for  such  preaching  than  there  was  sixty  years  ago. 
The  espalier  form  of  trained  tree,  one  to-day  far  too  much  over¬ 
looked,  is  in  great  favour  with  the  author,  who  also  refers  to  the 
efforts  made  to  grow  some  of  the  finest  flavoured  Apples  on 
wall  trellises,  but  not  with  success.  “  Under  the  impression 
that  this  situation  of  the  bearing  wood  (on  trellises  several  inches 
from  the  face  of  the  wall)  was  in  a  kind  of  mitigated  temperature 
suitable  for  maturing  the  fruit,  the  late  Earl  of  Holderness,  when 
in  possession  of  Sion  Hill,  Brentford,  had  all  his  extensive  south 
wall  trellised  according  to  the  Continental  method,  and  a  Dutch 
gardener  to  manage  the  trees.  But  neither  was  the  idea  of  the 
Earl  realised  nor  the  skill  of  the  gardener  effectual.  After  a  fair 
trial  the  plan  was  abandoned,  the  trellis  removed,  and  the  trees 
placed  close  to  the  wall,  where  they  flourished  and  bore  fine 
crops.” 
Referring  to  espalier- trained  trees,  we  are  told  that  Sir  William 
Temple  had  an  extensive  assortment  of  all  the  best  Apples  and 
Pears  obtainable,  planted  at  Sheen,  Surrey,  in  parallel  ranks  running 
east  and  west,  which  uniformly  produced  abundant  crops  for  the 
space  of  eighty  years.  Another  successful  instance  of  espalier 
culture  was  that  of  Secretary  Johnston  at  Twickenham,  where 
prodigious  crops  of  fruit  were  produced.  The  author  thought  even 
so  long  since  that  names  of  the  same  variety  were  too  much 
multiplied,  especially  of  Apples  and  Pears.  He  ventures  to  advise 
“the  Horticultural  Society  to  admit  not  another  sort  into  their 
collection  unless  it  can  clearly  be  made  to  appear  that  it  is  superior 
to  every  one  already  in  possession.”  That  is  advice  that  still  needs 
acting  upon.  His  suggestion  that  the  Society’s  medals  be  given 
rather  for  the  greatest  successional  crops  than  for  mere  samples  he 
yet  admits  difficult  to  carry  out. 
Turning  to  the  list  of  Apples  the  old  Hawthornden  heads  it, 
and  is  highly  praised.  To-day  this  famous  Apple  lies  low.  The 
Red  Quarrenden  has  a  high  position  as  a  dessert  fruit  ;  Flower  of 
Kent,  one  of  the  largest  Apples  of  that  day,  is  still  a  favoured 
variety  in  many  localities.  The  pretty  German  Borsdoffer  Apple, 
recently  figured  in  the  Journal,  is  here  called  the  Bursdoffe  or 
Queen  Charlotte  Apple,  having  been  a  great  favourite  with  that 
lady,  who  had  it  introduced  into  England.  A  rather  lengthy  story 
with  respect  to  that  event  is  recorded  in  the  book,  Emperor 
Alexander  of  to-day  is  simply  Alexander  to  Mr.  Rogers,  who 
mentions  the  grower,  Mr.  Lee  of  Hammersmith,  as  having  intro¬ 
duced  it  from  Russia.  Margil  has  been  with  us  so  long  that  the 
author  had  known  it  seventy  years.  Hoary  Morn,  not  Morning,  is 
also  mentioned,  and  seems  to  be  of  Devonshire  parentage.  It  was 
then,  as  now,  noted  for  its  dense  bloom.  Amongst  Codlins  the 
Dutch,  Keswick,  Manks,  and  Kentish  are  all  highly  favoured. 
Braddicks  and  the  Scarlet  are  still  amongst  the  best  Nonpareils. 
It  makes  one’s  mouth  water  to  read  of  good  samples  of  the  latter 
selling  in  Covent  Garden  Market  at  2  guineas  per  bushel.  The 
variety  was  first  discovered  at  Esher,  a  single  tree  being  found  in 
a  garden  by  Mr.  Grimwood,  then  a  Kensington  nurseryman.  Of 
Pippins  the  Cockle,  Kerry,  Fearns,  Newtown,  Ribston,  Blenheim 
and  King,  were  all  esteemed  good  then.  Nothing  is  said  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  famous  Blenheim.  The  King,  Mr.  Rogers  thinks,  a 
pompous  title  ;  but  it  is  still  one  of  our  best  dessert  and  market 
Apples. 
As  to  the  Ribston  Pippin,  it  is  said,  “  Hargrave  in  his  ‘  History 
of  Knaresborough,’  speaks  of  the  place  as  remarkable  for  the 
production  of  a  delicious  Apple  called  the  Ribstone  Pippin,  the 
original  tree  of  which  was  raised  in  the  year  1688  from  the  seed  of 
a  Pippin  brought  from  France.”  The  author  saw  the  original  tree 
bearing  a  crop  of  fruit  in  1789,  though  then  showing  signs  of 
decay.  Twenty  years  later  it  was  blown  down.  The  old  Royal 
Russet,  Cobbett’s  Fall  Pippin,  Yellow  Ingestrie,  and  Norfolk  Beaufin, 
are  among  varieties  mentioned  yet  well  known.  The  matter  of  the 
