Maroh  5,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OP  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
207 
- Ancient  Timber. — Probably  the  oldest  timber  in  the  world 
which  has  been  subjected  to  the  use  of  man  is  found  in  the  ancient 
temples  of  Egypt  in  connection  with  the  stonework,  which  is  known  to 
be  at  least  4000  years  old.  This,  the  only  wood  used  in  the  construction 
of  the  temple,  is  in  the  form  of  ties,  holding  the  end  of  one  stone  to 
another  at  its  upper  surface. 
Dr  Hogg  Peach. — As  seen  in  one  of  Mr.  Walker’s  houses 
some  very  fine  trees  of  this  beautiful  Peach  are  florally  a  remarkable 
sight.  Apart  from  its  merit  as  a  fruiting  tree  the  variety  should  be 
widely  grown  as  a  flowering  plant  or  tree.  At  Ham  the  bloom  is  not 
only  fine  and  richly  coloured,  but  is  so  profuse  as  to  be  fully  three 
times  the  bulk  any  other  variety  carries.  As  a  floral  garland  nothing 
could  well  be  more  beautiful.  I  should  like  to  have  this  Peach  planted 
in  high  houses,  as  standards  after  the  Bexley  Heath  method,  or  as 
trained  trees  running  under  the  glass,  and  forming  a  perfect  bower  of 
beautiful  pink  flowers  in  a  long  span  house.  When  trees  are  naturalised 
to  early  blooming,  what  a  moderate  heat  suffices  for  the  purpose  ! — D. 
Cropping  Peach  Trees. — Mr.  J.  Hale  says  that  a  Peach  tree 
three  or  four  years  old  should  not  be  allowed  to  bear  more  than 
250  Peaches,  one  four  or  five  years  old  not  more  than  300,  and  a  full- 
grown  tree  not  more  than  500.  This  means  that  the  Peaches  should  be 
at  least  6  inches  apart.  Five  hundred  Peaches  make  six  to  eight  baskets 
of  fancy  fruit.  Three  thousand  Peaches  to  a  tree  would  sell  for  less 
money  and  ruin  the  tree.  An  American  contemporary  says  that  Mr. 
Hale  puts  step-ladders  under  the  trees  and  begins  to  thin  when  the 
Peaches  are  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  every 
fruit  that  is  diseased  or  stqng  by  the  curculio  is  carried  away  to  be 
burned.  The  rest  of  the  thinnings  are  thrown  on  the  ground  and  left 
there. 
-  Fringed  Cyclamen.— -So  wedded  are  we  to  the  smooth  edge 
of  the  petals  of  Cyclamen  flowers,  that  any  departure  from  that  smooth 
outline  may  be  in  some  quarters  (regarded  as  retrogressive.  But  if 
there  be  special  beauty  in  fringes  to  Chinese  Primrose  flowers,  why  not 
to  those  of  Cyclamen  ?  Looking  over  the  remains  of  the  large  collection 
grown  for  market  by  Mr.  J.  Walker  at  Ham,  I  could  hut  notice  a  really 
good  broad  petalled  pure  white  that  had  distinctly  fringed  edges.  Mr. 
Walker,  jun.,  mentioned  that  he  saved  seed  from  a  flower  similarly 
edged  last  year,  and  some  of  its  progeny  were  now  amongst  the  huge  batch 
of  6000  seedlings,  all  in  60-sized  pots.  The  plant  noticed  seemed  to  me 
as  capable  of  creating  a  very  distinct  and  beautiful  strain,  as  the  lacinia- 
tion  was  clearly  defined.  In  the  market  it  would  have  been  unnoticed, 
but  few  such  departures  from  normal  types  escape  the  sharp  eyes  of  a 
florist. — A.  D. 
-  Experiments  with  Manures. — A  report  of  the  experiments 
on  the  use  of  manures  for  pastures.  Potatoes,  and  root  crops,  carried  out 
in  Berkshire,  Hampshire,  and  Oxfordshire  last  year  in  connection  with 
the  agricultural  department  of  University  Extension  College,  Reading, 
has  been  prepared  by  Mr.  D.  A.  Gilchrist  and  Mr.  P.  H.  Foulkes.  So 
far  phosphatic  manures  have  given  the  best  results  in  improving  the 
quality  of  pastures,  basic  slag  being  apparently  more  effective  and 
lasting  than  superphosphate.  In  connection  with  experiments  on 
Potato  disease,  it  is  stated  that  exceptionally  good  results  were  obtained 
at  Fareham  and  at  Lymington  by  spraying  the  crop  at  suitable  times 
with  a  mixture  of  sulphate  of  copper  and  lime.  Chemical  manures 
(containing  nitrogen,  phosphates,  and  potash)  produced  an  increase  of 
the  Potato  crop  at  a  much  less  cost  than  farmyard  manure.  In  experi¬ 
ments  at  Headington,  Oxford,  it  was  noticed  that  Turnips  were  much 
injured  by  finger-and-toe,  and  that  farmyard  manure  had  considerably 
increased  the  attack.  On  the  other  hand,  cropsjon  adjoining  land  were 
almost  free  from  the  disease.  The  soil  in  which  the  roots  suffered 
yielded  on  analysis  only  0-45  per  cent,  of  lime,  whilst  that  in  which 
they  were  almost  free  from  attack  contained  as  much  as  5-49  per  cent, 
of  lime.  These  facts  support  the  contention  of  Dr.  Voelcker  and  others, 
that  absence  of  lime  encourages  finger-and-toe.  The  field  experiments 
are  to  be  continued  this  year,  and  a  fourth  county  (Dorset)  is  now 
included  in  the  scheme. 
FRUIT  CULTURE  IN  THE  HIMALAYAS. 
The  “  Board  of  Trade  Journal  ”  quotes  from  a  Bengal  newspaper  an 
interesting  account  of  the  present  condition  and  prospects  of  fruit 
culture  in  the  Himalayas.  From  this  it  appears  that  during  the  past 
twenty-five  years  or  so  Government  has  established  and  maintained 
numerous  orchards  and  nurseries,  carried  out  experiments,  distributed 
free  among  cultivators  plants,  seeds,  seedlings,  and  grafts  of  the  choicer 
varieties  of  fruits  suitable  to  the  climate,  in  which  and  other  directions 
considerable  expenditure  must  have  been  incurred.  The  main  object,  it 
is  stated,  is  not  so  much  to  produce  high-class  European  fruit  for  those 
who  can  afford  to  pay  the  exorbitant  prices  which  it  commands,  as  to 
extend  the  cultivation  of  such  fruit  as  can  bear  transport  to  the  big  hill 
stations  and  to  the  plains,  and  thus  to  increase  the  production  of  an 
important  food  supply.  Looking  to  the  vast  quantities  in  which  many 
kinds  of  fresh  and  dried  fruits  are  annually  imported  into  India  from 
Kabul,  it  was  considered  that  there  was  a  trade  well  worth  striving  to 
secure  for  Kumaon  and  adjacent  parts  ;  and  the  favourable  results  that 
had  already  attended  the  founding  of  the  gardens  at  Chaubattia  (near 
Ranikhet),  which  are  alluded  to  as  among  the  first  of  their  kind, 
encouraged  the  belief  that  the  scheme  embodied  the  elements  of  success. 
English  Fruit. 
In  Kumaon,  English  Apples  thrive  well  from  imported  trees  ;  the 
Ribston  Pippin,  for  example,  which  is  rapidly  becoming  extinct  at  home, 
through  a  disease  called  “  canker,”  comes  to  great  perfection,  this  variety, 
as  a  whole,  being  described  as  splendid  and  highly  coloured.  English 
varieties  of  the  Peach  also  do  well,  and  when  the  best  results  are  obtained, 
are  said  to  be  in  every  way  equal  to  the  Californian  production.  The 
Apricot  tree  flourishes  and  bears  profusely  ;  indeed,  it  is  referred  to  as 
the  most  prolific  and  widely  spread  of  all  fruit  trees  in  Kumaon,  and  is 
equally  at  home  at  an  altitude  of  1000  feet  or  8000  feet,  although  it  is  at 
its  best  between  4000  and  5500  feet.  The  Sweet  Chestnut  has  been 
introduced  in  more  recent  years,  and  great  things  are  expected  of  it. 
Cherries  do  well  in  Kumaon  and  fetch  good  prices,  but  they  are  grown 
on  a  very  limited  scale.  The  climate  has  also  been  found  suitable  to  the 
English  Plum,  but,  somewhat  strange  to  say,  this  fruit  has  been  neglected, 
although  four  varieties  of  the  Cashmere  Plum,  which  are  very  acid  even 
when  quite  ripe,  are  plentiful. 
Difficulties  of  Extension. 
From  various  sources  of  information,  however,  it  has  been  found  that 
there  are  many  obstacles  in  the  way  of  extending  the  fruit-growing 
industry.  A  long  time  necessarily  intervenes  between  the  outlay  of 
capital  on  the  plantation  of  orchards  and  realising  returns  from  the 
crops,  and  this  of  itself  has  greatly  deterred  private  enterprise.  As 
regards  the  native,  generally,  it  goes  much  against  the  grain  to  devote 
the  necessary  care  and  time  to  manuring,  pruning,  thinning,  picking, 
packing,  and  to  give  or  provide  the  necessary  protection  to  the  trees 
from  predatory  neighbours  and  robber  tribes  of  beasts  and  birds,  while 
hailstorms,  which  create  great  havoc  in  some  situations,  are  beyond 
control.  In  fact,  fruit  culture — on  the  lines  that  have  made  it  a  success 
in  gardens  and  nurseries  belonging  to  Government,  and  to  the  few 
Europeans  and  the  comparatively  small  number  of  the  wealthier 
natives — is,  it  is  to  be  feared,  beyond  the  poorer  class  of  cultivators,  and 
even  if  it  were  within  their  reach  it  is  questionable  how  far  their 
apathetic  nature  and  conservative  ways  would  permit  them  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  advantages  offered.  Hence,  village  orchards,  it  is 
said,  are  almost  unknown.  A  section  of  substantial  agriculturists, 
corresponding  to  the  yeoman  class  in  England,  have,  however,  been 
found  anxiously  prepared  to  seize  the  opportunity  offered  by  Govern¬ 
ment  nurseries  to  establish  orchards  ;  and,  although  there  have  been 
numerous  failures  among  them,  others  again  have  succeeded,  and  now 
export  to  Calcutta  and  elsewhere. 
Transport  Troubles. 
Another  great  drawback  to  any  material  expansion  of  the  export 
trade  in  fruit  is,  of  course,  its  perishable  nature  and  the  consequent 
difficulty  of  safe  transport.  Even  Apples,  which  are  least  of  all 
susceptible  to  injury,  and  which  keep  at  least  tolerably  well,  require 
to  be  packed  with  the  utmost  care,  each  fruit  being  wrapped  separately 
in  paper,  and  then  nested  in  moss,  but  even  then  the  loss  from  damage 
is  considerable,  which  if  the  packing  is  carelessly  performed,  may  amount 
to  as  much  as  75  per  cent.  On  the  other  hand,  we  read  of  Apples  from 
Kulu  finding  their  way  as  far  as  Quetta.  Pears  do  not  stand  travel  so 
well,  and,  moreover,  are  liable  to  instant  decay  when  fully  ripe.  The 
Peach,  again,  it  is 'remarked,  will  not  bear  carriage  to  any  distance,  and 
this  is  also  the  case  as  regards  Cherries,  Raspberries,  and  .other  similar 
fruits,  which  must,  therefore,  depend  chiefly  on  local  demand.  No 
mention  is  made  of  the  Apricot’s  character  in  this  respect,  but  it  is 
probably  little  less  liable  to  injury  than  the  Peach. 
A  Chance  for  Capital. 
The  final  conclusions  appear  to  be  that  the  cultivation  of  fruit  in  the 
North-West  Himalaya  is  capable  of  being  made  a  lucrative  business 
with  some  outlay  of  capital,  and  good,  scientific  culture.  The  prices 
procurable  for  good  dessert  fruit  in  the  large  hill  stations  and  the  can¬ 
tonments  on  thd  plains  are  enormous  ;  and,  however  cultivators  may 
extend  their  operations,  the  demand  must  for  many  years  exceed  the 
supply.  Even  were  it  impossible  to  maintain  the  present  very  high 
rates,  greatly  reduced  wholesale  selling  figures  would  still  leave  the 
cultivator  a  good  margin  of  profit.  It  is  recommended,  therefore,  that 
Government  should  continue  to  organise  orchards  in  localities,  and 
teach  the  zemindars  how  to  insure  good  crops  ;  and,  in  short,  to  make 
the  undertaking  successful.  It  is  also  suggested  that  further  efforts 
should  be  made  to  persuade  villagers  to  establish  similar  enclosed 
gardens  for  themselves.  It  seems  not  improbable  that  were  government 
orchards,  advanced  to  the  stage  of  yielding  crops,  made  available  for 
purchase  on  fair  and  easy  terms,  Europeans  possessed  of  small  capital 
would  be  induced  to  invest  and  settle  down  on  their  property,  thus 
promoting  eventually  it  might  be  a  partial  permanent  European  coloni¬ 
sation  of  the  North-West  Himalaya. — (The  Globe.) 
