March  12,  i8%’.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER,  '  233 
Rosea  and  Violets  are  among  the  favourite  flowers  of  Mrs.  Chamber- 
lain.  As  has  been  mentioned,  a  large  house  is  devoted  to  the  former  for 
the  winter  and  spring  supply  of  blooms,  while  in  the  summer  they  an 
grown  in  a  rosery  encircled  by  low  hedges,  as  well  as  in  beds  in  different 
parts  of  the  grounds.  The  favourite  colours  are  massed,  and  in  the  Ros< 
garden  a  colony  of  Lord  Penzance’s  Sweet  Briars  is  found.  Violets  art 
grown  in  frames,  but  Mr.  Deacon  has  not  yet  been  able  to  produce  them 
in  the  form  and  with  the  ease  he  did  in  the  southern  counties.  The} 
are  essentially  flowers  of  the  country  where  the  air  is  clear,  and  an 
rarely  seen  in  finest  condition  in  gardens  near  populous  towns  ;  he  will 
not,  however,  be  quite  comfortable  till  he  has  mastered  their  production 
so  far  as  is  culturally  possible,  and  it  is  hoped  he  will  succeed  in  the 
endeavour.  The  Highbury  breezes  suit  him  very  well,  and  his  excellent 
helpmeet,  much  better  than  did  the  balmy  air  of  the  south-western 
counties. 
The  Kitchen  Garden  and  Workers. 
The  kitchen  garden  is  not  extensive,  and  only  the  vegetables  most 
wanted  are  grown,  no  space  being  wasted.  These  are  Asparagus,  Peas, 
and  Celery,  with  salads  in  abundance  ;  but  extra  ground  has  been  taken 
in  for  vegetables,  and  the  supply  will  be  proportionately  increased.  The 
fruit  trees  have  been  pruned  root  and  branch,  the  branch  pruning, 
however,  having  been  wisely  devoted  to  thinning.  The  results  will  be 
seen  another  year,  as  it  is  impossible,  as  many  inexperienced  persons 
suppose,  to  make  fruitless  trees  fruitful  in  one  season.  An  orchard  has 
also  been  planted,  and  will  in  due  time  afford  a  supply  of  useful  fruit. 
It  will  have  been  noticed  that  the  term  “  gardeners  ”  has  been 
employed.  This  is  because  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  two  responsible  men. 
Mr.  Burberry  is  entrusted  with  the  care  of  the  Orchids,  and  Mr.  Deacon 
(head  gardener)  with  everything  else,  both  outdoors  and  under  glass.  Two 
able  men  they  are,  and  both  have  a  high  conception  of  duty  ;  or,  in 
other  words,  are  as  trustworthy  as  they  are  competent,  and  work  together 
most  amicably.  The  many  workmen  are  treated  with  consideration, 
consistently  with  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  Half  the  young  men  are 
released  on  Saturday  afternoons  alternately,  so  that  they  all  have  a 
fortnightly  half-holiday  ;  and  labourers  are  allowed  to  do  work  by  the 
"piece,”  such  as  mowing  in  the  summer,  so  that  if  they  like  to  make  an 
extra  push  or  put  in  extra  time  they  can  gain  a  day,  or  most  of  a  day,  a 
week  for  their  own  gardens  without  any  loss  in  wages.  This  is 
altogether  better  than  begging  for  time,  and  grumbling  if  it  cannot  be 
granted.  They  simply  earn  it,  and  have  it  as  a  right,  thus  enjoying  it 
the  more. 
Enough  has  been  said  to  show  that  Highbury  is  one  of  the  most 
cherished  gardens  in  the  kingdom  ;  that  its  distinguished  proprietor  is 
one  of  the  most  ardent  of  amateur  gardeners  and  greatest  of  patrons  of 
the  art  he  loves  ;  that  his  men  are  well  treated,  and  may  be  happy  if 
they  will ;  and  it  only  remains  for  us  to  thank  Mr.  Chamberlain  most 
cordially  for  the  privilege  of  an  inspection,  so  readily  granted,  also  Mr. 
Deacon  and  Mr.  Burberry  for  their  courteous  attention,  which  made  our 
visit,  if  brief,  so  pleasant  as  to  engender  a  desire  for  another  look 
round 
[The  illustrations  of  the  structures  in  the  foregoing  note  are  from 
photographs  taken  by  Mr.  J.  A.  Draycott,  New  Street,  Birmingham.] 
NOTES  ON  HARDY  FRUITS. 
Chemical  Manures  for  Fruit  Trees. 
Gardeners  as  a  rule  do  not  pay  so  much  attention  to  the  use  of  the 
so-called  “  chemical  manures  ”  for  fruit  trees,  with  especial  regard  to  the 
time  of  application,  as  the  subject  demands.  All  those  who  have  given 
the  matter  careful  thought,  or  who  have  endeavoured  to  compare  the 
results  obtained  from  dressings  at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  period  at  which  the  manure  is  given, 
and  the  condition  of  soil  and  weather  then  prevailing,  have  a  very 
marked  influence.  The  subject  has  been  brought  prominently  under  my 
notice  recently,  because  in  the  course  of  correspondence  I  received  a 
letter  from  one  of  the  most  distinguished  agricultural  chemists  of  the 
present  day  ;  the  following  passage  occurs  : — "  I  am  quite  against  the 
suggestion  of  nitrate  of  soda  and  sulphate  of  ammonia  as  fruit  manures. 
‘  Leaf  forcers  ’  we  might  call  them,  but  not  favourers  of  quality  in  fruit. 
Organic  manures,  such  as  shoddy,  horn,  fish,  and  bones,  are  of  all 
nitrogenous  manures  the  most  useful  for  fruit.” 
I  have  only  replied  to  this  as  a  gardener  who  has  tried  both  the 
manures  named  and  not  as  a  scientific  chemist,  but  my  experience  and 
the  opinion  founded  thereupon  is  that  if  used  at  the  right  time  they 
exert  directly  or  indirectly  a  very  material  influence  upon  the  "size” 
of  fruit,  and  therefore  upon  the  "quality”  from  a  salesman’s  point  of 
view,  which  many  of  us  have  to  study  nowadays.  The  first  effect  is 
undoubtedly  upon  the  leaves,  but  we  all  know  that  without  good  leaf 
development  we  cannot  insure  good  fruit,  on  the  other  hand  we  also 
know  how  great  a  check  is  given  to  fruit  by  injury  to  foliage.  In  conse¬ 
quence  the  art  of  using  such  manures  to  the  best  advantage  consists  in 
applying  them  eo  that  the  stimulus  is  felt  when  the  first  rush  of  growth 
is  past,  and  particularly  with  regard  to  the  very  soluble  and  quickly 
acting  nitrate  of  soda,  which  seems  to  produce  the  best  results  after  the 
fruit  is  set  and  swelling.  Unless  I  am  mistaken  this  is  the  opinion  of 
many  leading  scientific  and  practical  horticulturists.  Therefore  may  we 
not  term  these  stimulants  both  “leaf  forcers”  and  “fruit  helpers?” 
I  am  inclined  to  think  so.  What  say  others  upon  this  point,  for  it  is 
one  that  concerns  many  ? 
Early  Apples  Keeping  Late. 
There  was  a  general  outcry  last  season  that  Apples  were  not  keeping 
well,  but  while  this  is  true  with  regard  to  some  varieties,  it  is  strangely 
at  variance  with  my  experience  of  several  early  Apples.  It  should  also 
be  pointed  out  that  many  varieties  were  ready  for  gathering  earlier  than 
usual,  which  would  prolong  the  season  considerably,  and  explain  to 
some  extent  their  failing  a  few  weeks  before  their  general  time.  Two 
particularly  early  Apples — namely,  Manks  and  Keswick  Codlin,  have 
surprised  me  by  keeping  as  fresh  as  possible  until  the  present  date 
(March  3rd),  and  they  will  last  for  a  week  or  two  yet.  On  several 
occasions  I  have  had  them  over  Christmas,  but  I  do  not  remember 
having  them  so  fresh  in  March  before.  Worcester  Pearmain  is  nearly 
as  good,  as  well  as  Stirling  Castle,  Golden  Noble,  and  Cellini,  which  are 
usually  over  by  this  time. 
Do  we  fully  realise  how  great  an  influence  efficient  fertilisation 
has  upon  fruit  swelling  and  keeping  ?  One  of  the  most  successful 
growers  of  hardy  fruit  for  market  known  to  me  attributes  in  a  large 
measure  his  regular  crops  of  even  fruits  and  their  long  keeping  qualities 
to  the  thirty  or  forty  stocks  of  bees  he  has  had  for  many  years.  I  have 
examined  many  thousands  of  Apples  at  different  times,  and  where 
fruits  have  not  kept  so  well  as  usual  it  has  been  found  in  numerous 
instances  that  the  fruit  has  been  imperfectly  fertilised,  as  shown  by  the 
fact  that  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  normal  number  of  seeds  has 
developed.  It  has  also  been  noted  that  the  first  signs  of  decay  or 
"wilting”  appeared  on  the  side  where  the  seeds  were  defective. 
Certainly  one  great  cause  of  Apples  not  keeping  well  is  careless  or  too 
hurried  gathering,  the  slightest  bruise  in  all  tender  varieties  being 
sufficient  to  set  up  incipient  decay.  Too  early  gathering  of  late 
varieties  should  be  avoided,  as  it  is  the  precursor  of  shrivelling. 
Double  Grafted  Pears. 
The  advantages  derivable  from  double  grafting  some  of  the  more 
vigorous  sorts  of  Pears,  those  that  do  not  take  well  to  the  Quince  stock 
direct,  and  a  few  of  uncertain  habit,  have  been  proved  by  many  growers  ; 
yet  nurserymen  keep  comparatively  few  varieties  in  quantity  grown  in 
this  form.  Probably  this  is  due  to  the  length  of  time  needed  to  obtain 
them  of  saleable  size,  the  higher  prices  being  scarcely  so  profitable  as  a 
lower  rate  for  those  more  quickly  grown  ;  some  nurserymen  have,  in 
fact,  almost  discarded,  double  grafted  Pears.  I  have  tried  several 
varieties  as  the  intermediate  stock,  such  as  Beuri6  d’ Amanlis  and  Beurie 
Hardy,  but  there  is  one  that  I  have  failed  to  obtain  hitherto,  though 
I  believe  it  has  been  used  with  success  in  the  case  of  strong  growing 
varieties.  This  is  a  French  Pear  known  as  Nain  Vert,  and  remarkable 
for  its  dwarf  habit.  Whether  this  is  still  grown  in  England  I  do  not 
know,  and  several  inquiries  have  failed  to  bring  me  any  information  ; 
perhaps  some  of  your  readers  may  have  heard  of  it.  More  than  twenty 
years  ago  I  knew  one  nurseryman  who  relied  upon  this  almost  exclu¬ 
sively  as  an  intermediate  stock  for  Pears,  but  I  have  had  no  tidings  of 
him  for  a  long  period.  The  most  satisfactory  results  that  have  come 
under  my  notice  as  regards  the  effects  of  double  grafting  have  occurred 
with  Marie  Louise,  Beurie  Ranee,  and  Jotciphine  de  Malines,  which  have 
given  better  returns  in  crops,  character,  and  quality  of  fruit,  than  on 
the  Pear  or  on  the  Quince  stocks  direct. 
Buds  of  Bush  Fruits  and  Frost. 
Black  Currants  and  Gooseberries  are  very  forward  in  our  district, 
and  when  we  last  week  experienced  a  frost  within  7°  of  zero  (in  a  low 
damp  situation),  it  was  generally  expected  that  severe  injury  would 
result.  Up  to  the  present,  however,  no  damaged  buds  have  been 
observed,  and  no  doubt  this  immunity  is  in  a  large  measure  due  to  the 
