October  80,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTWULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
415 
LANGLEY  IN  189G. 
The  Langley  of  the  present  year  ia,  as  most  British  gardeners  and 
fruit  growers  know,  a  different  place  to  what  it  was  somewhere  near  a 
score  of  years  ago,  for  then  it  was  in  its  early  infancy  as  a  home  of 
fruit,  whereas  now  it  has  ripened  into  a  perfect  manhood.  There  may 
all  fruit  trees  be  seen  of  every  conceivable  form  and  in  numbers  that 
are  nothing  short  of  astounding.  As  the  business  of  the  firm  of  Messrs. 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons  has  extendedjyear  by  year  it  has  become  necessary  to 
grow  larger  numbers  of  this  and  that  plant  or  tree,  and  so  perforce  the 
acreage  has  steadily  increased  until  now  going  on  to  100  acres  of  ground 
are  under  cultivation.  The  term  culti¬ 
vation  is  no  idle  one  as  applied  in  this 
relation,  for  the  ground  is  tilled  in  the 
best  possible  manner,  which  means  that 
all  the  food  it  contains  is  ready  for 
appropriation  by  the  crops.  Nowhere 
is  ground  kept  cleaner  or  better  worked 
than  that  utilised  by  Mr.  Morle  for  fruit, 
and  that  under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Scott 
for  flowering  plants  at  the  Langley 
nurseries. 
Not  that  the  efforts  towards  the 
well-being  of  the  stock  are  confined  to 
the  mechanical  working  of  the  soil,  im¬ 
portant  though  that  is,  for  food  in  the 
form  of  the  best  stable  manure  is  added 
in  such  quantities  as  insure  an  ample 
supply  for  the  sustenance  of  the  various 
crops.  This  is  done  systematically,  as 
is  everything  at  Langley,  and  with  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  staple  of  the 
ground,  which  is  naturally  adapted  to 
the  cultivation  of  fruit  trees  and  Eoses.  Of  these  latter  the  stock  is 
exceedingly  large,  and  the  growths  made  prove  how  congenial  is  the 
soil  and  the  treatment  the  plants  receive.  The  many  beds  of  flowers, 
both  annual  and  perennial,  were  in  admirable  condition  when  inspected 
a  few  weeks  ago,  and,  striking  as  they  appeared  from  the  railway,  they 
were  no  whit  less  so  under  a  closer  and  more  critical  examination. 
Such  an  inspection  reveals  how  pure  is  the  colour  developed,  and  how 
surprisingly  true  are  the  stocks  of  seeds,  evidence  of  the  care  that  is 
devoted  to  this  section  of  the  firm  by  those  more  particularly  interested 
in  it.  From  the  train  this  might  be  thought  the  most  attractive  feature 
in  the  nursery,  but  most  visitors  once  within  the  gates  would  devote  the 
major  portion  of  the  time  available  amongst  the  fruit  trees. 
Before  giving  more  detailed  attention  to  this  department,  however, 
we  would  spend  a  moment  with  the  renowned  Mr.  Saden — renowned 
now  not  only  for  the  superb  Orchids  resulting  from  his  labours,  but  also 
for  the  Strawberry  Veitch’s  Perfection,  that  promises  to  safely  uphold 
the  honour  of  the  firm  it  bears.  This  is  the  fruit  of  Mr.  Seden’s  crossing, 
and  its  merits  were  told,  and  an  illustration  given  of  it  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  under  date  of  July  16th.  There  are  other  fruits  and  flowers 
on  which  the  impress  of  the  master  hand  is  apparent,  but  of  these  no 
mention  can  be  made  in  these  notes  save  to  add  that  only  those  that 
prove  in  every  way  worthy  will  be  allowed  to  pass  into  the  hands  of 
the  horticultural  world.  Within  the  houses  the  work  of  renovation  in 
the  form  of  painting  and  glazing  was  in  full  swing  at  the  time  of  the 
visit,  which  occurred  soon  after  the  completion  of  a  new  span-roofed 
structure  for  the  accommodation  of  the  largest  plants.  Whether  Messrs. 
J.  Weeks  &  Co.,  the  builders,  the  firm,  or  its  grower  were  the  designers 
we  cannot  say,  but  it  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the ‘best  houses  for  its 
purpose  we  have  seen,  for  every  detail  that  could  affect  the  plants 
has  been  thought  out  to  insure  a  perfect  structure.  The  plants  certainly 
appreciate  it  if  their  splendid  condition  may  be  taken  as  a  criterion. 
As  there  are  thousands  of  standards,  bashes,  pyramids,  with  every 
conceivable  form  of  trained  trees  to  be  looked  at,  it  is  difficult  to  know 
where  to  begin,  and  so  vast  is  the  subject,  so  wide  the  range,  that  it  will 
be  even  more  hard  to  find  a  finish.  To  do  justice  to  the  methods  of 
growing  an  article  would  need  to  be  written  on  each  form,  which  with 
details  of  the  pruning  and  training  given  in  full  would  form  a  useful 
work  on  fruit  culture,  but  the  exigencies  of  space  and  time  forbid  it 
now,  and  allow  only  of  a  cursory  glance  and  reference  to  some  of  the 
most  important  types. 
Bush  fruits,  comprising  Currants,  Raspberries,  and  Gooseberries,  are 
accorded  a  large  share  of  attention,  and  occupy  a  considerable  amount 
of  ground.  Though,  of  course,  the  large  majority  are  grown  on  the 
ordinary  bush  principle,  it  is  surprising  the  number  of  Currants  arid 
Gooseberries  that  are  now  trained  in  various  forms.  Cordons  and  double 
cordons  have  long  been  popular,  while  gridirons  are  in  fair  demand  for 
particular  positions.  Possibly  the  latest  shape  for  Gooseberries  is  that 
of  a  cup,  and  bearing  in  mind  the  spines  on  the  branches,  the  system 
has  much  to  commend  it,  especially  as  they  present  a  really  pleasing 
appearance.  It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  all  the  leading  varieties  find 
a  place,  besides  many  that  are  not  generally  known.  An  acquisition” to 
the  list  of  dessert  Gooseberries  is  Langley  Beauty,  which  is  depicted  in 
the  woodcut  fig.  74.  The  flavour  of  this  variety  is  superb,  while  the 
appearance  and  size  of  the  fruits  are  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  thus 
it  won  the  first-class  certificate  that  was  awarded  on  July  28th. 
Turning  to  the  larger  fruits  the  same  profusion  of  forms  in  training 
is  apparent,  and  it  may  be  added  the  same  excellent  health  is  manifest. 
The  growths  on  the  stone  fruits  are  splendid,  and  the  trained  trees  of 
Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Cherries  could  not  be  surpassed .  The  utmost 
care  and  attention  are  given  to  the  work,  with  the  result  that  every  tree 
besides  being  well  furnished  with  the  best  wood  is  evenly  balanced. 
Of  these  trained  trees  of  course  many  thousands  are  done  at  Soutbfields, 
Fulham,  and  they  are  worthy  a  journey  to  see,  for  they  afford  an 
object  lesson  in  training  such  as  coAld  not  be  otherwise  than  of  advantage 
to  everyone  interested  in  fruit  growing  under  glass  and  on  walls.  Trees 
may  be  seen  in  all  stages  of  growth,  and  the  collection  is  particularly 
rich  in  varieties.  As  these,  no  matter  of  what  size,  are  constantly  being 
moved,  the  roots  are  in  the  best  possible  condition  to  insure  safe 
transplantation. 
Plums  and  Cherries  as  standards  and  half-standards  are  numerous, 
and  it  is  plain  to  see  how  thoroughly  the  medium  in  which  they  are 
growing  is  suited  to  their  requirements.  There  is  an  enormous  call  for 
these  every  year,  and  it  is  extending  season  by  season.  The  strong, 
clean,  straight  stems,  and  the  even  shapely  heads,  are  such  as  cannot 
fail  to  sustain  the  reputation  of  the  firm.  The  conditions  are  precisely 
similar  in  the  case  of  the  Apples  and  Pears,  of  which  the  numbers  are 
of  necessity  infinitely  larger.  Drift  after  drift  is  occupied  with  trees, 
not  packed  closely  together,  but  planted  so  as  to  allow  adequate  space 
for  development.  At  the  same  time  ground  is  too  limited  and  valuable 
to  permit  of  its  being  wasted  by  standing  empty  longer  than  is  needful. 
In  the  growing  of  standard  trees  of  any  sort  the  desirability  of  having 
a  clear,  upright  stem  must  always  be  borne  in  mind,  and  to  be  certain 
of  this  staking  is  very  frequently  resorted  to.  At  Langley  such,  how¬ 
ever,  is  not  the  case,  it  being  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule  to  find 
a  tree  staked.  Kveiy  endeavour  is  usgd  to  secure  a  proper  stem  without 
having  to  have  recourse  to  staking,  and  results  are  crowned  with  a 
PIG.  75, — APPLE  PRAISE  D’HOPFINGEN. 
wonderful  degree  of  success,  as  anyone  may  see  who  cares  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  nursery. 
Trained  trees  of  these  two  most  popular  of  hardy  fruits  are  observ¬ 
able  on  all  hands,  and  it  is  surprised  the  excellence  of  the  fruit  the 
smallest  specimens  will  carry.  In  a  quarter  of  small  trained  Cox’s 
Orange  Pippins  were  some  of  the  most  perfect  examples  of  the  variety 
we  have  seen  this  season,  while  one  or  two  sorts — Margil  for  instance— 
were  so  highly  developed  as  to  be  almost  totally  out  of  character.  In 
all  alike  the  shape  was  excellent,  while  in  many  the'colour  was  superb. 
The  wood  and  spurs  are  all  clean,  splendidly  built  up,  and  entirely  "of 
that  stamp  that  so  eloquently  bespeaks  fruitfulness,  for  there  are  no 
signs  of  groBsness  or  sappiness  to  be  found  throughout. 
But  for  precocity  in  fruit  bearing  the  premier  place  must  be  accorded 
to  the  pyramid  and  bush  trees,  of  which  thousands  only  a  matter  of  2  feet 
high  have  this  season  produced  fruits  quite  up  to  exhibition  standard. 
Of  course  some  varieties  are  freer  than  others,  but  all  bear  in  a  thoroughly 
satisfactory  manner.  Speaking  of  these  trees  reminds  of  the  basket  of 
Lane’s  Prince  Albert  staged  at  the  Crystal  Palace  show  by  Messrs.  Veitch 
and  Sons,  and  which  were  taken  from  these  little  trees.  The  specimens 
were  admittedly  the  best  of  this  variety  in  the  whole  of  that  splendid 
exhibition.  The  shape  and  colouration  were  superb. 
As  almost  every  known  variety  is  cultivated  in  greater  or  lesser 
numbers  of  the  various  kinds  of  hardy  fruits,  it  would  be  a  matter  of 
impossibility  to  give  a  complete  list,  and  besides  such  would  serve  no 
useful  purpose.  As  this  is  the  case  no  attempt  will  be  made  to  name 
varieties  of  any,  save  to  call  attention  to  the  Apple  shown  in  the  reduced 
illustration  (fig.  75).  This  is  a  French  variety  named  Fraise  d’Hofflngen, 
which  by  reason  of  its  several  good  qualities  is  sure  to  be  accorded  a 
large  share  of  popularity  when  it  becomes  known.  In  size  it  is  rather 
of  above  the  medium,  its  outline  being  regular,  though  it  hag  angles  on 
its  sides,  but  not  very  perceptible.  The  colour  is  pale  yellowish  green 
Pig.  74. 
GOOSEBEURT  LANGLEY  BEAUTY. 
