October  29,  189f. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  QARDENEBt. 
As  for  caustic  lime  burning  the  roots  of  plants,  it  will  when  applied 
freshly  burned  and  then  buried  in  the  soil.  The  heat  consequent  on 
slaking  would  have  that  effect.  Experienced  farmers  and  gardeners 
knowing  that,  always  slake  freshly  burned  lime  with  water  or  leave  it 
exposed  to  the  air  till  fallen  before  spreading,  and  then  some  time 
elapses  before  the  hydrated,  and  to  some  extent  carbonated  lime,  is 
ploughed  or  dug  into  the  soil.  Tuere  have  been  instances  of  as  much  as 
2  inches  thickness  being  used  on  Vine  borders,  and  the  results  were 
found  satisfactory  as  regards  Grapes.  I  have  used  lime  1  inch  thick  on 
Peach  borders,  and  had  fruit  where  the  trees  did  not  stone  before. 
“  W.  D.”  asserted  that  root-eelworm  did  not  attack  outdoor  crops.  I 
gave  him  an  instance  of  Tomatoes  in  a  field,  and  that  he  said  “  proved 
nothing.”  1  have  now  given  another — Lettuces.  He  now  8*ys  on 
page  40-1,  second  paragraph  of  his  article,  that  it  infests  the  roots  of  the 
“Hop.”  I  see  by  the  Board  of  Agriculture  returns  that  thousands  of 
acres  of  Hops  are  grown  outdoors  in  England.  I  did  not,  however, 
know  that  Hop  eelworm  was  Cucumber-root  eelworm.  1  asked  ”  W.  D,” 
fd^  specimens  of  Cucumber-root  eelworm  to  prove  what  it  was.  This  I 
considered  desirable,  as  he  promised  its  life  history,  especially  as  I  had 
found  three  species  on  Cucumber  roots,  and  wished  to  know  to  which  his 
life  history  applied.  Why  did  he  send  me  a  Tomato-plant  root  not  once, 
but  twice,  instead  of  a  Cucumber  ? 
The  Tomato  root  reached  me  without  a  word  of  comment  from  any¬ 
one,  being  the  whole  root  system,  so  far  as  it  could  be  got  wrapped  in 
grass  into  a  4  oz.  tobacco  box,  and  on  a  strip  of  paper  was  written 
'•  Eelworm,”  and  my  reply  is  given  to  ”  No  Name,”  page  409.  My 
investigation  differs  in  some  points  from  the  sender’s  (page  405)  ;  but 
that  is  not  of  consequence,  as  he  probably  examined  an  older  specimen. 
Then  “  W.  D.  ”  goes  on  to  draw  my  attention  to  his  liberal  use  of 
chemical  manure.  He  has  not  followed  my  advice,  but  his  own  devices. 
How  does  he  expect  them  to  be  of  “  practical  use  ”  otherwise  than  by  fair 
trial  ?  As  for  the  experiments  I  was  led  to  institute,  first  in  jars  to  get 
to  know  at  what  strength  a  certain  solution  Would  kill  eelworm  ;  second, 
at  what  strength  the  plants  would  bear  the  solution  without  injury  ; 
and,  third,  what  would  do  both,  and  at  the  same  time  pay  for  itself  as 
manure.  I  fail  to  see  anything  in  this,  but  the  only  proper  course  to 
pursue,  in  order  to  act  safely,  effectively,  and  economically  in  the 
destruction  of  pests.  Neither  really  scientific  nor  intelligent  practical 
men  speak  slightingly  of  such  endeavours. — G.  Abbey. 
HORTICULTURE  IN  ARID  AMERICA. 
COLOKADO,  by  reason  of  her  great  annual  output  of  gold,  silver,  and 
the  allied  metals — copper  and  lead,  also  of  coal  and  iron,  is  generally 
regarded  as  a  purely  mining  State  by  people  at  a  distance,  who  do  not 
realise  the  extent  to  which  horticulture  has  been  developed  by  means  of 
artificial  irrigation.  A  brief  notice  of  the  Colorado  State  fair,  held  in 
Denver  simultaneously  with  the  festival  of  Mountain  and  Plain, 
October  6th  to  8th,  will  tend  to  enlighten  some  of  your  readers. 
The  ten  counties  most  in  evidence  were  Arapahoe,  Delta,  Elbert, 
Fremont,  Jefferson,  Larimer,  Mesa,  Montrose,  Otero,  and  Weld.  There 
were  at  least  5000  exhibits.  Speaking  from  experience  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic,  the  display  of  fruit  and  vegetables  at  Denver  could  not  be 
excelled  in  England,  subject  to  the  consideration,  however,  that  Grapes, 
Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Melons  in  England  are  usually  grown  under 
glass,  or  with  special  protection  and  much  individual  care  and  attention, 
while  in  Colorado  on  the  Pacific  slope,  and  as  to  Melons  on  the  Atlantic 
slope,  they  are  ordinary  field  crops.  This  explains  the  fact  that  no 
bunch  of  Grapes  in  the  fair  exceeded  3  lbs.  in  weight,  which  may  appear 
very  commonplace  to  some  of  your  readers,  who  should,  however, 
remember  that  in  the  vicinity  of  Grand  Junction,  Mesa  County,  there 
are  about  1000  acres  planted  with  Vines,  of  which  about  250  acres  are 
already  in  bearing ;  that  such  varieties  as  the  Tokay,  Muscat,  Black 
Hamburgh,  Purple  Damascus,  and  Black  Morocco  grow  in  the  open  air 
without  any  protection,  and  that  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  four-year- 
old  Vine  of  the  above  varieties  to  produce  in  one  season  80  lbs.  of  well- 
matnred  Grapes.  ‘Around  Grand  Junction  also  there  are  over  6000  acres 
of  Peach  trees,  of  which  about  1500  acres  are  in  bearing.  Other 
considerable  areas  are  planted  with  Pears,  Prunes,  and  other  fruit. 
The  counties  of  Delta  and  Montrose  on  the  Pacific  slope  are 
witnessing  great  development  in  horticulture.  In  Delta  county,  on  the 
north  fork  of  the  Gunnison  river,  around  Paonia  is  a  district  equalling 
any  locality  in  Kent,  and  the  display  of  fruit  from  Paonia  would  have 
delighted  the  most  critical  English  fruit  grower,  including  as  it  did  a 
wide  range  of  large  and  fine  flavoured  Peaches,  Apples,  such  as  Wolf 
River,  Pewaukee  and  others,  weighing  26  ozs.  each ;  immense  Pears, 
Flemish  Beauty  and  others  ;  besides  Grapes,  Nectarines,  Plums,  and 
Filberts. 
On  the  Eastern  or  Atlantic  slope,  Fremont  county  took  the  lead  with 
fruit,  as  it  has  undoubtedly  the  most  favourable  locations,  but 
Arapahoe,  Jefferson,  and  Larimer  had  very  fine  displays  of  Apples, 
Plums,  and  vegetables. 
Otero  county,  in  the  valley  of  the  Arkansas,  has  developed  very 
rapidly  within  the  past  few  years  in  horticulture,  and  as  it  is  more  to 
the  south  than  Arapahoe,  Jefferson,  and  Larimer,  and  lower  in  altitude, 
it  made  a  very  fine  display  of  fruit  and  especially  vegetables,  including 
sweet  Potatoes,  Yams,  Pea  Nuts,  Pumpkins,  weighing  over  100  lbs,  each  ; 
Mangolds,  30  lbs.  each  ;  sixteen  Water  Melons,  weighing  nearly  1000  lbs. ; 
Indian  corn  of  many  varieties,  and  Cantaloupe  Melons. 
It  may  be  news  to  some  of  your  readers  to  know  that  Denver,  the 
centre  of  what  less  than  forty  years  ago  was  erroneously  regardea  as 
“  the  great  American  desert,”  within  the  last  few  years  has  become  a 
great  Celery  centre,  from  which  large  shipments  are  now  annually  made 
to  points  over  1000  miles  distant.  The  writer  came  to  Denver  from  Man¬ 
chester  so  recently  as  1883,  at  which  time  horticulture  in  Colorado  was 
regarded  as  experimental  and  somewhat  doubtful,  and  since  which  time 
practically  all  the  great  development  has  taken  place. 
The  English  citizens  were  well  represented  at  the  Colorado  State 
fair.  Mr.  Birks  Cornforth,  of  Denver  (the  Secretary),  and  his  brother, 
Mr.  J.  T.  Cornforth  (a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee),  came  to 
Colorado  from  Macclesfield,  Cheshire,  over  thirty  years  ago  ;  Mr.  David 
Brothers,  of  Wheatridg^e,  near  Denver,  the  leading  orchardist  of  Jefferson 
county,  and  a  member  of  the  Colorado  State  Board  of  Horticulture,  is 
from  Suffolk  ;  Mr,  Wilmore,  also  of  Wheatridge,  the  leading  Dahlia 
grower  of  Colorado,  came  to  America  from  near  Birmingham  over  thirty 
years  ago  ;  and  numerous  others  could  be  mentioned. 
In  this  connection  it  may  be  said  that  the  writer  recently  visited 
Majave  county  in  Arizona  (1045  miles  from  Denver)  which  single 
county  has  an  area  of  12,000  square  miles— that  is,  half  as  big  again  as 
the  whole  of  Wales,  but  has  a  population  of  less  than  2000,  and  a  total 
cultivated  area  of  about  1000  acres,  as  it  is  in  the  rainless  region  with 
only  two  or  three  small  streams  available  for  irrigation — a  land  of  Cacti, 
Yuccas,  and  lizards.  About  a  mile  from  Kingman,  the  county  seat, 
on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Railroad,  is  a  beautiful  oasis,  a  9-acre 
orchard  of  Figs  and  Peaches,  dependent  on  a  comparatively  small 
perennial  spring,  the  precious  water  of  which  is  piped  to  the  orchard. 
This  orchard  was  planted  by  and  belongs  to  a  Mr.  Taggart  from 
Castleton,  Isle  of  Man,  who  was  delighted  to  show  us  over  it,  and  to 
load  us  with  delicious  Figs,  Peaches,  and  other  fruit  on  leaving. 
On  our  return  journey  to  Denver  we  called  at  Santa  F^,  the  capital 
of  New  Mexico,  where  we  were  taken  to  the  leading  orchard,  6  acres  in 
extent,  which  turned  out  to  have  been  planted  by  and  to  belong  to  an 
Englishman,  a  Mr.  Arthur  Boyle,  from  near  Trentham,  North  Stafford¬ 
shire.  Mrs.  Boyle  is  from  Clarendon,  Wilts,  and  they  have  named  their 
lovely  home  “  Clarendon  Garden.”  They  have  a  splendid  lot  of  Apple, 
Pear,  Peach,  and  Plum  trees,  also  Grape  Vines,  which  bear  heavily,  but 
what  interested  us  most  was  to  see  Roses — La  France,  G^ndral 
Jacqueminot,  and  many  other  old  favourites — Canterbury  Bells, 
Phloxes,  Stocks,  Hollyhocks,  Petunias,  Geraniums,  Verbenas,  Carnations, 
Dahlias,  Feverfew,  and  other  familiar  flowers,  in  fact,  it  was  like  a  bit 
of  Old  England  that  bad  floated  far  away  and  lodged  in  that  ancient 
town  of  one-storey  adobe  houses,  settled  by  the  Spaniards  in  1543,  but 
which  has  never  yet  passed  a  population  of  7000,  mostly  Mexicans. 
It  is  said  that  the  line  of  English  settlement  in  Ulster  in  the  time  of 
James  I.  can  still  be  traced  by  orchards.  Certainly  the  English 
immigrants  to  arid  America  are  doing  their  full  share  in  planting  fruit 
trees.— Thomas  Tonge. 
LANGTREE’S  FARM,  ISLE  OF  WIGHT. 
It  is  over  forty  years  since  the  owner  of  the  above  farm  (Mr.  J.  Ti 
Gell)  made  his  home  in  the  Isle  of  Wight  from  the  broad-acred  shire. 
At  that  time  Mr.  Gell  was  gardener  to  the  late  Lord  Yarborough  at  his 
St.  Lawrence  residence.  But  time  works  many  changes  j  and  with 
perseverance,  tact  and  shrewdness,  Mr.  Gell  has  become  not  only  a  large 
farmer,  but  the  largest  market  gardener  in  the  island.  The  Home  Farrn, 
St.  Lawrence,  is  managed  by  his  eldest  son  (Mr.  John  Gell),  and  is 
devoted  chiefly  to  the  growing  of  Narcissi,  and  early  fruits  and  vegetables 
for  the  town  of  Ventnor,  which  is  about  two  miles  distant,  and  where 
there  are  to  be  found  aristocratic  visitors  all  the  year  round.  Thousands 
of  blooms  of  Narcissi  are  annually  sent  to  Covent  Garden  and  other 
markets,  whilst  the  surplus  bulbs  are  sold  periodically.  Last  year  Mr. 
Gell  disposed  of  160,000  bulbs  in  one  order.  The  Week  Farm,  St.  Law¬ 
rence,  where  Mr.  Gell  resides,  consists  of  arable  land  and  dairy  pasture, 
similarly  to  the  Nettlecombe  Farm,  near  Whitwell,  which  at  one  time 
contained  a  large  quantity  of  fruit  trees,  but  last  year  these  were  removed 
to  Ijangtree’s  Farm,  near  Sandown,  where  it  is  intended  to  carry  out 
fruit  and  flower  growing  on  an  extensive  scale. 
The  extent  of  this  farm  is  some  36  acres,  the  largest  part  having  a 
gentle  slope  to  the  south ;  the  soil  generally  is  a  sandy  loam  of  great 
depth  ;  the  winds,  unfortunately,  sweep  across  from  the  S.W.  and  N.E. 
at  times  with  terrific  force,  and  to  provide  shelter  for  the  bush  trees  Mr. 
Gell  has  enclosed  about  1^  acre  of  ground  with  corrugated  iron  8  feet 
high.  It  is  undoubtedly  a  speculation  and  an  experiment,  but  the 
healthy  appearance  of  the  trees  and  the  general  good  growth,  particularly 
considering  the  dry  season,  give  favourable  impressions  of  the  utility  of 
the  shelter  ;  in  fact,  every  experienced  fruit  grower  is  acquainted  with 
the  fact  that  to  grow  fruit  successfully  shelter  is  needed. 
With  the  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  Peaches,  Apricots,  and  Gooseberries 
there  will  be  close  upon  3000  trees,  which  were  planted  last  year  under 
the  management  of  Mr.  Gell’s  youngest  son,  Mr.  A.  E.  Gell,  who  has 
this  prospective  fruit  and  flower  farm  in  hand.  It  is  intended  to  grow 
the  trees  in  the  open  as  dwarf  bushes,  and  they  will  be  pruned  with  that 
object  in  view.  On  the  south  aspect  of  the  shelter  Peach  trees  have 
been  planted,  whilst  on  the  north  Plums,  on  the  east  Pears,  and  on  the 
west  a  mixture  of  Apples,  Fears,  and  Apricots,  and  will  be  trained  to 
wires  which  are  fixed  to  the  supports  for  the  shelter.  Between  the  bush 
trees,  which  are  planted  from  6  to  8  feet  apart,  Gooseberries,  Straw¬ 
berries,  Currants,  and  Narcissi  are  being  grown,  though  it  is  Mr.  Gell’s 
intention  to  plant  about  4  acres  of  Narcissi,  2  or  3  acres  of  Strawberries, 
and  5  acres  of  bush  fruits.- 
