568 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  16,  1897. 
young  trees  6  feet  asunder  each  way,  intending  to  take  out  every 
other  row  and  every  other  tree  later  on.  The  piece  of  ground  to  be 
eventually  covered  is  about  an  acre  in  extent.  Each  season  since  we 
have  cropped  with  vegetables  that  arc  cleared  off  in  time  for  the  land 
to  be  trenched  in  the  autumn.  Of  course,  all  could  not  be  done  the 
same  season.  That  nearest  the  trees  was  worked  first,  trenching 
being  repeated  the  three  following  seasons.  This  meant  work,  espe¬ 
cially  as  the  pick  had  to  be  used  to  break  up  all  that  was  turned  over 
after  the  first  15  inches  had  been  shovelled  off.  All  the  ground  that 
is  planted  has  been  worked  at  least  30  inches  deep.  We  take  part  in 
whatever  work  is  in  hand,  and  enjoy  being  in  the  trench  with  the 
men.  The  pick  often  changes  hands,  but  the  work  is  done  cheerfully. 
A  basket  of  Apples  is  brought  out  when  work  of  this  description  is 
going  on,  and  those  who  use  a  spade  and  fork,  and  use  it  properly, 
know  how  refreshing  one  or  two  are  occasionally  through  the  day. 
Two  years  since  we  commenced  to  thin  out  the  trees,  taking  the 
largest  first,  and  this  season  we  have  been  at  them  again.  The  trees 
vary  in  size,  but  are  from  10  to  12  feet  high,  and  6  to  10  feet  through. 
We  prune  according  to  the  strength  of  the  growths.  The  stronger  they 
are  the  longer  they  are  left,  and  the  weaker  they  are  the  harder  they  are 
cut.  The  strong  shoots  are  left  from  12  to  18  inches,  and  the  \veak  from 
6  to  9  inches.  Our  object  is  to  have  trees  with  branches  strong  enough 
to  support  the  fruit.  Since  the  trees  were  first  planted  they  have  given 
a  full  crop  of  fruit  for  their  size,  many  trees  requiring  thinning,  and 
this  we  account  for  by  the  condition  of  the  land,  for  the  depth  of  soil 
not  only  supports  the  present  season’s  crop,  but  is  able  to  retain  suffi¬ 
cient  moisture  to  feed  or  plump  up  the  buds  for  the  succeeding  crop. 
The  blossom  on  our  trees  seems  to  stand  a  little  frost,  and  the  fruit 
drying  winds  ;  and  whether  this  is  the  result  of  the  liberal  way  we  have 
treated  them  at  the  roots — for  we  used  manure  freely  in  breaking  up 
the  bottom  soil — we  cannot  tell,  but  it  seems  to  us  that  fruit  trees 
want  support  to  counteract  the  sun  and  drying  winds  in  the  spring  if 
blossom  and  fruit  are  to  hold  on.  We  are  supported  in  this  view,  for 
since  we  took  some  of  the  heavy  soil  from  round  our  older  trees,  filling 
up  with  soil  from  the  vegetable  quarter  mixed  with  charred  refuse  and 
mortar  rubble,  we  have  had  no  cause  to  lament  an  unfruitful  season. 
Four  years  ago  we  started  to  put  a  few  on  the  market.  They  were 
only  cwts.,  but  they  brought  16s.  8d.  per  cwt.  The  following  season 
we  sent  them  to  a  midland  town  (buyer  paying  carriage)  at  14s.  per 
cwt.  dessert,  11s.  culinary.  Last  year  in  our  local  market  we  received 
8s.  4d.  per  cwt.  This  year  we  shall  have  a  few  cwts.  to  dispose  of. 
We  have  only  sold  a  few  early  Apples  up  to  the  present  at  2d.  per  lb. 
Last  week  we  were  told  if  we  kept  them  a  little  longer  they  would 
give  16s.  8d.  per  cwt. 
We  are  convinced  that  fruit  can  be  grown  as  well  and  profitably  in 
Shropshire  as  in  other  counties  which  are  supposed  to  be  more  favour, 
able  to  fruit-growing.  A  few  essential  conditions  are  necessary — 
1,  That  the  land  be  well  drained,  or  w’here  surface  water  does  not 
hang  about,  this  means  fog,  and  fog  means  frost  late  in  the  spring  and 
early  in  the  autumn  when  there  is  none  on  higher  and  drained  ground. 
2,  Shelter  from  rough  winds,  which  usually  come  from  the  S.W. 
The  earliest  varieties  should  be  planted  in  the  most  exposed  places,  as 
the  fruit  from  these  trees  would  probably  be  gathered  before  the  gales 
which  usually  sweep  over  us  in  September.  It  is  these  that  do  so 
much  damage  to  our  late  and  most  valuable  crops  of  Apples  and  Pears. 
3,  Sufficient  depth  of  soil  for  the  trees  to  make  continuous  progress 
after  it  has  settled  down.  Two  feet  is  not  too  much  for  trees  from 
which  profitable  crops  are  expected  for  a  number  of  years. 
To  plant  trees  in  18  inches  of  comjDaratively  loose  soil,  leaving  the 
subsoil  as  hard  as  a  turnpike  road,  must  eventually  lead  to  failure- 
Planting  closely  together  at  first  has  much  to  recommend  it.  Young 
trees  have  a  tendency  to  make  strong  growth,  which  is  checked  by 
lifting.  The  strong  roots  are  made  fibrous,  and  other  roots  induced  to 
multiply.  The  strong  shoots  then  become  studded  with  fruit  buds, 
advantages  from  which  the  trees  ever  derive  benefit. 
Our  collection  was  formed  with  a  view  to  exhibition,  and  is  com¬ 
posed  of  the  best  varieties  for  that  purpose.  We  are  satisfied  with 
nearly  all  the  sorts,  very  few  but  which  give  us  a  good  crop.  We 
notice  that  there  is  always  a  demand  in  our  market  for  early  Apples, 
Gladstone,  Irish  Peach,  Lady  Sudeley,  Beauty  of  Bath,  and  September 
Beauty  selling  well.  In  the  late  autumn  our  market  is  glutted  with 
windfalls  and  other  Apples  of  poor  quality,  and  those  who  have  good 
samples  find  it  advantageous  to  store  until  near  Christmas. 
A  rack  has  been  fitted  in  one  of  our  rooms  that  was. formerly  used 
for  other  purposes.  Twa large  windows  face  the  smth,  and  the  sun' 
shining  on  these  raises  the  temperature  of  the  room.  This  is  detri¬ 
mental  to  the  late  keeping  of  the  fruit,  but  by  careful  handling  and 
fitting  the  windows  with  straw-covered  frames,  w'e  keep  a  supply  until 
April.  The  room  was  heated  by  a  gas  stove,  which  two  years  since 
had  to  be  removed.  We  have  sometimes  thought  too  much  heat 
found  its  way  into  rooms  where  fruit  was  stored,  and  have  been 
surprised  during  a  severe  frost  to  find  how  little  the  temperature  of 
the  room  varied. 
The  space  between  the  fruit  trees  that  have  been  thinned  is  cropped 
with  Broccoli,  not  too  near  the  trees.  The  plants  are  dropped  in  holes 
made  with  an  iron  bar.  d'he  ground  has  settled  down  and  become 
firm  by  treading,  and  this  is  the  only  place  we  have  found  where  our 
Broccoli  crop  can  be  depended  on  to  come  through  the  winter  with 
any  degree  of  safety. — S.  B.  0. 
[Our  correspondent  has  favoured  us  with  a  small  sample  of  fruits. 
One  of  the  Apples  measures  14  inches  in  circumference,  and  all  are 
admirably  grown.] 
“FAIR  DEVON.” 
“Weather,”  said  a  Devonian  gentleman,  ‘‘Oh!  yes,  we  have 
some  variation  in  the  weather.  For  instance,  we  have  the  ‘  dry 
drizzle’  and  the  ‘  wet  drizzle,’  as  we  say  in  Devonshire.”  ‘'Then 
what  do  you  call  this  ?  ”  I  remarked,  the  aspect  of  the  country  from 
the  railway  carriage  windows  reminding  one  of  the  West  of 
Scotland,  dense  mists  and  lowering  clouds  partly  shrouding  the 
distant  hills,  while  a  steady  downfall  of  rain  was  of  ominous  portent 
to  an  autumn  traveller.  “  This,”  answered  my  companion,  with  a 
glance  which  seemed  to  combine  pity  and  grim  delight,  “  this  is  only 
the  dry  drizzle,  we  shall  get  some  rain  later  on.”  Such  was  my 
introduction  to  one  of  the  fairest  counties  of  England,  and  though  I 
knew  the  rainfall  was  much  above  the  average,  yet  I  had  not  realised 
its  full  meaning.  A  few  hours  spent  in  travelling  through  the  lich 
valleys,  and  amongst  its  verdure-clad  hills,  did  more  to  show"  how 
greatly  the  climate  and  productions  of  a  district  depend  upon  its 
rainfall  than  a  year  of  reading  and  theorising  could  have  done. 
So  assured  are  the  Devonian’s  they  have  an  exceptionally  wet 
county  that  they  have  generally  adopted  a  kind  of  parod'el 
meteorological  forecast,  which  runs  a""  follow's 
“  The  west  wind  always  brings  wet  weather. 
The  east  wind  wet  and  cold  together. 
The  south  wind  surely  brings  us  rain, 
The  north  wind  blows  it  back  again.” 
They  even  carry  their  weather  jokes  farther  than  th’s,  as  the  lines 
appended  set  forth:  — 
“  If  the  sun  in  red  should  set. 
The  next  day  surely  will  be  wet. 
If  the  sun  should  set  in  gray, 
The  next  will  be  a  rainy  day.” 
Though  it  is  not  quite  so  bad  as  the  natives  would  have  us  believe, 
Devonshire  is  undoubtedly  a  moist  portion  of  our  island,  as  an 
examination  of  the  returns  given  in  Mr.  G.  J.  Symons’  “British 
Rainfall”  will  prove;  but  the  same  tables  also  -show  how  great  a 
range  of  variation  there  is  in  the  county.  Taking  the  four  past 
years,  we  find  that  in  1893  the  lowest  amount  registered  was  at 
Teignmouth,  23'79  inches  ;  the  highest  at  Princetown  (Dartmoor), 
67  55  inches.  In  1894  the  lowest  was  34'78  inches  at  E.xeter,  the 
highest  being  90‘65  inches  at  Princetowm;  but  at  three  places  in  that 
5'ear  over  70  inches  w"ere  recorded,  and  at  ten  places  over  60  inches. 
In  1&95  the  lowest  w"as  30  05  inches  at  Budloigh-Salterton,  and  the 
highest  74  65  inches  at  Princetown  ;  while  in.  1896  Exeter  had  again 
the  lowest  in  the  county — namely,  22'43  incheq  an  exceptionally  low 
record;  Princetown  still  being  the  highest  with  63‘15  inches.  A  study 
of  the  rainfall  of  Devonshire  is  extremely  interesting,  as  it  serves  to 
illustrate  some  of  the  phenomena  connected  with  great  differences  in 
climate  and  vegetation  in  other  portions  of  Britain  and  the  world. 
Where  there  are  mountain  ranges  to  intercept  the  moisture-laden 
currents  of  air,  as  in  the  Himalayas  of  India  and  the  Andes  of  South 
America,  the  rain ‘'all  (and  consequently  climate,  as  it  affects  vegetation) 
