100 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  30,  1902. 
Puzzles— Horticultural. 
In  his  title,  “  Things  I  Should  Like  to  Know,”  “  Ignoramus  ” 
shows  hiu^elf  to  be  a  man  of  very  broad  thoughts  when  “  the  hosts 
of  things  in  this  world  he  says  rise  up  before  him  like  a  mountain,” 
but  the  enormity  of  his  sphere  of  thought  evidently  does  not 
afford  him  a  solution  fitting  to  his  inciuisitiveness  of  mind.  There 
are  things  which  are  quite  everyday  matters,  such  as,  for  instance, 
the  purchase  of  American  Apples  by  the  British  public  at  just 
twice  the  British  value,  which  not  only  puzzles  your  correspon¬ 
dent,  but  a  great  many  beside.  The  fact,  however,  remains,  and 
who  can  say  how  long  it  is  likely  to  remain  ?  It  seems  monstrous 
that  English  people  should  be  so  eager  to  pay  a  double  or  even  a 
greater  value  for  fruits  because  they  happen  to  be  foreign. 
That  England  can  ever  crush  out  the  foreign  fruit  by  meeting 
it  by  home  grown  produce  seems  at  present  a  most  unlikely 
“  accident.”  What  does  happen  is  this :  that  the  more  we  grow 
of  any  one  kind  of  produce  the  cheaper  it  becomes,  so  much  so, 
in  fact,  that  growers  declare  it  does  not  pay  them  a  working 
profit.  Fruit  of  all  kinds  comes  now  from  so  many  sources,  that 
there  is  with  much  of  it  a  competition  in  the  markets  between 
homo-grown  and  foreign.  Glass-grown  production  is  that  most 
likely  to  rebut  the  foreigner,  but  there  should  be  none,  or  but 
little  reason  why  Apples  of  British  growth  should  not  make  the 
American  less  profitable  to  them  on  this  side  of  the  “  Pond.” 
When  one  suiweys  the  great  extent  of  orchard  planting  that 
is  carried  on  in  Kent,  “  The  Garden  of  England,”  it  must  surely 
afford  “  Ignoramus  ”  some  thoughtful  reflections  as  to  the  pro¬ 
spects  of  the  future.  It  must  not  be  overlooked  that  in  the 
planting  of  Apple  and  Pear  orchards  much  time  and  patience  is 
required  ere  a  full  reward  is  paid  the  planter.  There  is,  as  your 
correspondent  points  out,  “  a  precious  lot  of  land  growing 
nothing  much,”  as  applied  to  fruit,  where  the  land  is  suitable,  at 
least  for  growing  something  marketable,  if  not  of  the  higher 
Kentish  class  of  goods.  What  Mr.  Molyneux  has  done,  and  is 
doing,  at  Swanmore  could  be  imitated  in  other  centres  with,  I 
should  say,  a  prospect  of  a  useful  dividend  in  later  years;  but 
landowners,  so  many  of  them,  are  satisfied  to  receive  their  rents 
as  a  means  of  subsistence  without  “  looking  around  ”  to  see 
whetlier  a  better  income  could  be  made  by  an  investment  in  a 
new  departure. 
Speaking  for  rnyself,  I  do  not  find  a  mountain  rise  up  before 
me  in  the  possibilities  of  converting  land  I  look  upon  daily  into 
more  profitable  pastures.  The  initial  cost  and  maintenance  sup¬ 
press  all  such  thrifty  speculation  when  brought  out  into  the  liglit, 
the  prospects  do  not  pass  the  review  day  with  smiling  self-satis¬ 
faction,  and  so  abeyance  becomes  the  password  rather  than 
progress.  If  this  is  true  of  one,  it  is  also  true  of  many  such 
oases ;  land  will  go  on  producing  one  crop,  when  it  is  quite  com¬ 
petent  of  producing  two.  An  instance  of  the  profit  of  Apple 
growing  occurs  to  me  as  I  write,  gained  from  a  tenant  farmer 
this  last  autumn.  In  his  orchard  are  some  good  trees  of  service¬ 
able  Apples;  one  of  them,  bearing  a  fine  crop  of  large  fruit  was 
admired  at  the  time  of  gathering,  and  this  admiration  gleaned  a 
pleasant  remark  from  the  owner  to  the  effect  that  £2  10s.  had 
been  offered  for  the  crop  of  this  one  tree,  the  purchaser  gather¬ 
ing  the  fruit,  and  packing  it  for  transit  to  some  distant  market. 
There  were  other  trees,  too,  that  realised  equally  satisfactory 
values,  and  this  without  a  thought  of  cultivation  given. 
If  county  limited  companies  were  formed  on  similar  lines  to 
that  now  so  common  in  dairy  farming,  a  stimulus  would  be  at 
once  set  up.  Apples  and  Pears  and,  indeed,  all  other  fruits, 
could  be  despatched  daily  in  their  season  to  the  “  factory,”  there 
to  be  graded,  packed,  and  despatched  to  the  markets,  and  under 
proper  method  and  management  there  should  be  no  reason  why, 
as  in  dairy  butter,  an  enhanced  price  cannot  be  obtained.  With 
encouragement  such  as  this,  a  better  class  of  fruit  would  soon  be 
forthcoming,  because  growers  would  apply  themselves  to  the 
betterment  of  the  conditions  wider  which  it  is  growm.  Pears  at 
8d.  each  the  Journal  says  (page  33),  were  on  sale  in  Covent  Garden 
early  in  January,  a  time  when  there  ought  to  be  some  very  good, 
though  not,  perhaps  such  fine-looking  Pears  as  the  Californian 
Easter  Beurres  obtainable  from.  English  growers.  We  hear  much 
of  Apples  which  is,  of  course,  correct,  as  they  are  the  most  useful 
of  the  British  winter  fruits ;  but  Pears  are  not  much  less  desir¬ 
able,  and  deserve  an  extension  of  culture,  particularly  of  the 
later  sorts.  There  are  now  some  very  excellent  kinds  of  Pears 
available  for  winter  consumption,  which,  if  given  good  cultiva¬ 
tion,  would  take  a  good  position  among  the  imported  fruits  for 
winter  dessert.  Without  the  aid  of  walls  it  can  scarcely-be 
expected  that  ordinary  British  samples  can  meet  those  from 
foreign  lands  in  appearance  though  quality  should  be,  like  as 
in  the  English  Apple,  beyond  complaint. 
Since  writing  the  foregoing  lines  the  Journal  containing  the 
critique  by  “Essex  ”  on  the  same  subject  affords  still  more  proof 
that  in  gardening  there  are  things  it  is  well  to  know.  In  his 
notes  “  Essex  ”  says  £1  per  bushel  was  paid  for  average  samples  of 
Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  which  to  the  seller  is  very  satisfactory,  but 
this  value  must  not  be  taken  as  representing  that  obtained  every¬ 
where.  In  the  West  nice  samples  of  Cox’s,  Ribstons,  and  Blen¬ 
heims  were  bought  for  7s.  6d.  per  bushel,  and  even  this  sum  was 
considered  by  the  buyer  not  a  bad  price,  which  it  is  not,  if  you 
have  a  goodly  quantity  to  dispose  of.  The  past  season’s  prices 
too,  must  not  be  taken  to  represent  anything  like  an  average, 
for  in  some  districts  Apples'  were  very  scarce,  while  a  few  places 
scattered  here  and  there  had  good  crops. 
There  is  sound  argument  in  the  words  of  “  Essex  ”  where  he 
says  “We  may  rest  contented  that  Cox’s  have  been  planted  in 
thousands  during  the  past  decade,  which  will  be  felt  in  our 
markets,  if  they  have  not  already  done  so.”  Its  quality  is  too  good 
to  have  been  overlooked  in  planting  largely  of  it.  Mr.  Bunyard’s 
advice  has  long  been  that  every  gardener  should  plant  largely  of 
it — advice  that  no  doubt  has  been  acted  upon  for  some  years 
past.  Every  grower  who  has  any  experience  of  the  Apple 
markets  finds  that  poor  fruit — poor  in  colour,  size,  and  quality — 
do  not  pay  him  to  dabble  in ;  it  is  better  given  to  the  cattle  at 
home.  Profits  may  not  accumulate  in  fruit  growing  so  fast  as  in 
some  other  businesses,  but  it  must  not  be  taken  too  seriously 
tliat  because  “  Essex  ”  has  not  found  the  man  that  has  made  his 
fortune  out  of  it,  the  chances  are  so  remote  of  its  possibility. 
British  subjects  do  not  as  a  rule  parade  their  profits,  as  is  the 
custom  of  some  other  countries,  but  it  would  be  idle  to-  say  that 
fruit  growing  on  a  large  scale  is  devoid  of  a  reasonable  profit. 
Were  it  so,  so  many  broad  acres  would  not  have  been  planted 
within  the  last  decade  or  two.  Fruit  bottling  is  in  its  initial 
stage  at  present.  What  the  prospects  of  this  industry  are  likely 
to  develop  into  remain  to  be  proved.  Certainly,  if  the 
foreigner  can  do  such  a  large  business  in  it,  England  ought  to  be 
up  and  doing,  which,  judging  from  the  samples  exhibited  and 
comments  that  have  already  appeared  in  the  horticultural  press 
this  winter,  has  already  been  seriously  taken  in  hand,  and  that, 
too,  with  success.  One  fact  seems  clear  from  “Essex’  ”  remarks 
— that  if  English  fruit  growers  cannot  make  hasty  fortunes, 
American  exporters  cannot  do  so  from  British  trade,  especially 
in  seasons  when  this  country  has  a  fair  yield  of  its  own  to  dispose 
of. — Wilts. 
- - 
Cultivation  of  Sweet  Corn.* 
The  cultivation  of  the  Sugar  Corn  is  well  worthy  of  the 
gardener’s  attention,  and  to  say  it  is  a  most  delicious  vegetable 
is  not  saying  too  much  for  it.  It  is  not  by  any  means  a  difficult 
thing  to  grow,  neither  does  it  require  a  great  amount  of 
attention.  It  likes  heat,  and  should,  therefore,  be  planted  in 
a  sunny  situation — the  sunnier  the  better — on  a  rich  sandy 
loam,  staked,  and  the  soil  kept  moderately  loose  and  open.  The 
seed  should  be  sown  about  the  middle  of  April  in  gentle  bottom 
heat,  and,  when  the  plants  are  6in  high,  potted  on,  gradually 
hardened  off,  and  planted  out  in  June,  3ft  apart  each  way.  The 
common  Indian  Corn  is  edible,  but  the  varieties  known  as  the 
Sweet,  or  Sugar,  are  the  best.  The  seed  of  the  latter  is 
wrinkled,  while  the  former  is  smooth.  Watering  with  weak 
liquid  manure  is  beneficial  given  two  or  three  times  during  the 
season.  The  cobs  are  boiled  in  their  green  state  till  soft,  and 
brought  to  the  table  whole,  and  as  fingers  were  made  before 
forks,  it  is  held  by  both  hands  and  the  com  nibbled  off.  Served 
with  melted  butter  it  is  a  tasty  vegetable.  It  is  a  favourite 
dish  in  America,  where  it  is  cultivated  to  a  very  large  extent, 
and  much  enjoyed  by  all  classes.  To  see  men,  women,  and 
children  standing  on  the  corner  of  a  street  in  New  York  enjoy¬ 
ing  their  corn  cob  is  an  everyday  sight  during  the  season. 
There  are,  of  course,  numerous  varieties  of  Sweet  Corn. 
The  best  I  think  are  the  Early  Corj-,  Early  Crosby,  Minnesota, 
and  The  Henderson ;  the  latter  is  a  very  fine  one,  the  ears  being 
long  and  handsome,  and  the  flavour  Al.  The  ordinary  Indian 
Com,  too,  is  a  valuable  food  for  cattle.  Cut  green,  chopped 
up,  and  mixed  with  their  hay  it  is  much  relished  by  them,  espe¬ 
cially  good  for  milk  cows,  and  it  is  said  that  the  milk  obtained 
from  cows  partly  fed  on  Indian  Corn  in  its  green  state  is  much 
richer  than  from  those  fed  on  the  ordinary  food,  and  as  the 
plant  grows  from  6ft  to  7ft,  a  great  amount  of  green  fodder  is 
obtained  which  is  very  succulent.  The  summers  of  England 
during  the  past  two  years  have  been  the  very  thing  for  the 
cultivation  of  the  Indian  Corn,  and  I  understand  it  has  done 
exceedingly  well  in  the  counties  of  Essex  and  Surrey. — 
H.  Kitley. 
- 0#.+ - 
Doings  at  Brighton. 
A  special  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Brighton  and  Sussex 
Horticultural  Society  was  held  on  Thursday  evening,  January  23, 
at  the  Imperial  Hotel,  Brighton,  to  consider  the  desirability  or 
otherwise  of  continuing  the  summer  show,  which  does  not  pay. 
Mr.  T.  Billing,  one  of  the  vice-presidents,  was  in  the  chair,  and 
there  was  a  large  attendance.  It  was  agreed  to  continue  the 
summer  show. 
*  Zea  saccharata. 
