452 
JOURNAL  CF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GAIUENER. 
May  22,  1902. 
Apple  and  Pear  Prospects  in  Somersetshire. 
Despite  the  chilling  weather  experienced  during  the  past 
few  weeks,  it  is  really  amazing  to  see  what  a  steady  advance 
and  hopeful  prospect  there  has  been  in  tree  growth  ;  but  a 
continuance  of  such  ungenial  wind  and  drought  may  yet 
change  the  prospect  of  full  and  overflowing  measures  into 
that  of  empty  ones.  The  present  fulness  of  promise  is  no 
doubt  the  outcome  of  the  summer  weather  of  last  year  bring¬ 
ing  about  a  ripeness  of  the  current  growth  ;  but  it  remains 
to  be  proved  whether  the  prolonged  absence  of  rain  at  that 
time  is  favourable  in  giving  blossom  fully  fertile  and  strong. 
In  many  of  the  Pears  there  seemed  a  thinness  of  the  petal, 
which  would,  if  true,  imply  debility,  or  an  absence  of  the 
needful  stamina.  It  is  yet  too  early  to  calculate  with  any 
degree  of  certainty  the  coming  prospects,  for  so  many  in¬ 
cidents  may  occur  to  thwart  the  progress  of  the  embryo 
fruits.  The  weather,  though  so  chilling,  has  not  had  the  same 
baneful  influence  that  follows  the  alternative  mild  and  cold 
periods  of  some  years.  The  cold  wave  has  continued  so  long 
that  the  whole  of  the  spring  growth  has  advanced  under  these 
hard  conditions.  This  may  give  rise  to  the  hope  that  recent 
light  frosts  may  not  have  their  usual  effects.  The  dry  state 
of  the  atmosphere,  too,  has  been  all  in  favour  of  this  im¬ 
munity  from  frost  damage.  The  state  of  the  soil  now  begins 
to  raise  doubtful  issues  for  the  summer,  for  at  a  good  depth 
the  absence  of  normal  moisture  is  being  distinctly  felt.  Ex¬ 
cavations  to  a  depth  of  from  2ft  to  3ft  recently  made  show 
this  to  be  an  evil  that  vegetation  will  sooner  or  later  have 
to  reckon  with,  unless  rain  speedily  comes.  In  this  neigh¬ 
bourhood  there  is  already  a  deficiency  of  quite  2in  of  rain 
compared  with  last  year,  and  of  Sin  less  than  was  recorded 
in  1900.  Should  the  summer  compare  with  that  of  the  past 
two  years,  fruit  trees  will  have  a  still  greater  effort  to  main¬ 
tain  former  reputations,  whether  they  be  of  surface  or  deeper 
rooting  natures. 
The  resisting  powers  of  trees,  and  especially  those  grow¬ 
ing  near  to  or  on  garden  walls,  is  really  marvellous  ;  facts 
these  are  that  have  been  so  fully  demonstrated  within  the 
past  few  years.  Up  to  the  present  the  season  has  been 
favourable  for  all  newly  planted  Pear  trees,  judging  by  the 
freedom  and  extent  of  growth  there  has  been  made.  With 
hirther  absence  of  rain  the  time  has  arrived  when  water  and 
a  mulch  of  manure  will  be  required,  in  order  that  this  satis¬ 
factory  state  be  continued.  Pears  in  almost  every  variety 
and  description  seem  unanimous  in  the  effort  to  establish 
a  record  in  the  matter  of  crop,  so  free  and  full  have  the  trees 
flowered.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  individualise  on  this 
particular  heading. 
Apples  are  not  one  whit  less  remarkable  than  Pears  in  the 
grandeur  of  their  floral  dress.  If  anything,  the  effort  is  more 
pronounced  than  was  the  case  with  Pears,  though,  in  all 
fairness  to  the  latter  trees,  they  have  not  the  same  depth 
of  colour  tones,  or  the  stout  substance  in  the  petals  which 
Nature  endows  the  embryo  Apple  with.  The  orchard  tree 
vies  with  the  garden  bush,  and  the  cordon  with  the  last- 
named  in  their  profusion  and  delicacy  of  their  spring  dress. 
The  light  crops  of  last  year  prepare  them  for  this  floral 
fashion,  and  as  they  were  of  a  universally  low  state  then,  it 
would  appear  that  this  season,  given  favourable  weather, 
the  markets  will  require  the  exercise  of  a  greater  capacity 
for  store  and  distribution  than  that  too  well  remembered  in 
the  last  one,  when  light  crops  and  partially  filled  fruit  rooms 
were  the  more  common  experience  everywhere.  It  does 
sometimes  happen  that  an  excessive  display  of  spring  blossom 
does  not  end  in  a  corresponding  bulk  of  autumn  fruit.  There 
would  not,  however,  appear  to  be  anything  in  the  present 
aspect  among  Apple  plantations  to  lead  one  into  the  path  of 
doubt  on  this  score.  The  rest  of  last  year,  thoroup'h  ripe¬ 
ness  of  the  season’s  growth,  together  with  the  hardening 
influence  of  the  weather  under  which  their  growth  and 
blossom  has  advanced,  all  tend  toward  a  hopeful  ultimatum. 
In  the  western  counties  one  does  not  hear  so  much  of  the 
invasion  of  insect  enemies  as  is  known  in  the  larger  orchard 
areas  about  Kent,  Hereford,  or  Worcester.  Trees  in 
Somersetshire  are  grown  more  under  grass  than  arable  cul¬ 
ture,  and  of  course  in  smaller  isolated  plots.  Under  grass 
cultivation  pigs  and  homed  stock  can,  and  are  often  grazed 
at  the  time  when  the  insect-infested  fruits  fall  to  the 
ground,  and  as  these  are  of  no  particular  commei’cial  value, 
they  are  quickly  consumed  by  these  animals.  By  these 
means,  no  doubt,  a  great  extent  of  insect  life  is  destroyed. 
and  poultry  having  access  lO  the  orchards  at  all  times,  find 
others  within  their  reach  having  escaped  from  an  earlier 
death.  There  is  no  uniformity  of  insect  invasion,  for  one 
year  will  differ  very  materially  from  another  in  the  extent 
of  trouble  they  invite  to  those  responsible.  Codlin  moths 
and  Pear  midges  have  not,  as  a  rule,  the  same  terror  applied 
to  the  private  garden  as  that  of  the  greater  commercial 
centres.  To  some  degree  the  presence  of  so  many  kinds  of 
birds  that  are  intimately  associated  with  the  garden  this 
immunity  is  due.  It  is  no  undisguised  fact  that  bird  life 
enters  largely  into  the  home  life  of  the  rural  country,  and 
while  some  are  acknowledged  to  be  most  useful,  and  are 
allou^ed  an  unrestrained  freedom,  there  are  others  that  are 
regarded  as  foes  rather  than  friends,  rightly  or  wrongly,  and 
treated  accordingly. — W.  S. 
- - 
Rhododendron  Sappho. 
It  is  very  infrequently  that  hardy  Rhododendrons  are  figured 
in  the  pages  of  any  horticultural  journal,  though  this  is  not 
because  the  flowers  themselves  are  not  worthy  of  being  thus 
prominently  brought  to  notice.  Rhododendrons  have  been,  and 
always  will  remain,  great  favourites  with  planters.  The  very 
hardy  R.  ponticum  is  both  a  useful  covert  shrub  and  an  object  of 
much  beauty  at  all  times,  and  especially  when  wreathed  with 
lilac-coloured  flowers.  The  variety  Sappho  has  been  chosen  by 
us  because  of  its  handsome  flowers  (white  blotched  with  dark 
maroon)  and  striking  character.  For  twenty  years  this  has  been 
a  favourite,  though  even  now  we  notice  some  of  the  nurserymen 
do  not  catalogue  it.  Messrs.  Waterer  of  Bagshot,  Messrs. 
Clibran  and  Messrs.  Dickens  of  Chester,  stock  this  Rhododen¬ 
dron,  and  .stock  can  be  procured  from  either  of  them  in  the 
autumn.  Standard  Rhododendrons  for  lawns  and  prominent 
places  might  be  more  employed  than  they  are.  Rhododendrons 
love  a  well-drained,  cool,  peaty  soil,  and  slieltered  position.  A 
“  dell  ”  suite  them  well. 
The  Weather  of  Newton  Mearns. 
The  weather  in  the  Meams  district,  seven  miles  south  of 
Glasgow,  has  been  of  an  exceptional  character  since  the  spring 
commenced.  Keen,  biting,  cold  north  and  north-east  winds 
have  been  the  prevalent  winds  of  the  months- — March,  April, 
and  May — and  vegetation  on  the  whole  has  suffered  much 
thereby  and  been  retarded.  During  the  months  of  March  and 
April  heavy  frosts  were  registered  in  the  early  mornings.  With 
the  approach  of  May,  this  month  has  been  more  or  less  pro¬ 
verbial  for  the  cold  weather  experienced.  The  axiom  applied 
to  the  coldness  of  May  is  not  belied,  and  the  horticulturist 
feels  discomfited.  The  thermometer,  which  had  been  at  or 
below  freezing  point  on  nearly  every  night  since  March  came 
in,  registered  lOdeg  on  10th  inst.  In  this  district  this  has 
only  been  exceeded  on  any  night  in  the  month  of  May  on  four 
occa.sions  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  century.  The  lowest 
reeords  for  any  night  in  May  :  1891  was  12deg  frost ;  1892  was 
lldeg  frost  ;  1894  was  12deg  frost;  1897  was  lldeg  frost. 
In  addition  to  the  cold  we  have  had  a  large  succession  of 
dry  weather,  accompanied  by  .strong  east  and  north-east  winds, 
than  usually  fall  to  be  recorded.  The  springs  in  the  district- — 
and  a  rather  hillj'  one  it  is — have  had  a  most  trying  time  of  it. 
and  many  of  the  larger  ones,  which  have  never  been  known  to 
lessen  their  supply,  have  at  the  present  time  been  considerably 
reduced,  while  the  smaller  springs  have  ceased  running 
entirely.  A  welcome  change  in  the  atmospheric  conditions 
came  on  15th  inst.  Rain  fell  on  the  morning  of  that  day,  and 
continued  till  well  on  in  the  day.  On  the  17th  there  was  a 
ftirther  fall,  although  a  considerable  amount  of  rain  had  fallen, 
and  which  gave  the  country  a  pleasant  appearance.  Still,  its 
presence  had  no  effect  in  removing  the  cold  winds.  On  the 
18th  the  wind  shifted  from  the  N.-E.  to  N.-W.,  and  blew 
a  gale  all  day,  accompanied  by  blinding  showers  of  sleet,  hail, 
and  rain.  In  the  evening  the  temperature  rose  con.siderably, 
but  more  rain  is  e.ssential  before  we  can  look  for  pleasanter 
atmospherical  conditions.  The  following  temperatures  were 
recorded  during  the  nights : — 
Pes  ees 
Wind 
Monday,  ''’ny  12th 
3.6 
. .  East 
Tuesday.  May  13th 
32 
East 
Wednesday,  May  14th  .. 
30 
North-e.ast 
Thursday.  May  1 6th 
,31 
East,  shifted  to 
Friday,  May  16th 
36 
South-east. 
Saturday.  May  17th 
30 
East 
Sunday,  May  18th 
32 
North-west 
