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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  3,  1901. 
variety,  and  altogether  superior  to  Williams’  Bon  ChietieD,  not  leaving 
a  rough,  unpleasant  flavour  behind.  Agamst  moderately  warm  walls 
the  fruit  is  usually  fit  to  gather  about  the  middle  of  August,  while 
that  produced  by  more  exposed  trees  is  about  a  fortnight  later,  or,  say, 
a  week  earlier  than  Bon  Chretien.  In  o  mmon  with  other  early 
Pears,  the  fruit  ought  not  to  be  left  on  the  trees  till  the  dropping 
stage  is  reached.  If  gathered  when  the  pips  are  quite  brown  the 
chances  are  the  flesh  will  quickly  become  mealy,  ar.d  a  short  unsati'- 
factory  season  be  the  result,  whereas  if  a  portion  of  the  crop  is  earlier, 
and  ripened  in  warm  dark  drawers  or  boxes  somewhat  artificially,  the 
quality  and  appearance  of  the  fruit  is  greatly  improved  and  the  season 
lengthened  considerably.  Specimens  of  Clapp’s  Favourite  that  I  have 
given  to  fruit  connoisseurs  have  proved  regular  “eye  openers.” 
Apples. 
Apples  have  not  been  gent  rally  productive  this  season;  in  fact  they 
are  scarce  in  many  gardens.  Two  varie  ies  I  have  been  particularly 
impressed  with,  and  these  are  Royal  Jubilee  and  The  Queen.  In  both 
instances  the  trees  are  of  strong,  sturdy  growth,  the  foliage  being 
remarkably  bold,  while  the  crops  were  heavy  and  the  fruit  very  fine. 
Royal  Jubilee  is  a  market  grower’s  variety,  established  as  such,  I 
mean,  but  it  is  equally  worthy  of  ir  elusion  in  private  growers’ 
selections.  The  fruit  are  of  the  Codlin  ordtr,  or  about  the  same  style 
as  Lord  Suffield,  only  they  are  very  much  heavier  and  ket  p  much 
longer,  or,  it  is  said,  till  March.  It  cocks  admirably,  and  is  1  ked  by 
some  for  dessert  purposes.  A  friend  of  mine  who  owns  several  large 
orchards  in  Essex,  considers  Royal  Jubilee  one  of  the  most  reliable 
Apples  in  cultivation,  and  equally  good  reports  come  from  the  north 
of  England.  If  I  am  rightly  informed,  The  Queen,  sent  cut,  but  not 
raised  by  Saltmarsh  &  Sod,  Chelmsford,  was  originally  a  sport, 
probably  from  Cox’s  Pomona,  and  ihe  true  variety  has  come  from  a 
single  branch  of  tree.  It  appears  that  other  portions  of  the  tree  have 
also  get  into  cultivation  under  the  name  of  The  QueeD,  hence  the 
difference  of  opinions  as  to  the  worth  of  the  variety.  I  recently 
inspected  a  long  row  of  grand  trees  of  the  tiue  form,  these  bearing 
heavy  crops  of  large,  flat,  round,  beautifully  stripied  fruit,  quite 
equalling  the  abundance  of  Apples  on  the  same  trees  last  year.  The 
Queen  is  a  little  too  flat  to  please  some  buyers,  but  it  is  a  crisp,  juicy, 
agreeably  flavoured  fruit,  whether  cooked  or  eaten  raw,  any  time  from 
August  to  January,  and  pays  well  for  growing.  Trees  of  this  variety 
should  be  found  in  more  private  gardens  than  is  the  case  at  present. 
Plums. 
Considering  how  heavily  the  trees  as  a  rule  were  cropped  last 
year,  it  is  somewhat  surprising  to  see  such  excellent  crops  of  Plums 
again  this  season.  Where  the  trees  obtained  sufficient  moisture  at  the 
roots  the  quality  of  the  fruit  has  been  unusually  good,  the  choicer 
dessert  varieties  beiDg  simply  delicious.  The  Gage  family  have  been 
very  much  in  evidence  this  summer,  but  none  have  equ.lled  in 
appearance  the  new  Early  Transpartnt  Gage,  and  this  variety  1  as  held 
its  own  in  the  matter  of  richness  of  flavour.  The  most  beautiful 
fruit  of  this  Gage  I  saw  any  where  this  season,  and  many  dishes 
have  been  shown  at  the  West  of  Englard  exhibitions,  were  gathered 
from  a  low,  standard  tree  growing  in  an  E-sex  garden.  The  variety  is 
well  worthy  of  wall  space,  but  should  also  be  tried  as  a  half-standard. 
Mitchelson’s  is  a  much  older  sort,  and  far  more  neglected  than  the 
variety  just  previously  alluded  to,  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  is  not  often 
seen  planted  outside  of  market  gardens.  This  I  hold  to  be  a  mistake, 
as  it  is  certainly  superior  in  point  of  quality  to  many  varieties  that  are 
favoured  with  good  sites  against  walls,  and  is  one  of  the  best  for 
growing  as  a  standard.  The  tree  is  of  a  free  yet  most  productive  habit 
of  growth,  and  seems  particularly  well  adapted  for  clothing  high 
dwelling-home  walls  with  a  western  aspect.  Some  fruit  I  gathered 
from  a  heavily  cropped  wall  tree  late  in  August  were  quite  as 
handsome,  and  nearly  as  rich  in  flavour,  as  the  best  samples  of  Kirke’s, 
they  only  differ  in  being  rounder  and  having  slightly  shorter  stalks, 
the  colour  of  skin  teing  dark  purple  and  the  flesh  greenish  yellow  in 
both  cases.  In  the  open  the  trees  of  Mitche Ison’s  were  equally  as 
productive  as  those  against  walls,  the  fruit  ripening  during  the  first 
fortnight  in  September.  Kirke’s  is  a  ccmparatively  shy  bearer,  and, 
all  thmgs  considered,  ought  not  to  be  invariably  selected  in  prelerence 
to  the  hitherto  neglected  Mitchelson’s. 
Peaches. 
Hot  summers  briDg  out  the  good  qualities  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines- 
in  toe  open,  but  are  somewhat  trying  to  the  trees  under  glass,  especially 
when  it  is  scorching  hot  in  May  and  June.  1  could  write  whole 
chapters  on  the  behaviour  of  various  varieties  under  trying  conditions, 
but  mu.-t  content  myself  on  this  occasion  with  brief  allusions  to  one 
Peach  and  one  Nectarine.  There  seems  to  be  a  prejudice  against 
Peaches  with  more  or  less  yellow  skins,  and  whose  flesh  in  most  cases 
is  stained  with  red  next  the  stones.  This  may  have  something: 
to  do  with  the  neglect  of  Osprey.  In  this  instance  the  skin  is  a  piale 
yellow  when  ripe,  with  a  crimson  stain  on  the  exposed  side,  and  on  the 
whole  is  not  very  attractive  in  appearance,  but  when  thoroughly  ripe 
the  flesh  is  melting  and  most  pleasingly  flavoured.  The  tree  is 
moderately  strong  in  growth,  flowers  profusely,  and  sets  crops  so  very 
freely  that  there  is  always  a  danger  of  UDderthinning  of  fruit  to  be 
guarded  against.  Osprey  is  a  late  variety,  ripening  at  the  same  time  as 
Walbuttou  Admirable,  and  it  is  in  that  direction  where  its  great  value 
lies — viz.,  its  late-ripening,  long-keeping  properties.  According  to  the 
“Fruit  Manual,”  Osprey  was  raised  by  Mr.  Rivers  from  Pitmaston 
Orange  Nectarine  about  the  year  1860. 
Nectarines. 
Nectaiine  Humboldt  was  raised  from  Pineapple  Nectarine,  and  has 
been  neglected  in  many  instances  in  favour  of  the  latter,  to  which  it 
bears  a  strong  resemblance.  As  it  happens,  both  are  well  worthy  of 
cultivation,  Humboldt  ripeniDg  a  week  or  ten  days  earlier  than  Pine¬ 
apple.  Some  of  the  most  attractive  Nectarines  I  saw  anywhere  this 
year  were  of  the  Humboldt  variety.  They  were  large,  perfectly^ 
formed,  the  skin  very  heavily  mottled  and  striped  with  crimson,  and 
the  flesh  deep  orange  in  Cjlour  with  a  crimson  stain  next  the  stones, 
while  the  quality  was  equal  to  that  of  the  best  Pineapple.  Young 
trees  of  both  Humbcldt  and  Pineapple  are  apt  to  be  disappointing,  not 
setting  good  crops  nor  proriucii  g  such  large,  handsome  fruit  as 
expected.  When  they  get  older,  however,  a  marked  improvement 
takes  place,  better  crops  setting,  while  the  fruit  develops  both  the  size 
and  colour  looked  lor  vainly  in  earlier  years.  By  this  it  will  be  seen 
how  careful  cultivators  ought  to  be  of  their  large  old  trees  of  these  two 
Nectarines,  doing  all  they  can  in  the  way  of  renovation,  both  above 
and  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  rather  than  root  them  up  to 
plant  new  trees.  It  is  semetimes  asserted  that  very  little  regard  is 
paid  to  the  quality  of  1  ruifr  that  is  to  be  sent  to  the  markets,  but  those 
who  have  presentable  samples  of  Humboldt  and  Pineapple  Nectarines 
to  dispose  (  f,  may  qu  ckly  learn  that  the  Covent  Garden  buyers,  at  any 
:ate,  fully  appreciate  the  value  of  these  varieties. — W.  Igqulden. 
- - «••*> - 
Imperial  Kew. 
Kew — royal  Kew,  has  initialed  many  botanical  schemes  of  untold 
financial  importance  to  cur  colonies  and  possessions,  either  by  pointing 
out  the  varieties  of  plants  indigenous  to  the  country  which  are  most 
worth  exclusive  cultivation,  or  by  introducing  the  most  suitable  plants 
from  countries  many  thousands  of  miles  away.  In  this  way  an 
extensive  distribution  of  seeds  and  p.ants  takes  place  each  year  at 
Kew.  The  plants  n  ay  be  brought  from  America,  revived,  nursed,  and 
then  repacked  to,  say  Australia,  or  vice  versa.  Thus  in  1861  the  Cinchona 
of  the  Andes  in  South  Amer  ca,  which  was  becoming  rapidly 
destroyed,  and  so  costly  that  quimne  was  almost  worth  its  weight  in 
gold,  was  conveyed  to  India.  After  many  disappointments  and 
adventures  the  varieties  planted  have  resulted  in  a  golden  harvest  of 
money  and  health  to  that  country.  Since  1893  a  dose  of  five  grains 
of  quinine  has  been  obtainable  at  ev<  ry  lccal  post-office  in  Bengal  for 
about  a  farthing.  So  w  th  indiarubber,  also  once  confined  to  South 
America.  Till  quite  recently  none  of  these  trees  were  brought  into 
extensive  cultivation,  it  bad  not  even  been  settled  which  were  the 
best  for  cultivation.  Now  it  has  been  introduced  to  India,  and  the 
cultivation  is  to  be  taken  up  by  the  Government  on  a  large  scale. 
Gutta  per.ha  did  not  come  under  notice  till  1816,  when  it  was  plentiful 
in  Singapore  forests;  within  the  next  five  years  it  was  totallv  destroyed 
there,  and  the  same  was  happening  in  Penang  and  Malay,  till 
Kew  stepped  in  and  urged  systematic  cultivation.  A  seedlii  g  of 
Barbadoes  Sugar-cane  has  yielded  wonderful  results  in  Queensland,  and 
is  honourably  namtd  Kewensis.  These  instances  might  be  multiplied 
a  hundredfold.  This  year,  for  instance,  there  has  been  under 
observation  two  or  three  South  African  plants  said  to  be  sptcfics  in 
dysentery.  With  such  initiative  rendered  by  Kew  our  new  possessions 
may  develop  resources  above  ground  of  no  lees  value  than  those  buried 
in  the  mines.  Meanwhile,  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  Kew  is  no 
whit  behind  the  most  advanced  department  of  the  State  in  doing  a 
grand  imperial  work,  the  full  harvest  of  which  has  yet  to  be  gathered 
by  generations  unborn. 
