October  10,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
327 
Fruit  in  the  West  Conntrie. 
There  is  a  partiality  that  is  most  marked  in  the  Apple  crops 
of  the  West;  in  some  districts  there  is  an  abundance,  the  trees 
being  loaded  almost  to  breaking  point,  while  other  growers  have 
but  few.  Some  instances  occur  to  my  mind  as  I  write  in  which 
I  am  told  that  the  supply  of  cooking  Apples  is  already  exhausted 
in  gardens  even  at  this  early  date,  and  dessert  fruits  are  scarcely 
more  plentiful.  This  lightness  of  crop,  too,  in  some  cases  affects 
large  districts,  judging  from  visits  paid  to  other  gardens,  and  the 
•opinions  expressed  by  visitors  around  me.  There  is  an  unanimity 
in  the  varied  reports  that  the  Apple  crop  of  the  West  is,  generally 
speaking,  much  below  the  average.  For  the  season  our  crop  is 
exceptionally  heavy,  and  the  fruit  in  the  majority  of  cases  of  full, 
average  sifce. 
Some  trees  were  so  heavily  laden  that  supports  were  necessary 
to  keep  the  points  of  the  branches  off  the  soil.  Stirling  Castle, 
Rambour  Franc,  Cockle’s  Pippin,  Lord  Grosvenor,  Ecklinville, 
Warner’s  King,  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch,  Bismarck,  King  of  Pippins, 
Claygate  Pearman,  Tower  of  Glands  (see  illustration  on  page  330), 
Bush  v.  Wall  Pears. 
Though  quality  may  be  equal — probably  superior  in  Pears 
gathered  from  the  open  tree,  there  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  it 
is  from  the  wall  tree  one  must  look  for  the  finest  and  hand¬ 
somest  frnits.  In  proof  of  this  it  is  only  necessary  to  have  dupli¬ 
cate  trees  of  any  particular  kind,  and  compare  the  fruit  in  a 
gathered  state.  The  warmth  afforded  by  the  walls  has  a  marked 
effect  both  on  the  size  as  well  as  the  skin  of  the  Pear.  A  curious 
point  of  the  case  of  wall-grown  Pears  is  that  birds  and  wasps 
seem  to  pass  them  almost  or  entirely  unnoticed.  I  have  observed 
this  to  be  so  in  most  seasons,  whether  in  times  of  scarcity  or 
plenty,  though  this  experience  may  not  be  general.  Established 
trees  having  their  roots  deeply  in  the  soil,  or  the  surface  protected 
by  mulching,  appear  to  revel  in  a  warm,  dry  summer.  The 
growth  of  our  trees  were  never  more  satisfactory,-  and  but  for 
the  enemies  complained  of  the  crop  could  not  fail  to  satisfy  the 
most  exacting,  despite  the  slight  rainfall,  prolonged  periods  of 
drought,  and  the  tropical  heat  of  summer.  Shallow  or  poor  soils 
would  not  support  this  experience,  and  gardeners  having  such 
land  to  deal  with  would  find  it  difficult  to  acce  pt  such  a  version. 
The  fact,  however,  remains  the  same,  and  can  endure  a  generous 
argument  or  a  severer  criticism. 
AN  AMATEUR’S  MELONS. 
Ribston  Pippin,  Stunner  Pippin,  Reinette  de  Canada,  and 
■Court  Pendu  Plat  are  a  few  that  have  been  well  cropped.  Some 
bear  heavily  in  alternate  years.  Stirling  Castle  and  Cockle’s  are 
two  that  have  this  trait.  On  page  331  an  outline  figure  of  the 
latter  variety  is  furnished. 
Pears. 
These  generally  are  more  plentiful  than  Apples,  some  trees 
and  sorts  being  too  heavily  cropped,  in  fact.  Birds,  however, 
have  been  exceedingly  voracious,  and,  together  with  the  wasp 
plague,  have  reduced  the  crop  very  considerably;  so  much  so, 
in  fact,  that  some  trees  have  been  cleared  before  they  were  ripe, 
and  others  would  have  had  none  but  for  muslin  bag  guards. 
The  tits  of  both  the  large  and  small  kinds  have  given  endless 
trouble;  blackbirds,  thrushes,  and  starlings  (?)  also  add  to  the 
worries  of  fruit  time. 
Very  few  trees  were  without  fruit,  and  the  majority  bore  crops 
above  the  average.  Doyenne  Boussoch  and  Beurre  Hardy  were 
very  attractive  to  visitors  and  to  birds.  The  former  is  an  ex¬ 
ceedingly  handsome  Pear,  though  unfortunately  its  season  is 
shoft  and  early — October.  Others  kinds  that  have  borne  freely 
are  Duchesse  d’Angouleme,  Conseiller  de  la  Cour,  Winter  Nelis, 
Bon  Chretien,  Triomphe  de  Vienne,  Beurre  Baltet  Pere,  Alex¬ 
andrine  Douillard,  Beurre  Clairgeau,  Brown  Beurre,  Napoleon, 
Beurre  Diel,  Glou  Mor^eau,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Doyenne 
.Boismond,  and  Doyenne  du  Cornice. 
Summer  an  Autumn  Plums. 
These  have  been  plentiful,  and  the  quality  very  good.  It  is 
not  a  little  curious  that,  though  the  summer  has  been  warm, 
Plums  have  not  been  much  influenced  in  their  maturity,  and  it 
is  very  striking  how  their  ripening  is  retarded  when  the  crop  is 
heavy.  I  saw  Jefferson’s  being  gathered  on  the  last  Thursday 
in  September  by  no  means  over-ripe.  The  same  kind  was  shown 
by  many  exhibitors  six  weeks  previously.  Golden  Drops  and 
the  Bavays  continue  the  Gage  season  into  October.  Grand 
Duke,  Monarch,  Blue  Imperatrice,  and  Coe’s  Late  Red  will  afford 
dishes  of  coloured  Plums  for  some  time  yet. 
In  the  Fruit  Room. 
The  present  is  a  busy  time,  and  whether  the  store  is  a  large, 
medium,  or  small  one,  there  still  remains  the  same  necessity  to 
carefully  examine  stored  fruit  to  remove  damaged  or  decaying 
specimens.  Thin  down  any  that  must,  from  force  of  circum¬ 
stances,  have  been  stored  thickly,  as  early  as  possible.  Maintain 
a  cool  temperature  and  an  absence  of  light  in  order  that  the  best 
is  made  of  what  there  is,  and  to  prolong  the  season  as  far  as 
possible  into  the  winter.  Choice  specimen  Apples  and  Pears 
that  have  small  bird-picked  holes  in  them  can  be  sometimes 
preserved  for  a  good  time  if  the  punctures  are  filled  with  dry 
plaster  of  Paris,  or  a  small  square  of  gum  plaister  neatly  applied. 
