354 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
October  17,  1901. 
capable  of  carrying  great  quantities  of  Apples  and  Pears  ;  an  outer 
garden  devoted  to  vegetables  is  closely  intersected  with  lines  of  sturdy 
specimens  of  bush  Apples.  Quite  an  exhaustive  selection  of  these 
have  been  planted  by  Mr.  Noble,  in  many  instances  these  have 
replaced  trees  that  from  age  and  other  causes  had  ceased  to  be 
profitable.  Tt  would  not  be  easy  to  estimate  the  annual  output  from 
these  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  hence,  especially  as  Mr.  Noble 
carefully  attends  to  those  in  winter  time  which  are  predisposed  to 
leaf  growth  rather  than  fruit  production,  and  maintains  a  reserve 
store  from  which  to  draw  upon  in  the  case  of  any  that  are  not  of  the 
desired  standard  and  are  rejected.  Bush  fruits  flourish  only,  as  might 
be  expected.  Raspberries  had  wonderful  canes,  and  this  high  state  is 
maintained  by  periodic  removals  to  fresh  soil.  Strawberries  give 
excellent  crops  in  their  season,  and  forced  stock  occupying  pots  were 
remarkable  for  their  vigo\ir  of  foliage.  The  red  soil  of  these  gardens 
would  seem  unusually  rich  in  fruit-productive  elements,  the  only  crop 
that  seemed  to  languish  being  Morello  Cherries.  These  are  having 
attention  paid  them,  and  it  is  anticipated  will  rise  to  the  same 
position  as  all  other  occupants  of  this  fertile  garden. 
The  glass  department,  like  the  outer  garden,  is  extensive,  and 
give  of  their  fulness  for  each  season.  Here  fruit  preponderate, 
though  flowers  of  some  kinds  find  a  home.  Grapes  occupy  several 
large  structures,  the  earliest,  which  were  formerly  obtained  from  pot 
Vines,  now  being  grown  from  permanent  rods  in  a  smaller  house. 
Muscats,  which  are  a  favourite  Grape,  are  being  extended  largely. 
Hamburghs.  too.  are  grown  in  quantity  for  the  summer  months. 
Later  sorts  include  Alicante,  Alnwick  Seedling,  Appley  Towers,  Lady 
Downes,  and  Gros  Colman.  and  of  these  there  were  a  good  supply  of 
well  advanced  and  finished  bunches.  The  principal  range  of  vineries 
are  large  roomy  structures,  capable  of  giving  a  large  yield,  and  they, 
being  comparatively  young,  will  improve  with  age.  A  long  range  of 
Peach  houses  are  furnished  on  the  cross-trellis  system  of  planting, 
but  the  width  do  not  permit  of  this  principle  being  carried  out  to 
perfection.  However,  the  best  is  made  of  it  by  root  curtailment,  and 
good  crops  of  fine  fruit  realised.  Nectarines  were  unusually  bright 
coloured,  both  in  these  houses  and  on  the  open  walls,  showing  clearly 
that  the  natural  soil  suited  them  well.  Pines  were  formerly  grown 
to  great  perfection,  but,  as  in  many  other  gardens  nowadays,  their 
culture  has  been  given  up,  and  their  places  taken  up  by  Melons, 
Tomatoes,  and  Cucumbers  and  additional  space  devoted  to  decorative 
plants. 
Tomatoes  are  grown  somewhat  extensively  outside,  and  the  crops 
were  abnormally  heavy.  Melons  having  firm  skins,  such  as  Gunton 
Scarlet  and  Hero  of  Lockinge.  are  those  which  find  most  favour, 
because  of  the  long  journeys — 750  miles — they  have  to  travel,  when 
the  family  remove  to  Scotland.  There  are  extensive  ranges  of  pits 
for  the  forced  growth  of  spring  fruit  and  vegetables  and  the  propaga¬ 
tion  of  bedding  plants,  which  is  a  large  item  to  deal  with.  Vegetables 
and  border  flowers  show  that  in  Mr.  Noble  they  have  a  master  hand, 
fully  alive  to  their  importance,  and  the  necessity  of  an  inexhaustible 
supply,  and  the  neatness  and  good  order  everywhere  prevailing  was 
not  one  of  the  least  striking  features  of  this  princely  domain.  Due 
recognition  is  paid  by  a  generous  employer  to  one  who  by  aim  and 
effort  strives  to  deserve  it  in  the  honourable  discharge  of  duty. — W.  S 
House  Culture  of  the  European  Grape. 
The  time  will  probably  come,  in  America,  when  the  European 
Grape  will  again  be  a  valuable  commercial  fruit,  as  it  was  at 
one  time,  the  fruit  selling  readily  at  $1£  a  pound.  The  cultiva¬ 
tion  went  down  for  several  reasons,  among  them  the  fear  of 
competition  with  the  outdoor-grown  European  Grapes  from 
California,  the  injury  to  the  roots  by  the  phylloxera,  and  the 
difficulty  of  getting  the  intelligent  labour  to  manage  the  Vines 
properly.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  no  more  fear  of  competition 
with  the  California  product  need  be  feared  than  with  the  Spanish 
Grapes  that  come  in  barrels  of  cork  dust  from  the  Old  World. 
These  are  very  good  in  their  way,  and  will  usually  bring  remu¬ 
nerative  returns,  though  the  figures  be  small.  There  is  no  com¬ 
parison  between  these  in  quality  as  compared  with  those  grown 
under  glass  by  one  who  knows  his  business.  This  has  been 
abundantly  proved  in  England.  The  Spanish  Grapes  come  to 
England,  and  are  sold  by  auction  by  the  10,000  barrels  at  a  time, 
and  bring  no  more  than  6d.  or  9d.  a  pound  in  the  famous  Covent 
Garden  Market,  while  the  home-grown  Muscats  and  Black  Ham¬ 
burghs  bring  comparatively  enormous  prices.  In  America,  says 
“  Meehans’  Monthly,”  it  was  once  thought  to  be  absurd  to  try  to 
raise  Tomatoes  at  a  profit  under  glass  in  winter,  on  account  of 
the  shipments  from  Florida  and  the  West  India  Islands.  But 
it  has  been  found  a  profitable  business  of  late  years  by  reason  of 
the  superior  quality  of  the  home-grown  article. 
Pear  Michaelmas  Nelis. 
Four  splendid  fruits  of  this  neAv  September  Pear  were  sent 
a  week  ago  by  Messrs.  George  Bunyard  and  Co.,  of  Maidstone, 
who  are  the  distributors  of  this  richly  flavoured  and  juicy  dessert 
variety.  In  size  the  fruits  are  small  but  shapely,  and  are  borne 
freely  on  robust  wood.  “It  was  sent  out  last  year  (1900) ;  there 
is  no  other  so  good  in  its  season.” 
British  Grown  Fruit. 
Crystal  Palace,  October  10th,  11th,  and  12th. 
In  many  of  the  classes  for  single  dishes  of  Apples  at  last  week’s 
great  fruit  show;  a  very  considerable  shrinkage  in  the  number  of 
entries  was  apparent  when  one  came  to  consider  the  present  with 
last  year’s  exhibition.  The  season  has  been  an  uncertain  one  ; 
true,  there  has  been  sun  enough  to  give  colour,  and  yet  even  in 
this  respect  we  have  seen  very  much  brighter  samples  than,  on 
the  average,  was  staged  within  the  Crystal  Palace  on  the  latest 
occasion.  Grape  entrants,  too,  were  fewer  in  number,  if  we 
except  the  market  exhibits  from  Jersej7.  No  one,  however,  was 
found  who  did  not  cordially  agree  that  never  was  all-round  better 
quality  apparent.  Both  in  Pears  and  Apples  there  were  some 
extraordinary  samples  exhibited,  pictures  indeed,  in  form, 
appearance,  size,  colour,  and  general  refinement.  The  correct 
names  of  varieties  were,  almost  without  exception,  affixed  by  the 
numerous  exhibitors,  a  fact  which  was  remarked  upon  at  the 
luncheon  provided  by  the  Council  on  the  first  day  of  the  show  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Divers.  Our  good  friend  contrasted  the  state  of 
affairs,  so  far  as  names  are  concerned,  with  what  obtained  ten  of 
a  dozen  years  ago.  At  that  time  there  was  great  confusion  in 
nomenclature,  and  one  of  the  happiest  results  that  has  crowned 
the  continued  labours  and  expenditure  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  in  these  shows  lies  in  the  accuracy  that  now  characterises 
the  fruit  collections  that  yearly  are  presented. 
In  conversation  with  a  highly  esteemed  friend  at  the  show,  he 
expressed  a  desire  that  some  restrictions  could  be  devised 
w'hereby  the  gardeners  who  annually  “  sweep  the  boards,”  more 
especially  in  the  single-dish  classes,  would  find  their  entries 
penalised  !  He  contended  that  where  a  grower  has  soil,  situation, 
sun,  and  “  strength  ”  in  his  favour,  he  virtually  excludes  the 
thousands  of  other  fruit-growers  who  have  not  these  blessings. 
Of  course,  where  classes  are  “  open,”  this  sentiment  could  not  be 
allowed. 
Last  year  we  referred  to  the  scarcity  of  prizes  in  many  of  the 
classes;  this  year  there  is  no  improvement.  Really,  for  the  sake 
of  encouraging  the  supporters  of  the  show- — those  who  yearly 
exhibit  in  a  few  classes  in  a  genuine  spirit  of  competition,  and 
who,  moreover,  bring  gnod  fruit — there  ought  to  be  more  than  a 
couple  of  prizes  offered  where  perhaps  a  dozen,  eighteen,  or 
twenty  dishes  of  the  variety  are  staged. 
The  Jersey  fruit  was  again  to  the  fore,  but  large,  dull,  and,  to 
our  judgment,  coarse,  as  hitherto.  The  growers  who  exhibited 
the  market  Grapes  furnished  a  very  interesting  feature.  These 
were  in  baby  baskets,  as  sent  to  market.  The  boxes  used  for 
the  transit  of  these  baskets  are  also  objects  of  merit.  They  are 
made  of  various  sizes,  stout,  and  square.  The  inside  is  in  tiered 
shelves,  upon  which  the  baskets  are  placed,  and  the  shelves  are 
so  spaced  that  the  handles  of  the  baskets  press  against  the  shelves 
above  them,  and  thus  destroys  all  chance  of  shifting.  Boxes  are 
made  to  hold  a  certain  exact  number  of  baskets,  some  for  sixteen, 
others  tAventy-four,  and  the  largest  contain  thirty-two  baskets, 
each  basket  with  four  or  five  pounds  of  Grapes. 
Though  there  were  no  cards  AA^arning  visitors  not  to  handle 
fruit,  it  was  very  pleasing  to  observe  Iioav  few  were  the  numbers 
Avho  took  this  liberty.  It  is  certainly  a  demand  upon  one’s 
poAver  of  restraint  at  times  to  check  the  desire  to  handle, 
especially  Avhen  the  samples  are  being  discussed  with  an  en¬ 
thusiastic  cronie ;  but  to  systematically  lift,  feel,  Aveigh,  and 
perhaps  press  the  fruits,  on  all  the  tables,  as  Ave  saw  one  or  tAvo 
thoughtless  persons  doing,  is  most  seriously  to  be  deprecated. 
At  the  friendly  luncheon,  on  Thursday,  the  10th  inst.,  the 
secretary  to  the  society,  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  genially  presided.  He 
AAras  in  his  usual  cheerily  humorous  mood,  and  acted  ably.  Mr. 
Robert  Fenn,  Avell-known  to  “Journal”  readers,  Avas  the 
honoured  guest  at  table,  and  a  special  toast  Avas  given  to  him. 
The  old  gentleman  is  in  his  eighty-fifth  year,  and  the  recognition 
at  last  given  to  him  by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  even  if 
it  is  so  little  as  this,  will  go  down  as  one  of  the  society’s  most 
kindly  acts,  and  many,  including  old  Robert  Fenn  himself,  Avill  be 
happy  to  remember  the  Fruit  Show  of  1901.  The  judges, 
referees,  and  some  friends  Avere  photographed  by  Russell’s  folk 
after  luncheon,  and  Ave  are  proud  to  be  able  to  present  the  group, 
as  photographed,  in  one  of  our  central  pages  (357)  this  week.  The 
names  of  the  gentleman  Avill  be  found  on  the  portrait  page. 
OPEN  TO  GARDENERS  AND  AMATEURS  ONLY. 
Collections  of  Indoor  Fruits. 
Great  interest  is  ahvays  evinced  in  the  class  for  a  collection 
of  nine  dishes  of  ripe  dessert  fruit,  six  kinds  at  least.  On  this 
occasion  there  were  four  contestants.  Here  Mr.  J.  H.  Goodacre, 
gardener  to  the  Earl  of  Harrington,  Elvaston  Castle,  Derby, 
proved  the  victor  with  a  grand  exhibit,  Avhich  included  a 
fine  Queen  Pine,  superb  Madresfield  Court  and  Muscat  of  Alex¬ 
andria  with  large  noble  bunches,  almost  perfect  in  berry  and 
colour;  Melon  Taunton  Hero;  a  splend'd  dish  of  Marguerite 
