360 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  17,  1901. 
For  a  package  showing  improved  form  of  packing  the  laurels 
went  to  the  Messrs.  Poupart  and  Son,  the  fruits  being  separately 
bound  in  tissue  paper,  and  so  evenly  graded  that  when  they  were 
fitted-in  in  rows  there  could  be  no  shifting.  Mr.  Basham  followed 
for  second. 
Pears. 
Mr.  George  Chambers  had  the  two  finest  packages  of  Pears  in 
two  varieties,  namely  Pitmaston  Duchess  and  Doyenne  du 
Cornice;  Mr.  A.  Wyatt,  Halton,  Middlesex,  only  obtained  second, 
but  certainly  his  exhibit  must  have  tried  the  keenest  discrimi¬ 
nating  powers  of  the  adjudicators.  He  staged,  in  flat  boxes, 
Louise  Bonne  de  Jersey  and  Pitmaston  Duchess.  Six  entered 
this  class.  Messrs.  Poupart  beat  Mr.  A.  Wyatt  in  a  class  for 
over  two  dozen  Pears,  packed  and  ready  for  market.  There  was 
little  to  draw  between  the  lots,  and  personally  a  set  that  did  not 
obtain  any  recognition  pleased  us  best  in  the  manner  of  packing. 
Two  exhibitors  entered  for  the  collection  of  twelve  varieties 
of  Apples  and  six  of  Pears,  distinct,  eighteen  fruits  of  each,  to  be 
laid  flat  on  the  table  without  dishes  or  baskets.  Only  Vine  or 
similar  leaves  allowed  for  decoration,  and  the  space  occupied  must 
not  exceed  16ft  by  3ft.  The  first  award  of  £4  10s.  was  given  to 
Messrs.  Poupart  and  Son,  who  staged  remarkably  clean  samples, 
all  very  even  and  saleable.  The  second  prize  collection  were 
large,  and  had  suffered  severely  from  the  storms  of  the  few 
preceding  days.  The  competitors  here  omitted  to  place  their 
cards  upon  the  table,  but  from  boxes  beneath  we  obtained  the 
name  Messrs.  W.  J.  Lobjoit  and  Son.  Owing  to  the  lateness  of 
the  show  this  year  there  were  no  entries  of  Plums.  Of  Tomatoes 
four  baskets  were  staged,  the  first  place  being  held  by  Mr.  C. 
Moon,  Chessington  Court  Nurseries,  Surbiton,  with  Comet. 
Messrs.  W.  Poupart  and  Son  had  smaller  fruits,  and  followed 
second. 
MISCELLANEOUS  EXHIBITS. 
The  miscellaneous  groups  of  flowers  and  plants  add  greatly  to 
the  interest  of  this  show.  Messrs.  Cannell  and  Sons  staged  their 
wonderful  unexcelled  Cannas  together  with  a  collection  of  hardy 
fruit,  -which  has  been  noticed  in  our  report  of  the  competitive 
section.  Messrs.  Peed  and  Son,  South  Norwood,  did  well  to 
bring  so  handsome  an  assortment  of  perennial  herbaceous  Asters 
(Michaelmas  Daisies)  as  that  shown  by  them  near  the  Handeli 
organ. 
Then  there  were  groups  of  hardy  cut  flowers  from  Messrs. 
Barr,  B.  S.  Williams  and  Son,  Paul  and  Son  (Roses),  M.  Prit¬ 
chard,  and  Cheal  and  Sons  (Dahlias).  Both  Messrs.  T.  S.  Ware, 
Ltd.,  and  Peed  and  Son,  showed  flowers  of  tuberous  Begonias  cut 
from  the  open  air.  To  many  provincial  growers,  who  have  not 
seen  the  efforts  of  these  specialists  in  Begonia  culture,  the 
samples  which  they  are  able  to  exhibit  at  this  late  period,  and 
from  the  open  air,  too,  would  quite  come  as  an  astonishment. 
We  should  have  liked  to  visit  Messrs.  Peed’s  grounds  where  these 
Begonias  are  grown  so  well,  but  time  has  been  fleeting,  and  our 
duties  have  been  constant.  We  take  this  opportunity,  however, 
of  expressing  our  appreciation  of  the  excellence  of  their  double 
and  single  tuberous  Begonias,  as  seen  many  times  at  shows  in 
London  this  season. 
Messrs.  Barr  and  Sons,  we  might  point  out,  have  a  wonder¬ 
fully  fine  lot  of  Ivniphofias  amongst  other  things,  and  of  these  we 
took  especial  notice  of  Kniphofia  Leichtlini,  K.  L.  distacha,  K.  L. 
aurantiaca,  L.  caulescens,  L.  Max  Leichtlini,  L.  Macowani  (one 
of  the  choicest),  L.  corallina.  and  L.  c.  superba.  These  Torch 
Lilies,  or  Red  Hot  Pokers  as  they  are  usually  called,  are  welcome 
in  the  autumn  borders  of  all  gardens. 
Amongst  those  who  exhibited  fruit  collections,  the  more 
notable  were  Messrs.  Rivers  and  Son,  and  Messrs.  James  Veitch 
and  Sons,  Ltd.  Messrs.  Horne  and  Son,  Cliff  e,  Rochester,  also 
staged  a  grand  dish  of  their  new  Charles  Ross  Apple,  which  the 
“Journal”  was  able  to  point  out  last  week.  Messrs.  Veitch’s 
exhibit  was  a  most  imposing  one,  the  sample  fruits  being  full- 
sized,  according  to  the  variety,  clean,  well-coloured,  and  even. 
The  most  striking  dishes  of  Apples  were  Stone’s  Seedling,  Tyler’s 
Kernel,  Lane’s  Prince  Albert,  Blenheim  Orange,  Cox’s  Pomona, 
New  Hawthornden,  Baumann’s  Red  Reinette,  King  of  the 
Pippins,  Cellini,  and  Lord  Suffield.  The  James  Grieve  Apple, 
Bijou,  Wealthy,  and  Allington  Pippin  were  also  very  handsome, 
The  Pears,  Marie  Louise,  Dr.  Hogg,  Beurre  Diel,  Beurre 
Superfin,  St.  Luke,  and  many  more,  were  exceptionally  fine. 
Messrs.  Thomas  Rivers  and  Son,  Sawbridgeworth,  Herts, 
staged,  as  usual,  magnificent  specimen  Apples  from  orchard- 
house  trees.  Their  specimens  of  Hollandbury  were  perfect ;  others 
in  equal  prominence  were  Yorkshire  Beauty,  Gloria  Mundi, 
Peasgood’s  Nonesuch,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  Gascoyne's  Scarlet, 
Lady  Henniker,  Emperor  Alexander,  Washington,  The  Queen, 
and  Blenheim  Orange.  Peaches  Lady  Palmerston  and  Salwey 
were  shown  by  fine  examples;  also  Late  Orange  Plum.  Grapes, 
and  trained  pyramidal  trees  in  pots,  with  wood  stout  and 
bristling  with  fruit  buds.  The  trees  exhibited  were  also  laden 
with  fruits. 
Messrs.  Spooner  and  Sons,  Hounslow,  staged  a  full  collection 
of  the  most  useful  and  popular  varieties  of  Apples,  all  of  them 
clean  and  good.  Messrs.  W.  Balchin  and  Sons,  Hassocks, 
Brighton,  must  further  be  mentioned  as  exhibitors  in  this  direc¬ 
tion.  Their  fine  array  included  many  little  known  but 
meritorious  varieties  of  the  Apple. 
Messrs.  Wells  and  Co.,  Earlswood,  Redhill,  Surrey,  had  a 
remarkably  fine  group  of  cut  Chrysanthemum  blooms.  A  num¬ 
ber  of  promising  seedlings  were  included,  as  well  as  last  year’s 
favourites.  Madame  Von  Andre  was  A1 ;  Paul  Valade  and  Sir 
G.  White,  Miss  A.  Byron  and  O.  J.  Quintus,  the  latter  a  grand 
cut-and-come-again  sort. 
The  Swanley  Horticultural  College  sent  preserved  fruits  in 
bottles,  besides  a  large  collection  of  beautiful  clean  Pears  and 
Apples.  Messrs.  William  Cubush  and  Son  had  a  group  of 
retarded  Spiraea  japonica,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  also  Carnations, 
Ericas,  Ghent  Azaleas,  and  other  choice  out-of-season  plants. 
Interest  in  Froit  Culture. 
So  much  has  been  written  about  commercial  fruit  culture  of 
late  years  that  it  appears  as  though  all  one  has  to  do  is  to  plant 
and  grow  rich.  But  there  is  need  for  careful  consideration  when 
one  comes  to  know  the  ins  and  outs  of  everything.  That  fruit 
culture  is  on  the  increase,  at  any  rate  in  this  country,  is  apparent 
by  the  number  of  young  orchards  and  plantations  to  be  seen  every¬ 
where.  You  may  see  standard  fruit  trees  growing  amongst  Hops, 
as  though  the  grower  had  an  idea  of  doing  away  with  the  latter, 
but  is  now  unable  to  make  up  his  mind.  It  will  not  do  for  long, 
of  course,  one  must  give  way ;  but  the  lesson  it  teaches  is  that 
the  best  way  to  obtain  a  permanent  orchard  is  to  plant  the  trees 
on  land  that  is  under  cultivation.  They  become  established  far 
quicker  than  if  planted  on  grass  land,  and  in  a  few  years  the 
ground  can  be  seeded  down.  Half-standards  of  Apples  and 
Plums  in  mixed  plantations  are  very  popular,  as  they  last  a  long 
time,  and  will  allow  for  low-bush  fruit  as  well.  At  the  same  time, 
there  are  many  who  realise  the  quick  returns  from  bush  Apples 
worked  on  the  Paradise. 
In  certain  counties,  such  as  Hereford,  Somerset,  and  Devon¬ 
shire,  where  Apples  are  largely  grown,  cider  is  a  universal 
beverage  ;  but  the  same  cannot  be  said  of  the  Garden  of  England. 
There  are  Apples  in  abundance,  and  in  the  Weald  of  Kent  and  a 
few  other  places  cider  is  made  and  consumed.  But  for  the  most 
part  the  average  Kentish  man  prefers  John  Barleycorn;  perhaps 
because  he  grows  the  Hops  that  help  to  make  it,  and  he  has  yet 
to  be  educated  in  the  consumption  of  the  beverage  made  from  the 
juice  of  the  Apple.  Kentish  Apples  appear  to  be  grown  for 
market,  and  the  sooner  they  can  be  got  there  after  they  leave 
the  trees  the  better  the  grower  is  pleased.  This  is,  perhaps,  why 
there  is  not  much  attention  paid  to  the  storage  of  long-keeping 
varieties.  I  know  one  grower  who  had  a  quantity  of  Apples  of  a 
local  variety  that  would  not  sell.  By  the  way  of  an  experiment 
he  turned  them  into  cider,  and  produced  an  excellent  sample. 
The  otherwise  useless  trees  have  not  yet  been  utilised  for  fire 
wood,  so  I  conclude  that  the  experiment  was  profitable. 
The  Question  of  “  Labour.” 
The  labour  question  has  been  one  of  serious  proportions  during 
the  last  few  seasons.  Growers  could  hardly  get  men  for  love  or 
money,  and  women  have  been  none  too  plentiful.  In  supplying 
the  million  with  its  fruit,  female  labour  plays  an  important  part. 
As  soon  as  the  first  Gooseberries  are  large  enough  for  picking,  and 
the  earliest  Strawberries  begin  to  redden,  housewives  and 
daughters  turn  out,  and  the  work  continues  as  long  as  the  season 
lasts.  It  would  shake  the  nerves  of  many  ladies  to  mount  a 
ladder  and  scale  to  the  heights  of  a  tall  Cherry  tree  with  a  basket 
slung  on  their  backs,  but  the  Cherry  pickers  think  nothing  of 
it.  Stout,  buxom  females  trip  up  the  ladders  with  the  grace  of 
acrobats,  and,  perched  amongst  the  branches,  they  pick  away 
with  just  as  much  confidence  as  if  they  were  on  terra  firma. 
Taken  altogether,  the  fruit-growing  industry  is  one  that  presents 
many  interesting  phases.  It  might  be  better  done,  certainly  it 
could  be  worse,  and  taking  the  bad  with  the  good  the  market 
fruit-grower  is  probably  as  well  off  as  most  people  who  live  on 
the  land. — H. 
- - 
Forestry  in  America. 
While  our  daily  papers,  early  in  May,  were  burdened,  says 
“  Meehans’  Monthly,”  with  editorials  showing  how  cities,  in 
many  parts  of  Europe,  raised  forests  and  paid  the  whole  municipal 
expenses  out  of  timber  sales,  a  single  forest  fire  in  New  Jersey 
was  raging  until  a  tract  of  60,000  acres  of  valuable  timber  was 
burned  over.  The  fire  started  among  the  dead  wood  and  rubbish 
gathered  in  the  underbrush,  which  our  forestry  leaders  tell  us 
is  so  essential  in  American  woods  in  order  to  retain  the  water 
and  fill  the  springs !  European  forestry  seems  to  understand  how 
to  get  plenty  of  spring  water  without  forest  underbrush,  and  the 
risk  of  forest  fires. 
