386 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  24,  1901. 
picking  was  later  than  usual.  A  few  .sorts  were  exceptionally 
fine,  such  as  Latest  of  All,  Filbert  Pine,  and  Queen  of  Denmark. 
The  older  Waterloo,  Elton,  and  Eleanor  came  in  late  and  good, 
but  the  most  wonderful  crop  was  from  the  white  varieties,  Louis 
Gauthier,  which  was  (being  a  dry  season)  very  fine  in  quality  and 
of  abnormal  size.  Royal  Sovereign  was  well  to  the  fore,  and 
the  summer  crop  of  the  new  autumnal  kinds,  St.  Antoine  de 
Padoue,  Jeanne  cl’Arc,  St.  Joseph,  &c.,  were  very  large,  and  the 
September  and  October  pickings  have  been  very  satisfactory.  As 
far  as  the  market  growths  are  concerned,  I  believe  that  prices 
were  satisfactory ;  in  fact,  the  best  paying  crop  of  the  year. 
Raspberries  were  much  affected  by  the  drought,  and  their  low 
•quality  may  in  some  measure  account  for  the  poor  prices  that 
ruled.  In  gardens  they  were  an  average  crop.  Gooseberries 
were  perhaps  the  largest  crop  ever  seen,  and  for  both  green  and 
ripe  fruit  the  prices  were  very  low.  It  is  not  often  that  all  parts 
grow  a  crop  as  they  did  in  1901,  because  it  frequently  happens 
that  a  May  frost  will  reduce  the  yield  in  some  localities  to  the 
benefit  of  those  which  are  more  fortunate.  Garden  Gooseberries 
were  very  good  in  quality,  and  lasted  a  longer  time  than  usual. 
The  heaviest  crop  ever  seen  was  in  the  Kent  Cherry  orchards. 
Such  a  general  glut  of  these  fruits,  both  black  and  white,  early 
and  late,  is  rave.  The  prices  were  affected  by  the  Strawberry 
crop  not  being  past  when  they  came  on  the  market.  The  fruit 
was  naturally  rather  small,  but  except  at  the  end,  when  frequent 
showers  fell,  the  quality  was  superb.  Though  the  East  Kent 
growers  suffered  from  a  severe  gale,  a  much  smaller  picking  has 
often  brought  larger  returns.  The  latter  rains  have  done  the 
trees  great  good,  and  we  may  expect  a  fair  crop  in  1902,  weather 
permitting.  In  Plums,  perhaps,  never  before  has  this  fruit  been 
so  unevenly  distributed.  In  some  grounds  the  crop  was  a  full  one, 
while  in  others  trees  were  very  sparsely  fruited.  The  cold 
weather  seems  to  have  come  as  it  were  in  slices,  so  that  while 
some  escaped  others  were  hard  hit.  After  the  large  crop  of  1900 
a  full  yield  was  not  expected,  but  apparently,  in  1900,  the  jam 
boilers'  filled  up,  so  that  the  trade  has  been  slow  all  the  season, 
and  for  the  Kent  Damsons  a  market  could  not  be  found. 
The  Apple  crop  of  1901  has  been  a  short  one,  as  was  expected 
after  the  enormous  yield  of  1900,  and  the  earlier  kinds  have,  as  a 
rule,  given  the  largest  return,  naturally  because  the  trees  have 
time  to  recover  after  the  fruit  is  picked.  I  anticipate  late  kitchen 
Apples  will  be  scarce,  as  the  growers  have  been  tempted  by  good 
prices  to  market  them  from  the  trees,  and,  except  the  Blenheim 
Orange,  there  is  but  a  short  crop,  although  here  and  there  trees 
are  bearing  of  such  old  kinds  as  Winter  Queening,  Tower  of 
Glammis,  and  Sourings.  Dessert  sorts  are  scarce,  Cox’s  Orange 
failing  in  many  parts.  King  of  Pippins  is  a  fair  crop.  Even 
garden  trees  oil  the  Paradise  stock  are  bare  this  season,  and  it 
was  mostly  on  two  and  three  years  trees  that  we  were  able  to  get 
•our  sorts  for  exhibition.  But  a  notable  fact  was  that  trees  lifted 
and  planted  in  1899  had  a  grand  crop.  If  this  was  regularly 
carried  out  in  private  gardens,  by  lifting  a  portion  each  year,  I 
believe  a  regular  crop  could  be  ensured.  The  varieties  which  have 
been  conspicuous  in  the  nursery  this  year  are  Lady  Sudeley, 
Gladstone,  Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  Duchess'  Favourite,  Allington 
Pippin,  Cockle’s  Pippin,  St.  Edmund’s  Pippin,  James  Grieve, 
Baumann’s  Reinette,  King  Pippin,  Worcester  Pearmain ;  and 
among  the  kitchen  sorts  the  early  Codlin  race,  and  the  new  Bielo 
Borodawaka,  Tower  of  Glammis,  Lord  Derby,  Rambour  Papelen, 
Bismarck,  and  Lane’s  Prince  Albert  in  the  later  varieties. 
In  Pears  the  crop  has  been  very  satisfactory,  and  the  fruit 
•clean  and  free  from  spots;  in  fact,  many  second  rate  sorts  have 
been  quite  good.  Among  the  newer  varieties  Marguerite  Mar- 
rillat,  Directeur  Hardy,  and  Conference  have  been  superb. 
Nearly  every  kind  in  our  nursery  has  borne  this  year  ;  among  the 
newer  kinds  Michaelmas  Nelis  and  Le  Lectier,  Belle  des  Arbres. 
Beurre  Perran,  Rivers’  St.  Luke,  and  St.  Martin’s  are  promising 
keeping  sorts,  and  naturally  the  late  Pears  promise  to  be  very 
hue,  as  they  are  well  grown  and  clean  fruits.  All  wall  fruits  and 
Figs  have  been  very  fine. 
Taking  1901  as  a  whole,  and  viewing  it  commercially,  I  con¬ 
sider  it  far  from  satisfactory.  The  growers,  in  a  word,  have  done 
badly.  Fine  fruit  has  sold  for  a  song,  and  it  is  evident  when 
Plums  are  selling  at  fd.  per  lb  wholesale,  and  we  see  them  in  the 
fruiterers  at  4d.  to  8d.  per  lb,  that  the  profits  have  gone  to 
others  than  the  growers,  and  the  old  vexed  question  of  distribu¬ 
tion.  The  Kent  orchards  have  sold  very  well,  that  is,  to  buyers 
who  gather  the  fruit  themselves.  It  may  be  that  the  demand  has 
not  been  so  brisk  as  usual,  for  there  is  a  general  complaint  of 
shortness  of  ready  money,  and  the  war  may  have  had  some  indirect 
effect,  but  from  the  hearty  way  the  large  growers  are  planting, 
they  do  not  fear  that  over-production  which  the  pessimists  write 
of.  and  the  keynote  of  our  future  fruit  production  must  still  be 
from  the  best  sorts  in  the  best  way;  cultivate  freely,  pack  care¬ 
fully,  and  keep  all  rubbish  at  home.  I  hear  that  the  foreign 
PI  unis  have  not  been  sent  here  this  season,  as  prices  have  ruled 
lew.  In  conclusion',  the  copious  rains  of  autumn,  and  the  ex¬ 
ceptionally  fine  and  warm  weather,  should  be  favourable  for  the 
1902  crop. 
An  interesting  discussion  followed.  Mr.  Assbee  attributed  the 
low  prices  that  have  ruled  in  1901  to  certain  influences,  one  being 
the  now  common  practice  of  working  men  to  knock  off  his 
luxuries,  of  which  fruit  is  one,  in  order  to  take  his  family  to  the 
sea;  also  to  the  increase  of  fruit  culture  all  over  the  country’, 
especiall”  in  Wisbech,  Cambridge,  Lincoln,  Worcester,  &c. ;  and 
in  reference  to  the  retailer  he  gave  instances  which  seemed  to 
establish  the  fact  that  he  equalises  his  prices  without  relation  to 
market  values,  and  having  a  regular  trade,  he  does  not  find  it  to 
his  interest  to  buy  largely  and  sell  cheaply,  because,  while  his 
customers  will  pay  a  moderate  and  regular  figure,  they  resent  a 
rise  in  prices.  It  was  suggested  that  the  crux  of  the  matter  lies 
rather  in  the  placing  of  the  growers’  products  on  the  market  in  a 
portable  and  taking  condition  as  regards  colour  in  fruit.  A 
variety  of  opinions  were  expressed,  some  thinking  the  dry  air 
was  a  great  factor,  others  the  combined  influence  of  rain,  wind, 
and  soil. 
Mr.  Shea  bore  out  the  reader’s  idea  of  the  erratic  action  of 
frost,  many  trees  in  his  plantations  having  heavy  crops,  and 
others  being  quite  bare.  Messrs.  Pearson,  May,  Rivers,  the 
secretary,  and  others  added  to  the  general  interest.  Rev. W. Wilks 
mentioned  that  the  continuous  application  of  scientifically  pre¬ 
pared  manures  on  Apples  had  produced  no  visible  effect.  A  vote 
of  thanks  to  the  reader  terminated  a  pleasant  evening. 
Birmingham  and  Midland  Counties  Gardeners'  Association. 
Oct.  7,  1901,  “  A  Chat  about  Hardy  Plants,”  Mr.  W.  B. 
Child,  The  Hardy  Plant  Nurseries,  Acocks  Green  (this  lecture 
will  be  illustrated  by  lantern  slides).  Oct.  21,  “The  Propagation 
of  Plants,”  Mr.  C.  H.  Herbert,  The  Nurseries,  Sparkhill,  Bir¬ 
mingham.  Nov.  4,  “  Landscape  Gardening,”  Mr.  W.  Miller,  The 
Nursery,  Berkswell.  Nov.  18,  Mr.  W.  Spinks,  The  Nurseries, 
Solihull,  will  open  a  discussion  on  the  leading  features  of  the 
Birmingham  Chrysanthemum  Show.  Dec.  2,  “  The  Relationship 
of  Insects  to  Plants,”  Mr.  A.  Jenkins,  head  gardener  to  A.  W. 
Wills,  Esq.,  Claregate,  Wylde  Green.  Dec  16,  “A  Chat  about 
Conifers,”  with  illustrations  of  cones,  Mr.  W.  Gardiner,  3,  Vivian 
Road,  Harborne  (nominations  of  members  for  committee  for  1902 
will  also  take  place  at  this  meeting).  Jan.  13,  1902,  Presentation 
of  annual  report  and  balance-sheet,  and  election  of  committee 
and  officers  for  1902  (nominations  to  take  place  on  Monday  even¬ 
ing.  Dec.  16). 
Bristol  and  District  Gardeners. 
On  Thursday,  October  10,  this  society  held  its  opening  meet¬ 
ing  of  the  session  at  St.  John’s  Rooms,  Redland,  Mr.  Hancock 
presiding  over  a  good  attendance,  the  lecturer  being  Mr.  John 
Kitley,  of  Alvaston,  Derby,  who,  with  a  very  clear  and  able 
paper  on  climbing  plants  for  inside  and  outside,  gave  some  very 
useful  information.  Mr.  Kitley  divided  his  lecture  into  three 
sections:  (1)  stove  climbers;  (2)  those  most  suited  for  the  cool 
house  and  conservatory  ;  and  (3)  the  sorts  best  adapted  for  out¬ 
door  culture.  For  the  cool  house  and  conservatory,  Mr.  Kitley 
gave  a  selection  of  climbers  which  thrive  best  in  a  cool  atmo¬ 
sphere,  such  as  Clianthus  Dampieri,  Ooboea  scandens,  Jasmines, 
Tacsonias,  Plumbagos,  and  Lapagerias,  for  the  latter  plant 
recommending  propagation  by  layering  rather  than  by  cuttings  or 
seed,  maintaining  that  they  were  much  more  easily  grown  in 
this  way,  rooting  as  they  will  at  every  joint.  The  pruning  and 
general  treatment  was  also  carefully  gone  into,  as  also  the  most 
suitable  composts  for  their  requirements.  Taking  his  audience 
imaginarily  into  the  open  garden,  the  lecturer  also  went  into 
details  concerning  many  useful  climbers,  which  can  be  used  for 
covering  unsightly  corners,  dead  trees,  arches,  &c.,  recommend¬ 
ing  wood  trellises,  dead  trees,  and  such  like  rather  than  wire 
arches,  which,  to  his  mind,  were  most  unsightly  in  a  well- 
appointed  garden.  Such  plants  as  the  Clematis,  Boursault  and 
Ayrshire  Roses,  including  the  well  known  Crimson  Rambler  as 
being  a  most  desirable  Rose  for  this  purpose,  and  especially  for 
growing  against  a  wall,  the  Ampelopsis  Veitchi  and  Ivies  of  all 
sorts,  and  many  others.  Mr.  Kitley  also  mentioned  a  fexv 
plants,  not  as  climbers,  but  as  being  suitable  for  covering  bare 
walls,  &c.  Concluding  his  paper,  he  strongly  advised  all  lovers 
of  plants  to  study  Nature,  which  they  would  find  a  great  help  in 
the  cultivation  of  these  most  useful  of  our  garden  plants.  His 
leeture  was  much  appreciated,  and  he  was  unanimously  voted  the 
hearty  thanks  of  the  society  for  his  practical  and  interesting 
observations.  Prizes  were  awarded  as  follows: — For  6  Apples, 
Peasgood’s  Nonesuch;  First  Lady  Cave  (gardener,  Mr.  Poole, 
F.R.H.S.);  second,  Mr.  Attwell.  Four  dishes  of  Plums:  First, 
Lady  Cave  (gardener,  Mr.  Poole).  4  dishes  of  Apples:  First,  Mr. 
Attwell  :  second.  Lady  Cave  (gardener,  Mr.  Poole).  For  a  col¬ 
lection  of  Beet:  First,  Lady  Cave  (gardener.  Mr.  Poole) ;  second, 
Mr.  F.  Taggart  (gardener,  Mr.  Binfield).  12  Potatoes:  First, 
Mr.  F.  Taggart  (gardener,  Mr.  Binfield) ;  second,  Capt.  Jenkins 
(gardener,  Mr.  Poston).  Certificates  of  merit  went  to  Mr.  A.  M. 
Ross  for  collection  of  Pears,  to  Mr.  A.  Weedes  (gardener,  Mr. 
Ayliffe)  for  a  collection  of  Michaelmas  Daisies,  to  Mr.  Gardner  for 
Ccelogyne  Massangeana,  and  to  Mr.  W.  Howell  Davis,  J.P.  (gar¬ 
dener,' Mr.  Curtis)  for  Dendrobium  Phalsenopsis  Schroderianum. 
Mr.  F.  G.  Treseder.  F.R.H.S.,  N.D.S.,  Cardiff,  visits  the  society 
on  the  24th  inst.,  with  a  paper  on  the  Dahlia. 
