436 
November  14,  1901, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
reason  for  growing  them  at  all  is  nullified,  and,  further,  the 
fruit  never  attains  to  that  perfection  of  flavour  that  it  does 
in  late  spring  or  early  summer,  when  allowed  to  remain  to 
the  latest  moment  on  the  trees. 
One  of  the  old  school,  whom  the  other  day  I  found  busy 
storing  away  his  late  Apples,  made  it  a  chief  objection  to 
allowing  them  to  stay  longer  that  the  best  of  the  fruit  would 
be  blown,  and  thereby  spoilt.  Of  course,  it  would  be  a  suffi¬ 
cient  answer  that  only  a  part  secured  in  perfect  condition  is 
to  be  preferred  to  the  whole  imperfect ;  but  it  does  not 
follow  that  late  hard  Apples  blown  down  in  October,  or 
early  in  November,  are  therefore  worthless.  I  have  noted 
the  fact  previously  that  such  fruits  may  be  preserved  only  a 
little  less  perfectly  than  hand-gathered  fruits.  More  than 
once  I  have  kept  fallen  examples  of  Alfriston,  Northern 
Greenino-.  and  Bramley’s  Seedling  into  the  month  of  May, 
and  other  sorts  according  to  their  season  of  ripening.  This 
is  rather  an  important  matter.  And  I  would  urge  gardeners 
who  have  not  hitherto  done  so  to  try  keeping  late  blown 
Apples. 
Late  versus  Early  Apples. 
It  is  quite  certain  that  the  supply  of  Apples  in  at  least 
some  parts  of  the  country  is  very  limited,  and  numbers  of 
establishments  will  have  used  up  their  own  produce  by  mid¬ 
winter.  The  immediate  cause  is  doubtless  the  shortage  of 
the  Apple  crop,  but  the  primary  cause  lies  deeper.  We 
have  all  been  too  fond  of  cultivating  large,  early,  free  crop¬ 
ping  sorts,  and  paying  too  little  attention  to  late  ones.  Only 
the  other  week  I  noticed  a  list  of  twelve  sorts  recommended, 
in  which  but  only  two  sorts  to  ripen  after  Christmas  were 
named,  the  majority  being  fit  to  use  in  September.  If  the 
shrinkage  of  the  present  year  is  the  means  of  accentuating 
the  folly  of  catering  for  a  time  of  year  when  we  have  plenty 
of  other  perishable  fruit,  and  forces  attention  to  the  miser¬ 
able  means  we  have  at  command  to  supply  an  unfailing 
everyday  supply  of  late  Apples,  why,  we  need  not  grumble 
at  its  drawbacks,  but  be  thankful  for  its  teaching. 
The  Trees  Themselves. 
Where  the  management  of  the  trees  has  been  sound,  the 
past  two  years  have  been  characterised  by  weather  that  has 
suited  them  perfectly.  The  foliage,  as  a  rule,  has  been  large 
and  clean,  canker  has  made  no  headway,  and  while  fruit  has 
bulked  large  individually,  the  quality  has  been  of  the  best. 
W  hile  that  is  so,  young  trees  should  not  be  neglected  at  root. 
Lifting  and  replanting  the  younger  trees,  and  root-pruning 
those  of  a  larger  size,  should  certainly  be  made  a  part  of 
their  autumn  management.  Canker,  though  less  prevalent 
than  in  most  seasons,  is,  however,  not  absent,  and  while 
attention  to  the  roots  is  of  very  great  importance,  it  will 
not  do  to  fail  to  attack  the  disease  itself  locally.  Remedial 
measures  consist  in  removing  every  bit  of  diseased  wood  and 
bark.  To  remove  every  bit  of  disease  sometimes  requires 
the  cutting  down  of  the  tree,  and  if  it  be  still  young,  so  ex¬ 
treme  a  measure  is  certain  to  be  successful,  and  the  new 
growth  of  which  the  framework  of  the  new  tree  is  to  be 
formed  will  be  clean  and  healthy.  With  older  trees,  head¬ 
ing  down  is  of  doubtful  efficacy  ;  but  cutting  back  diseased 
shoots  to  clean  wood,  cutting  out  affected  spurs,  and  excis- 
ing  portions  of  stem  and  branches  that  are  being  eaten  away 
are  all  valuable  remedies.  I  had  some  dozen  or  more  trees 
of  Warner’s  King,  which  got  terribly  canker-eaten,  treated 
as  advised  above,  and  in  a,  couple  of  years  they  were  as 
healthy  as  ever.  Cut  portions  may  be  dressed  with  cow 
dung  ;  but  provided  the  cuts  are  made  with  a  sharp  knife, 
and  left  quite  smooth,  young  clean  bark  begins  very  shortly 
to  cover  the  wounds,  a  sure  indication  that  the  canker  nas 
been  destroyed  locally. 
Selections. 
Nothing  is  easier  than  to  write  down  the  names  of  a  first- 
rate  selection  of  Apples  ;  yet  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  some 
individuals  would  be  almost  certain  to  prove  of  little  value 
in  most  gardens.  Those  with  only  a  limited  experience 
may  accept  it  as  a  good  working  precept,  to  choose  a  fair 
number  each  of  tried  sorts,  noting  that  early  sorts- 
such  as  Lord  Grosvenor,  Ecklinville,  Lord  Suffield, 
Ringer,  Grenadier,  Keswick  Codlin,  and  others  come 
into  use  so  near  to  each  other  that  the  inclusion 
of  each  of  these  in  quantity  is  wasteful.  With  regard  to^ 
late  varieties,  it  is  commendable  to  choose  sorts  that  may 
be  eaten  uncooked,  a  good  example  being  Blenheim  Orange, 
which  is  valuable  alike  cooked  or  raw.  All  good  dessert 
Apples  are  of  value  cooked,  while  it  cannot  be  said  that  all 
good  culinary  Apples  are  good  for  dessert.  It  is  also  most 
important  that  certain  peculiarities  of  taste  should  be 
catered  for.  Some  people  are  very  fond  of  small  Apples, 
such  as  Golden  Pippin,  Beachamwell,  and  others,  while 
large,  soft  fruits,  even  when  somewhat  acid,  suit  other 
palates.  There  are  also  tastes  to  be  consulted  in  cooking 
Apples.  Some  are  fond  of  the  acidulous  Ecklinville  and 
Mere  de  Menage  ;  others  choose  more  sugary  pulps.  And,  of 
course,  even  in  the  case  of  an  Apple  otherwise  good,  its. 
quality,  when  cooked,  must  be  considered.  From  this  point, 
of  view  Alfriston  cannot  compete  in  late  spring  with 
Northern  Greening  or  with  Bramley’s  Seedling. — R.  P.. 
Brotherston. 
- *-•-> - 
Wild  Plants  of  Old  English  Gardens, 
Recent  lists  of  garden  flowers  do  not  mention  some  North. 
American  species  of  Bartsia,  which  used  to  be  grown,  but. 
were  found  difficult  of  culture,  perhaps  not  attractive  either. 
Loudon  adds  that  a  native  species  thrives  in  sandy  soil.. 
This,  I  presume,  was  the  annual  red  Bartsia,  B.  odontites, 
the  whole  plant  having  a  reddish  tinge,  its  spike  one-sided, 
rose-coloured,  and  lilac.  From  its  being  also  called  Red 
Eyebright  we  may  infer  that  at  some  time  it  was  used  for 
the  eyes.  The  scarce  yellow  Bartsia  is  slightly  fragrant, 
and  resembles  the  garden  Musk.  But  the  true  Eyebright. 
of  Britain  is  the  Euphrasia  officinalis.  Under  favourable 
circumstances  it  produces  an  abundance  of  variegated 
flowers,  hence,  though  of  lowly  growth,  it  was  admitted  into 
gardens.  Or  was  it  sometimes  cultivated  because  of  its  high, 
repute  as  a  remedy  for  diseases  of  the  eyes,  arising,  so  ’tis 
said,  from  a  pupil-like  appearance  in  the  centre  of  the 
flowers  1  Yet  we  have  it  on  good  evidence  that  persons 
have  found  the  Eyebri°ht  beneficial  in  form  of  lotion,  and, 
were  the  poet  Thomson  right,  that  it  dispels  mists  from 
“  the  mirror  of  the  mind,”  many  of  us  would  be  glad  to  give 
it  a  trial.  Another  poet  calls  the  Germander  Speedwell  by 
this  name  too,  and  country  children  know  it  as  Bird’s-Eye 
or  Cat’s-Eye,  these  being  suggested  by  its  appearance. 
Heart-Oak  Veronica  is  yet  another  name  for  the  species  not 
frequently  used.  Of  our  native  Speedwells,  V.  Chamsedrys 
is  specially  deserving  of  a  place  in  gardens  ;  one  of  its 
peculiarities  is  that  hairs  are  arranged  down  the  stem  in 
two  opposite  lines,  having  spaces  between.  As  Mr.  Robin¬ 
son  remarks,  we  grow  many  exotics  far  less  worthy  of  a 
position  along  borders,  or  on  rockwork.  During  May  it  is, 
most  years,  that  the  sapphire  flowers  make  chief  show,  but 
a  succession  usually  comes  out ;  their  fragile  nature,  unfor¬ 
tunately,  excludes  them  from  bouquets. 
LTninvited,  the  Ivy-leaved  Speedwell  (V.  hederifolia)* 
springs  up  on  neglected  garden  patches,  opening  its  small 
lilac  flowers  in  April,  or  even  earlier,  and  seldom  noticed. 
The  wall  species  grow  on  old  walls  as  a  shrubby  plant  about 
2in  high.  Other  species  come  up  garden  weeds,  but  the 
scarce  Veronica  spicata,  a  plant  of  cliffs  and  dry  pastures, 
with  deep  blue  flowers  in  dense  spikes,  8  to  12in  high,  has 
been  grown  along  borders.  Two  varieties  exist,  one  having 
variegated  leaves,  the  other  white  flowers.  Upon  an  old 
list  of  cultivated  plants  I  find  recorded  the  Brooklime,  V. 
Beccabunga,  which  must  have  been  grown  in  some  moist 
spot,  scarcely  for  its  beauty,  we  should  think,  though  its 
tiny  blossoms  are  of  brilliant  blue.  Its  odd  specific  name 
comes  from  “  bech,”  a  stream,  and  “  pungen,”  alluding  to  the 
pungency  of  its  leaves,  which  are  thick  and  succulent.  Our 
good  forefathers  mixed  up  with  their  spring  salad  things 
we  should  call  decidedly  nasty  in  flavour,  but  which  they 
thought  beneficial,  and  perhaps  found  them  so.  Hence  the 
Brooklime  may  have  been  brought  into  gardens  to  have  it- 
ready  for  cutting,  as  it  was  eaten  during  spring. — J.  R.  S.  G. 
