•532 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Juno  18,  1903  ■ 
Devonshire  and  Cornish  Fruit  Culture. 
■\Yill  fruit  trees  pay  in  the  s'outh-west  of  England?  The 
question  is  mostly  answered  with  great  assurance,  “  Certainly 
not.”  I  have  already  said  that  good  late  Apples  will  pay  well. 
At  the  end  of  a  lecture  I  once  gave,  a  market-grower  said  that 
“  good  sorts  of  Apples  were  not  more  valuable  than  ordinary 
sorts.  One  could  not  get  more  than  Is.  Cd.  to  ‘is.  a  bushel  for  the 
best  fruit.”  To  advise  planting  Blenheims,  Bramleys,  Cox’s 
Orange  Pippins,  Ac.,  was  thought  wrong  advice  by  this  gentle¬ 
man.  My  wife  had  asked  me  to  buy  Blenheim  Orange  Apples 
for  Christmas.  I  remained  quiet  that  evening,  but  asked  a  local 
gardener  to  have  supper  with  me  at  my  hotel.  During  supper¬ 
time  I  learned  a  very  important  lesson  on  human  nature.  Once 
I  called  upon  a  J.P.'  for  a  gift  to  the  local  flower  show  just  as 
his  dinner-bell  was  ringing.  I  there  learned  much  of  human 
nature.  I  never  call  on  people  now  at  that  interesting  time. 
I  have  not  yet  quite  forgiven  that  J.P.  ;  but  then  perhaps  he  had 
.something  in  his  heart  that  made  me  a  monster  of  wickedness 
in  his  eyes.  My  new  acquaintance,  the  local  gardener,  said, 
“  Do  not  take  any  notice  of  Mr.  - ,  everybody  in  the  meeting 
understood  him.  His  family  hire,  or  buy,  every  good  garden  to 
let  or  sell  in  the  town  if  good  fruit  trees  be  planted  in  it,  only 
he  does  not  want  people  to  think  so.” 
At  my  following  visit  I  said  at  the  end  of  my  lecture  that  I 
wanted  a  bushel  of  the  best  Blenheims  that  I  could  buy  for  my 
wife.  If  anyone  present  had  them  I  would  take  them  back  with 
me  on  the  following  morning.  Mr. - fell  into  the  trap,  offer¬ 
ing  me  the  fruit.  "Yes,  sir.”  ‘‘How  much  will  they  be?” 
‘•Well,  for  my  be.st  fruit  I  could  not  charge  less  than  6s.  a, 
bushel.”  “I  will  have  them,  sir.”  I  had  the  Apples,  but  I 
remained  dumb  as  to  the  previous  week’s  testimony.  The  faces 
of  that  same  audience  were  a  study  in  human  natui'e  1 
At  Bradworthy,  eight  miles  north  of  Hclsworthy,  only  a  few 
miles  from  the  sea,  liv’es  a  miller  named  Grills  with  whom  I 
had  tea,  in  company  with  others.  Mrs.  Grills  told  us  that  from 
two  Apple  trees  outside  the  backdoor  she  sold  two  pounds’  worth 
of  Apples  this  year.  ”  Late  Apples,  Buff  Coats,”  said  the  lady. 
Mr.  Grills  has  about  1^  acres  of  Apple  trees.  Does  not  this 
show  that  the  right  class  of  fruit  comes  out  better  than  the 
wrong  class  in  all  seasons,  and  that  in  seasons  of  glut  the  best- 
price  Apple  is  the  good  late  keeper?  For  many  years  the  trees 
have  not  been  either  manured  or  thinned  until  1902,  when  about 
thirty  loads  of  dung  were  spread  over  the  orchard. 
These  Buff  Coats  are  not  best  quality  Apples,  but  they  ai'e 
useful.  The  price  was  6d.  a  gallon;  eighty  gallons  Avere  sold 
from  two  trees.  A  small  price.  They  Avere  sold  in  the  neigh¬ 
bourhood,  Avith  no  market  expenses.  If  Wellingtons,  or 
Bramleys,  or  NeAvton  Wonders,  or  Cox’s  Orange  Pippins  had  been 
grafted  on  those  tAvo  trees  eight  years  ago,  heads  15ft  square 
Avould  have  resulted,  Avith  fruit  of  value  not  6d.  a  gallon  ;  but 
their  value  in  London  markets  can  be  seen  Aveekly  in  the  columiis 
of  the  Journal  of  Uoriiculiure.  Sharp  business  men  see  this 
point,  and  regret  that  our  orchards  have  so  long  escaped  proper 
attention. 
Plums  are  Avorth  growing,  yet  many  people  fail  in  the  Avork 
in  this  part  of  England.  At  Ashburton  a  Plum  tree  that  for 
eighteen  years  had  been  a  failure  Avas  root-pruned,  and  lime 
rubble  was  mixed  in  the  soil,  at  my  suggestion  Avhen  lecturing 
at  the  Grammar  school.  Tavo  jmars  afterAvards  the  tree  bore 
IcAvt  of  fine  Plums.  That  crop  Avas  in  1900.  In  1901,  at  Withe- 
ridge  (600ft  above  sea),  I  advised  Mr.  Mansfield  to  root-prune 
his  Plum  trees,  and  I  gave  him  directions  about  feeding  them. 
The  advice  Avas  folloAved,  and  in  1902,  when  feAv  people  had  Plums, 
Mr.  Mansfield  Avrote  :  ”  I  have  noAv  the  best  crop  of  Plums  which 
I  have  ever  groAvn,  although  generally  this  is  not  a  good  season 
for  them.” 
I  trust  that  this  simple  testimony  (not  at  all  exaggerated)  will 
help  some  of  the  professional  readers  of  tliis  Journal ;  some  of 
them  (pardon  me)  sadly  need  to  improve  the  trees  under  their 
care.  Those  men,  I  mean,  Avho  knoAv  everything  and  put  it 
into — Avell,  nothing.  I  enclo.se,  Mr.  Editor,  a  photograph  and 
letter  from  South  Devon.  If  the  photograph  could  be  repro¬ 
duced  for  your  readers  they  Avould  see  a  picture  Avorthy  of  in¬ 
spection.  [Tree  laden  Avith  fruits,  but  too  dark  for  successful 
reproduction. — Ed.]  The  testimony  was  not  asked  for,  but  Avhen 
it  arrived  at  the  office  I  was  delighted.  Tlie  gardener  said,  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  demonstration,  ‘‘Ah!  miss,  you  may  take 
doAvn  tho.se  neAv  sheh'es  in  the  fruit  room,  for  we  shall  not  have 
any  fruit  now.”  Tavo  years  later  the  lady  wrote  :  “  The  enclosed 
is  a  photograph,  taken  by  Mr. - ,  of  the  Apple  tree  you  pruned 
tAvo  years  ago.  It  has  betAveen  700  and  800  Apples  on  it,  and  I 
only  Avish  you  could  haA^e  done  all  in  our  garden.  Many  person.s. 
liaA'e  been  to  see,  and  all  admire  it,  for  AA'hich  Ave  have  to  thank 
you,  as  before  Ave  never  had  aboA’e  a  dozen  on  it.”  I  am  happy 
to  say  that  I  have  opened  the  heart  of  that  gardener.  Then  I 
Avas  an  enemy,  noAv  he  regards  me  Avith  a  good  gardener’s  affec¬ 
tion,  and  the  lady  a.s.sures  me  that  improAmment  is  the  order 
issuing  from  the  man’s  better  self.  At  present  I  Avill  not  en¬ 
large  on  this  personal  element,  but  I  trust  that  it  Avill  be  received 
in  the  spirit  intended  by  the  writer. 
If  I  may,  I  hope  some  day  to  deal  Avith  the  Avaste  that  goest 
on  in  our  bush  and  pyramid  trees ;  that  is,  fruitless  groAvths, 
groAvths  that  should  become  ripe,  and  therefore  fruitful.  Will 
your  southern  readers  open  their  minds  through  their  eyes? 
They  Avill,  I  hope,  go  into  their  orchards  and  gardens  Avith  fault¬ 
finding  eyes  and  with  sound  judgment,  determined  to  folloAv  the 
lead  of  any  decision  so  arrived  at.  There  is,  for  all  such  men,, 
a  store  of  gladne.ss  and  profit.  Half  the  market  problem  will 
be  solved  ;  employers  aaIII  be  pleased  ;  and  market  groAvers  Avill 
groAv,  little  by  little,  more  contented,  because  better  paid  for 
their  labours. — X. 
The  “Daffodil  King”  on  Tour.— No.  i 
[Continued  from  page  512.)  ^ 
Standing  a  little  below  the  confluence  of  the  rivers  Mississippi 
and  Missouri,  in  the  State  of  Missouri,  is  the  increasingly  famous 
St.  Louis,  Avhere  the  great  exhibition  Avill  be  held  in  1904.  St. 
Louis  is  one  of  the  American  towns  remarkable  for  its  rise  (its 
position  Avill  ensure  an  enormous  development),  and  is  situated 
at  the  loAvest  point  at  Avhicli  the  Mississippi,  till  Avithin  recent 
years,  was  bridged. 
The  territory  occupied  by  Missouri  and  thirteen  other  States 
(aa  hibh  Ave  need  not  name),  amounting  altogether  to  over  a  million 
square  miles,  forms  the  Louisiana  Purchase,  and  it  is  the 
centenary  of  that  vast  purchase  of  land  by  the  American  Republic 
of  1804  that  is  to  be  commemorated  in  the  St.  Louis  Exhibition. 
The  French,  aa'Iio  had  originally  a  firmer  grip  of  North  America 
than  the  British  had,  AA'on  the  great  Missis.sippi  A^alley  (Louisiana)  - 
from  the  Spanish,  aa  Iio  ‘‘  discovered  ”  this  region,  and  Napoleon 
Bonaparte,  feeling  the  cost  of  his  enormous  Avars,  sold  the  Avhole 
territory  to  the  neAv  American  Republic  for  £3,000,000.  Doubt-  . 
less  he  intended  to  regain  it,*  but  required  lucre  just  then,  con¬ 
sequently  his  action.  By  this  magnificent  purchase,  Avhich  Avas 
the  absolute  saving  of  the  continent,  the  States  of  the  Enion 
gained  a  territory  as  large  as  the  original  area  defined  by  the 
Treaty  of  1783,  and  opened  the  Avay  to  California,  Avhich  was 
purchased  at  a  later  date. 
The  Botanic  Garden  at  St.  Louis  (the'  reports  from  Avhich  we 
yearly  notice)  was  explained  by  Mr.  Barr  to  have  originated  in 
a  A’ery  humble  Avay.  It  Avas  primarily  the  gift  of  a  Mr.  ShaAv, 
one  of  the  oldest  residents,  Avho  Avas  a  Sheffield  (England)  man, 
of  Quaker  stock.  As  a  lad,  young  ShaAv  decided  to  emigrate,  at 
Avhich  intimation  his  father  presented  him  Avith  £5,  telling  him 
that  Avas  all  he  should  have.  Mr.  ShaAv  started  an  ironmongery 
business,  remained  a  bachelor,  and  amassed  an  immense  fortune. 
He  acquired  large  properties  in  the  centre  of  the  toAvn,  as  his 
great  ambition,  said  Mr.  Barr,  Avas  to  establish  a  botanic  garden  : 
a  curious  trait  in  an  ironmonger,  and  quite  on  a  parallel  Avith 
the  aspirations  of  Sir  W’illiam  Hooker,  the  renowned  botanist 
of  the  middle  nineteenth  century,  Avho  was  a  breAver  up  to  the 
age  of  thirty  years.  Thus  came  about  the  Missouri  Botanic 
Garden,  even  noAV  better  known  under  the  name  of  ShaAv’s 
Botanic  Garden  of  St.  Louis.  At  its  commencement,  Mr.  ShaAV 
was  fortunate  in  getting  Mr.  James  Gurney  (also  of  Quaker  stock) 
to  take  charge  of  the  garden.  Gurney’s  career  is  Avorth  recording.  , 
Being  a  cou.stant  reader  of  “  Lloyd’s  Newspaper  ”  (London,  Eng¬ 
land),  he  noticed  the  offer  of  free  farms  in  America,  and  decided, 
after  his  marriage,  to  go  to  the  United  States  and  push  his  for¬ 
tunes.  His  father,  Avho  Avas  a  market  gardener  near  Sheffield,  Avhen 
he  found  James  determined  to  leave  England,  dreAV  theAvhole  of  his 
money  out  of  the  bank,  placed  it  on  the  table,  saying,. “  Lad,  taka  • 
that.”  James,  to  his  honour,  woAild  not  take  a  solitary’  farthing, 
being  determined  to  rely  on  his  OAvn  resources.  Reaching  St. 
Louis,  the  fatigue  had  been  too  much  for  his  wife,  and  the 
expenses  too  much  for  his  pocket.  He  put  up  at  a  humble  inn, 
and  Avhile  his  Avife  recuperated  he  looked  around  for  employment. 
This  came  through  the  advice  of  his  erstAvhile  landlady,  Avho, 
learning  from  Mrs.  Gurney  that  her  husband'  Avas  a  gardener, 
suggested  his  paying  a  visit  to  Mr.  Shaw,  Avhich  he  speedily  did. 
“  What  is  thy  name?  Art  thou  a  gardener?  ”  asked  the  Quaker. 
James  replied,  “Try  me,  and  prove  me.”  “Art  thou  the  James 
Gurney  Avho  floAvered  Victoria  Regia  at  the  Regent’s  Park 
(London)  Botanic  Gardens  ?  ”  And  the  ansAver  Avas  :  “  I  am  the 
man.”  “Well,”  said  ShaAV,  “I  can  gNe  thee  employment,  but 
not  much  money.” 
*  Those  in  liis  counsels  knew  that  Bonaparte  merely  sold  Louisiana  to  the 
United  States  cheap  pending  the  time  he  had  beaten  England  off  the  seas,  when 
he  intended  to  crush  America.  Hence,  Nelson  saved  the  U.S.A.  at  Trafalg-tr,  and 
in  t3n  years  the  U.S.A.  was  showing  its  gratitude  by  fighting  England. 
