November  I,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
399 
Tl|e  Mystery  of  Colouring  ii]  Fruits  aijd  Leaves. 
In  any  attempt  to  fathom  the  mysteries  connected  with  thig  subject 
we  must  first  consider  what  conditions  are  most  favourable  for  its 
greatest  development.  According  to  my  observations  the  colouring  is 
best  when  in  early  autumn,  after  the  fruits  and  leaves  have  become 
fully  developed,  cold  nights  are  succeeded  by  bright  days.  Mr. 
Bunyard  tells  us  on  page  291  that  the  colouring  is  backward  this 
year  in  Kent.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Bath,  however,  colour  was 
put  on  early,  and  is  much  better  than  usual.  Some  fruits  of  Louise 
Bonne  Pear,  for  instance,  were  it  not  for  some  spots  on  them, 
almost  rival  the  Californian  fruit  of  that  variety,  while  John  Downie 
Crab,  as  early  as  the  end  of  August,  was  beautiful  beyond  description. 
Ampelopsis  Veitchi  also  put  on  its  warm  colour  very  early. 
August  was  not  by  any  means  a  warm  month.  I  have  read 
somewhere  that  the  average  temperature  was  10°  lower  than  during 
the  same  month  last  year,  but  I  cannot  say  from  memory  whether 
that  statement  refers  to  this  locality  only  or  to  the  whole  country. 
During  the  first  week  in  September  we  had  slight  frost  on  three 
mornings,  that  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  being  sufficient  to  kill 
many  leaves  on  the  Vegetable  Marrows  in  low  situations,  and  to  give 
Kidney  Beans  a  severe  check.  The  days  were  very  warm  and  bright. 
It  would  be  interesting  to  know  if  similar  weather  occurred  in  Kent. 
When  we  have  the  atmosphere  surrounding  the  plants  to  some 
extent  under  our  control,  as  with  indoor  fruits,  we  can,  by  simply 
preventing  the  temperature  falling  too  low,  postpone  the  colouring  of 
the  leaves  for  a  considerable  period ;  and  this  is  practised  by  myself, 
and  doubtless  many  others,  with  Vines,  because  we  know  that  the 
green  leaves  are  not  only  necessary  to  bring  the  fruit  to  perfection, 
but  that  to  quite  the  end  of  autumn  they  are  operating  in  storing  up 
material  for  use  during  the  following  season.  In  connection  with  this 
it  must  be  remembered  that  Vines  in  a  normal  condition  do  not  make 
any  root  extension  in  spring,  consequently  can  have  no  root  hairs, 
and  presumably  take  up  little  or  nothing  but  water  till  the  first  leaves, 
(which  always  differ  through  the  whole  season  to  those  subsequently 
produced)  have  grown  to  nearly  their  full  size.  All  other  fruits,  as 
far  as  I  know,  make  roots  before  they  make  leaves.  But  it  may  be 
argued  that  the  colouring  of  leaves  sometimes  commences  indoors, 
notably  with  Gros  Colman  Vine  as  early  as  midsummer.  I  have  seen 
this  happen  repeatedly,  and  have  proved  that  it  can  be  altered  during 
the  following  season  by  altering  the  method  of  feeding.  I  hope  to  make 
some  remarks  on  this  part  of  the  subject  another  time. 
Now  for  a  little  home-made  science.  Frost  acts  very  quickly  on  the 
base  of  the  footstalks  of  leaves  and  fruits.  If  it  is  severe  it  separates 
them  .altogether  from  the  branches.  If  it  is  slight  it  causes  a  modifi¬ 
cation  in  the  arrangement,  checks  the  vigour  of  the  plant,  and  the 
formation  of  the  green  colouring  matter  (chlorophyll).  Consequent  on 
a  check  of  vigour,  respiration  or  breathing  is  also  checked,  effete 
matter  is  retained  in  the.  leaves,  which,  as  it  accumulates  more  and 
more,  block  the  breathing  pores ;  chemical  changes,  which  I  cannot 
attempt  to  describe,  take  place,  causing  discolouration  and  finally 
decomposition. — Wm.  Tayloe. 
Potatoes  from  Germany. 
The  statement  on  page  380,  that  more  than  half  the  Potatoes 
required  this  season  will  be  foreigners  seems  unlikely  to  be  realised. 
The  sense  of  proportion  is  utterly  wanting  in  that  connection,  as 
appears  on  the  very  face  of  the  statement  itself.  It  is  there  admitted 
that  four  million  cwts.  have  come  from  abroad  in  the  past — I  presume 
annually,  or  for  the  season  of  twelve  months — against  120  million  cwts. 
supplied  by  this  country,  thus  between  3  to  4  per  cent,  only  in  the 
former  casf'.  What  a  perturbation  of  trade  would  be  implied  if  over 
50  per  cent.  Potatoes  were  required  from  abroad  this  year,  and  what  a 
stupendous  shortage  of  the  home  produce  at  the  same  time  suggested  ! 
If  this  were  true.  Potatoes  would  probably  be  worth  £10  per  ton  by  this 
time. 
On  page  390  in  “  Work  on  the  Home  Farm,”  we  see  that  Potatoes 
sell  at  £4  per  ton  for  a  good  article,  and  no  alarm  is  sounded,  so  that 
we  do  not  seem  to  be  in  sight  of  the  realisation  of  the  portentous 
statement.  As  Potatoes  arrive  from  abroad,  I  think,  usually  as  part 
cargoes  of  steamers  of  regular  lines  of  a  tonnage  mostly  under  1000  tons, 
in  which  a  complement  for  Potatoes  might  on  an  average  among  the 
miscellaneous  caigoes  reach  300  tons  in  each,  it  would  require  not  less 
than  10,000  cargoes  to  arrive  in  the  twelvemonth,  or  200  steamers 
a  week,  in  order  to  supply  our  reputed  deficiency  of  three  million  tons 
of  Potatoes. — 11.  H.  Raschen,  Siilcup. 
Mulching  Asparagus  Beds  witli  failure. 
I  CAN  fully  endorse  the  opinion  and  remarks  of  Mr.  Welch  on 
page  377  respecting  the  action  of  heavy  manure  mulches  put  on  in 
winter.  The  custom  once  obtained  here  of  doing  so,  but  on  taking 
up  roots  for  forcing  I  found  each  season  such  a  quantity  of  decayed 
crowns  and  a  poor  growth  in  spring,  that  the  cause  was  set  down  to 
be  from  the  manure  mulching.  Since  that  time  it  has  been  dis¬ 
continued,  and  as  with  Mr.  Welch  and  his  friend,  my  annual  crops 
are  considerably  heavier  and  better.  Roots  lifted  for  forcing  now 
bear  no  comparison  with  those  of  former  times,  which  is  an  all-round 
gain.  It  is  not  a  little  remarkable  how  long  Asparagus  will  continue 
in  a  profitable  state;  like  your  correspondent,  I  can  point  to  beds 
that  have  yielded  their  annual  crop  of  heads  for  over  eighty  years, 
and  are  still  as  healthy  and  productive  as  young  ones.  Asparagus 
does  not  like  stagnant  soil ;  roots  and  crowns  will  decay  wholesale  in 
it,  especially  in  that  of  a  heavy  nature.  In  such  land,  if  draining 
cannot  be  carried  out,  they  are  better  planted  in  raised  beds,  and  in 
preparing  for  planting  dig  fairly  deep  trenches  the  width  of  the 
intended  beds,  and  fill  the  bottom  with  any  kind  of  materials  of  an 
open  nature,  so  that  the  water  can  gravitate  easily  through  it.  Salt, 
we  know,  is  a  dressing  commonly  employed,  and  in  which  Asparagni 
finds  a  stimulant,  but  something  more  is  needed.  Short  manure  put  on 
after  Christmas,  not  in  heavy  dressings,  does  good,  so  does  the  residue 
obtained  from  the  ”  smother,”  and  the  sooner  this  is  put  on  after  it 
is  burnt  the  greater  value  is  imparted  into  the  soil. — R.  A. 
Quality  in  Fruit. 
Mr.  Richards  (page  383)  no  doubt  has  some  grounds  for  judging  the 
quality  .of  fruits  as  below  the  average  this  season  even  where  proper 
thinning  has  been  carried  out.  In  its  general  application  I  am  of  the 
same  opinion,  though  exceptions  are  met  with  sometimes.  The  prolonged 
drought  which  must  have  a  marked  effect  on  the  size  and  quality  of 
fruit  trees  in  soil  not  of  a  holding  nature.  I  incline  to  the  opinion 
that  the  absence  of  heavy  rain  at  the  end  of  the  growing  season  is  more 
favourable  as  a  prospect  for  keeping,  especially  in  the  soft  fleshed 
midseason  and  early  winter  Apples.  I  have  observed  in  some  years 
that  Apples  of  this  class  keep  badly  after  autumn  rains,  the  inference 
being  that  the  sap  is  liquified  by  the  superabundance  of  land  moisture, 
and  this  passing  into  the  fruit  disturbs  their  nature,  and  steady  develop¬ 
ment  after  storage.  Apples  have  a  trait  which  often  disappoints 
exhibitors,  it  may  be  only  a  few  days  before  a  show  fixture,  by  bursting 
their  skin.  In  these  instances  the  flesh  is  found  to  be  soft  and  useless, 
an  inward  fermentation  having  apparently  been  set  in  motion  from  some 
unexplained  cause.  Pears  do  not  seem  to  be  affected  quite  in  this 
way,  though  core  rottenness  is  a  trouble  more  common  in  some  seasons 
than  in  others. 
Mr.  Richards’  experience  does  not  correspond  with  mine  as  affecting 
the  flavour  of  Marie  Louise  d’Uccle,  for  I  find  it  very  good,  and  this 
year  in  particular.  Soil  and  stock  make  considerable  difference  to 
Pears,  as  also  does  the  season.  I  find  generally  that  this  Pear  is  set 
upon  by  the  birds  in  a  marked  manner.  The  season  of  usefulness  may 
be  extended  by  plapting  Williams’  Bon  ChrStien  on  differing  aspects 
as  well  as  espaliers,  but  the  highest  flavour  comes  from  trees  in  the  open. 
Souvenir  du  Congres  I  have  never  planted,  because  its  larger  size  and 
shyer  bearing  do  not  place  it  before  Williams’  in  my  opinion  for 
everyday  dessert,  and  it  ripens  at  about  the  same  time.  Mr.  Bunyard 
describes  Dr.  Jules  Guyot  as  sometimes  worthy  of  the  dessert, 
resembling  Williams’  Bon  Chretien  in  appearance,  and  better  as  a 
cropper.  Faulty  flavour  is  thus  acknowledged  by  Jlr.  Bunyard,  which 
coincides  with  the  experience  of  Mr.  Richards.  I  cannot  think  that 
the  ‘‘  Dr.”  can  expect  to  take  a  favourable  position  with  Williams’  Bon 
Chretien,  especially  where  this  assumes  its  true  character — size,  colour, 
and  full  flavour — except  where  collections  are  grown  for  the  sake  of 
variety. 
Beauty  of  Bath  Apple  has  an  attractive  shape  and  skin,  but  it  has 
a  very  short  season  indeed  when  it  may  be  said  to  be  good  to  eat.  Irish 
Peach  is  better,  and  the  old  Harvest  Apple  is  much  nicer  than  Beauty 
of  Bath  eaten  straight  from  the  tree.  I  am  pleased  that  Mr.  Richards 
can  speak  so  well  of  Duchess’  Favourite.  Duchess  of  Oldenburg  a  few 
years  since  had  its  praises  loudly  extolled,  but  its  prestige  has  seriously 
declined.  As  a  dessert  it  may  please  some,  but  its  acidity  is  too 
pronounced  for  others,  and  for  cooking  it  cannot  supplant  sorts  like 
Lord  Suffield,  Stirling  Castle,  and  Warner’s  King.  It  has  one 
particularly  good  point,  and  that  is  its  freedom  in  bearing  even  in  a 
young  state,  but  neither  this  nor  its  skin-deep  beauty  would  tempt  me 
to  plant. — -W.  S.,  Wilts. 
