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JOURNAL  OF.  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  20,  1900. 
Fruit  Trees  and  Shrubs  at  Allington. 
It  is  6ttiDg  that  Kent,  the  garden  of  England,  should  find  a  place 
within  its  confines  for  what  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  largest  fruit 
nurseries  in  the  country.  Scores  of  acres  at  Allington  are  under 
fruit  culture,  and  the  area  becomes  greater  year  by  year.  Every  now 
and  again  we  hear  sensational  statements  as  to  the  amount  of  money 
that  is  lost  in  fruit  culture  for  market,  but  the  enormously  increased 
sales  of  trees  by  such  growers  as  Messrs.  Bunyard  &  Co.  go  far  to 
disprove  these  reports.  Notwithstanding  the  extension  of  ground  in 
various  directions  for  the  production  for  sale  of  Apples,  Pears,  Plums, 
Cherries,  and  other  fruits,  the  supply  in  some  directions  can  scarcely 
be  said  to  meet  the  demand,  though  it  is  readily  observable  that  fashion 
changes  in  fruit  planting,  for  a  kind  or  variety  which  in  one  season  was 
all  the  rage  becomes  a  little  later  a  “  drug  in  the  market.”  But  for 
fluctuations  such  as  this  the  grower  is 
prepared,  and  it  is  seldom  that  he 
allows  really  good  trees  to  go  to  waste. 
As  long  as  they  remain  in  his  skilled 
hands  they  produce  fruit,  and  these 
placed  on  the  market  bring  some  return 
at  any  rate  for  the  labour  expended  upon 
the  trees. 
The  Scope  of  the  Business. 
The  whole  of  the  land  at  Allington  is 
not,  however,  as  many  persons  8uppose> 
devoted  exclusively  to  fruit  trees.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  ground  given  over  to 
flowering  shrubs,  Roses,  Conifers,  and 
forest  trees  closely  approaches  to  100 
acres,  so  that  it  will  readily  be  grasped 
what  an  important  branch  of  the  Bun- 
yardian  business  is  this.  Then,  too,  the 
interested  visitor  finds  hardy  flowers  in 
abundance,  and  of  excellent  variety  and 
quality ;  while  here  and  there  will  be 
seen  a  quarter  of  Broccoli,  Beet,  or  other 
vegetable  grown  for  the  purposes  of 
stock.  All  these  are  at  Allington  alone, 
and  do  not  embrace  the  stock  at  The 
Farm  and  the  Chiltern  Hundreds.  The 
holding  capacities  of  both  of  these 
establishments  are  stretched  to  the 
utmost,  the  former  with  fruit,  vege¬ 
tables,  and  farm  crops,  and  the  latter 
mainly  with  Strawberries.  To  these  a 
really  surprising  amount  of  ground  and 
attention  are  devoted,  and  the  numbers 
of  runners  put  forth,  either  in  small 
pots  for  forcing  or  for  the  making  of 
ordinary  outdoor  plantations,  increase 
every  season,  which  is  a  satisfactory  proof  of  the  quality  of  the 
stock  produced. 
Cherries  and  Plums, 
There  can  be  little  doubt  that  to  the  majority  of  visitors  at 
Allington  the  most  astonishing  feature  will  be  the  number  of  Cherries 
that  are  stocked.  As  one  visits  the  various  portions  of  the  nursery, 
including  the  lately  added  area  known  as  Klondyke,  one  becomes  more 
and  more  astounded  at  the  Cherries  in  every  direction,  and  which  Mr. 
Bunyard  estimates  at  something  like  150,000.  It  is  not  all  lands  that 
suit  Cherries,  but  it  is  beyond  dispute  that  finer  plants  could  not  be 
desired  than  those  at  Allington.  They  vary  from  one  year  old  upwards, 
and  the  excellent  health  of  the  tree  is  reflected  in  the  beautiful  bark, 
growth,  and  buds ;  while  to  see  one  lifted  is  to  observe  a  mass  of 
fibrous  roots  clinging  to  the  rich  loamy  soil  of  the  district.  A  popular 
variety  will  be  represented  by  tens  of  thousands  in  various  stages  of 
development.  Plums  and  Damsons  range  some  distance  behind 
Cherries  in  importance,  and  yet  they  cover  acres  of  ground.  Though, 
of  course,  differing  slightly  in  character  from  the  Cherries,  the  wood 
of  these  fruits  is  equally  good  in  its  way,  and  in  several  cases  the 
specimens  offered  could  .scarcely  be  improved  upon.  Not  only  do  we 
find  in  these  three  fruits  trees  of  all  ages,  but  also  of  all  the  shapes  in 
which  they  are  customarily  trained  to  suit  all  purposes  and  positions. 
Fig.  145. — Pear  Fondantb  d’Automne. 
Mulberries  and  Nuts — Small  Fruits. 
Everyone  has  become  so  accustomed  to  seeing  Mulberries,  over 
whose  tenacious  branches  the  winds  of  more  than  a  century  of 
winters  have  blown,  that  to  find  a  stock  of  600  youngsters  causea 
no  little  surprise.  Here  they  are,  young  and  strong  and  healthy, 
with  all  the  virility  of  youth,  and  soon  they  will  find  their  respective 
ways  to  various  parts  of  the  country  to  adorn  many  a  garden  when 
the  incoming  century  shall  have  come  and  gone.  Though  Kent  ia 
constantly  being  designated  a  county  of  fruit,  it  might  with  equal 
justice  be  termed  a  county  of  nuts,  for  in  some  districts  they  may 
be  seen  by  the  acre.  Young  nuts  are,  of  course,  in  constant  demand, 
hence  we  find  thousands  in  this  busy  “  manufacturing”  centre,  all  the 
very  finest  varieties  of  Cobs  and  Filberts  being  represented  in  varying 
quantities  according  to  their  importance.  The  big  bud  of  the  Black 
Currant  is  reproduced  in  the  nut,  and  causes  much  trouble  and  loss  to 
growers  in  some  seasons.  Mr.  Bunyard  was  asked  if  he  had  found  a 
remedy  for  the  peat  in  either  case,  and  confessed  with  regret  that  ho 
had  not.  There  is,  however,  at  Allington 
a  Black  Currant  that  keeps  remarkably 
clear  of  the  Phytoptus,  and  that  is  the 
Boskoop  Giant.  It  is  a  stronger  growing 
variety  than  any  other,  and  produces 
larger  fruits.  If,  in  addition,  it  is  resistant 
of  the  attacks  of  the  bud  mite,  then 
Boskoop  Giant  is  the  Black  Currant  par 
excellence  for  :  every  garden  and  every 
field.  This  is,  as  the  Scottish  courts 
would  have  it,  “  not  proven.”  Red  and 
White  Currants,  Gooseberries  and  Rasp¬ 
berries  from  the  most  infantile  stage,  am 
all  there  ready  to  be  examined  and 
admired  as  excellent  stock  for  planting" 
by  every  visitor  to  Allington. 
Apples  and  Pears— Fruit  Trees  in  Pots. 
Other  writers  have  told  in  the  pages 
of  the  Jownal  of  Horticulture  of  the- 
extent  and  variety  of  the  Apples  and 
Pears  at  Bunyard’s,  and  I  would,  there¬ 
fore,  content  myself  with  just  an  appre¬ 
ciative  glance  and  word.  They  are  there 
in  thousands,  representing  all  the  well- 
known  and  many  of  the  lesser  grown 
varieties,  ready  for  the  first  comer  who 
wants  slock,  either  for  the  fruit  farm  or 
for  the  garden.  Three  or  four  hundreds 
of  a  sort  is  no  uncommon  quantity  for 
the  former  purpose,  either  of  Apples  or 
Pears,  Cherries  or  Plums,  not  to  speak 
of  bush  fruits.  While  I  cannot  say  I  was 
much  surprised  at  what  was  seen  in  the 
fruit  quarters  outside  —  except  at  the 
Cherries  and  Mulberries— I  was  astonished 
to  see  the  amount  of  attention  that  is  devoted  to  fruit  trees  in  pots^ 
These  are  accommodated  in  several  light'structures,  and  include,  in 
addition  to  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,'  Cherries,  Peaches  and  Nectarines^ 
a  very  large  stock  of  Figs  of^different  sizes  to  suit  the  requirements 
of  all  growers  of  this  luscious  fruit.  This  department  of  the  business 
would,  perhaps,  be  more  interesting  considerably  earlier  in  the  year,  but 
the  trees  are  well  worth  looking^at,  even  in  their  present  winter  garb. 
As  an  illustration  of  the  scope  of  the  work,  it  may  be  noted  that  the 
trial  house  for  Cherries  contained  this  year  seventy  varieties,  a'l  but 
one  of  which  was  true  to  name.  Pot  Vines  form  another  distinctive 
feature,  bub  they  are  accommodated  at  the  firm  s  headquarters  at 
Maidstone,  and  not  with  the  bulk  of  the  stock  at  Allington. 
Evergreen  and  Flowering  Shrubs. 
Daring  the  past  few  years  great  strides  have  been  made  in  these 
departments,  which  now,  as  has  already  been  said,  call-  for  nearly 
100  acres  of  land.  The  collection  of  Conifers  is  rich  not  only  in  the 
best  known  species,  hybrids  and  varieties,  but  also  in  rarities,  and  this 
becomes  thoroughly  impressed  on  the  mind  as  the  tour  of  inspection 
proceeds.  The  new  comers  are  procured  on  the  first  opportunity, 
both  in  these  and  other  plants,  so  as  to  insure  the  stock  being  always 
thoroughly  up  to  date.  All  the  most  useful  and  beautiful  flowering 
