Supplement  to 
222 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  14,  1901. 
Fruit  in  Devonshire. 
At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Devon  and  Exeter  Horticultural 
Society  Mr.  F.  J.  Fletcher  expressed  his  views  on  the  prospects 
of  hard  fruit  growing  in  Devonshire.  Mi*.  Fletcher  said  that  at 
one  time  the  idea  got  abroad  that  the  farmer  had  only  to  plant  a  few 
acres  of  fruit  trees  and  a  golden  harvest  would  inevitably  result.  On  the 
other  hand  there  were  not  wanting  pessimists  who  filled  the  columns 
of  our  great  daily  papers  with  their  wailings  that  English  fruit  growing 
was  all  a  ghastly  mistake,  that  English  fruit  was  a  drug  upon  the 
market  and  would  not  pay  for  the  gathering.  The  one  statement  is, 
perhaps,  but  the  natural  consequence  of  the  other,  and  neither  is  right. 
The  latter  is  not  only  an  emphatic  discouragement  to  a  great  industry, 
but  is  also  absurd  in  that  it  does  not  discriminate  between  fruit  and 
fruit,  but  places  it  all  upon  the  lowest  level.  The  former  is  mischievous 
and  delusive,  and  the  trade  is  suffering  now,  and  will  suffer  more  yet, 
through  the  action  of  those  who,  without  the  technical  knowledge 
necessary  to  success,  swallowed  the  bait.  Mr.  Fletcher  wished  to  make 
this  point  quite  clear  ;  and  calls  to  mind  now,  not  one,  but  several, 
orchards  planted  as  the  result  of  this  agitation,  say  ten  years  ago, 
without  any  proper  preparation  of  the  soil,  without  any  reference  to 
varieties,  and  without  the  care  of  anyone  who  possessed  a  knowledge  of 
tree  culture.  This  has  spelt  two  things — failure  and  condemnation  ; 
for  many  of  the  trees  are  no  longer  now  than  when  planted  ;  others 
have  cankered  and  have  been  rooted  up,  and  others,  where  the  natural 
conditions  happened  to  be  more  favourable,  have  grown  and  yielded 
crops  of  an  indifferent  sample  and  of  unprofitable  varieties. 
Now,  is  English  fruit  a  drug  upon  the  market  ?  It  is,  and  it  is  not. 
There  is  so  much  fruit,  principally  Apples  and  Pears,  produoed  in  this 
country  from  old  and  badly  cultivated  trees  that  the  majority — yes,  the 
majority  of  it — is,  to  say  the  least,  very  moderate  indeed.  The  variety 
may  be  a  good  one — possibly  Ribstons  or  Blenheim  Orange,  or  Williams’ 
or  Marie  Louise  Pear — but  the  size  and  appearance  of  the  fiuit  is  so 
much  below  par  that  so  long  as  better  and  more  attractive  samples  can 
be  bought,  whether  English  or  foreign,  the  buyers  take  that  in 
preference,  and  the  bulk  of  ordinary  fruit  is  undoubtedly  a  drug.  But 
can  we  blame  the  buyers  for  that  ?  Of  course  not,  for  they  have  to 
cater  for  a  fastidious  public,  and  are  often  driven  in  their  own  interests 
to  refuse  the  English  and  purchase  the  foreign  parcels,  every  fruit  in 
which  has  been  speoially  selected  for  their  trade.  Practical  gardeners 
know  that  as  regards  our  hardy  fruit,  when  it  has  been  properly 
cultivated  and  selected,  there  is  no  fruit  grown  under  the  heavens  that 
can  compare  with  it  for  quality. 
Devon  has  long  had  the  reputation  of  a  fruit  county,  the  soil  and  the 
climate  being  peculiarly  favourable,  and  choice  varieties  of  Apples  and 
Pears  growing  here  vigorous  and  prolific,  are  considered  up  country  as 
bad  growers  and  delicate.  But  Mr.  Fletcher  regretted  to  say  that  in 
this  celebrated  Apple  county  he  had  scarcely  come  across  a  really 
up-to-date  orchard  such  as  one  sees  in  Kent. 
Taking  the  cider  orchards  as  a  test,  and  in  spite  of  all  that  has  been 
said  and  written  to  the  contrary,  fruit  growing  is  not  an  agricultural 
but  a  horticultural  subject.  Those  who  would  produce  fruit  of  a  high 
grade  (and  really  no  other  is  worth  considering)  must  possess  a  special 
knowledge  of  fruit,  culture  only  to  be  obtained  by  an  arduous  training 
under  a  specialist  either  in  the  nursery  or  in  a  first-class  garden. 
The  only  orchards  coming  under  the  lecturer’s  observation  that 
retrieve  the  good  name  of  Devon  are  worked  by  a  few  up-to-date 
market  gardeners,  and  these  are  no  doubt  increasing  year  by  year,  but 
even  in  their  case  there  is  a  lack  of  science,  aud  they  are  inclined  to 
plant  their  trees  and  bushes  too  close  together.  Mr.  Fletcher  then 
referred  to  the  fruit  grown  at  Poltimore  and  Crediton,  which,  he  said, 
would  stand  second  to  none  in  the  world.  It  is  not  only  the  best  of  the 
larger  fruits  that  can  be  grown  to  especial  advantage  in  Devon,  b  it  the 
smaller  and  softer  fruits  as  well.  The  southern  sunny  slopes  of  Sou'h 
Devon  offer  a  splendid  field  for  enterprise  to  any  good  grower  who  will 
lay  himself  out  to  grow  Strawberries. 
The  deep  rich  soils  which  abound  in  so  many  parts  of  Devon  are 
particularly  adapted  for  the  production  of  heavy  aud  profitable  crops  of 
bush  fruits,  and  Raspberries  and  Blackberries. 
Of  the  bush  frui  s  the  most  profitable  is  undoubtedly  the  Goose¬ 
berry,  its  season  commencing  early  in  May  with  the  green  berries  and 
winding  up  in  July  with  the  ripe  ones,  so  that  if  due  attention  is  paid  to 
the  selection  of  good  early  varieties  the  climitic  conditions  are  again  a 
distinct  advantage.  Having  shown — first,  that  Devonshire  is  naturally 
a  good  fruit-producing  county,  much  more  so  than  many  counties ; 
seoondly,  that  the  natural  advantages  it  affords  are  not  taken  up  as 
they  could  and  should  be;  thirdly,  that  from  a  commercial  point  of 
view  there  is  abundant  scope  for  enterprise  and  the  prospect  of  a 
profitable  return  upon  the  expenditure  of  capital,  Mr.  Fletcher  had  a 
few  words  to  say  about  soils,  and  then  he  mentioned  a  tew  poiuts 
absolutely  necessary  to  success.  There  must  be  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  trees,  how  to  feed  and  prune  them,  and  how  to  destroy  pests.  As 
to  situation,  most  of  the  sunny  southern  and  western  slopes  of  the 
county  i ffer  all  t hat  can  be  desired,  and  provide  natural  drainage.  Of 
course,  the  proper  preparation  of  the  soil  for  fruit  growing  is 
important.  Then  the  question,  “  What  shall  we  plant  ?  ”  was  one  that 
must  be  answered  carefully.  Good  trees  and  good  varieties  was  the 
general  answer.  Mr.  Fletcher  gave  details  as  to  the  best  sorts.  Early 
and  late  varieties  are  the  most  profitable,  as  they  could  go  into  the 
market  when  there  is  the  least  competition.  And  only  selected  fruit 
should  be  put  into  the  market.  Having  dealt  with  tree  fruits,  Mr. 
Fletcher  had  something  to  say  on  bush  and  other  small  fruits.  He 
believed  most  heartily  in  the  prospect  of  fruit  oulture,  and  he  believed 
it  would  do  much  towards  replacing  the  best  class  of  workers  back  on 
the  land,  and  relieve  agricultural  distress. 
- — 
Table  Decoration. 
The  above  heading  refers  to  the  floral  decorations  of  the  dining 
room  tab’e  adopted  in  large  establishments  when  distinguished 
visitors  are  being  entertained,  and  also  at  public  dinners  and  banquets. 
In  these  cases  sometimes  the  floral  display  is  somewhat  extensive. 
Tnere  is  no  hard  and  fast  rule  to  be  followed  in  the  decorations.  The 
fir3t  thing  is  to  know  the  size  of  table,  and  then  to  decide  on  what 
is  to  be  done,  so  as  to  impart  a  light  and  artistic  gracefulness,  for 
generally  this  task  is  more  or  less  keenly  criticised.  Various  arrange¬ 
ments  can  be  made,  most  of  which  depend  upoa  the  time  and  season 
of  the  year.  For  instance,  a  large  table  can  be  ma  le  to  have  a 
pleasing  effect  when  adorned  with  choice  foliage  plants,  with  or  without 
tracing  as  desired.  Again,  a  bank  of  flowering  plants — viz.,  Gloxinias 
or  Orchids,  can  be  used  along  with  cut  flowers  and  scroll  work.  If  a 
bank  of  Gloxinias  is  decided  upon,  a  sheet  or  newspaper  should  be  laid 
on  the  clean  tablecloth  to  prevent  soiling  the  same.  Tnen  should 
come  the  arranging  of  the  plants,  which  should  be  formed  so  as  not  to 
appear  in  straight  lines,  and  to  give  them  a  more  natural  effect.  Some 
should  be  raised  higher  than  the  others.  Use  a  few  small  pots  to 
raise  them  to  the  desired  height.  After  the  plants  have  been  satis¬ 
factorily  arrange),  the  whole  should  be  carefully  filled  in  with  prepared 
moss,  the  outside  line  of  which  should  not  be  straight,  but  be  of  a 
winding  nature.  The  moss  can  then  be  covere  1  with  ordinary 
Adiantum  fronds  to  give  it  a  more  finished  appearance.  The  common 
Hypericum  foliage  can  also  be  used,  or  Berberis  Aquifolium.  For 
another  occision  a  table  of  Ros^s  could  be  set  up  by  first  forming  the 
bank  of  moss,  al  ter  which  the  whole  should  be  covered  with  R  ise  foliage. 
Out  the  Roses  with  long  stems  to  allow  for  sticking  into  the  moss. 
S  >me  of  the  R  ises  should  be  higher  than  others,  but  each  must  have 
space  to  allow  for  filling  in  with  Rose  shoots.  Wnen  finished  dew 
the  bloom t  over  with  a  fine  spray,  to  impart  a  cool  and  refreshing 
appearance.  One  or  m  re  colours  can  be  used,  according  to  taste. 
Another  nice  cool  table  can  be  attained  by  loliage  plants. 
Caladiums,  for  instance,  generally  placed  in  silver  baskets  or  vases  on 
the  table,  are  beautiful.  The  centrepiece  should  be  filled  with  the 
tallest  plants,  and  the  others  arranged  in  proport  ou  about  the  table. 
More  than  one  variety  may  be  used.  The  0.  argyrites  type  is  admirably 
adapted  for  corner  baskets  or  vases.  To  give  the  table  a  more 
finished  appearance  Myrsiphyllum  asparagoides,  Lygodium  scandens, 
or  any  other  suitable  trailing  greenery  can  be  used,  but  it  should  be 
laid  on  as  lightly  as  possible.  For  tables  the  baskets  should  first 
be  filled  with  moss  or  sand,  then  filled  with  blooms  of  Orchids, 
Oarmtions,  Rr-es,  \  llama  das,  or  such  flowes  that  are  at  hand, 
filled  in  either  with  Fern  or  own  foliage. 
For  large  tabes,  when  gild  or  silver  table  sets  are  used,  which 
generally  contain  a  centrepece  aud  vases,  nice  graceful  Crotons  can 
be  used,  together  with  Dracaenas,  Pandanus,  Cocos,  Eulalias,  and 
various  other  plants.  In  such  cases  a  suitable  plant  should  be  chosen 
for  the  centre,  and  each  end  should  be  filled  iu  wi  h  smaller  plants, 
the  number  of  which  should  be  decided  upon  according  to  the  size  of 
table.  Glasses  of  cut  flowe  s  may  then  be  place  I  about  and  the  table 
done  up  with  Asparagus,  or  it  can  be  done  in  designs,  such  as  double 
diamonds,  heart  shapes,  triangles,  stars.  The  different  Selagiuellas 
afford  excellent  trailing  mate  ial,  so  also  does  Ficus  repens,  Ampelopsis 
Veiichi,  and  A.  qumque'olia,  varieties  of  Loniceras,  especially  the 
variegated  one,  aud  various  sorts  of  coloured  leaves  ;  even  the  dry 
eaves  of  Oak  make  a  pleasing  eff  ct.  Small  blooms  to  harmonise 
may  be  placed  'lightly  amongst  the  trailing  material  to  give  a  brighter 
effect.  When  the  vases  of  centrepieces  have  ti  be  filed  with  cut 
flowers,  first  fill  in  silver  sand,  damp  enough  to  make  it  set,  to  steady 
the  blooms  aud  Grasses  and  Ferns.  Place  moss  on  the  surlace  soil  of 
the  pots,  and  pieces  of  paper  beneath  them.  When  moss  is  being 
used  for  m  >unds,  it  should  be  washed  and  then  dried,  to  give  it  a 
clean  and  fresher  appearance  and  to  rid  it  of  all  iusects.  In  ihe 
arrangi  ig  of  flowers  and  plants  on  the  table  due  consideration  should 
be  taken  in  regard  to  the  dishes  of  dessert  and  the  number  of  them 
that  are  on  the  table.  When  lamps  or  can  llestickr  are  u-ed  on  the 
table  strings  of  Lygodium  or  Sinilax  can  be  fasteue  I  to  the  centrepiece 
and  made  to  hang  cham-like  between  the  end  candlestick*,  finishing 
by  winding  round  the  lamp  down  to  the  table.  “Trailing”  should  hang 
or  entwine  down  tne  centrepiece  as  the  case  may  demand.  Avoid 
overcrowding  or  heaviness,  and  allow  for  tree  eonve  satioo  to  be 
indulged  in  across  the  table.  When  the  table  is  completed  see  that  no 
pieces  are  left  lying  about,  either  on  the  table  or  carpet. — G.  P. 
