265 
March  28, 1901.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
there  are  those  living  who  have  witnessed  its  change  from  a  pendent 
and  somewhat  flattish  corolla  to  one  erect,  and  as  rounded  as  a  modern 
wine  glass.  The  original  form  has  almost  entirely  ceased  to  be 
cultivated,  though  reversions  to  it  will  occasionally  appear  among 
seedlings  of  the  best  blood. 
The  first  of  the  erect  flowered  type  was  G.  Fyfiana,  raised  frbm 
seed  in  1844  by  Mr.' John  Fyfe,  a  gardener  at  Rothesay,  Bute.  Mr. 
G.  Nicholson  tells  us  that  “the  innumerable  forms  which  are 
cultivated  as  Gloxinias  rightly  belong  to  the  genus  Sinningia,  and 
most  of  them  are  derived  from  S.  speciosa.”  Our  forefathers  grew 
this  as  G.  speciosa,  and  employed  it  with  G.  caulescens  as  seed 
parents.  In  this  country  Mr.  Garton,  then  gardener  at  Syon, 
was  one  of  the  earliest  raisers,  as  in  the  year  1844,  the  same 
year  in  which  Mr.  Fyfe 
obtained  his  break,  Mr. 
R.  Glendinning,  then  a 
nurseryman  at  Turnham  1 
Green,  exhibited  four  of 
the  Syon  House  seed¬ 
lings,  which  were  highly 
thought  of.  Quite  a 
long  list  of  varieties  have 
been  certificated  by  the 
Floral  Committee,  but  so 
fine  are  the  present-day 
strains  that  it  is  only  a 
flower  of  extraordinary 
merit,  in  regard  to  size 
and  form,  or  of  new  and 
novel  markings,  which 
can  now  obtain  an  award. 
Some  beautiful  maculated 
varieties  mark  one  of  the 
latest  developments  in 
the  Gloxinia.  Modes  of 
cultivation  have  changed, 
and  so  rapidly  do  seed¬ 
ling  plants  grow  into  size 
under  proper  attention 
that  it  is  now  possible  to 
have  the  plants  in  bloom 
in  six  months  from  the 
time  of  sowing  the  seeds. 
— R.  Dean. 
Apples. 
Late  Keeping  Culinary. 
If  a  concensus  of 
opinion  were  taken  of  the 
three  best  late  cooking 
Apples,  it  is  probable  that 
Lane’s  Prince  Albert, 
Northern  Greening  (syns. 
Walmer  Court,  Cowarne 
Queening,  and  John 
Apple),  and  Wellington 
(syns.  Dumelow’s  Seed¬ 
ling  or  Normanton  Won¬ 
der)  would  come  out  very 
near  at  the  top.  Northern  Greening,  however,  owing  to  its  vigorous 
growth  is  best  adapted  for  orchard  planting.  It  is  an  abundant 
bearer,  and  its  quality  is  excelled  by  none,  the  greenish-white  flesh 
being  tender,  orisp,  juicy,  with  a  somewhat  vinous  flavour,  and 
I  know  of  no  variety  which,  when  baked  whole,  produces  such  a 
rich-flavoured  syrup  or  jelly-like  juice.  If  it  possesses  an  objection 
it  is  its  comparatively  small  or  medium  size,  but  if  well  cultivated 
and  not  allowed  to  bear  too  abundantly,  the  fruits  attain  to  a 
satisfactory  size.  My  first  and  most  intimate  acquaintance  with  the 
“  Johns  ”  or  “  Jacks,”  as  this  variety  was  provincially  called  in  South 
Warwickshire,  was  when  a  boy,  as  my  father  had  under  his  charge  a 
large  orobard  in  connection  with  the  kitchen  gardens  on  a  nobleman’s 
estate,  in  which  the  greater  number  of  Apple  trees  were  of  the  varieties 
in  question,  and  the  useful  Hanwell  Souring.  The  wonder  is  that  the 
Northern  Greening  is  not  more  extensively  cultivated,  being  suoh  a 
regular  cropper.  Probably  this  is  owing  to  the  numerous  first-class 
varieties  which  have  appeared  during  the  last  half  century,  and  which 
are  remarkable  for  size  and  oolour.  But  more  surprising  still  is  the  fact 
that  during  an  almost  constant  acquaintance  for  nearly  the  last  two 
decades  with  the  Birmingham  fruit  market,  I  have  observed  but  very 
few  consignments  of  this  variety,  though  plenty,  or  in  fact  more  than 
should  be,  of  greatly  inferior  and  smaller  kinds.  A  large  proportion 
are  comparatively  rubbish,  yet  strangely  they  find  as  ready  a  sale  as  the 
better  olass  and  larger  kinds. 
There  is,  however,  generally  a  fair  quota  of  the  better  olass 
varieties  forthcoming,  though  far  from  sufficient,  and  were  it  not  for 
the  American  and  other  foreign  supplies  home-grown  Apples  would  be 
at  a  high  premium,  and  a  stimulus  afforded  for  a  more  extensive 
cultivation  of  the  Apple  in  this  country.  Taking  the  next  variety, 
the  Wellington,  as  it  is  popularly  known  by  in  Covent  Garden  Market, 
is  one  of  the  most  valuable  from  November  till  March  as  a  sauce  Apple, 
to  which  its  brisk  acidity  and  slightly  aromatic  flavour  specially  lends. 
It  is  also  a  vigorous 
grower,  and  is  hardy  and 
proliBc. 
The  history  of  this 
popular  Apple  is  de¬ 
scribed  in  Dr.  Hogg’s 
invaluable  “Fruit 
Manual  ”  thus  :  —  “  This 
excellent  Apple  was  raised 
by  a  person  of  the  name 
of  Dumeller  (pronounoed 
Dumelow),  a  farmer  at 
Sharkestone,  a  village  in 
Leicestershire,  six  miles 
from  Ashby-de-la-Zouoh, 
and  is  extensively  culti¬ 
vated  in  that  and  the 
adjoining  counties  under 
the  name  of  Dumelow’s 
Crab.  It  was  first  intro¬ 
duced  to  the  neighbour¬ 
hood  of  London  by  Mr. 
Richard  Williams  of  the 
Turnham  Green  Nursery, 
who  received  it  from 
Gopsall  Hall,  the  seat  of 
Earl  Howe,  and  pre¬ 
sented  specimens  of  the 
fruit  to  the  Horticul¬ 
tural  Society  in  1820. 
It  was  with  him  that  the 
name  of  Wellington 
Apple  originated,  and  by 
whioh  it  is  now  known  in 
the  London  markets.” 
A  great  rival  to  the 
preceding  kinds  is  Lane’s 
Prince  Albert,  rapidly 
becoming  popular,  and 
possessing  as  it  does 
several  high  attributes, 
suoh  as  an  early,  regular, 
and  free  bearing,  long 
keeping,  large  size,  of 
excellent  cooking  quali¬ 
ties.  It  has  also  fine 
flavour,  and  crops  equally 
well  either  as  a  bush  or 
standard  ;  though  in  the 
latter  respect  it  is  not 
so  suitable  for  orchard 
culture,  because  the 
weight  of  the  crop  brings 
it  into  the  reach  of  cattle. 
For  market  gardens  and 
plantations  it  should  be¬ 
come  popular.  So  far  it 
has  been  almost  conspicuous  by  its  absence  in  the  Birmingham 
market.  Grown  on  the  Paradise  stock  its  large  handsome  fruits 
are  invaluable  for  the  exhibition  table ;  and  for  villa  or  other  similar 
small  gardens  it  is  indispensable.  So  great,  however,  is  its  oropping 
quality,  that  to  obtain  large  fruits  a  considerable  amount  of  thinning 
the  young  fruit  is  requisite.  As  an  illustration  of  its  prolificacy  the 
annexed  figure  of  a  vigorous  tree,  growing  in  an  allotment  garden 
at  Edgbaston,  near  Birmingham  (being  one  of  several  called  the 
Waterloo  Gardens,  established  in  the  year  1815  in  oommemoration 
of  the  battle  of  Waterloo  by  a  former  Lord  Calthorpe),  will  bear 
out  what  I  say.  The  tree  is  in  a  garden  rented  by  Mr.  Emanuel 
Withers,  one  of  the  noted  local  Gooseberry  exhibitors,  and  who,  at 
my  suggestion,  had  a  photograph  taken  in  September  last  of  one  of 
the  half  a  dozen  trees  of  the  variety  in  question.  All  the  trees  are 
similarly  laden  with  fruit,  and  last  year’s  crop  was  nearly  as  heavy. 
The  trees  were  planted  about  eight  years  ago,  so  highly  had  the 
variety  been  recommended  to  the  owner,  and  who  also  is  a  successful 
Tomato  grower. — G. 
Apple  Lane’s  Prince  Albert. 
