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JOURNAL  CF  HORTICULTURE 
AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  October  30,  1902. 
with  a  representative-  collection  of  forest  trees.  This  depart¬ 
ment  of  the  nursery  was  at  one  time  the  chief  trade,  but  is  not 
now  given  so  much  attention. 
From  Sunnypark  we  proceeded  to  the  Morningfielcl  Nursery, 
which  is  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  herbaceous  plants  and 
Roses.  Here  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  taken  in  hand  by 
Mr.  Cocker,  who  received  us  cordially,  and  did  all  in  his  power 
to  make  our  visit  as  instructive  and  enjoyable  as  possible. 
This  ground  has  of  late  years  been  much  disturbed  by  the 
ubiquitous  builder,  resulting  in  their  having  to  seek  pastures 
new,  and  the  firm  has  secured  a  tract  of  land  sixty-two  acres  in 
extent,  on  the  estate  of  Springliill,  about  a  mile  further  on. 
An  example  of  the  inconvenience  to  which  a  nurseryman  is 
sometimes  put  in  this  respect  was  furnished  by  the  following. 
A  portion  of  land  containing  Rose  stocks  w7itli  dormant  buds  was 
feuecl  for  building  last  autumn,  and  these  had  of  course  to  be 
transplanted  to  another  part,  which  \vas  well  manured  at  plant¬ 
ing.  Late  in  spring  this  latter  portion  was  also  feued,  with  the 
result  that  another  transplantation  had  to  be  made,  without 
compensation  for  loss  of  manure,  labour,  &c.  The  bulk  of 
herbaceous  plants  from  this  ground  will  be  moved  to  Springhill 
this  winter,  and  when  one  considers  the  amount  of  plants  to 
be  treated,  this  is  no  small  undertaking. 
In  a  cool,  shady  part  was  noted  a  full  collection  of  Primulas, 
among  which  was  a  fine  lot  of  P.  nivalis,  a  species  now  rather 
scarce.  Ourisia  cocc-inea,  in  a  bed  containing  fine  strong  plants, 
istill  threw  a  few  belated  panicles  of  brilliant  red;  whilst  a 
carpet  of  Acaena  micropliylla  glauca,  close  by,  suggested  its 
adaptability  as  a  carpet  bedder.  In  frames  were  Violas  in 
great  variety,  seedling  Roses,  Eremurus,  and  many  other  sub¬ 
jects.  Heuchera  sanguinea  grandiflora,"  having  a  large  spike,  is 
valuable  for  cutting.  Heliantlius,  Montbretias,  Phloxes,  Liliums, 
Eryngiums,  Erigerons,  Gladioli,  Chrysanthemums,  are  all 
largely  cultivated.  Hybridisation  and  crossing  is  being  pursued 
by  those  in  charge. 
Conifers  thrive  grandly  in  the  nursery  of  Messrs.  Ben  Reid 
and  Sons,  and  many  of  the  variegated  varieties  of  the  Cypress 
tribe  rival  those  from  the  most  favoured  parts  of  the  Continent. 
Messrs.  Smith  and  Son’s  nursery  at  Burnside  contains  a  good 
general  collection  of  nursery  stock.  Seedling  forest  trees  appear 
to  be  their  speciality.  Scot’s  Pine,  from  home-saved  seed,  was 
a  particularly  fine  crop,  both  at  one  year  and  two  years  of 
age. — W.  , 
Pears  for  Profit. 
During  recent  years  a  great 
amount  of  attention  has  been 
drawn  to  the  necessity  for  plant¬ 
ing  Apples  on  a  large  scale  in  this 
country,  and  when  we  hear  of  the 
vast  amount  of  planting  which  is 
being  done  in  other  lands  for  the 
purpose  of  supplying  us  with 
Apples,  it.  is  evident  that  in 
Britain  far  too  little  has  been 
accomplished.  Pears,  however, 
ought  to  claim  a  considerable 
amount  of  attention,  and  I  fear 
they  have  been  somewhat  neglected 
of  late.  In  selecting  sites  and 
localities  for  Pear  culture,  there 
is  a  less  wide  range  than  in  the 
case  of  Apples,  as  it  is  necessary 
that  cold,  bleak  districts  should 
be  avoided,  even  when  the  soil  is 
suitable,  because  as  the  trees 
flower  so  early  the  danger  from 
frost  is  great.  There  are,  how¬ 
ever,  plenty  of  warm  districts  in 
which  Pear  culture  might  be  made 
a  very  profitable  industry.  An 
ideal  soil  for  Pears  may  be  de^ 
scribed  as  rather  deep  loam,  rest¬ 
ing  on  a  strata  of  loose  stones. 
And  for  strong  growing  varieties, 
such  as  Pitmaston  Duchess  and 
Beurre  d’Amanlis,  if  the  loam  is 
inclined  to  be  stiff,  so  much  the 
better.  One  may  often  find  a  deep 
loamy  soil  resting  on  gravel'  or 
clay.  In  the  former  instance, 
satisfactory  results  are  invariably 
obtained,  and  in  the  latter  case  effective  draining,  and  growing 
a  farm  or  garden  crop  on  the  land  for  a  year  before  the  trees  are 
planted,  will  bring  it  into  splendid  condition  for  Pear  growing. 
Shallow  or  sandy  soils  should  always  be  avoided,  but  loamy 
soils  intermixed  throughout  with  stones  answer  well*  And  I 
have  seen  Pears  thriving  splendidly  in  very  stony  soil,  when  the 
intermixed  particles  of  earth  were  somewhat  stiff. 
It  is  well  known  that  Pears  need  a  great  amount  of 
potash,  and  as  stiff  soils  yield  a  large  percentage  of  this  valu¬ 
able  constituent,  it  probably  accounts  for  the  success  of  growers 
who  have  a  rather  stiff  soil.  I  am  afraid  the  spring  frosts  are 
often  blamed  for  a  poor  crop  of  fruit  when  they  have  had  but 
little  to  do  with  the  matter.  For  several  years  I  have  watched 
numbers  of  trees  closely  when  in  flowTer,  and  in  some  cases, 
although  there  were  no  frosts  to  injure  the  blossom,  yet  the 
bulk  of  the  fruits  dropped  after  having  apparently  set  well,  and 
although  the  soil  was  moist  enough  around  the  roots.  This  I 
am  inclined  to  attribute  to  a  deficiency  of  potash,  and  during 
the  following  autumn  I  intend  to  try  the  effect  of  a  good  dress¬ 
ing  of  kainit.  I  know  in  some  instances  long  spells  of  very 
cold  weather  just  after  the  fruit  is  set  will  cause  young  Pears 
to  drop,  even  after  fertilisation  has  been  perfected,  and  I  found 
that  to  be  the  case  last  year  ;  but  in  seasons  when  the  weather 
is  in  all  respects  favourable,  I  have  noticed  a.  similar  wholesale 
dropping  of  the  young  fruits.  If  the  real  cause  for  this  state  of 
affairs  can  be  with  certainty  discovered,  a  great  impetus  will  be 
given  to  Pear  culture. 
In  preparing  the  soil  for  planting  the  same  thorough  pre¬ 
paration  should  be  given  as  that  so  often  recommended  for 
Apples,  as  without  good  work  in  this  respect  satisfactory 
results  can  neither  be  expected  nor  obtained.  In  arranging  the 
tx^ees  I  prefer  to  plairt  the  standards  or  pyramids  oir  the  Pear 
stock  iir  blocks  by  themselves,  and  those  oir  the  Quince  stock 
in  another  block,  instead  of  intermixing  them,  as  the  taller 
growing  trees  after  a  few  years  shade  the  dwarfs  too  much,  and 
in  our  climate  every  advantage  ought  to  be  taken  of  sunshine. 
A  suitable  distance  apart  for  planting  trees  on  the  Pear 
stock  is  30ft,  and  for  those  on  the  Quince  from  10ft  to  12ft. 
The  Chalk  Pear,  which  grows  quickly  and  bears  well,  is  excellent 
for  planting  around  the  outside  to  foimi  a  screen.  In  selecting 
varieties  for  market  purposes  a  long  list  is  not  required. 
The  following  may  be  thoroughly  relied  upon.  For  standards 
and  large  pyramids  :  Doyenne  Summer,  Beurre  Giffard,  Lammas, 
Jargonelle/ Beacon,  Hessle,  Pitmaston  Du-chess,  Williams’  Bon 
Chretien,  Aston  Town,  Fertility,  Eyewood,  and  Doyenne  Boussoch. 
For  stewing:  Catillac,  Verulam,  and  Beui-re  Clairgeau.  Trees 
on  the  Quince  stock  :  Souvenir  du  Congres,^  Beurre  d’Amanlis, 
Marie  Louise  d’Uccle,  Beurre  Bose,  Beurre  Jean  Van  Geert, 
Doyenne  Boussoch,  Doyenne  du  Cornice,  Durondeau,  Fondante 
de  Thii’iot,  Marguerite  Marillat,  Pitmaston  Duchess,  Williams’, 
