March  2i,  190h 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
257 
Notes  on  Apples. 
Ihc  concluding  words.  “  If  so,  well  and  good,”  of  '•  S.  P.,  Wilts,” 
on  page  237,  suggest  some  dire  alternative.  I  may  feel  .some- 
idarni  in  wondering  what  that  alternative  may  be,  or  in  what 
form  it  will  be  presented  :  but  this  is  not  the  i^lace  for  a  confession 
as  to  the  state  of  one’s  feelings.  In  penning  the  “  Notes  on 
Apples  "  I  had  not  thought  of  including  all  the  widely  known 
and  widely  grown  varieties  such  as  are  those  about  which  he  is 
pleased  to  question  me.  I  had,  however,  hoped  to  have  returned 
to  the  subject  before  this,  when  I  should  doubtless  have  had 
something  to  say  upon  one  at  least  of  them.  But  time  has  a 
cruel  way  of  cutting  .short  one’s  projects,  and  “  Notes  on  Apples,” 
so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  must  be  left  for  a  more  convenient 
■sea.son.  Speaking  roughly,  little  but  praise  can  be  accorded  the 
varieties  enumerated  by  “  S.  P.,  Wilts,”  and  nearly,  if  not  ({uite, 
all  I  should  place  very  high  in  a  list  of  culinary  sorts.  With  this 
I  trust  he  may  be  satisfied.  How  he  may  express  bimself  when 
he  discovers  that  to  the  be,st  of  my  recollection  I  have  nev’cr 
previously  mentioned  any  of  those  v^arieties  in  these  pages  is  a 
matter  for  fearful  speculation  on  the  part  of — Pkovinci.vl. 
Why  are  Trees  Deciduous  ? 
How  often  has  the  gardener  asked  himself.  What  is  the  cause 
for  one  .'pecies  of  a  genus  being  an  annual  and  another  a  biennial 
or  perennial.^  Few  gardeners  but  must  have  at  some  time  or 
other  noticed  the  paucity  of  evergreen  trees  or  shrubs  indigenous 
to  our  islands,  and  the  abundance  which  clothe  the  land, scape 
of  warmer  climates.  Such  an  observation,  we  think,  would 
naturally  lead  to  the  question.  Why  is  it  so?  Many  persons 
very  widely  and  sagely  say  that  the  trees  and  shrubs  were  thus 
created,  and  consequently  mu.st  always  remain  and  reproduce 
themselv'Cs  so.  Charles  Darwin  and  other  eminent  naturalists 
have  very  considerably  modified  views  such  as  these,  and  showed 
that  a  rigid  permanency  in  vegetable  or  animal  forms  is  incom¬ 
patible  with  the  laws  of  Nature  and  what  we  know  respecting 
them 
Here,  then,  is  the  first  link  of  the  chain  of  special  creation 
broken,  and  an  opportunity  extended  for  the  inquiry  of  such 
(piestions  as  the  alvove  in  the  most  feasible  direction.  By  a 
l)rocess  of  analogy  the  most  likely  conclusion  one  will  arrive  at 
in  the  attempt  to  solve  the  difficulty  is  that  the  cause,  partly  or 
wholly,  is  dependent  upon  climate.  That  this  is  a  sound  premise 
there  appears  to  be  little  doubt ;  for  if  we  take  our  own  kingdom 
we  find,  excepting  the  Coniferge  and  a  very  few  shrubs,  that  all 
cast  their  leaves  and  are  in  consequence  deciduous.  We  can  also 
.see  that  this  process  is  brought  about  by  the  withdrawal  of  the 
sun’s  heat,  and  consequently  accelerated  by  the  increasing  cold 
which  naturally  supervenes.  Doubtless  this  will  have  been  ap¬ 
parent  in  the  experience  of  all  who  have  givmn  any  consideration 
at  all  to  the  process  cf  defoliation.  The  fact  that  tropical  and 
sub-tropical  countries  furnish  examples  where  the  deciduous  pro¬ 
cess  is  almost,  if  not  entirel.v,  unknown,  is  also  sound  rea.son  for 
supposing  the  cause  to  be  altogether  due  to  the  ab.sjence  of  the 
chilling  conditions  so  conspicuous  in  temperate  and  Arctic  zones. 
In  the  Britisli  Isles  at  one  time  (comparatively  recent,  from 
the  geologist’s  standpoint)  our  trees,  too,  were  largely,  if  not 
entirel.v,  evergreen.  It  is  evident  this  was  very  much  tlu'  case 
during  the  several  periods  of  the  carbonaceous  formations — a 
state  of  matters  which  seems  to  have  existed  up  to  the  Miocene 
Age.  Naturalists  are  at  one  on  the  point  that  the  flora  of  those 
periods  was  of  a  highly  tropical  nature.  They  also  seem  to 
generally  concur  in  the  devastating  periods  which  subsequently 
visited  our  islands — namely,  the  Glacial  or  Ice  Age,  and  say  that 
i'iuropean  flora,  on  account  of  the  changed  conditions,  ha.s  been, 
down  through  all  the  countle.'-s  years  to  the  present,  adapting 
itself  to  the  altered  conditions.  The.v  a.ssert  that  those  changes 
from  tropical  were  gradual  and  steadily  increasing  in  coldne.s,si 
until  they  culminated  in  the  greater  part  of  Furope  being  encased 
in  ice.  There  is  little  doubt  but  that  many  plants  and  animals 
were  lost  for  ever  in  this  dev'a.stating  cata.strophe ;  but 
it  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  almost  insensible  nature 
of  the  change  would  necessarily  require  many  thousands  of  years 
('re  it  would  culminate  in  an  ice-bou)id  land.  Therefore,  as  the 
cold  increased,  probably  many  plants  which  now  survive  would 
be  gradually  forced  southward  before  the  ico  deluge,  and  in  the 
givat  struggle  for  existi'iice  great  modifications  in  their  original 
character^  would  en>ue.  One  very  important  modification  was 
the  autumnal  fall  of  the  leaf.  Thus,  then,  we  have  in  the  very 
commonplace  fall  of  the  leaf  a  lasting  nuinument  of  the  long, 
long  winter  of  the  Glacial  period. —  D.  C. 
Forced  Nettle-tops, 
Tliere  seems  to  be  a  use  for  everything  nowadays,  says  the 
“Globe.”  We  read  that  the  coinmon  Nettle  in  its  early  stages 
of  growth  is  much  valued  in  London  as  a  vegetable,  and  that 
when  well  cooked  it  tastes  much  the  same  as  Si)inach.  Nor  is 
this  all.  It  is  said  to  be  bighly  beneficial  to  those  who  are 
troubled  with  gout.  We  confess  to  being  a  little  sceptical  on 
this  last  point.  “It  would  be  an  exceedingly  pleasant  thing 
for  everybod.v'  if  the  remedy  for  gout  were  so  simple  and  cheap, 
but  we  fear  that  a  man  mu.st  do  more  than  eat  young  Nettles  if 
he  wishes  to  I'id  himself  of  the  disease.”  The  “Globe  ”  evidently 
does  not  know  that  tender  Nettle  tops  were  for  long  esteemed 
a  delicac.v  in  days  gone  by. — B.  N. 
Measurements  of  Cedar  Trees. 
Noticing  the  measurc'inents  of  the  Bretby  Cedar  given  in  tho| 
Journal  of  last  week,  I  have  measured  ten  Cedars  of  Lebanon 
on  this  place,  the  Hertfordshire  residence  of  Mr.  J.  Y.  Gilliat, 
and  find  seven  cf  them,  at  4ft  from  the  ground,  measure  as 
follows; — 1,  2oft  9in  in  circumference;  2,  23ft;  3,  23ft;  4,  20ft  ; 
5,  19ft  ()in ;  0,  19ft  ;  7,  16ft.  The  Cedar  of  Lebanon  grows 
well  on  this  soil.  One  planted  in  1887  (to  commem¬ 
orate  the  late  Queen’s  Victoria’s  Jubilee),  7ft  high, 
obtained  from  Messrs.  Yeitch  and  Sons,  of  Cheksea,  is  now 
30ft  in  height.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  of  measurements  of 
other  good  Cedars  of  Lebanon  from  any  correspondent  through 
the  Journal  of  HorficuUurr.  We  have  recently  tried  to  buy 
Cedars  cf  good  height,  but  cannot  get  them.  W.  Wateum.vx, 
Chorleywood  Cedars,  Rickmansworth. 
-♦  ♦- 
Seed  Sowing. 
If  the  germinating  power  of  the  seeds  already  sown  under  glass 
is  to  serve  any  useful  purpose  as  a  guide  to  those  sown  in  the  open 
ground,  very  great  care  will  be  required.  I  find  that  such  seeds 
as  French  Beans,  Onions,  Carrots,  and  even  Radishes  re(iuire 
more  bottom  heat  than  usual  at  this  time  of  year  to  cause  an 
even  growth.  This  is  attributable,  I  presume,  to  the  bad  harvest 
of  last  year.  I  also  find  that  both  culinary  and  Sweet  Peas  are 
not  arising  so  thickly'  as  one  would  like  to  see  (I  refer  to  those 
sown  in  pots). 
If  this  is  general  experience  with  pot  and  frame-grown  seeds, 
a  little  more  seed  will  be  required  in  the  open,  as  any  seeds  with 
weak  germs  will  almost  surel.y  fail  when  placed  in  the  cold,  wet 
soil.  At  present  the  soil  is  drying  very  slowly  indeed,  and  it  is 
also  a  little  colder  than  usual  at  this  time  of  year.  However, 
against  these  defects  we  are  just  now  getting  fro.sts  each  merning 
ranging  from  4deg  to  lOdeg,  which  will  help  to  pulverise  the  soil 
and  make  it  work  finely.  I  think  that  we  should  defer  the  sowing 
of  certain  choice  Marrowfat  Peas  for  a  few  days  later  than  has 
been  our  practice,  and  to  make  up  for  the  time  lost  in  gathering 
an  extra  row  or  two  of  such  kinds  as  Chelsea  Gem.  William  Hurst 
and  the  American  varieties  .should  be  at  once  sown. — T.  Ahnold. 
- <♦#*> - 
Curious  Scottish  Plant  Names. 
Following  our  report  on  this  subject  in  the  issue  for  March  3, 
we  print  this  note  from  the  Edinburgh  “  Evening  News  ”  :  — 
“Scottish  Plant  Names”  was  the  title  of  a  very  inter('stijig 
lecture  delivei'ed  by  Mr.  R.  P.  Brothei-ston,  Tyninghame 
CJardens,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Scotti.sh  Horticultural  Society 
in  Doweil’s  Rooms.  Edinburgh.  Quite  a  numlx'r  of  the  names, 
he  said,  were  old  Engli.sh,  some  wei'e  Anglo-Saxon,  as 
“  docken  ”  ;  others  wei'e  from  the  French,  as  “  apple-ringie  ”  ; 
some  Scandinavian,  as  “  badderloch  ”  ;  others  again  were 
laitin,  as  “  neeps.”  The  “  gean  ”  was,  he  said,  better  French 
tlian  Scots;  “  lilyoak ’’was  a  pretty  misrendering  of  Lilac: 
“  grozers  ”  was  seemingly  a  French  word,  but  .Mr.  Brotber- 
ston  said  that  the  word  “  rizzers  ” — the  Border  name  for  Red 
Currants— probably  a  corrupted  form  of  “  Raisins,”  was  good 
Scots.  Though  “  Kale  ”  vas  as  much  English  as  Scottish, 
time  and  continued  usage  had  given  it  a  distinctly  Scotti.'^h 
flavour.  The  name  mas  derived  from  caulis.  a  stalk,  the  midrib 
of  the  leaf  having  formerly  been  eaten.  The  curious  custom 
of  women  carrying  a  spray  of  “  apph'-j  ingie”  or  balm  to 
church  was  a  .survival  of  the  medimval  practice  of  carrying 
aromatic  plants  as  a  protection  against  qflague.  and  the  habit 
had  lingered  long  after  the  reason  for  it  had  la-en  torgotten. 
“  Flourish,”  as  ajiiilied  to  fruit  blossom,  was  peculiarly  Scot¬ 
tish.  Some  names  regarded  as  Scots  were  r(‘ally  examples  yf 
mis'in-onunciat  ion. 
