306 
JOUBNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AFB  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  1,  190?. 
Apples  and  the  Recent  Gale. 
I  liad  business  at  Crediton  on  tlie  lOtli  of  September,  and  I 
bad  to  take  shelter  in  an  arbour  built  under  a  Jarge  Blenheim 
Orange  Apple  tree.  “Surely  the  roof  is  coming  off?”  I  said  to 
the  parson.  “  0  dear,  no ;  it  i's  only  a  few  of  the  Blenheims  falling 
on  the  roof.”  We  have  too  many  tall  standards  in  this  windy 
and  rainy  county  of  Devon.  We  need  tO'  plant  more  bushes.  1 
was  at  Salcombe,  about  two  miles  from  Bolt  Head,  the  highest 
and  most  rugged  coast  in  Devon  and  Cornwall,  the  day  following 
the  storm.  .  ,  ^  .  .i 
After  tea  with  Dr.  Twining,  the  gardener  showed  us  over  the 
fine  fruit  grounds.  When  we  reached  the  bushes,  but  yesterday 
laden  with  fruits,  the  gardener,  pointing  to  the  Apples,  said  : 
“I  owe  this  to  you,  sir;  we  never  had  fruit  like  this  until  you 
came  here  four  years  ago,  and  I  left  the  Apples  on  the  land, 
because  I  wanted  vou  to  see  the  crop  that  the  trees  have  borne. 
You  .see  what  the  storm  has  done !  ”  About  half  the  produce  was 
on  the  bushes,  and  half  on  the  land.  Had  the  fruit  been  on 
orchard  trees,  perhaps  nearly  all  the  crop  would  have  been  on  the 
soil.  The  bushes  had  been' well  thinned,  and  summer-pinched, 
thus  giving  a  pa.ssage  to  the  wind;  and  so  much  of  the  crop  re¬ 
mained. 
Here  one  has  some  of  the  advantages  of  growing  Apples  on  the 
Paradise  stock  as  bush  trees.  This  view  .should  induce  growers 
to  put  many  more  .such  trees  on  their  properties  or  holdings 
during  the  coming  autumn.  I  am  planting,  this  autumn,  a  large 
lawn,  in  a  high  position  at  the  .seaside,  with  the  idea  of  a  perma¬ 
nent  orchard  :  hut  many  bush  Apples  will  be  planted  between. 
The  owner  wants  an  orchard,  which  is  quite  right,  for  he  will  thus 
protect  his  garden.^.  Yet  he  will  never  get  the  best  fruit :  dwarf 
trees  alone  can  produce  it.  To  buyers:  Go  early  arid  select  your 
trees.  Fir.st  customers  carry  off  the  be.st  trees. — X.,  Devon. 
A  Great  Fruit  Nursery. 
Knowledge  of  the  manifold  operations  necessary  for  success 
in  fruit  culture,  and  of  the  risks  that  are  faced  by  large 
nursery  firms  who  grow  trees  by  the  tens  of  thousands  for  sale, 
makes  the  visit  to  such  a  nursery  as  that  of  George  Bunyard 
and  Go.,  Limited,  at  Maidstone,  of  the  highest  interest  and 
pleasure,  as  well  as  educationally  helpful.  Flat  after  flat, 
stretching  to  fully  ninety  acres,  are  covered  with  young  fruit 
trees,  each  a  replica  of  the  other,  and  each  a  sermon  by  itself, 
as  Prof.  Dnimmond  would  have  us  see.  But  to  remain  prac¬ 
tical,  and  leave  philosophy  for  the  divines,  our  attention  will 
he  devoted  to  the  record  of  a  visit  made  a  week  ago  to  the 
Allington  Nunseries.  These,  as  1  note,  extend  to  ninety  acres  of 
undulating  ground,  well  exposed,  and  therefore  admirably 
suited  to  furnish  hardy,  vigorous,  well-seasoned  stock.  The  soil 
is  the  finest  in  Kent,  an  ideal  sandy  loam  of  a  reddish  brown 
colour,  that  in  every  way  tends  to  the  production  of  fibrous 
rooted  trees  and  bushes,  which  is  so  essential  to  the  safe 
transference  and  thrifty  growth  of  the  subjects  from  nursery 
•to  garden  or  orchard. 
The  recent  gales  have  slackened  some  breadths  of  juvenile 
Apple  trees ;  but  this  will  work  out  for  good  after  a  season 
when  growth  has  been  rampant  and  needs  a  timely  check.  The 
slackened  trees,  of  course,  will  again  he  firmed  by  treading. 
Here  and  there,  where  a  stout  stake  had  left  an  unfilled  hole, 
one  Avas  able  to  see  the  fleshy  white  root  tips  that  lately  had 
encircled  the  stake,  which  fact  goes  to  show  how  active  the 
root  system  is,  and  how  speedily  young,  vigorous  trees  will 
“take*  hold”  if  planted  while  yet  the  soil  is  warm  and 
moist. 
Neav  Apples,  and  Old. 
In  going  round  the  cpiarters,  I  asked  my  coinpanion  evhat 
account  certain  new  varieties  of  Apples  were  giving.  Foster’s 
Seedling  (1895)  evas  one  of  these,  and  though  stated  to  be  hardly 
fit  for  dessert,  it  is  a  wonderful  cropper,  as  becomes  a  seedling 
from  Cellini  Pippin.  Golden  Spire,  I  may  say  in  passing,  nevex 
fails  to  give  a  crop,  not  even  in  a  year  like  the  present,  and  I 
saw  shapely  pyramids  laden  evith  the  yellocv  fruits. 
Hambling’s  Seedling  (1894)  resembles  the  Blenheim,  hut  on 
jmung  trees  it  does  not  fruit  freely.  Early  Peach  (1894),  “  in  the 
Avay  of  Irish  Peach,”  hears  out  the  catalogue  remarks ;  but  the 
Charles  Ross  has  not  been  tried  sufficiently  long  at  Allington  to 
enable  the  firm  to  speak  of  it  from  personal  experience.  James 
Griecm,  “an  early  Cox’s,”  and  a  hardy  variety,  i.s  summecl  up 
in  the  sentence  ;  “Good  in  every  way;  Ave  think  highly  of  it.” 
Young  trees  of  Allington  Pippin  (sent  out  from  here)  were 
exceptionally  clean  and  vigorous,  making  long,  stout  shoots, 
Avell  set  with  fruit  buds  toAvard  their  base.  Eaten  Avhen  taken 
from  the  tree,  the  flavour  of  this  Apple  is  of  the  best  ;  juicy, 
SAveet,  and  satisfying.  Ribston  Pippin,  of  course,  Avill  long  re¬ 
main  a  faA-ourite,  though  I  Avas  informed  (and  this  was  ncAv  to 
me)  that  some  folks  imagine  its  popularity  is  declining,  ancl 
have  even  eA'inced  surprise  to  see  such  large  breadths  of  it  in 
the  nurseries.  It  fails,  of  course,  Avhen  old,  being  subject  to 
canker.  The  recently  introduced  Rus.sian  Apple,  named  Bielo 
BorodaAvka,  is  Avell  .set. 
One  point,  and  a  great  point,  is  the  high  keeping  of  the 
Allington  nursery,  for  neither  Aveeds,  prunings,  or  old  stock  are 
alloAved  a  place.  The  scarifier  and  hoes  are  constantly  kept  at 
Avork ;  bodies  of  men  move  about  among  the  trees  as  surface¬ 
men  do  on  a  raihvay  track,  and  Avith  a  similar  object,  to  prune,^ 
straighten,  dress,  and  mend. 
The  King  Pippin  has  been  very  vigorous  this  year,  and  makes 
a  distinctive  shoAving  Avith  its  bluish  green  foliage.  Cox’s  Orange 
on  the  Paradise,  as  yearling  plants,  are  3ft  and  4ft  high,  and  are 
good  stuff.  It  is  a  mistake  to  ijlant  Cox’s  in  large  brakes  alone, 
as  Ave  fear  has  been  recommended  in  jAlaces,  for  the  failure 
of  a  variety  is  ahvays  possible,  and  more  so  if  alternate  rows  of 
other  varieties  are  not  present  to  afford  the  cross  pollination. 
“  W.  R.  Raillem,”  Avhose  garden  I  saAv  recently,  has  not  a  per¬ 
fectly  healthy  Cox’s  in  his  place,  the  leaves  being  scourged 
Avith  the  rust  Avhich  so  peculiarly  and  coirstantly  attacks  this 
variety.  He  has  grafted  it  upon  Blenheim  Orange  and  other 
varieties,  but  Avithout  lessening  the  affliction;  and  this  is  a 
draAvback. 
Standard  Cherries,  and,  indeed.  Cherries  in  all  the  modes 
of  training,  are  a  leading  feature  here,  for  the  supply  of  the 
Keaiti.sh  Cherry  orchards ;  and  in  the  journey  by  rail  I  had 
evidence  of  a  considei’able  amount  of  recent  planting.  The  Kent 
men  are  alive  to  the  necessity  of  reneAving  their  trees  long  before 
they  are  unproductive,  and  in  this  they  shoAv  an  excellent 
example  to  their  brethren  in  the  Brentford,  IsleAvorth,  and 
Hounslow  districts  of  Middlesex,  Avhose  bogey  for  years  has  been 
the  builder. 
These  standard  Kentish  Cherries  are  7ft  and  8ft  high,  Avith 
very  shapely  heads,  the  young  .shoots  being  spuri’ed  back  to  two 
or  three  eyes  until  the  .‘-econd  or  third  year  from  the  Avorking, 
Avhen  they  are  let  aAvay,  and  require  only  moderate  pruning. 
One  of  the  nursery’  brakes  contained  30,000  Cherry  ti’ees.  Plums 
as  standards,  Avail  trained,  or  as  ijyramids  Avere  here  in  ample 
numbers,  and  of  all-round  merit. 
If  any  reader  of  these  notes  visits  Allington,  he  Avould  do 
well  to  inquire  for  Avhat  may  be  called  the  “  test  orchard,”  the 
area  Avhere  bush  Apple  trees  ai’e  groAvn  for  the  purpose  of  te.st- 
ing  their  merits  over  a  series  of  years,  and  in  order  to  provide 
a  means  of  comparing  one  kind  against  another,  as  Avell  as  for 
the  production  of  fruit  for  exhibition  and  other  purposes.  The 
object  of  the  visit  Avould  specially  he  to  see  Iioav  avcII  opened 
the  centres  of  these  trees  are;  quite  like  a  great  funnel,  Avhich 
alloAvs  the  fullest  admi.ssion  of  sun,  air,  and  deAv  to  Avork  their 
beneficent  changes. 
Orchard  House  Trees. 
‘The  orchard  house  culture  of  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  Nec¬ 
tarines,  and  Peaches  is  carried  out  on  a  large  scale,  and  a  great 
number  of  the  handsome  dishes  of  Apples  shoAvn  at  ChisAvick  on 
Tuesday  last  have  come  from  shapely  trees  groAvn  first  in  a 
great  span-roofed  house,  and  latterly  placed  out  of  doors  under 
a  Avire  netting  screen  to  finish  off.  The  orchard  house  culture 
of  Apples  on  a  large  scale  is  expensive,  and  though  the  size, 
colour,  and  beautiful  appearance  of  the  fruits  are  very  comfort¬ 
ing,  the  flavour  is  not  quite  equal  to  that  of  a  cracked  old 
Cox’s  from  a  scraggy  orchard  tree.  This  Avould  seem  to  put  a 
premium  on  “  scraggy  orchard  trees  ”  ;  but  when  a  man  handles 
and  eats  a  magnificent  Peasgood’s  or  Gascoigne’s  sample,  he 
hesitates  to  complain  if  the  flaA-our  falls  short  of  his  expecta¬ 
tions,  as  judged  from  the  outside. 
The  orchard  trees,  I  may  observe,  are  all  excellent  subjects, 
bearing  Avell,  and  haAung  nicely  modelled  forms.  Thei*e  are 
large  numbers  of  all  kinds  in  pots,  plunged  in  the  open 
ground. 
Figs  in  pots  receiA’e  the  keenest  attention,  and  pot  trees, 
wall  trees,  and  standard  trees  are  kept  in  numbers  suitable  to 
the  demand.  The  Royal  Gardens  Avere  able  to  be  supplied  Avitb 
standard  Figs  from  the  houses  here  Avhen  no  one  else  could 
provide  the  stocks,  and  this  tended  to  the  firm  receiA'ing  the 
Royal  Warrant.  Pot  Vines  form  a  department  by  themselves, 
and  these  are  groAvn  at  Maidstone,  the  headquarters  of  the 
firm. 
Nuts,  and  Filberts,  and  Mirabelles. 
The  large  quantities  of  Nuts  seen  in  toAA'n  shops  now  and 
later  are  mostly  groAvn  in  Kent,  and  to  meet  the  supply  there 
are  thousands  of  young  bushes  at  Messrs.  Bunyard’s.  The  finn 
is  engaged  to  plant  four  to  five  acres  Avith  Nuts  in  Buckingham 
eluring  the  present  autumn,  and  the  demand  for  Nuts  is  pretty 
constant.  The  differences  of  C'ob  Nuts  and  Filberts  may  be 
