516 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
December  3,  1903. 
Profitable  Varieties  of  Bush  Apples. 
Of  all  the  forms  in  which  Apples  are  grown,  this  is  the  mo.st 
profitable,  as  well  as  the  easiest  to  manage.  Yet  there  is  a 
right  way  and  a  wrong  way  of  treating  them,  as  one  is  often  re¬ 
minded  when  looking  at 'other  people’s  gardens.  Some  are 
anxious  to  get  as  many  branches  as  possible,  and  let  the  tree 
become  congested,  with  the  result  that  the  fruit-spurs  in  the 
centre  of  the  tree  die  away,  which  is  all  the  greater  pity,  as  it  is 
there  that  a  good  quantity  of  fruit  can  hang  without  weighing 
down  the  branches,  or  giving  the  wind  a  chance  to  knock  it  off. 
Others,  in  their  anxiety  to  get  a  large  tree  as  soon  as  possible, 
either  do  not  shorten  the  branches  or  shoots  at  planting,  with 
the  result  that  in  the  future  there  are  long  bare  branches  devoid 
of  fruit-spurs;  or  else,  having  done  this  at  planting,  they  avoid 
shortening  the  first  year’s  growth,  with  the  result  that  the  buds 
do  not  break  out  in  the  spring  all  along  the  previous  season’s 
growth,  and  consequently  a  given  branch  does  not  bear  so  much 
fruit.  In  addition’  the  branch,  being  without  foliage  along  some 
part  of  its  length,  does  not  thicken  so  rapidly,  and  consequently  is 
not  able  to  support  so  great  a  weight  of  fruit.  This  impatience 
defeats  its  own  ends.  Others  overdo  their  trees  with  kindness, 
and  feed  them  up  before  they  have  fruited,  either  by  putting 
manure  with  the  soil  at  planting,  or  by  giving  them  liquid 
manure,  either  of  which  practices  induces  a  rank,  sappy  growth 
which  is  not  conducive  to  fruitfulness,  and  the  unripened,  sappy 
wood  may  be  cut  back  in  a  severe  winter.  Others  again  keep 
newly-jj! anted  trees  well  watered,  or  rather,  badly  watered,  and 
the  result  is  the  same  as  by  manuring.  If  a  good  mulch  of  long 
manure  is  put  over  the  ground  occupied  by  the  roots  of  newly- 
planted  trees  they  will  never  need  watering  in  any  normal 
summer,  and,  in  fact,  are  much  best  without  it,  as  the  growth 
is  so  much  better  ripened. 
But  as  I  have  dealt  with  the  training  and  pruning  of  bush 
Apples  in  another  article,  I  will  confine  mj^self  to  a  chat  about  a 
few  of  the  mo.st  prolific  bushes.  One  is  always  tempted  to  try 
new  Apples  about  which  a  fuss  is  made,  but  it  is  very  risky,  as  we 
do  not  know  their  constitution  at  all,  and  it  is  wiser  to  let  other 
people  experiment  with  them  on  different  soils  first. 
There  are  so  many  good  sorts  of  Apples  to  be  got  which  are 
of  well-proved  merit,  alike  as  to  quality,  fruitfulness,  hardiness, 
and  freedom  of  growth,  and  we  may  as  well  confine  ourselves  to 
these  until  we  see  how  some  of  these  new  ones  turn  out.  That 
much-adverti.sed  Apple, Bramley’s  Seedling,  was  the  occasion  of 
the  remark  of  a  fruit  grower  to  me  the  other  day  that  it  was  the 
most  over-rated  Apple  he  knew.  Few  probably  would  go  as  far 
as  this.  Many  Apples  that  are  very  much  boomed  turn  out  to 
be  quite  inferior  to  many  existing  varieties  of  the  same  season. 
Of  the  Apples  introduced  during  the  last  thirty  years,  it  is  doubt¬ 
ful  if  there  are  half  a  dozen  which,  if  we  take  into  account  all 
the  traits  necessary  to  a  good  Apple,  are  any  improvement  upon 
some  of  the  best  in  existence  before  that  time. 
I  have  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  Lane’s  Prince  Albert,  Manning- 
ton’s  Pearmain,  Warner’s  King,  Adam’s  Pearmain,  Warwickshire 
Pippin,  and  Wellington,  not  to  mention  many  othei's  in  existence 
thirty  or  forty  years  ago — have  these  been  improved  upon  for 
all-round  excellence  ?  It  will  surprise  some  to  hear  that  all  of 
these  were  grown  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  as  it  is  only  during 
the  last  twenty  years  that  some  of  them  have  become  well  known. 
Some,  like  numbers  of  the  great  people  in  the  art  and  literary 
worlds,  have  been  “discovered.”  Many  of  the  newer  Apples, 
especially  the  American  varieties,  are  tender,  and  either  do  not 
succeed  in  a  cold  Avet  soil,  or  are  especially  subject  to  canker  and 
Avoolly  aphis,  or  are  slow  in  coming  into  bearing,  or  onlj^  dev'elop 
their  best  qualities  under  Amry  faAmurable  conditions. 
The  sorts  I  am  going  to  discuss  are  not  necessarily  all  of  the 
Amry  front  rank  as  regards  equality,  but  they  are  all  A'ery  good 
and  all  hardy,  of  healthy  groAvtli,  and  free  in  bearing,  Avhich  four 
qualifications  all,  except  those  feAV  gardeners  Avho  have  ideal  con¬ 
ditions  for  fruit  groAving,  may  be  contented  to  accept  Avithout 
expecting  anything  more.  All  should  be  on  the  Paradise  stock 
unless  otherAvise  stated. 
Scarlet  Nonpareil. 
The  first  to  be  mentioned,  not  because  it  is  the  be.st,  is  the 
Scarlet  Nonpareil.  The  origin  of  this  Apple  is  doubtful,  some 
saying  it  Avas  found  growing  in  a  garden,  and  others  that  it  Avas 
deliberately  raised  from  seed.  It  is  rather  beloAv  the  medium  size 
unless  under  yery  good  conditions  and  Avell  thinned,  and  is  of  such 
a  beautiful  gloAving  colour  that  it  is  A'ery  often  on  the  exhibition 
table.  It  is  a  medium  groAver,  nia’aing  yery  slender  shoots,  Avhich 
rather  unfits  it  for  the  .standard  form.  It  is  very  tender  and  of 
good  flavour,  and  is  very  acceptable  for  dessert  at  Christmas, 
being  one  of  the  handsomest  in  season  at  that  time.  The  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  include  this  in  their  very  short  list  of 
dessert  Apples  in  their  pamphlet  on  fruits  for  cottagers  and 
•  OAvners  of  small  gardens. 
Sturmer  Pippin 
is  perhaps  the  latest  dessert  Apple,  being  good  sometimes  as  late 
as  June  if  alloAved  to  hang  on  the  tree  Avell  into  Nov’ember,  and 
then  carefully  stored.  There  is  not  much  risk  in  letting  them 
hang  so  late,  as  a  few  degrees  of  frost  do  not  hann  Apples  on  the 
tree,  and  Avhen  there  is  a  chance  of  a  sharp  frost,  and  we  do  not 
often  get  more  than  tAvo  or  three  before  the  middle  of  November, 
a  covering  can  easily  be  throAA’n  over  a  bu.sh  tree,  especially  if, 
as  always  should  be  the  ca.se,  the  extension  shoots  have  been 
shortened  before  that  time.  It  is  of  excellent  quality,  but  needs 
peeling,  though  many  do  that  AA'ith  all  Apples.  It  is  of  medium 
.size,  russety,  and  cjfuite  a  contrast  to  the  preceding  in  the  matter 
of  beauty,  though  getting  a  little  colour  in  a  favourable  autumn. 
It  is  of  moderate  groAvth,  seldom  forming  a  large  bush,  and  a 
very  regular  bearer.  It  will  stand,  and,  in  fact,  needs  fairly 
generous  treatment,  as  there  is  little  fear  of  its  running  too  much 
to  Avood.  It  Avas  raised  at  Sturmer,  Haverhill,  near  the  Essex- 
Suffolk  border,  and  Avas  obtained  by  impregnating  Ribston  Pippin 
Avith  the  Old  Nonpareil.  Both  parents  are  prone  to  canker,  the 
former  especially  so,  but  the  de.scendaut  does  not  seem  to  have 
inherited  the  tendency  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  though  it 
has  inherited  the  Ribston  flavour. 
W’aravickshire  or  Wyken  Pippin. 
An  Apple  Avhich  is  not  planted  noAV  so  much  a.s  it  deserves  to 
be  is  the  old  WarAvickshire  Pippin,  or  Wyken  Pippin,  as  it  is 
often  called  from  the  name  of  the  place  near  Coventry  where  it 
Avas  raised  some  time  in  the  eighteenth  century.  As  grown  on 
standards,  Avhich  are  very  common  in  old-fa.shioned  orchards  and 
cottage  gardens,  Avhere  large  old  trees  may  often  be  seen  a  mass 
of  yelloAV  fruit,  the  Apple  is  rather  beloAV  medium  size,  but  groAAn 
on  dAvarf  trees  Avith  good  culture  it  is  fully  up  to  the  medium 
size,  and  a  rather  handsome  golden  Apple,  crisp,  juicy,  and  of 
very  fine  flaA’our.  It  is  of  rather  small  upright  groAvth  and  very 
prolific.  It  is  in  season  at  Christmas  and  for  a  couple  of  months 
afterAvards. — A.  Petts. 
(To  be  continued.) 
Winter  Tomatoes. 
A  Avord  or  tivo  on  this  subject  Avill  not  be  out  of  place  at  this 
•season.  We  have  here  just  noAV  a  small  three-quarter  span  house, 
in  full  bearing,  and  it  is  a  sight  Avorth  seeing.  The  plants  have 
six  and  seven  bunches,  with  four  and  five  nice-sized  fruits  to  a 
plant.  My  method  of  groAving  is  soav  the  seed  in  May  in  6in  or 
Tin  pots ;  plunge  them  in  either  a  Melon  or  Cucumber  pit.  When 
the  seedlings  shoAv  themselves  move  them  to  a  cold  pit  or  frame 
until  they  are  in  their  “rough  leaf”  .state,  Avhen  they  Avill  be 
ready  for  pricking-out  in  boxes,  .still  keeping  them  cool.  When 
thejy  have  made  nice,  .sturdy  plants  4in  to  Gin  high,  pot  them 
straight  into  fruiting  pots  (Ave  use  12in),  using  Avell-chopped  loam, 
AA’ith  a  Gin  potful  of  dissolved  bones  as  the  only  manure.  Put 
them  back  in  cold  pits,  having  .stakes  ready  acros.s  the  pit.  Care 
must  be  exercised  in  bending  plants,  as  the  sun  draiA’s  them  and 
they  sometimes  snap,  being  so  brittle.  By  the  end  of  August 
they  have  .set  three  or  four  nice  bunche.s  of  fruit.  Now  take 
them  to  their  Avinter  quarters,  Avhich  should  be  kept  moderately 
dry  and  Avarm,  say  G5deg  F.  at  night.  Plenty  of  air  on  mild  days 
is  advisable,  Avith  the  use  of  a  camel’s-hair  brush  to  aid  in  setting 
their  fruits.  They  Avill  ripen  right  up  to  March.  Where  a  large 
kitchen,  Avith  a  chef,  has  to  be  .supplied,  they  are  found  most 
useful  all  the  winter,  being  much  better  than  the  shelf-ripened 
fruits,  or  those  that  are  bought,  especially  for  .salads.  The 
variety  I  find  to  do  best  is  Camerons  No.  3  [?1.  The  colour  is 
all  that  can  be  de.sired,  Avith  finn,  juicy  flesh  and  very  feAv  seeds. — 
George  T.  Cara  ille,  Buncombe  Park  Gardens,  Helmsley,  Yorks. 
Apple,  Ribston  Pippin. 
Amongst  the  Apples  now  being  so  largely  sold  in  fruiterers’ 
shops  eA’eryAvhere,  is  the  Ribston  Pippin ;  and  of  a  surety  it  i.s 
not  the  least  attractive  of  them.  Smooth-skinned,  round,  about 
Sin  in  breadth  and  depth,  and  having  rich  crimson  cheeks,  the 
Ribston  is  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  best  flavoured  and  most 
productive  varieties  Ave  have.  It  is  usually  chosen  in  the  best 
all-round  dozen.  It  is  in  sea.son  from  November  till  January. 
American  Society  for  Horticultural  Science. 
The  constitution  and  by-laAvs  Avith  the  announcement  of  the 
above  society  haA’e  been  i.ssued.  The  society’s  fir.st  meeting, 
Avith  scientific  programme,  Avill  be  held  at  St.  Louis  in  connec¬ 
tion  Avith  the  meeting  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Ad- 
A’ancement  of  Science,  December  28  to  January  2  next.  The 
date  has  not  yet  been  decided  on,  but  that  and  other  details 
Avill  be  duly  announced. 
