Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/288

276 276 HORTICULTUKE [FRUITS, Culinary Plums. fiarly Rivers e. July. I White Magnum Bonum Sept. Early Orleans b.m. Aug. ! Mitchelsou s b. Sept Czar m. Au Sultan m. Aug. Pershore m.e. Aug Orleans e. Aug. ( e. Aug. b. Sept. Prince Engelbert Prince of Wales. {b.Sept. Pond s Seedling b.m. Sept. Victoria (Alderton) b.m. Sept. Critteuden s Damson m. Sept. Diamond m. Sept. Wine Sour m. Sept. Autumn Compote e. Sept. Saudall s e. Sept. Belle de Septembre b.m. Oct. Quince. Rasp berry. 133. The Quince, Cydonia vulgaris, is but little cultivated in Great Britain, two or three trees planted in the slip or orchard being in general found to be sufficient for a supply of the fruit ; in Scotland it seldom approaches maturity, unless favoured by a wall. The fruit has a powerful odour, but in the raw state is austere and astringent ; it, however, makes an agreeable marmalade, and is often used to give flavour and poignancy to stewed or baked apples. The quince prefers a rich light and somewhat moist soil. The tree is generally propagated by cuttings or layers, the former mak ing the best plants, but being longer in growing. It is much used as a dwarfing stock for certain kinds of pears, and for this purpose the young plants when bedded out in the quarters should be shortened back to about 18 or 20 inches. Those required to form standard fruit- bearing trees should be trained up to a single stem till a height of 5 or 6 feet is attained. There are three principal varieties of the quince, the Portugal, the apple-shaped, and the pear-shaped. Tiie Portugal is a taller and more vigorous grower than the others, and has larger and finer fruit ; the apple-shaped, which has roundish fruit, is more productive, and ripens under less favourable conditions than either of the others ; while the pear-shaped lias roundish-pyriform fruit, which ripens later than that of the apple-shaped variety. 134. The Raspberry, Rubus Idaeus, which is found wild in Great Britain and in woods throughout Europe and Asiatic Russia, is propagated from suckers, which may be taken off the parent stools in October, and planted HI rows 5 or 6 feet apart, and at 3 feet asunder in the rows. It is the habit of the plant to throw up from the root every year a number of shoots or canes, which bear fruit the subsequent year, and then decay. In dressing the plants, which is done immediately aft-r the crop is gathered, all these exhausted stems are cut away, and of the young canes only three or four of the strongest are left, which are shortened about a third. The stems, being too weak to stand by themselves, are sometimes connected together by the points in the form of arches, or a stake is driven in midway between the plants, and half the canes are bent one way and half the other both being tied to the stake. Sometimes they are tied upright to stakes fixed to each stool. The best support is, however, obtained by fastening the points of the shoots to a slight horizontal rail or bar, placed a foot and a half on the south side of the rows, by which means the bearing shoots are deflected from the perpen dicular to the sunny side of the row, and are not shaded by the annual wood. When this mode of training is adopted, the plan of planting .1 foot apart in the row and leaving one or two canes only to each shoot is preferable. The ground between the rows should never be disturbed by digging ; but an abundant supply of good manure should be given annually in autumn as a dressing, which should be forked in regularly to a depth of 4 or 5 inches. All surplus suckers should be got away early in the summer before they have robbed the roots, five or six, to be reduced to the four best, being reserved to each root. Fresh plantations of raspberries should be made every six or seven years. The double-bearing varieties, which continue to fruit during autumn, require light soils and warm situations. These should be cut close down in February, as it is the strong young shoots of the current year which bear the late autumnal crops. The other varieties may be made to bear in autumn by cutting the stems half-way down at an early period in spring ; but, as with all other fruits, the flavour of the raspberry is best when it is allowed to ripen at its natural season. The following are some of the finer sorts now in cultivation: Baumforth s Seedling a large summer-bearing red. Carter s Prolific a large summer-bearing red. Fastolf or Filby a large summer-bearing red. M Laren s Prolific a large double-bearing red. Northumberland Fillbasket a large summer red. October Red a fine autumn-bearing red. October Yellow a fine autumn-bearing yellow. Prince of Wales a large summer-bearing red. Red Antwerp a large summer-bearing red. Rogers s Victoria a large autumn-bearing red. Round Antwerp a largo summer-bearing red. Sweet Yellow Antwerp a large summer-bearing yellow. Service. 135. The Service, Pyrus Sorbus or P. domestica, is a European tree which has been regarded as a native of England on the evidence of a single tree, which has probably been planted, now existing in the forest of &quot;Wyre. Though not much cultivated, its fruit is esteemed by some persons, and therefore two or three trees may very well be provided with a place in the orchard, or in a sheltered corner of the lawn. The tree is seldom productive till it has arrived at a goodly size and age. The fruit has a peculiar acid flavour, and, like the medlar, is fit for use only when thoroughly mellowed by being kept till it has become bletted. There is a pear-shaped variety, pyriformis, and also an apple-shaped variety, maliformis, both of which may be propagated by layers, and still better by grafting on seedling plants of their own kind. The fruit is some times brought to market in winter. 136. The Strawberry of the garden has been obtained by the Stra crossing of several species of Fragaria, the larger-fruited sorts from ben F. grandiflora, chilensis, and virginiana, and the smaller al pines from F. vesca. The alpine varieties should be raised from seeds ; while the other sorts are continued true to their kinds by runners. If new varieties are desired, these are obtained by judicious crossing, and seeding. The seeds of the alpines should be saved from the finest fruit ripened early in the summer. They should at once Le sown, either in a sheltered border outdoors or in pots. The soil should be rich and light, and the seeds very slightly covered by sifting over them some leaf-mould or old decomposed cow dung. When the plants, appear and have made five or six leaves, they should be transplanted to where they are to remain for bearing. The seeds sown in pots may be helped on by gentle heat, and when the plants are large enough. should be pricked out in fine rich soil, and in June transferred to the open ground for bearing ; they will produce a partial crop in the autumn, and a full one in the following season. The same treat^ ment may be applied to the choicer seedlings of the larger-fruited sorts from which new varieties are expected. The runners of established sorts should be allowed to root in the soil adjoining the plants, which should, therefore, be kept light and fine, and as soon as a few leaves are produced on each the secondary runners should be stopped. &quot;When the plants have become well- rooted, they should at once be planted out. They do best in a rather strong loam, and should be kept tolerably moist. The scarlet section prefers a rich sandy loam. The ground should be trenched 2 or 3 feet deep, and supplied with plenty of manure, a good proportion of which should lie just below the roots, 10 or 12 inches from the surface. The plants may be put in on an average about 2 feet apart. Mr Myatt, a well-known strawberry-grower for market, plants in rows 18 inches apart, and the same distance from plant to plant in the rows, but leaves a space of 30 inches i or an alley separating groups of three rows, and after the first year the middle row is cleared away. Some of the best growers allow 2| feet between the rows, with the plants 2 feet from each other. A mulching of strawy manure put between the rows in spring serves to keep the ground moist and the fruit clean, as well as to afford nourishment to the plants. Unless required, the runners are cut off early, in order to promote the swelling of the fruit. The plants should be watered during dry weather after the fruit is set, and occa sionally till it begins to colour. As soon as the fruit season is over, the runners are again removed, and the ground hoed and raked. The plantation should be renewed every second or third year, or less frequently if kept free of runners, if the old leaves are cut away after the fruit has been gathered, and if a good top-dressing of rotten dung or leaf-mould is applied. A top-dressing of loam is beneficial if applied before the plants begin to grow in spring, but after that period they should not be disturbed during the summer either at root or at top. If the plants produce a large number of flower-scapes, each should, if fine large fruit is desired, have them reduced to about four of the strongest. The lowest blossoms on the scape will be found to produce the largest, earliest, and best fruits. The fruit should not be gathered till it is quite ripe, and then, if possible, it should be quite dry, but not heated by the sun. Those intended for preserving are best taken without the stalk and the calyx. Forcing. The runners propagated for forcing are layered into 3-inch pots, filled with rich soil, and held firm by a peg or stone. If kept duly watered, they will soon form independent plants. The earlier they are secured the better. When firmly rooted they are removed and transferred into well-drained 6-inch pots, of strong well- enriched loam, the soil being rammed very firmly into the pots, which are to be set in an open airy place. In severe frosts they should be covered with dry litter or bracken, but do not necessarily require to be placed under glass. They are moved into the forcing houses as required. The main points to be kept in view in forcing strawberries are, first, to have strong stocky plants, the leaves of which have grown sturdily from being well exposed to light, and secondly, to grow them on slowly till fruit is set. When they are first introduced into heat, the temperature should not exceed 45 or 50 by fire heat, and air must be freely admitted ; should the leaves appear to grow up thin and delicate, less fire heat and more air must be given, but an average temperature of 55 by day may be allowed, and continued while the plants are in flower. When the fruit is set the heat may be gradually increased, till at the ripening period it stands at 65, and occasionally at 75 by sun- heat. While the fruit is swelling the plants should never be allowed to get dry, but when it begins, to colour no more water should be given than is absolutely reqiiisite to keep the leaves from flag ging. The plants should be removed from the house as soon as the crop is gathered. The forced plants properly hardened make