PEARMAIN, ASHMEAD'S KERNEL, BOSTON RUSSET, CLAYGATE PEARMAIN,
CORNISH GILLYFLOWER, COURT OF WICK, COURT PENDU PLAT, COX'S ORANGE
PIPPIN, EARLY HARVEST, GOLDEN PIPPIN, GOLDEN REINETTE, IRISH PEACH,
KEDDLESTONE PIPPIN, KERRY PIPPIN, RED INGESTRIE, RED QUARRENDEN,
REINETTE DU CANADA, RIBSTON PIPPIN, SAM YOUNG, SCARLET CROFTON,
SCARLET NONPAREIL, STURMER PIPPIN, SYKE HOUSE RUSSET, WORMSLEY
PIPPIN. The following Kitchen sorts are well adapted to this
method:-ALFRISTON, BED-FORDSHIRE FOUNDLING, BRABANT BELLEFLEUR,
CALVILLE BLANCHE, CELLINI, COX'S POMONA, D. T. FISH, DUCHESS OF
OLDENBURGH, DUMELOW'S SEEDLING, JOLLY BEGGAR, KESWICK CODLIN, LORD
SUFFIELD, MANX'S CODLIN, NEW HAWTHORNDEN, NONSUCH, WALTHAM ABBEY
SEEDLING, WARNER'S KING.
=For Cold and Exposed Situations=, the following are the
best:--BESS POOL, CLAYGATE PEARMAIN, FRENCH CRAB, GREENUP'S PIPPIN,
KESWICK CODLIN, NONSUCH, STURMER PIPPIN, TOWER OF GLAMMIS, WINTER
STRAWBERRY, WORMSLEY PIPPIN.
=For Cottage Gardens=: ALEXANDER, BEDFORDSHIRE FOUNDLING, BLENHEIM
PIPPIN, KING OF THE PIPPINS, MANX'S CODLIN, NEW HAWTHORNDEN,
REINETTE DU CANADA, RIBSTON PIPPIN, STURMER PIPPIN, WALTHAM ABBEY
SEEDLING, WARNER'S KING, WORMSLEY PIPPIN.
=APPLE BERRY.= _See_ =Billardiera=.
=APPLE-BLOSSOM WEEVIL= (_Anthonomus pomorum_). This is a small beetle
of a reddish-brown colour, with three inconspicuous stripes of a paler
colour behind the head; the wing cases show a large pitchy-coloured
blotch, with oblique striæ and yellowish spots thereon. The female
busily engages herself in piercing the flower buds; while the male may
be usually seen flying about the trees during the breeding season,
which, of course, varies according to the earlier or later expansion
of the buds. The female, by means of strong jaws at the end of the
long proboscis, bores a hole in the bud, in which she lays a single
egg, finally closing the opening, then passing on to other buds. The
laying season lasts for two or three weeks, or, indeed, as long as the
buds remain unexpanded; eggs are never laid in open blossoms. In warm
weather, the eggs are hatched in six or seven days, usually about the
end of April, into small, white, legless maggots, which feed upon the
stamens and pistil; hence, although the petals are normally coloured,
and expand, the flowers ultimately wither, and in some seasons very
serious consequences have arisen from these injurious little pests. The
maggot is fleshy, whitish, with a few hairs and a black, hard head; in
a few days, it turns into a brown chrysalis or pupa, which, in turn,
is changed into the Weevil, only about a month having elapsed from the
deposition of the egg till the Weevil is developed. It feeds upon the
foliage during summer, and hybernates in crannies of the bark, or under
the soil at the base of the trees, during winter, waking up in the
following spring to go through the same performances as its parents.
_Remedies._ Some of the methods advised for the extirpation of the
American Blight will prove very useful for the destruction of this
pest. Clear away all useless portions of the bark and rubbish round
about the tree during the winter, and many will be destroyed. Place
bandages of tarred cloth around the stem in spring; this will prevent
the females crawling up, as they seldom fly. If a white cloth is placed
beneath the tree affected when in bud, and the tree is severely shaken,
a large number will be caught, as the Weevil falls to the ground when
alarmed. Timely thinning of the trees, allowing the free admission of
light and air, is also a very effectual preventive, as it has been
proved that the greatest ravages are committed where neglect of this
has been the rule; and that, on the other hand, in proportion to its
being done, the pest has been lessened in numbers.
=APPLE MUSSEL SCALE= (_Aspidiotus conchiformis_). This insect attacks
the bark of Apple and Pear-trees. It is in outward appearance like the
half of a mussel shell. Under the scale is the insect. It is closely
allied to the true scale insects, and has similar habits. The scales
are about 1/8in. long, brown, and wider at one end than at the other.
The female is like a fat, green, fleshy maggot, without jointed limbs.
The eggs of this curious insect are not laid, but simply remain in the
body of the mother until she dies, thus leaving a protecting shield or
case from which the hatched larvæ emerge. To get rid of this insect,
therefore, the females containing eggs should be destroyed. It differs
from most other species in the absence of the long tail filaments. If
numerous, this Scale causes the trees to become sickly and unfruitful.
It is difficult to extirpate.
_Soft-soap Lather._ When the leaves fall, in autumn, the trees should
be treated with a stiff sash-tool, and all the Scale rubbed off,
keeping the brush just moist, and not rubbing the buds. Applied for two
seasons, this should clear the trees. All loose bark should be removed.
_Seal Oil_ is sometimes recommended as a good remedy: but oils are
rather unsafe applications to the bark of trees, especially of the
young branches.
[Illustration: FIG. 127. CODLIN MOTH AND GRUB (CARPOCAPSA POMONANA).]
=APPLE OR CODLIN GRUB= (_Carpocapsa pomonana_). During the month of
May, the well-known Codlin Moth (see Fig. 127) lays its eggs in the
calyces, usually one in each, of the young, quickly-growing apple.
The moth itself is a small insect; the fore-wings are grey, prettily
speckled with delicate, darker streaks, and with a curved golden mark
on the hinder part, inclosing one of a reddish-brown colour. The hind
wings are usually dark, as is also the body. The caterpillar, when
hatched, is white, with black head and neck, and with four rows of
black marks along the whole body. The colours soon, however, become
less decided, taking an indistinct brownish or grey hue. After being
hatched, the caterpillar gnaws its way down the fruit, keeping clear
of the core, and gradually forces its gallery towards the rind of the
fruit, which it finally pierces, the opening serving as the outlet for
the dirt. When nearly full grown, it pierces the core and feeds upon
the pips, which injury speedily causes the fruit to drop. The insect
then emerges therefrom, and finds a suitable shelter in a cranny of the
bark, where it spins a cocoon; and, according to British authorities,
it remains in the larval state for some weeks, finally assuming the
chrysalis form, and thus passing the winter; the moth emerges the
following season. Shortly after development, the moths pair, the female
depositing eggs in the fruit in June or July, according to the season.
Practically, there is no preventive; but the following hints will serve
to greatly reduce the numbers. All apples that fall ere they are ripe
should be picked up as promptly as possible, and be given to the pigs;
or pigs should be turned into the orchard to clear off the fallen
fruit. The following is the only serviceable remedy:
_Hayband Trap._ This is simply a loosely made hayband twisted around
the stems of the trees, about 1ft. from the ground. The grubs, in
searching for a suitable place in which to make a cocoon, will
generally choose the bands. At the end of the season, all the haybands
should be collected and burnt, and the stems of the trees from which
they were removed should be cleared of any cocoons which may adhere to
them. All loose bark and other rubbish should be removed from the tree
trunks, and also from the ground below.
=APPLE OR CODLIN GRUB TRAP.= An exceedingly ingenious and effective
method of alluring that obnoxious pest, the Apple Grub. The trap (Fig.
128) consists of two, three, or more thin pieces of board, 12in. to
20in. in length, and 2in. to 4in. wide, with a screw (_a_) through
their centre. The screw must be long enough to be firmly driven into
the trunk of the tree, so as to hold the boards in position. Small
slips of wood (_b_) are inserted between the boards, to keep them
sufficiently open to allow of the entry of the grubs, as shown at _d_.
The boards are cut on each side of the screw, as at _c_, to facilitate
their separation when fastened together by the silken threads of the
grubs, and to better expose the latter when the trap is opened. This
handy trap, which is of American origin, is very cheap. A great number
of them may be collected with little trouble, submitted to a killing
heat, and replaced again; and they can be used either on the ground or
on the trees. As regards killing the grubs when caught, Mr Weir, the
inventor, says: "The quickest and best way is to have a large tin pan,
bent in on one side, so as to fit closely to the trunk of the tree.
When you reach the tree, drop upon your knees, place the depression in
the pan against the trunk of the tree, hold it there by pressing your
body against it, and you have both hands free to open the trap. When
opening it, many of the pupæ or chrysalids will fall into the pan. The
trap must be turned clear around, as many will be found between it and
the bark. A person will open and kill the worms in from four hundred to
eight hundred traps in a day."
[Illustration: FIG. 128. APPLE OR CODLIN GRUB TRAP.
B, OPEN. A, SHUT.]
=APPOSITE.= Placed side by side.
=APPROXIMATE=, =APPROXIMATED=, =APPROXIMATING=. Near together.
=APRICOT= (_Armeniaca vulgaris_). The Apricot, or, as it was formerly
written, "Abricock," is a much esteemed and luscious fruit. It is said
to have been introduced into this country during the reign of Henry
VIII. The Apricot is one of the earliest flowering of fruit-trees (see
Fig. 129), and is generally in bloom during February. This fact is a
great drawback, as it is a difficult matter to save the flowers from
destruction by the spring winds and frosts. The fruit (see Fig. 130)
contains less acid than most stone fruits, and in appearance it is
perhaps the handsomest of all. Success with its culture in many gardens
is by no means certain, but with careful preparation of borders and
protection of the flowers in spring, satisfactory results are often
obtained. Large quantities of fruit are annually imported to this
country from France; but their quality and flavour cannot be compared
with that of good home-grown produce.
[Illustration: FIG. 129. BLOSSOM OF APRICOT.]
_Propagation_ is effected by seeds or budding. The stones, selected
from the best varieties, may be sown as soon as the fruit is ripe, in
August or September, in light rich soil, and covered with about 2in.
of earth, over which a little litter should be spread during winter.
After one season's growth, the plants should be lifted, and the tap
roots slightly cut back if the trees are intended for walls. They
should then be planted in nursery lines, allowing about a yard between
the rows, and 2ft. from plant to plant.
[Illustration: FIG. 130. FRUITING BRANCH OF APRICOT.]
Budding is the most general mode of propagating Apricots. They
are frequently budded from the beginning to the middle of June on
seedling, and also on plum stocks, of which latter the Mussell, Saint
Julien, Brussels, and Black Damson are the best. For dwarf trees, the
stock should be budded about 1ft. from the ground. There are many
disadvantages in having a great length of stem. "Rider" trees require
a stem from 3-1/2ft. to 6ft.; half-riders, 2-1/2ft. to 3ft. Grafting
by the Whip method is sometimes employed, but, for many reasons, it is
much inferior to Budding.
_Planting, &c._ South-west and western aspects suit the Apricot best,
but the fruit has been ripened in warm localities on walls facing
several points north. Large areas of garden wall (see Figs. 131 and
132), the walls of stables, barns, outbuildings, and two sides of at
least hundreds of cottages, might thus be utilised for the cultivation
of this tree. If well drained, almost any garden soil will bring these
fruits to perfection; light, fibrous, rather sandy loam will, however,
prove most satisfactory. There should be a considerable depth of soil;
a yard is not too much, provided it be on a dry base, which is most
important. Heavy soils may be improved for Apricot culture by the
addition of an equal portion of light loam, mortar rubbish, or charred
refuse. In furnishing walls, the distance apart may vary from 2ft.
between Cordons, to 12ft., 15ft., or even 20ft. between Fan-shaped
trees. The roots should be carefully arranged, interlayered at all
points with fine soil, and the whole covered to a depth of 3in. or 4in.
Not only should the roots have a good covering of suitable earth, but
a secondary one of litter, or other light material, should be added,
to render them frost proof in winter, and drought and heat proof in
summer. Newly planted trees should, on no account, be allowed to get
dry at the root. A thorough soaking of soft rain, or manure water,
will often save a crop, and restore the trees, when all other surface
remedies or appliances fail. Surface sprinklings overhead with the
garden engine, in the afternoons of bright days, are beneficial, and
help to keep the foliage clean and healthy. So soon as the trees are
cleared of their fruit, attention should be directed to the maturation
of the wood. All superfluous shoots should be removed, any excess of
growth left on the shoots cut back, and every effort made to perfect
the wood already made, rather than force the tree to make more. Unless
the weather be very dry, water should not be applied after this stage.
[Illustration: FIG. 131. APRICOT TREE, showing method of Wall Training.]
_Protection._ It is almost hopeless to expect a crop unless the
blossoms are protected, by mats or other means, from spring frosts.
Temporary wooden copings, from 1ft. to 2ft. wide, laid on iron
brackets, are indispensable for warding off storms, and keeping other
coverings away from the flowers. These should not be put up till the
trees are just bursting into bloom, and may safely be removed about the
end of May. A few fish or other nets, spread over the trees, afford
considerable resistance to the radiation of heat. This is assuredly one
of the easiest, if not one of the most efficient, modes of protection.
Frigi-domo and other thick shadings are sometimes used, but they
require to be removed from the trees in the day time. The thinner nets
mentioned are generally not in use for other purposes at this time of
year, and may remain over the trees altogether. Glass copings are the
best, but, being rather expensive, they cannot be used by the majority
of cultivators. They have, however, been applied with good results to
trees that had previously failed.
[Illustration: FIG. 132. APRICOT TREE, showing method of Training
suitable for Gable Ends of Cottages.]
_Cropping, &c._ Thinning of the fruit needs early and careful
attention. The average of 3in. apart may be chosen for a maximum yield.
As the fruit approach maturity, overhanging leaves, or branches of
young wood, must be removed, to admit sun and light to properly ripen
and colour them. Apricots for preserving should be gathered quite dry,
and with the sun upon them. For dessert, they should be plucked in the
morning, and placed in a cool room till wanted.
_Under Glass._ The Apricot will hardly bear forcing. It is more
sensitive to heat than almost any other of our semi-hardy fruits.
Practically, it is found that a confined atmosphere, or the slightest
excess of heat, brings its blooms off in showers, and this, of
course, mars all prospect of fruit. But in cold climates and northern
latitudes under glass is the best and only means of growing them.
Should red-spider appear, it is proof that the roots or the atmosphere,
probably both, have been too dry; more moisture, and syringing over
the leaves, are the surest remedies. The borders need to be about 2ft.
or 2ft. 6in. deep, of any light rich soil. Fresh planted trees should
be frequently syringed overhead before and after the flowering period.
After they have become fully established, less overhead sprinkling is
needed. During all the earlier stages of growth, and until the fruit
are stoned, an artificial temperature of 45deg. should not be exceeded.
After that stage, the fruit will bear a heat of 50deg. or 55deg. It is
hardly safe or desirable to exceed the latter under glass, and unless
abundance of air is given, 55deg. may bring off the fruit, even at
an advanced stage. A thorough soaking, at intervals of fourteen days
during the height of the growing season, may be applied; and, should
the trees be heavily cropped, manure water may be given at every
alternate watering. It is also a good practice to mulch the surface of
heavily cropped trees with 3in. or 4in. of good dung. The fruit should,
however, be freely thinned to distances of from 4in. to 6in. apart
at the most. There are three general methods of growing them under
glass: The trees may be trained on trellises or walls; grown as natural
standards, tall or dwarf; and as bushes, either planted out or in pots.
_Varieties._ The varieties of Apricot, unlike most other fruit, are not
numerous; and the following will be found in every way representative
and satisfactory:
=Blanche=, or =White Masculine=. A small and delicate fruited sort.
Fruit pale whitish-yellow, tinged with brownish-red next the sun,
covered with a fine white down; rich, delicate, and sugary.
=Blenheim=, or =Shipley's=.* Very early and prolific. Colour deep
yellow; flesh medium, rich, and juicy. Ripe in July.
=Breda.=* A small sort, of excellent quality. Colour deep orange;
flesh firm, juicy, and rich. Hardiest sort grown.
=Kaisha.=* Fruit round, much smaller than Moorpark. Colour pale
citron; flesh tender, rich, juicy; flavour delicate and delicious;
kernel very sweet.
=Large Red.= The deepest coloured of all. Fruit very large; colour
deep reddish-orange; flesh rich and juicy; kernel bitter.
=Moorpark.=* The sort most generally grown; large, handsome, and of
excellent quality. Colour brownish-orange; flesh rich, juicy, and
sweet. It is one of the best and most useful sorts in cultivation.
=Peach=, or =Grosse Peche=. Distinct and very desirable. Fruit very
large; flesh rich, firm, and juicy. One of the very best.
=Royal.=* Not unlike Moorpark, but with a more robust constitution,
and less given to limb dying. Fruit large, dull, yellow, rich, and
juicy.
=Turkey.=* A good variety. Colour pale yellow; flavour rich and
juicy; flesh firm.
For modes of Training and Budding, Diseases, Insect Pests, &c., full
information will be found under each individual title.
=APTERANTHES.= _See_ =Boucerosia=.
=APTEROUS.= Without wings.
=AQUATIC PLANTS.= The culture of Aquatic Plants, both indoors and in
the open air, has been greatly neglected of late years; they are,
therefore, rarely seen to perfection in places other than where their
culture is made a speciality. Generally speaking, they are most
easily grown. The following stove and greenhouse genera are well
worth attention: _Aponogeton_, _Cyperus_, _Damasonium_, _Herpestis_,
_Limnocharis_, _Nelumbium_, _Nymphœa_, _Ouvirandra_, _Pistia_,
_Pontederia_, _Salvinia_, _Thalia_, _Trianea_, _Victoria_. Many species
belonging to some of the foregoing genera are hardy, as are also the
following: _Alisma_, _Butomus_, _Calla_, _Hottonia_, _Menyanthes_,
_Nuphar_, _Polygonum_, _Sagittaria_, _Trapa_, _Typha_, _Villarsia_.
=AQUATICUS.= Living in water.
=AQUATILIS.= Living under water.
=AQUIFOLIACEÆ.= _See_ =Ilicineæ=.
=AQUILEGIA= (from _aquila_, an eagle; in reference to the form of the
petals). Columbine. ORD. _Ranunculaceæ_. Erect hardy perennial herbs
with fibrous roots. Flowers solitary or panicled, drooping; sepals
five, petaloid, deciduous; petals five, concave, spurred; spurs very
large, produced downwards into hollow tubes, and frequently curved at
the extremity; carpels five, sessile, free. Radical leaves on long
stalks, twice or thrice ternate, with trifid-toothed, usually blunt
segments. Too much praise can scarcely be lavished upon this elegant
genus of plants. They prefer a moist and sheltered situation, with
exposure to the sun. The more robust species will thrive in ordinary
garden soil, but the rarer and more delicate kinds require a good
friable sandy loam and leaf soil, with good drainage. Seed is produced
in abundance, and must be sown very thinly, as soon as practicable
after being ripe, in a shady place or in pans in a cold frame. When up,
and strong enough to remove, the seedlings may be planted out where
they are to bloom, allowing every plant at least 9in. each way. The
strong-growing kinds may be placed in the border, the dwarf ones on
the rockery. When in bloom, the inferior sorts should be weeded out,
retaining only the best varieties. To obtain seed true of any species,
it is absolutely necessary to plant the separate kinds far apart, and
cover them with fine muslin, to prevent the access of insects to the
flowers, as none are more easily cross-fertilised. Division of the root
is the only way to perpetuate any particular variety with certainty,
unless seed is saved in the way mentioned, or imported from the native
habitats of particular species. There are many beautiful hybrids, as
well as species, in cultivation.
=A. alpina= (alpine).* _fl._ from 2in. to 3in. in diameter
when expanded, deep blue or blue and white, on leafy, two to
three-flowered stems; spurs straight, but somewhat incurved at the
apex, one-half shorter than the petal limb. May. _l._ with segments
deeply divided into linear lobes. _h._ 1ft. Alps of Switzerland, in
shady humid places, 1731. Plant this on the rockery.
=A. arctica= (Arctic). A form of _A. formosa_.
=A. atropurpurea= (dark purple). _fl._ dark purple or bluish
violet, about 1in. or 1-1/2in. in diameter when expanded, two or
three in a head; spurs straight, equal in length with the petals'
limb; sepals about as long as the petals. May. _l._ petioled,
biternate. _h._ 2ft. to 3ft. Siberia. Border plant.
=A. aurea= (golden).* A synonym of _A. chrysantha flavescens_.
=A. Bertoloni= (Bertoloni's).* _fl._ about 1in. across, blue-violet
throughout; sepals about 3/4in. long, rounded; petals about the
same length; spurs very short, knobbed; stems two to four flowered.
June and July. _l._ small, dark green, and glaucous. A very pretty
little alpine, growing about 1ft. high. SYN. _A. Reuteri_.
[Illustration: FIG. 133. AQUILEGIA CÆRULEA.]
=A. cærulea= (sky-blue).* _fl._ several on a stem, blue and white,
sometimes more or less tinted with lilac or claret, rarely pure
white, when expanded 2-1/2in. to 3in. in diameter; spur very
slender, nearly straight, green tipped, about 2in. long. April to
July. _l._ large, biternate. _h._ 9in. to 15in. Rocky Mountains,
1864. A very lovely species for the border or base of the rockery.
SYNS. _A. leptoceras_, _A. macrantha_. See Fig. 133.
=A. c. alba= (white).* _fl._ the same size and form as the type,
white throughout. Rocky Mountains. A very rare and lovely variety;
sometimes met with under the name of _A. grandiflora_.
=A. c. hybrida= (hybrid).* _fl._ blue and white, not so wide across
as the type, but more numerous, and the plant has a much more
vigorous habit. Of garden origin.
=A. californica= (Californian).* A form of _A. formosa_.
[Illustration: FIG. 134. AQUILEGIA CANADENSIS, showing Habit and
Flower.]
=A. canadensis= (Canadian).* _fl._ scarlet, mixed with yellow, less
than 1in. in diameter; spur straight, longer than the limb; styles
and stamens protruding; sepals acutish, a little longer than the
petals' limb. April to June. _l._, segments three-parted, bluntish,
and deeply toothed at the apex. _h._ 1ft. to 2ft. North America,
1640. Border or rockery; very pretty. See Fig. 134.
=A. chrysantha= (yellow-flowered).* _fl._, sepals primrose yellow,
spreading horizontally in full expansion, nearly or quite 1in.
long, tinted claret at the tip; limb of petals deeper yellow, not
quite so long; spur straight, very slender, divergent, 1-1/2in.
to 2in. long; stems many-flowered. May to August. _l._ biternate.
_h._ 3ft. to 4ft. California, 1873. One of the finest of all hardy
perennials for the border.
=A. c. flavescens= (yellow). _fl._ of a uniform bright canary
yellow, tinged with red; spur somewhat shorter than in _A.
canadensis_, and slightly incurved. California, 1872. SYN. _A.
aurea_.
[Illustration: FIG. 135. AQUILEGIA GLANDULOSA.]
=A. eximia= (choice). Synonymous with _A. formosa_.