Practical Hardy Fruit Culture

Abstract

ALTHOUGH in many respects this small treatise on hardy fruit culture may be commended to beginners as a clear, concise, and elementary guide on the subject as applied to garden conditions, describing methods followed with success by the author at Panshanger Gardens, Hertford, it cannot be considered as having achieved the main purpose for which it was written. The author has set himself to provide a useful book for those, forming a numerous class at the present time, who are adopting hardy fruit culture as a business and know little or nothing of such work. The methods recommended, however, are essentially those for the private gardener, as distinct from the commercial fruit-grower. Taking the case of distances for planting trees as an example, it is advised that bush or pyramid apples on free stocks should be planted 12 ft. apart, and those on the Paradise stock from 6 ft. to 9 ft. apart. For standard apple-trees 12 ft. is mentioned as the distance, if space is limited. For commercial work these distances should be at least doubled for varieties of vigorous growth, where the trees are to be treated as permanent and not as fillers. A general criticism may also be made of the lists of varieties recommended, which are almost invariably too long, and contain sorts which are of at least doubtful commercial value.

Practical Hardy Fruit Culture.

Richard Staward. Pp. 216. (London: The Swarth-more Press, Ltd., 1920.) Price 6s. net.