. Cassell's popular gardening. Gardening. 368 CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. common White-thorn, or even the Quince suits it as well or better. The Medlar is not particular about soil, though a rich unctuous loam suits it best. Like the Quince it also thrives best in a rather moist situation. As it does not bloom till the end of June, or even July, it seldom misses a crop, and the crop should not be gathered till the end of October. Medlars thrive well in groups, or singly on lawns, or in orchards, or the fruit garden. The best form is a spreading bush resting on the turf, or neat standards from
. Cassell's popular gardening. Gardening. 368 CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. common White-thorn, or even the Quince suits it as well or better. The Medlar is not particular about soil, though a rich unctuous loam suits it best. Like the Quince it also thrives best in a rather moist situation. As it does not bloom till the end of June, or even July, it seldom misses a crop, and the crop should not be gathered till the end of October. Medlars thrive well in groups, or singly on lawns, or in orchards, or the fruit garden. The best form is a spreading bush resting on the turf, or neat standards from a yard to five feet high. "Where planted in lines, or in quantity, they should hardly be closer than from fifteen to twenty feet. When once established they need but little pruning or training; some varieties, how- ever, requiring more than others. As to varieties, only three sorts are generally known and grown : the Not- tingham, or Com- mon; the Dutch, or Large Dutch; and the Stoneless. The Dutch is the most dense-grow- ing variety, and needs the most pruning or train- ing. But Medlars, if left to them- selves have a method of throwing their long semi- dependent boughs outwards, and the weight of their branches, as well as of their fruit, gives a graceful far-spreading habit to the tree, which keeps it from being over-crowded, and exposes the fruit that rest on the upper surface of the boughs to the full effects of light and air. The Common, or Nottingham Medlar, while the smallest, is decidedly the best- flavoured. The Dutch, however, being about twice as large as the Common, is more generally grown, but is inferior in quality for either jelly or dessert. The Stoneless Medlar is without seed, and the smallest of the three, seldom exceeding three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Being almost wholly edible it would, however, be more generally grown were it not inferior in quality to the other two. Diseases and Insects.—So far as the trees are concerned, they enjoy perf
Size: 1812px × 1379px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectgardening, bookyear1884
