The Apple Congress of 1883 and the Pear Conference of
1885 have been succeeded by a National Conference on Apples and Pears in 1888, which was held last week in the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens at Chelsea. The Conference was opened by Sir Trevor Lawrence, M.P., in a rather pessi- mist speech, in which he attributed the interest in fruit- growing in part to certain political speeches, and discouraged the idea that large profits are to be made out of fruit-growing in this country. Sir Trevor Lawrence, however, looked at the matter from the highly detached point of view of an amateur who expects to pay for his hobbies, instead of to be paid for them ; but many of the subsequent speakers and readers detailed experience which was by no means so unsatisfactory, one gentleman declaring that, at least in Sussex, he had made fruit-growing a very fairly profitable business. Another gentleman declared that those who would take the pains necessary to grow the "Monk's Codlin," the "Early Julienne," and the " Wellington " apple would find an easy sale for them in Covent Garden ; and a very interesting paper on the cure of canker by supplying chemical food of the proper kind to each tree, was read by Mr. Wolff, who declared that canker was never the result of physical injury, but always of inappropriate soil. Amongst the exhibits, " Cox's Orange Pippin" was the favourite apple, while the "Marie Louise" appeared to be the favourite pear. New Zealand contributed a " Bismarck " apple which was highly praised.
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