June 12.—~Many of us confine our frult-growing-activities to the cultivation of a few Straw. berry plants or to the growing of a few "PI-p3," Persimmon, and Chinese Date-plum trees which thrive in pur gardens and produce edible fruit with little care. Peaches are also to be seen in many places, but the fruit is, Renerally speaking, not edible: the trees being grown for the byautitul display of flowers Which they provide in the Spring. However, there are @ few {ruit-growing enthusiasts here who refuse to be satisfied with the more common kinds and who work hard to obtain something different and better. Most of these people have gardens in the country districts, away from the smoke-laden atmosphere of the city: but we visited a garden the other day, located on Avenue Foch, about two miles from the Bund and found a real orchard, full of all kinds of fruit trees. We never expected to find such a Targe number of trees thriving so well within a few yards of a very busy thoroughfare and the Indy responsible for their maintenance is to be congratulated on the results she has obtained. What she has succeeded in doing would have been a difficult task in any city; but here, where climatic conditions are not conducive to the successful growing of fruit, it is really remarkable how she has persuaded the trees to bear fruit so. prolidcally. Tt is interesting to note, however, that the younger trees are find. Ing it dimeutt' to become established; it ly dit= cult to prevent them going to "Wood." Many' of the trees are 25 years of age and a huge ree close to the road was simply covered with fruit when we saw It: nearby, there are dozens of peaches and apples, some bearing better than others. Over 1,300' paper bags have been. used to protect the' peaches from the ravages pests this year; each fruit has its own Tapanese apples are fruiting along~ ide trees of American origin (polities being: tabooed in the garden), and numerous peat were noticed. Leaving the enclosed orchard, we passed along a row of grape vines, neatly tied to bamboo frames: there were many varieties, some from Weihaiwei, others of local origin and. others from the Peking area, The black varieties give the best results, the "whites" refusing to ripen properly; a small: red variety, however, gives excellent results. The garden= ers were busy giving the vines a taste of the Health Department "Tankage" while we we there: this fertilizer appears to be quite a good all-round one. Close fo the noticed a collection of Ags: Chine and local, all were heavy with fruit. A few apple trees nearby were covered with small fruits that will eventually be used for making the ever-popular apple jelly and Several white Peking pears were very much home, There were two varieties of this sweet and juicy fruit. We also noticed several special shrubs in the garden that we hope to cheaper than grown. This objection should have been overruled, for do not most of us do a "spot" of gardening for the pleasure we derive from it and not with any thought of profi? There ts. therefore, no reason why we should not grow more frult—w..K, June 18—The "Pink Siris" (Abiscla Jull. brissly) has been in full flower for the past few days, a little earlier than usual. This is a beautiful' tree, and so graceful. Flowers are borne in clusters and as they are produced in abundance, the trees look very picturesque {rom distance: the attractive compound foliage loses at dusk and the fact that the tree is allied to the Acacia, is perhaps the reason why is always referred to locally as a Mimosa, We were recently admiring a charming colour combination in an Avenue Haig garden: a group of gatdeniay was planted under the shade of several "Mimosa" trees, while nearby. there was a cirevlar bed gay with blue Salvia in full ower. On the other side of the tree was a bed of golden Cannas and another planted with various varieties of Antirrhinums, in front. The lovely green of the lawn between the beds and the numerous shades to be seen in the foliage fof the trees in rear, contributed their share to '2 most delightful picture. During the winter of 1999/40, the "Mimosa" trees were pollarded right down to the main stem.and graceful branches, over ten fect in length, were produced in 1940. Very little pruning.' beyond the thinning ouf of superfluous branches, was c ried out last winter,"and this year we are re-eelying the benefit of the treatment: the trees have been kept within bounds, the foliage Is clean and healthy and the flowers are {00 humorous to count, The strong-growing species of Yucca may be too coarse for some people and relegated to the boundary fences, but we feannot agree with this opinion., We admit that the species seen so often here, is lable to be-leone untidy after a few years, but a group. {does produce Immense clusters of flowers on {all stems that cannot fail to be admired. Old plants do become leggy and fall over the place; but it is an easy matter to cut off the ems' and replant them: most will thrive with {this treatment and the rootstocks will forth new growths. Perhaps the best planting in beds in front of shrub Silk Grass (Yucca flamentosa). This plant is to bbe found in some gardens here and we were admiring a group in lower in the Avenue Foch garden that we referred to in these notes on Tuesday. This species is almost stemless, and the leaves, which are produced in dense rosettes, are not so prickly as the more com~ fon tall-growing species. The flowers are produced on stems over five feet high and they fare no less attractive than those of its coarser. growing cousin.—Ww.s.x,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.