Laxton Brothers

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Laxton Brothers was a horticultural company in Bedford , England, responsible for growing a wide variety of fruits. In total, they brought at least 182 varieties on the market. The varieties that are still commercially available today include the Laxtons Superb apple , a cross between Cox Orange and Wyken Pippin . It existed under the name from 1893 to 1957 and went back to a nursery owned by Thomas Laxton (1830-1893) from 1865.

Thomas Laxton used knowledge of modern biology of the 19th century for his work at an early stage and worked among others on Charles Darwin. The pear, apple and strawberry varieties of the Laxtons were widespread in commercial cultivation in the first half of the 20th century, but have now almost disappeared.

history

The nursery goes back to Thomas Laxton, who had been a gardener in Stamford in Lincolnshire since 1865 . He was especially active in growing peas and strawberries. He corresponded with Charles Darwin and provided him with practical data for his experiments. In 1879 he moved to Bedfordshire, where he died in 1893.

Thomas Laxton's sons William Hudson Laxton (1866–1923) and Edward Augustine Lowe Laxton (1869–1951) as well as the grandsons Edward "Ted" William Henry Laxton and John Edward Laxton continued to run the nursery. "Laxton Brothers" was on 140 acres in Bedford in the south of England. This included a shop on High Street in Bedford itself. A special event in the company's history was when Winston Churchill ordered raspberries for his estate in Westerham, Kent in 1937.

Laxton Brothers closed in 1957. The nursery and gardens are now overbuilt and no longer recognizable. Only a few street names in this location near the University of Bedfordshire still indicate the nursery. What became of the company's intellectual property rights is unknown. These may have passed to Laxton & Bunyard Nurseries , which existed until 1969. On the outskirts of the city of Bedford, the Parkwood Orchard has been a public orchard since 1999 , in which apples of the Laxton varieties are planted. The 231 trees carry all the important varieties that the Laxton Brothers brought onto the market in the course of their existence.

The Bedford Museum finally keep a collection of plants from catalogs Laxton Brothers from 1935 to 1949th

Breeds

Lord Lambourne on the tree.

Laxton Brothers was best known for apples, strawberries and pears, but also grew peas and roses with success. The fruit varieties in particular were widespread from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century.

Almost all apples sold under the name Laxton date back to the first half of the 20th century. These include, for example, Laxtons Supreme and Laxtons Epicure (1909; Wealthy x Cox Orange). Laxtons Superb, for example, was a standard commercial cultivar in the Altes Land . Apart from Laxton's Superb, the varieties have now all disappeared from the market and are rarely planted as fan varieties.

The strawberry varieties King of the Earlies (1888), Noble (1884), and Royal Sovereign (1892) go back directly to Thomas Laxton . In addition to these varieties, Laxton Brothers also bred 47 other strawberry varieties.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Laxton Brothers was also the most important breeder of British pear varieties, the best known being Laxton's Superb from 1913. It was at times the most common pear variety in British commercial cultivation, but it has also almost disappeared.

Apple varieties marketed by Laxton Brothers:

Publications

In 1897 Laxton Brothers published "The Strawberry Manual" which was published by Hulatt & Richardson.

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Virtual Library: Laxton's - Seedsmen, Nurserymen and Florists 63a High Street  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk  
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Anonymous: Thomas Laxton: Fruit and Vegetable Breeder , cooksinfo.com
  3. ↑ a b c Orchards, Trees & Orchard Produce - Bedfordshire Information ( Memento of the original dated November 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.england-in-particular.info archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , England in particular.info
  4. ↑ Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Virtual Library: Laxton Catalogs at The Higgins Laxton's - Seedsmen, Nurserymen and Florists 63a High Street  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk  
  5. ↑ a b c d Rosie Sanders: The Apple Book frances lincoln ltd, 2010 ISBN 0-7112-3141-9 , p. 26
  6. ↑ Gilian Grafton: Pears and Perry in the UK ( Memento of the original from February 18, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / homepage.ntlworld.com
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u East of England Apples and Orcharcds Project: Bedfordshire apple varieties

literature

  • Laxton Brothers: The strawberry manual: an illustrated up-to-date work on the strawberry , 1897
  • Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium (Ed.): Laxton Brothers Materials , 1953. Laxton Brothers catalog collections, part of the Ethel Z. Bailey Horticultural Catalog Collection.
  • Thomas Laxton and his successors. The Gardeners' Chronicle, November 29, 1930
  • Sue Readman: Laxton of Bedford: pioneers of plant-breeding , Bedfordshire Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 182, 1992. pp. 250 ff.
  • Bob Ricketts: The Laxtons in Bedford (1879-1957) , Bedford Architectural Archaeological & Local History Society, Newsletter 82, October 2008, pp. 14-28.
  • R. Wildman: Laxton of Bedford: the family and firm , Bedfordshire Magazine, Vol. 23, No. 182, 1992, pp. 244 ff.

Web links