THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



33 



moderate admixture of dung and 

 charred rubbish. The top spit of a 

 loamy pasture, if inclining to clay not 

 objectionable, should be laid up in 

 narrow ridges to be mellowed by the 

 frost ; and when the beds are made 

 up, the substratum should be stable 

 dung which has nearly parted with 

 its heat, over which should be laid 

 eight inches depth of the loam mixed 

 with a fourth part thoroughly rotten 

 manure. 



The plants being strong in May, 

 and the bed ready, defer planting 

 until the weather begins to look sum- 

 mery. If the beds are raised above 

 the level, there will be no fear of dan- 

 ger from damp, and the plants may 

 be protected by hand-lights until the 

 season is so far advanced that they 

 can take care of themselves. Instead 

 of allowing them to sprawl in all 

 directions, lead the principal runner 

 round and round by mean of a few 

 pegs, remove strong laterals that 

 threaten to take the lead, and allow but 

 one fruit to swell on each plant. 



Bearing in mind, that unless the 

 plants are in full vigour, the fruits 

 will never attain to any great size, it 

 will be important to encourage the 

 growth of a healthy and abundant 

 foliage. When dung is too largely 

 used, the plants become rank, make 

 an excessive number of watery shoots, 

 and are as like to drop their fruits as 

 set them ; whereas, when in deep 

 beds of sound loam, strength is ob- 

 tained without rankness, and there is 

 no fear of any superabundance of 

 leaves. As the fruits swell, water 

 may be given abundantly, and at re- 

 gular intervals liquid manure. There 



is an old-fashioned plan of swelling 

 gourds to a large size. It consists in 

 placing a vessel of water beside the 

 fruit ; a length of worsted is attached 

 by one end to the stalk of the fruit, 

 and the other end, with a stone at- 

 tached to it, is placed in the water. 

 It is supposed that by capillary attrac- 

 tion the fruit is enabled to absorb a 

 large quantity of water, conveyed to 

 it by the worsted ; but we will not 

 vouch that the method is of any 

 practical value whatever. In plant- 

 ing out the gourds in beds, the rows 

 should be at least ten feet apart, and 

 the plants five feet apart in the rows. 

 Another foot each way may be allowed 

 where there is plenty of space for the 

 purpose. 



Ornamental gourds are, generally 

 speaking, best grown on trellises, as, 

 if the fruits lay on the ground, the 

 under side rarely acquires its proper 

 colour, and the rind is apt to grow 

 warty. They require full sun, a 

 deep, loamy, warm border, and plenty 

 of water when they have once made 

 a start, and are running freely. As 

 many growers may be in doubt as to 

 the qualities of some of the orna- 

 mental kinds, we ought to add a 

 caution, that the kinds which are not 

 edible are decidedly poisonous, and 

 the consequences of eating them 

 might, at any time, be fatal. Bat 

 there is no difficulty in determining 

 if any gourd is fit for table use ; the 

 poisonous kinds are all bitter, the 

 fruit, the leaf, and even the immature 

 shoots are nauseously bitter, and 

 the tongue will give all the infor- 

 mation on that subject that may be 

 necessary. 



HOME-GROWN WINE 



English vineyards are things of the 

 past. It has long been agreed, by 

 those interested in the affairs of rural 

 life, that the vine does not pay, except 

 as a dessert fruit, in this country ; 

 and many who would plant open 

 quarters of hardy grapes are deterred 

 from doing so by the general preju- 



dice which exists in opposition to 

 such enterprises. In the south of 

 England we see vines every where— on 

 walls, trellises, and cottage porches; 

 and, in favourable seasons, very heavy 

 crops of good grapes are produced, 

 from which, in many iustances, a 

 homely wine is brewed, the flavour 



