THE FLORAL WOULD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



33 



previous year. Other modes of train- 

 ing in arches have been adopted, but 



none are equal to this plan of changing 

 the space covered every year. The 



figures represent six different ways of 

 training, either on walls, trellises, 

 hoops, or in arches, and as they are 

 all simple and unattended with ex- 

 pense, we strongly advise every grower 

 of this much esteemed fruit to aban- 

 don the injurious practice of planting 

 the canes or tying them in bundles as 

 if they were osiers for basket making. 

 Among the best sorts we may name 

 the good old red Antwerp, and the 

 Fastolf as still taking the lead ; Carter's 

 Prolific is an excellent sort for fruit- 

 fulness, but we are not sure that its 

 flavour is equal to the Antwerp. 

 Rivers's double bearing is good for a 

 late crop, and should be cut down to 

 within three or four inches of the 

 ground in spring. Cutbush's Prince 

 of Wales is a raspberry of immense 

 strength. 



BEATON ON VINE CULTURE. 



In my review of the late glorious 

 season, I referred to Mr. Beaton's ex- 

 periments in vine pruning, the results 

 of which were made known at the 

 October meeting, at Willis's Rooms, in 

 the exhibition there of the experimen- 

 tal bunches. I will now briefly state 

 the conclusions arrived at by Mr. 

 Beaton, and as communicated to the 

 pages of that best of the weekly horti- 

 cultural journals, the Cottage Gardener; 

 and as the Floral World is not pro- 

 jected for poaching enterprises, but for 

 the communication of original intelli- 

 gence on gardening matters, I shall not 

 trench on Mr. Beaton's outline of gene- 

 ral culture, which is given in his usual 

 hearty and explicit way, but confine 

 myself to the subject of pruning, 

 solely in accordance with my promise. 

 In 1852, Mr. Beaton planted, on an 

 open Avail, at Surbiton, expressly for 

 experimental purposes, a Black Espe- 

 rione vine. It was allowed to bear a 

 few bunches in 1856, and in 1857 was 

 submitted to the experimental pruning. 

 " There were," he says, " three prin- 

 cipal young shoots and some smaller 

 ones. I pruned them all with a view 

 to the experiment ; but, to make my 

 question more simple, I shall only 

 mention one of the strong shoots. I 



pruned this one down to five good 

 promising buds. One of these buds, 

 but not the top bad, was intended to 

 make a long shoot this season, and the 

 other four buds, each to produce one 

 bunch of grapes, and to bs cut or 

 stopped at different lengths before the 

 bunches. The top bud, which was, 

 and ought to be the strongest, I 

 stopped at the third eye before the 

 bunch ; number 2 was stopped two eyes 

 before the bunch ; number 3 was 

 stopped at ten eyes before the bunch ; 

 and number 4 at fifty-two eyes before 

 the bunch. The question was then 

 submitted to a number of eminent 

 practical horticulturalists, which of 

 the buds ought to carry the heaviest 

 bunch, the best coloured, and the soon- 

 est ripe ? " 



In answer to this, Mr. Beaton re- 

 ceived numerous replies, and, as show- 

 ing how men of equal experience may 

 differ on a point, which at first sight 

 seems resolvable by theory alone, the 

 replies were of the most varied charac- 

 ter, and "out of seventeen returns in 

 writing, only one hit the mark; and 

 out of five by word of mouth, one, a 

 nurseryman who never forced a vine, 

 decided the right way, and four, the 

 contrary." The uncertainty existing 



