60 



A FINE VINE. 



fNE of the most remarkable vines we have ever seen is now in full 

 bearing in Kaye's Nursery at Finculey. It is not so large as 

 either the Hampton Court or Cumberl md Lodge vines, much smaller, 

 in fact ; but in point of size of bunch neither of these, nor any 

 other vines we are acquainted with, approach it. The Cumberland Lodge 

 vine is considerably finer than the Hampton Court, and bears about 2000 bunches, 

 looking meanwhile as if cribbed and confined for room, as the shoots reach the ex- 

 tremity of the great house, and are there cut off, just as we are obliged to do in 

 small vineries ; but one of the Fmchley bunches is as large as three of those we 

 have seen at Hampton C )urt and Cumberland Lodge. Tiie fact is, the vine may be 

 grown to a fabulous size If supplied with all the root room it can occupy, and a suit- 

 able soil, and with house-room, so that there is not so much of the remarkable 

 about those two famous vines ; but the Finchley vine, while extraordinary as regards 

 size, is still more so, as we have said, for the size of its bunches. 



The curioiK part of the matter is that no unusual pains were spent upon the 

 making of the border in which this fine vine grows. It is made on a hard clay 

 bottom, a considerable quantity of brick rubbish being placed on that part, with a 

 slope to a drain at the front of the border, which is about 15 feet wide. It is not 

 quite raised above the level of the surrounding ground, as most borders are with our 

 great growers. The soil of the border is not that epicurean kind of loam recom- 

 mended by most writers on the vine, but just the top spit which had been cleared 

 off^ building ground in various parts of the district — now and then very sandy, occa- 

 sionally of a stiff and unctuous clayey texture, with here and there a lot of brick 

 rubbish ; in short, a mixture of the better kinds of earth and rubbish which are so 

 easily obtained in a suburban or other district where much building is going on. 

 The border is about four feet in depth. No manure is mixed with its ingredients, 

 except what little may descend from the remains of the annual wmter covering of 

 stable manure with which it is protected during the winter and early spring months. 

 The house is 89 ft. long by 18 ft. wide, spun roofed, and heated with hot- water 

 pipts. The vine enters at the middle of one side, and goes across the roof, making 

 five equal breaks, or, in other words, sending five fine opposite bi*anches to each 

 end of the house, the base of the main stem being of gi'eat thickness for a vine 

 vrhich has not been planted ten years. It quite fills the house, and would no doubt 

 furnish three times the superfices it now does if the house and border were suffi- 

 ciently extended. At the time of our visit it bore about 300 magnificent bunches 

 of grapes, running from 2 lb. to 5 lb. weight each. What struck us as most remark- 

 able was that the bunches were equally fine all over the house, the lowest and 

 farthest extremities of the building exlii biting bunches as heavy and as fine as the 

 highest and most favourable parts. Usually, with ordinary vines, much discre- 

 pancy occurs between the bunches on the same rod. It is doubtful if such a crop 

 of heavy bunches was ever before shown by one plant, as however large we may 

 grow the poor Syrian and other grapes, of large bunch but inferior quality, to obiaia 

 such bunches as these of the Black Hamburgh, even on a vine of the ordinary size, 

 is considered very good work. The attainment of the result we have mentioned by 

 simple means is well worthy of record. It surely proves that vine culture of the 

 highest character is a much more simple afi'air than amateu.rs and many practical 

 horticulturists believe it to be. There are many glass arcade roofs that might be 

 highly embellished and rendered profitable by such a plant as this. If the amateur 

 instead of building a few distinct small houses, would erect a good roomy one, and 

 cover the roof with vines, it would give much more satisfaction than is often attained 

 hy those who have not much time or attention to devote to glass-houses. A large 

 span-roofed vinery of the sort might be made to aff'ord a very agreeable promenade 

 in winter, a home for considerable qv^antities of greenhouse and bedding plants, 

 shelves for early-potted strawberries on each side, room for a fine bloom of chry- 

 santhemums in autumn, and not a few other things for which special structures are 

 often provided. In summer, when, the fruit would be ripening, and the foliage occu- 

 pying the roof, we cars very little for the indoor garden, and are usually too glad to 

 leave it, while the plants we have named must, for the most part, be out of doors or 

 in frames.— TAe Field. 



