iSyi.] SEEDLING PINE-APPLE. 527 



petually running water, which must necessarily percolate among their roots and 

 keep them constantly damp. May not shanking and shrivelling, after all, be the 

 result of root-drought rather than root-damp ? " 



What say our Fowlers and our Johnstons to water percolating constantly 

 among the roots of Vines ? Our contemporary says that Messrs Lane won in 

 a canter the gold medal for the finest collection of Grapes, as well as the medals 

 for the best collection of White Grapes, in both of which collections were magnifi- 

 cent specimens of Golden Champion. The ' Journal of Horticulture ' corrobor- 

 ates this report. It would be interesting to know when these Golden Champions 

 were ripe, for some state that they will not keep after they are ripe. We are using 

 it now — middle of October — of as rich a golden yellow as ever we have ripened 

 Muscats to, and without spot or shrivel, from a Vine on its own roots. They were 

 ripe at the end of July, and the Vines were planted in March 1870. The INIadres- 

 field Court Grape has well maintained its position at this great gathering of 

 Grapes. There is no doubt it is an easy Grape to grow, and therefore all the 

 more worthy of a place in all collections ; and it ripens in cool vineries, although 

 it is best in a Muscat temperature. 



LARGE HOUSES AND STROJSTG SOILS FOR VIISTES. 



Many years ago we had experience in very small vineries. This experience 

 led us some years ago to advocate large, airy, light vineries in the pages of the 

 ' Scottish Gardener.' Further experience and observation tend to strengthen the 

 conviction in favour of houses enclosing a large volume of air, as being most in 

 unison with the habit of Vines as to space for growing in, and most likely to 

 give highly-coloured, fine-flavoured Grapes, with better keeping qualities, and as 

 afibrding circumstances better adapted for keeping Grapes than are possible in 

 small houses with a much more fluctuating temperature. A private correspondent 

 writes us that he finds Lady Downes and other late sorts in large houses equal in 

 flavour in October to any that he has grown in small houses at Christmas. In all 

 our wanderings this summer, we invariably met with the best Grapes — other things 

 being equal — in strong, holding soils. And there can be no doubt that strong, 

 rather moist soils will produce the finest samples of Grapes for the greatest length 

 of time. 



SEEDLIlSra PINE-APPLE. 



We recently had the pleasure of seeing eight or ten fruits of what we consider a 

 wonderfully fine Pine-Apple at Lambton Castle gardens. It is certainly, as those 

 of our readers who have seen it can readily endorse, the most handsome of all 

 Pines. It grows into a most shapely cone, with a very moderate-sized fruit. 

 When we saw them in August, it was considered that when ripe they will range 

 from 8 lb. to 10 lb. each ; and the plants, owing to the extensive alterations and 

 improvements that have recently been going on at Lambton, have not had justice 

 done them. Mr Hunter informed us that he ripened it last winter along with 

 Smooth Cayennes, and it was found more juicy and better- flavoured than the 

 Cayenne. In conjunction with its handsome appearance and free-bearing character, 

 these qualities will render it a great acquisition among Pines. 



