92 



JOURNAL or Tlir, LONDOX IIORT. SOCIETY 



rafure, ilo nol assist in causing it — they fairly may. 

 The chief cause is, however, lorpidily in tlie action 

 of the root, perliaps at the very jierioil when tlie 

 greatest demaml is made upon it to sustain the ex- 

 cessive |)erspiration which is goiii!!: on in the leaf, 

 aiiil to furnish fresh matter for elaboration; to both 

 ■which ends it is frecjuently quite inadcqualCj owing 

 to drencliinp rains. 



If the young fibre be oxamincil at such inclement 

 periods, it will be found somewhat discoloureil; 

 nay, in some cases quite rotten. And this is not to 

 be ■wondered at when the habits of the plant are 

 duly considered, and the diflerence estimated be- 

 tween a vine on the slope of a rociiy surface in the 

 .south of Europe or Asia, with six inches of soil, 

 and one in the cold northern clime of Britain, in 

 four or five feet of rich soil, every breathing pore 

 closed with a kind of alluvium. This is no over- 

 charged picture — I have seen scores of such cases. 



Besides, if shanking were caused by sudden de- 

 pressions of temperature, why should it not occur 

 more frequently on walls out of doors, where the 

 thermometrical changes are at least as great as in 

 doors? Yet here it seldom occurs, and here again 

 the border is seldom so deep, so rich, or so far be- 

 low the surface level, as some of our hot-house 

 borders, many of which contain material sufficient 

 for thrice their extent. 



The West St. Peters Grape, of which I now send 

 specimens, is undoubtedly the best late grape in the 

 kingdom in every respect. It is not sufficiently 

 known at the present time, nor its habits sufficient- 

 ly understood; added to which there are spurious 

 kinds under cultivation. It is a grape which will 

 endure as much heat as a Tokay, and might be 

 planted in the same house. Still with me they are 

 classed with the Ilambros for latest purposes, anil 

 have to endure a very moderate temperature; how- 

 ever, I never knew one to shank, and I consider it 

 the safest colouring grape in cultivation. The fla- 

 vor is moreover exceedingly brisk antl rich, and 

 the bloom, when syringing is withheld, is most 

 beautiful. On its own root it is ai)t to make slen- 

 der wood, especially for the first three or four 

 years; it is also liable to wither at the point of the 

 growing young wood, at intervals during the grow- 

 ing season, during that period. This, I have no 

 iloubt, arises in a considerable degree from the 

 same cause as "shanking," according to my ideas 

 of that evil, as before described. However, as the 

 border becomes more full of roots this evil departs 

 altogether — at least it has done so with me — for 

 those under my care, at first liable to shrivel in the 

 wood, have now been perfectly free from it for 

 years. 



I would here beg to recommend those who are 

 iiiflined to grow the St. Peter's, to graft it on the 

 Black Hambro' stock. This was pointed out to me 

 some years since by the Earl of Sefton"s gardener 

 at Crozteth (Mr. Balmer), and I have found his 

 oiiinion to be correct. Mr. Balmer had pushed the 

 cultivation of this grape to a great extent some 

 twelve or fifteen years ago, and used to produce at 

 that period some of the most splendid fruit I ever 

 saw. Two reasons appear to me to recommend 

 this practice: first, the Black Hambro' root is har- 



dier or better adapted to stand the low ground tem- 

 perature of this climate; and, seconilly, ihe Black 

 Hambro', through this circ^umslancc, has a later 

 action of root than njost other vines, and conse- 

 quent ly the berries arc longer feil with the ascend- 

 ing current. This is, I think, tolerably manifest 

 from the circumstance of the Hambro", in a mixed 

 house of vines, being the last or nearly so to fade. 



The Muscats will also. I have no doubt, be found 

 to do better when treated this way, for the sanw: 

 reasons. 



Syringing not only may but ought to be dispens- 

 ed with after the grapes are '' set," if a fine bloom 

 is desired; a sufficiently humid atmosphere may at 

 all times be maintained without the syringe. One 

 of the most simple and efficient plans is to enclose 

 the return-pii)e, if hot water be used, with a ce- 

 mented brick trough, with a plug at the end, to 

 empty its contents into a waste-drain when neces- 

 sar}'; the toj) of the cemented trough, of course, 

 left open. As for the arguments in defence of 

 syringing, such as the danger of Red Spider, &,c., 

 they will all fall readily before an atmosphere 

 properly ch.arged with moisture, not variably, but 

 permanently. 



The best late grape-growing I ever saw, estab- 

 lished on sound principles, was at Colney Hatch — 

 Mr. Crawshays. Those who are acquainted with 

 that system would do well, in my opinion, to apply 

 it to the growth of the St. Peter's V' ine, for late 

 purposes. Mr. C. prunes, as is well known, to the 

 "spur-eyes." Now I know of no vine that will 

 better bear the " close-spur " method than the St. 

 .Peter's. ]\Ir. C. moreover allows, or rather pre- 

 fers, two or perhaps three shoots from one pair of 

 " spur-eyes," each with a bunch of half a jiound to 

 three quarters, to one shoot with a bunch of ilouble 

 or treble the weight. Small bunches with large 

 berries, well fed and well thinned, are found to 

 keep much better than large bunches; the reason 

 is obvious — the air circulates more freely througii 

 the bunch. 



I need say little about the "ripening of the wood :" 

 this principle is well known, and I should hope its 

 importance admitted; too much stress cannot be 

 laid on the point, and many are the failures through 

 the neglect or misunderstanding of this very 

 thing. 



I am of opinion that what is termed "close stop- 

 ping," is frequently carried too far; a main leader 

 should in all cases be allowed a good deal of liber- 

 ty, this being the very thing that produces a fresh 

 volume of root to invigorate the system of the plant 

 for ensuing seasons. I am well aware that it will 

 be said that this militates in some degree against 

 extreme size in the berr}'. Be it so. I would 

 willingly give up so trifling a point (proviiled it 

 can be jiroved) for a more invigorated and perma- 

 nent system in the vine. 



The leading article in the second numLpr 

 is a long and interesting one by Mr. Edward 

 Solly, the experimental chemist to the So- 

 ciety, " On the Influence of Eledricihj on 



