JOUKNAL OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



I July S, 1873. 



o£ their feeding-ground, which is in all points similar to the 

 rest of the garden, but, as before mentioned, the soil is good. 

 Trees and shrubs grow with a healthy vigour, instead of ex- 

 hibiting a plethoric luxuriance. Wherever this is the case 

 Vines will grow, and are sure to produce useful fruit without 

 the trouble and expanse of elaborate border-prsparatiou, which 

 is too often only an elaborate superfluity and a costly mistake. 



This assertion, however, ought to be proved, and as one 

 example is as good as ten, it shall be given. It will show how 

 a border was spoiled, and this miy possibly be as instructive 

 as telling of the rectification of the error and how the new 

 border was made. It will also show how to kill a house of 

 Vines as well and as completely as a house of Cacumbers. 



" I have made up my mind," said my pupil, " to build the 

 vinery, and want to know about the border, what I am to 

 take out and what to put in without going to a great expense." 

 In this case fair useful Grapes were required, and not grand 

 exhibition specimens ; indeed, with the best border in the 

 world he could not have produced such. Being a plain man, 

 aud wanting only plain Grapes, he must have plain instruc- 

 tions. They proved too plain, and in trying to improve them 

 surreptitiously he was driven to three things, and none of 

 them particularly pleasant — viz., he nearly lulled his Vines, 

 begged my pardon for disobedience (of course as a bait to 

 further aid), and incurred a cost of £20 in taking the spoiled 

 border out and making a new one. The natural soil of the 

 border's site was a brown loam inclined to be strong ; it was a 

 foot deep, rather ricli by frecjuent manurings — just such a soil as 

 would grow a capital crop of Wheat — and rested on a tenacious 

 and nasty-looking marl. Woiild the Vine roots go into this 

 subsoil; and if so, what then? Well, rather than incur the 

 expense of removing it or concreting, I relied on the evidence 

 of some Apricot trees growing alongside, which were perfectly 

 clean, healthy, and fruitful, and simply counselled adding to 

 the foot of good soil another foot of turf pared from the road- 

 side, and all worked well togsther. No manure or other stimu- 

 lant was judged necessary, but any given was to be applied 

 entirely to the surface, leaving it to the Vines to choose be- 

 tween the hungry soil at the bottoni aud a rich feeding-ground 

 at the top. 



Now, for the carrying out these instructions, or rather the 

 non-carrying out, and the penalty of disobedience. This was 

 the commencement : " Now, my lads, for this border; get your 

 barrows and tools. I've had Mr. Wright, but we can improve 

 on him. He says. Work a foot of turf in. What's turf ? I 

 mea'.i muck, and plenty of it. We will just top it with turf to 

 take him in, and when he sees the Grapes he'll say, ' I told 

 yon the turf would do it, and muck was not necessary.' Then 

 I shall have him with his manure only as a top-dressing ; but 

 I want muck at top, and bottom, aud all through, and I mean 

 to have it, and show the gardeners how to grow Grapes. They 

 have about as many fancies as the doctors, who nearly killed 

 my wife, and took me all my time to get her out again." 



I advised, as the only way of saving the lives of the Vines, 

 putting on 6 inches more of top-dressing, to be kept regularly 

 moist, the top growth also to be kept moist and shaded. This 

 was to induce the emission of roots round the collars of the 

 Vines, and it succeeded. Every root that went into the border 

 perfectly healthy in the spring was cut off in the autumn, and 

 the new surface or stem roots encouraged to cari-y on the Vines. 



Now to the future. Not many wiU triumph over the van- 

 quished aud leave them to their fate. But before a word ot 

 advice was given every spoonful of the spoilt border must 

 come out. It was no small affair. It was entirely refilkd 

 with turf blackened with soot as it was put in, aud mixed 

 freely with lumpy charcoal. The owner has, in his abundance 

 of Grapes, so far forgot his loss ; and so far from the means of 

 front ventilation being deficient, it has not been used to one- 

 tenth of the extent it might have been, otherwise he would not 

 proviace such Grapes as he is now cutting. But this touches 

 on another and distinct phase of Grape-culture, which must 

 be deferred for another " e^jning's musing." — J. Wkioht. 



KOYAL HOETICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



July 2nd. 

 , TuK great Rose Show, which for some years past has been in- 

 corporated with the National Rosh S inw, closely followed Bath 

 and the Crystal Palace, and was a decided success, the exhibitors 

 being numerous, and '.he truss-es shown of the highest merit. 

 One unfortunate circnmstaiine, however, threatened to mar the 

 effect of the Show (which filled the two contervatory corridors), 



and caused serious loss to the Society. We learned that the 

 staging aud green baize used at tKe Bath Show were dispatched 

 from the Show gi-ouud at that city on Monday at one o'clock, 

 and the railway company had not delivered the goods on Wed- 

 nesday morning. The result was that staging had to be impro- 

 vised, and much woodwork cut to waste, while in the morning 

 trestles, tabling, and empty boxes were revealed in all their 

 nakedness ; but this was subsequently remedied before the 

 pubhc were admitted by the purchase of new baize, of course 

 putting the Society to a heavy expense, which would not have 

 been incurred had the goods arrived in reasonable time. Be- 

 sides the Rose Show, the most liberal prizes offered by the 

 Messrs. Veitch, amounting to ±'98, brought together, not the 

 most extensive, but by far the best collection of fruits we have 

 seen for years. Leaving these, howeVer, for more particular 

 notice further on, we will return to the Roses, taking the nur- 

 serymen's classes first. 



In Class 1, seventy-two single trusses, Messrs. Paul & Son 

 were first with splendid examples of Camille Bernardin, John 

 Hopper, Louis Van Houtte, Etienne Levet, Ville de Lyon, Ex- 

 position de Brie, Marie Baumaun, Ahce Bureau, Duke of Edin- 

 burgh, Antoine Ducher, La France, Horace Vernet, Marquise 

 de Gibot, Mdlle. Marie Rady, Due de Rohan, Marquise de Mor- 

 temart, Ferdinand de Lessej^s, Leopold Hausburg, Dr. Andry, 

 Vicomte Vigier, Francois Louvat, aud Madame Therese Levet. 

 These and others were very large aud fine, but a trifle wanting 

 in freshness. Second came Mr. Cranston, of King's Acre, Here- 

 ford, with fine trusses, mostly very fresh, among which we par- 

 ticularly noticed Madame Charles Wood, Marquise de Castel- 

 lane. Exposition de Brie, Madame Laurent, John Hopper, 

 Victor Verdier, Le Rhone, Frani;oi3 Michelon, Xavier Olibo, 

 Countess of Oxford, Etienne Levet, Duke of Edinburgh, Annie 

 Laxton, Maurice Bernardin, Horace Vernet, Beauty of Waltham, 

 Edward Morren, and Alfred Colomb. The third and fourth- 

 prize collections also contained many fine blooms of the above 

 varieties, the exhibitors being Mr. B. R. Cant, of Colchester, 

 and Messrs. Mitchell, of Piltdown. Mr. Keynes, of Salisbury, 

 was likewise in the field. Mr. Cranston was more successful in 

 the class for three trusses of forty-eight varieties, taking the 

 first place with splendid trusses of La France, Prince Camille 

 de Rohan, Edward Morren, Xavier Ohbo, Marechal Niel, Duke 

 of Edinburgh, Marie Baumaun, Marquise de Castellane, Maurice ■ 

 Bernardin, Victor Verdier, Countess of Oxford, &c. Second 

 came Messrs. Paul & Son; and third, Mr. Turner, of Slough, 

 each with remarkably fine trusses; and fourth, Mr. Keynes. 



For twenty-four v.arieties, three trusses of each, Mr. Turner 

 was first with splendid examples of Ferdinand de Lesseps, Louis 

 Van Houtte, and Prince Camille de Rohan ; Jfessrs. Paul & Son 

 second; Mr. J. Fraser, Lea Bridge Road, third, and Mr. Cant 

 fourth. In the class for the same number, single trusses, the 

 prizes went to Mr. Prince, Oxford, Mr. Cant, Mr. Turner, and 

 Mr. Cranston. 



Coming now to the amateurs' classes we found a remarkably 

 good competition. First, for forty-eight single trusses, came 

 'T. Laxton, Esq., of Stamford, who had large and delightfully 

 fresh trusses of Marquise de Castellane, Charles Lefebvre, Alfred 

 Colomb, Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier, Camille Bernardin, Dr. Andry, 

 and these were only a few out of many equally good. Mr. Ingle, 

 gardener to Mrs. Round, Birch Hall, Colchester, was an excellent 

 second ; Rev. G. Arkwright, Pencombe Rectory, third, and 

 J. HoUingworth, Esq., Maidstone, fourth. 



In the class for thirty-six trusses, Mr. Baker, Heavitree, 

 Devon, maintained his Crystal Palace position by taking the 

 first place with a stand of high quality. Mr. Ingle took the 

 second place, showing very good trusses ; the third and fourth 

 prizes went to the Rev. G. Arkwright and J. HoUiugworth, Esq. 

 The last-named gentlemxn was first for twenty-four ; Mr. Quen- 

 nell, Brentwood, and J. E. Cavill, Esq., Walton Manoj-, Oxford, 

 being also placed. The beat twelve came from Mr. Tranter, 

 Upper Assenden, the remaining prizetakers being Mr. Soder 

 and Mr. Porter. 



For twelve new Roses of 1871 or 1872, Messrs. Paul & Son 

 were first, Mr. Cant second ; third and fourth came Mr. 

 Turner and Mr. Cranston. The most striking varieties in these 

 stands were President Thiers, Madame Lacharme, Richard 

 Wallace, Madame G. Schwartz, Andre Dunand, Etienne Levet, 

 Lyonnais, Fran(;'ois Michelon, S. Reynolds Hole, and Annie 

 Laxton. In the next class for six trusses of any new Rose of 

 1871-72, Messrs. Paul & Son were first with Etienne Levet, 

 very fine ; second, Mr. Cranston with Auguste Michelon ; third, 

 Mr. Cooling with Madame George Schwartz ; and fourth, Mr. 

 Keynes with Abbe Brameiel. 



Tea-scented and Noisette Roses were shown in good force. 

 The best collection of not less than twelve trusses of yellow 

 Roses was that of Mr. Cant, which included Marechal Niel, 

 Gloire de Dijon, and Triomphe de Bennes, very fine ; Mi'. May, 

 Stisted, was second, Mr. Chard third. In these were very fine 

 examples of C^-line Forestier, Triomphe de Rennes, and Mare- 

 chal Niel. For twelve Tea-scented and Noisette Roses the 

 j awards went to Messrs. Ingle, May, Wakeley, and HolUngworth 



