September 15, 1863. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICITLTXmB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



209 



bloom ; by the appearance of the plants I should say they 

 were not more than from four to five years old. I have no 

 doubt but it is quite a century-plant if grown in the way 

 gardeners are used to grow it in England. The Mexicans 

 take from the Aloe a juice, which, when put through a pro- 

 cess, makes a strong di'ink, so strong that an Englishman 

 would not like a second dose. The natives drink it to in- 

 tosicatiou. — E. B. Peince, Darlington. 



CHEMISTEY OF SOILS IN RELATION TO 

 GEAPE VINES— SH/mKING. 



I AM very much interested in the statement made by 

 Mr. Eobson in his account of the graperies of Mr. Meredith 

 (vide p. 166), where we find it stated that Mr. Meredith's 

 knowledge wOl enable him to pronounce whether a certain 

 soil will suit the Grape Vine apart fr-om all those outward 

 appearances which are the only guide to a less practised 

 hand. Until I read this statement it had been my im- 

 pression that, notwithstanding the present advanced state 

 of chemical science, it was not in the power of any man by 

 a chemical knowledge of soils, combined with a practical 

 knowledge of horticulture, thi'ough analysis to determine 

 the due proportion of ingredients requisite to famish proper 

 aliment, both in quantity and quality, to the roots of any 

 plant — in other words, to be able to take a handful of soil 

 and by analysis to say there is so much of one component in 

 excess or so much of another deficient. Tet it has been my 

 idea ever since I have been able to think for myself that 

 the horticulturist must be continually at fault until chemical 

 knowledge can be thus applied. It is beyond the power 

 of any one by mere inspection to determine without risk of 

 mistake the adaptation or otherwise of a given soil for a 

 given plant : hence the failures which so frequently result 

 from following rules which are in fact incomplete, although 

 they have been proved by a practical man, in his experience, 

 to be sound and good. 



My meaning may be made clear by example : A recom- 

 mends for the cidture of a particiilar fruit a particular kind 

 of loam, say turfy, having been sis months cut from a pas- 

 ture, moderately sandy, and also moderately rich. Well, 

 any gardener has a pretty clear idea of the meaning of these 

 terms, and if a dozen intelligent horticulturists were required 

 to iiu-nish a wheelbaiTow-load each for comparison by ordi- 

 nary inspection, the samples would not be found to differ 

 very materially. Now, if the bulk from which these samples 

 were taken was us3d in a like proportion, aU other points at 

 the same time being equal — say in the composition for a 

 Vine-border — we shoidd expect to see like resiJts ; but I 

 affirm that although by mere chance the results may be 

 nearly alike, the probability is that they woiUd vary very 

 much in the different cases. 



I shoold like to have a word upon that pei-plexing matter, 

 the shanking of Grapes, not by way of attempting to eluci- 

 date the mystery which so many cleverer heads than mine 

 have failed to clear up, but rather to elicit opinion, for the 

 more I have studied and observed hitherto the more inex- 

 plicable has the matter become. I wUl, therefore, if you 

 will allow me, for the sake of caUing forth opinion and 

 advice, state some of the observations I have made. 



In the place where I sei'ved my apprenticeship we iiad a 

 vinery filled entirely with Hamburghs. Throughout the 

 whole of this house during my first three years, and likewise 

 for some years before I saw them, they shanked more or 

 less every season. It became desirable to divide this house 

 into two compartments, one of which was subsequently 

 started about January 1st in order to cut from it about the 

 first week in June. The other division was made to ripen 

 its fruit about two or three months later. Now, for the four 

 or five years over which my observations extended, after 

 the division was made, there never appeared, so far as my 

 remembrance serves me, a shanked berry in the earlier 

 forced end, whilst in the later division three-fourths of the 

 bunches were spoQt, as to form and size, through the berries 

 shanking. I must state here that the conditions under 

 which the Vines grew were in no way altered at the time of 

 the division of the house, only that one end was forced and 

 the other not at all, or but very little. The whole of the 

 border was covered with about 9 inches of stable-dung 



during winter, as there were no means of bottom heat 

 provided. 



In two succeeding situations it fell to my lot to have the 

 care of several vineries both early and late, the borders of 

 some of them underlaid with hot-water pipes, others having 

 none ; but in neither of these places do I remember at any 

 time the berries shanking so as to injure the appeai'ance of 

 a bunch of Grapes. 



At the place where I am at present I found, five years 

 ago, a late house filled with comparatively young Vines, and 

 here again the Grapes had the old complaint, but not so as 

 to matei-ially injure the crop. Each year since the mischief 

 increased, until in 1862 we had not a good bunch of Grapes 

 in the house, after which I succeeded in persuading my 

 employer to allow me to lift the Vines and make the border 

 entirely anew. This we did in December, when I found the 

 border very compact, being composed of a rich loam which 

 had apparently received a large admixture of rotten dung, 

 there being no grit or rubble in the mass. Large roots 

 were in abundance, but the formation of fibres seemed 

 gradually to have ceased, for scarcely one such calculated 

 to feed a plant could be found. 



I, of course, thought the cause of complaint evident 

 enough, and the remedy, therefore, easy and sure ; so, after 

 having gathered all the information I could fr-om writers on. 

 the Grape Vine, I decided to follow Mr. Thomson's direc- 

 tions, only not using any stable maniue in the compost. 

 Good turty loam fr'om a pasture had been provided, mortar 

 rubbish, half-inch bone, and chaxooal in the prescribed pro- 

 portions being well intennixed with it. The Vines were 

 j planted in nuld damp weather, their roots being sx^read 

 j regidarly over the border and covered to the depth of 

 i 6 inches. The border was made 2.V feet deep and covered 

 [ at once with long stable-dung to protect it from the weather. 

 ] Furthermore, the drainage and aspect are thorouglily good. 

 The Vines broke in March, strongly but rather more slowly 

 than usual; but after a while they, of course, showed the 

 effects of removal. They renewed their growth healthily 

 but not vigorously after the sun had warmed the border to 

 the temperatiure of 58° or 60' at 1 foot deep. Tliis was 

 towai'ds the end of May. Most of them carried a few 

 bunches of Grapes, which I allowed to remain. Ou their 

 beginning to colour- in August shanking took place as bad 

 as before. This I at first thought might be attributed to 

 the natiu-al inability of the Vines to ripen fr-uit whUst their 

 energies were so taxed for the formation of young wood. 

 On examining the boi-der I find that the young roots have 

 permeated the whole mass at least to the depth of 12 or 

 15 inches, but that they are all in a state of decay ! The 

 temperature of the border has remained throughout the 

 summer about 6° higher at 1 foot deep than the temperatui-e 

 of the eai-th as registered at Chiswick. The roots have 

 never at any time been allowed to become dry, although 

 they have not received much watering, as I prefer in hot 

 weather covering slightly to prevent evaporation. As this 

 vinery is in two compartments I intend, aU being- well, to 

 force the one division rather early next season, in order to 

 see if the residt will be tlie same as it was in the case of 

 the first ho-ase of Grapes which I ever had to do with. If 

 any of yom- correspondents can throw light upon this matter 

 they will greatly oblige. — Epsilon. 



LIFTING AND PEESEEVING GEEANIUMS 

 THEOUGH THE WINTEE. 



"Agnes " says — " I am promised by a friend some of this 

 year's plants of variegated Geraniums — Bijou, Alma, Flower 

 of the Day, &o., also. Golden Chain and Christine, but 

 cannot receive them till the season is nearly over. What is 

 the best method for preserving them during the mnter ? 

 Shoidd roots or heads be pruned-in or left? Should the 

 pots be large or small ? I should like them to look weU in 

 the greenhouse diu-ing spring and winter if I could, and to 

 be bedded-out in the summer. Does Mr. Thomson mean, 

 in No. 123, that the Geraniums are to be left in the eight- 

 inch pots till bedded-out ? and what does he allude to when 

 he says they will be managed the same as detailed in the 

 ease of the variegated sorts ? " 



[When you receive the Geraniums let them be stripped of- 



