December 22, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDEISTER. 



4»9 



this plan with two vineries two years ago, and find that it 

 has answered admirably, and saved the reconstruction of the 

 whole front wall. 



For your early house it would he a good plan to build np 

 your arches, and not niaio openings above them tUl the 

 Vines had made a season's growth in the inside border. 

 We did so with one of the vinei-ies referred to, and find 

 nearly all the roots inside after the Vines have been planted 

 two years. They are just now finding their way into an 

 outside border made the following year, when the openings 

 ■were made higher up. We do not approve of your placing 

 the greater portion of your young Vine roots in the outside 

 border at planting time. This should just be reversed, 

 because young Vines planted inside the front wall and 

 having the run of both Ijorders always send the great 

 majority of theu' roots into the outside border, and for 

 forcing this is not desirable, unless bottom heat and pro- 

 tection can be applied to the outside. You should, there- 

 fore, whatever you do about confining them to the inside 

 for a year, lay most of the roots towards the inside border. 



The slate tank will do no material harm unless it leak. 

 Whatever you do about the aiTangement we have recom- 

 mended, see that your border is well dramed, and so that 

 no water can stand about the roots. The materials con- 

 sidered best for its formation you will learn about by re- 

 ferring to back Numbers of this Joui-nal. 



For your eai'ly house you cannot do better than plant 

 four Black Hambm-ghs, one Bucklfind Sweetwater, one 

 Muscat Eatif de Saumur, and one Bowood Muscat. For 

 your second house — three Black Hamburghs, one Lady 

 Downes', one Eaisin de Calabre, one Bui-chardt's Piince, and 

 one Muscat. The two last-named, particularly the Muscat, 

 should be planted at the hottest end of the house, and the 

 Hamburghs at the coolest, and by such an arrangement 

 you will find that a long succession of Grapes will be 

 afforded. Burchardfs Prince and the Muscat will require 

 more fire heat than the others to ripen them well. — T>. T.] 



ORCHAED-HOUSES AND PEACH-HOUSES. 



In a communication by "T. R." on " Orchard-houses and 

 Peach-houses," the writer says, " Six full-sized Peaches are 

 as many as can be grown on a square foot, either of trellis 

 or wall." Now, if that is not a mistake either of the writer 

 or printer, I think six are far too many to grow on a square 

 foot, and that calculation might mislead some ; for even 

 practical gardeners sometimea err on the score of over- 

 cropping. Mr. Mc'Ewen sa,ys in his " Cultui-e of the Peach 

 and Nectarine," page 10, "Tou will see what I mean by a 

 heavy crop, when I state that on 430 superficial feet covered 

 with wood, I gathered forty-nine dozen of Peaches, many of 

 which weighed over 8 ozs., and very few under G| ozs. This 

 was good work ; and I feel convinced that the trees could 

 not have done it without very liberal help." This calcula- 

 tion is not much more than one Peach to the square foot; 

 and the question is. Will a Peach tree support more than 

 that of full-sized, weU-flavoured &-uit for a number of years 

 in succession ? — T. L. 



[Sometime the last autumn I observed in a contemporary 

 that twelve Peaches might be aUowe<l to a square foot of 

 trellis. I thought this extraordinary, and consulted Loudon, 

 Thompson's " Gardener's Assistant," and Mcintosh ; in none 

 of them could I find the question gone into, and so I in my 

 practical way made a square foot of four pieces of lath, and 

 placed it on a wall to which a Peach tree beaiing a full 

 crop of fair-sized frait was trained. I then found that my 

 square took in sis Peaches, leaving them plenty of room ; 

 they were not very large, but measured from 7 to 8 inches 

 in circumference. I thence concluded that that number 

 could be reckoned as a full complement for a healthy Peach 

 tree on a wall or trellis ; but at the same time I felt that such 

 a regular crop must be of rare occurrence, and I feel I ought 

 to have so expressed it. A square foot, as every boy knows, 

 contains 144 squai-e inches, six fruit to a square foot would 

 thus give to each 24 inches. This seems a large space on 

 paper ; the diameter of a medium-sized Peach may be taken 

 at 2| inches, so that if a Peach tree would be ahvays healthy 

 and kind in beaiing, six good fr-uit may be gi-own on a square 

 foot of wall or trellis ; but I must confess that in measuring 



off a squad-e foot of my Peach trees I thought only about 

 testing the assertion I had seen in print, and not the future 

 of the tree. One Peach to a square foot, or 144 inches to 

 one fruit, seems but a scanty crop on paper ; yet if we could 

 see a Peach tree on a wall occupying 200 square feet— that 

 is, on a wall 10 feet in height, tilling up a si^ace 20 feet in 

 length, a rare occurrence, two hundred Peaches would be 

 reckoned a fine crop. A gentleman, who amuses himself 

 by growing Peaches for market, informs me that he allows 

 two Peaches to the square foot ; for, he says, " Unless th§y 

 are grown to the weight of 8 or 9 ozs. they do not mdke 

 the top price, the pubUc at the present day looking so fliuch 

 to the size of fruit." This may be taken as an extreme 

 case, and I should think three Peaches to the square foot 

 may be reckoned as a safe crop, giving large fruit, and iot 

 injuring the future of the tree. Amateiu- Peach-growers 

 may for the future cany out the thinning of then- wall 

 or treUis Peaches to a nicety by merely placing a frame 

 of 1 foot in diameter against their tree while thinning 

 tiic fruit, and thus easily regtdate the crop of a large spac'e 

 by measuring off 1 square foot. It is strange that our 

 writers ou gardening have not given directions on this head, 

 so far as I am aware ; neither have I seen in your oolumBE 

 the question agitated. AVe have, therefore, to thank " T. L." 

 for liis jjertinent inquiry. — T. R.] 



ME. W. WOOD, OF MAEESFIELD. 



The present year has taken away from amongst us many 

 who have made a name in horticulture, and who, both in 

 public and private, h.ave been worthy members of a fr'aternity 

 that numbers as high-minded and honourable men as are to 

 be found in any calling. Amongst those whom we may call 

 the founders of English horticulture the names of Veitcfc, 

 Low, and Wood hold a high position ; and the head of each 

 of these firms has been taken away during this year, Mr. 

 Wood, of Maresfield, the last of the three having died 

 on the 3rd inst. at the advanced age of 82. In early life 

 Mr. Wood had been engaged in a portion of the pubbc 

 service where qualities of no common order were requireci, 

 and had seen much of continental life, and that, too, in the 

 best aspects of it. This gave to his conversation (I am 

 told by those who knew him well), a great charm. He had 

 a large fund of anecdotes, and told them with gTcat vivacity 

 and earnestness. At the close of the war he settled at 

 Maresfield, commenced Rose-growing in a small way, gradu- 

 ally increased his business, until in those days, when Rose- 

 growers were fewer than they are now, he used to be found 

 competing, and that successfully, at the great exhibitions, 

 of the day. During the past few years declining strength, 

 has hindered him from taking that active pai-t in his business 

 which he formerly did ; but he has found a worthy successor 

 in his son, Mi\ Charles Wood. In his private character 

 Mr. Wood was highly esteemed by all who knew him. He 

 was a kind and indulgent inaster, and I have heard his old 

 servants speak of him in terms of great affection and esteem. 

 As one looks at the character of those men who have now 

 gone from amongst us, and remembers the high position 

 they held, we can only hope that those who bear their names 

 and hold the positions they won for them, may as worthily 

 fill their places ; and I am quite sure that such will be the 

 case with Mr. Wood, of Maresfield, whose son. Mi-. Charles 

 Wood, is well known as much for his business habits as for" 

 his urbanity and kindness. — D., Deal. 



ClTTTIiS'G OFF THE LEAVES OF 

 STEA\^rBEPvEIES. 



[We have received another communication fr'om Mr. 

 Quintin Read on this subject, giving quotations to prove that 

 the leaves of plants are at once their lungs and stomach. 

 These we consider needless, for it is a long-acknowledged 

 fact. More strengthening to the advisability of his practice 

 is the following, which forms the conclusion of Mr. Read's 

 letter.] 



" I might multiply in-efragable testimonies, but forbear 

 lest I should be considered prolix ; and will, therefore, con- 



