October 17, 18C7. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



Ml 



ratare the leaves nbile still green becoming partially detached 

 {rom tlie shoot is an unorrinR sign of a perfect matarity of the 

 wood, which then becomes merely a means of communication 

 between the root and the bnd. In this state it is in the best 

 possible condition to support a new growth, and rest can add 

 aothing to its maturity. 



At page 48 Mr. Thomson says : — " By the time the action of 

 the leaves had ceased these roots were anything but ripe, and 

 they all perished during the winter rains back to the old stem- 

 roots from which they sprang. The Vines, nevertheless, have 

 a given amount of storednp sap in them, though they have 



lost their active roots Whilst this etorcdup sap lasts 



they grow vigorously enongh." I not only deny the truth of 

 this statement, but I assert it to be impossible for any tree or 

 shrub to contain within itself sulUcient moisture to support a 

 vigorous vegetation. If this idea of storednp sap were tried, 

 then a Vine carefully taken from the ground and suspended 

 in a proper temperature would continue to grow till its stores 

 of sap were cxlmustod. 



I invite Mr. Thomson to a fair discussion of his book in the 

 hope that it may prove both interesting and valuable to the 

 readers of Thk Journal of Hokiiccltuiie. — II. S. 



EARLY BEDDIXG-OUT AND ITS RESULTS. 



Last autumn you inserted a letter from me on the subject 

 oi early beddingont, &(s. (vol. xi., p. 364), which letter brought 

 ont a reply from " Vindic.vtok " (page 40C), in which he said 

 that Chester being " near the sea " (it is only twenty miles off, 

 the estuary of the Deo, which is eight miles off, having a very 

 different climate from the coast proper), " the atmosphere is 

 not so much affected by the late daybreak frosts in May." 



Now, there was no use replying to this by a mere state- 

 ment of temperature in May, especially as my observations 

 bad not been recorded carefully enou<^li. I therefore resolved to 

 plant ont still earlier in 18t'.7, and observe the result. Accord- 

 ingly I began on the 24th of April by planting a row of Cybister 

 Pelargonium nnder the house wall facing south, but exposed to 

 east winds. On the 2nd of May I planted some Calceolarias 

 and Pelargoniums, and continued from that day to plant ont 

 whenever I had time to spare, till, by May 14th, 1 had nearly all 

 my beds filled, with the exception of the more tender bedding 

 plants, such as Perilla, Amaranthus, Iresine, i-c. Pelargoniums, 

 Verbenas, Lobelias, and Calceolarias were planted out in the 

 most exposed situations. We had extraordinarily hot weather in 

 the early part of May, the thermometer in the shade registering 

 78° on the 8th, and from 70^ to ".')' on several days before. This 

 gave the plants already out a fair start, and the earliest began 

 growing well. I was not at home during the severe weather 

 from Xiay 20th to 25th, but on my return I found the thermo- 

 meter (a minimum of Negrettiit Zambra's), had registered 28°, 

 and a bed of early Potatoes, protected both on the east and 

 south by a high wall and a greenhouse, was entirely destroyed ; 

 yet not a single bedding plant was seiiously injured. Some 

 had their leaves browned, especially Lobelias and Verbenas, 

 but all recovered, and were in full bloom far sooner than any 

 that were planted later. The row of Pelargoniums planted 

 April 2!lth had not even a leaf browned. This row was in 

 full beauty by the beginning of July, and is very fine at this 

 moment. 



And now for the rest of the season. I have never seen 

 Pelargoniums grow better or flower so wall as mine have done 

 this summer ; but from some cause, possibly the long continu- 

 ance of cold north winds in June, some of the best sorts, and 

 more especially Stella and Lord Palmerston, were late before 

 they began fairly to bloom ; but when they did begin I never 

 saw more gorgeous masses of colour, t find, however, that the 

 latter will not stand wind and rain well, and should be planted 

 in a sheltered situation. 



I bad nearly all my beds as gay in spring as they were after- 

 wards. The border in which I planted Cybister was full of 

 clnmps of Crocuses, Hyacinths, Tulips, and Narcissus, and the 

 bulbs were all left in the ground, the bedding plants being 

 planted among them. Other beds were masses of early single 

 Tulips, Crocuses, or Hyacinths, which were taken np as they 

 were over by the beginning of May. A bed of Wallflowprs was 

 reserved for the more tender plants, as Ricinus and Ama- 

 r&nthns melancholicus ruber, which I never plant ont till June, 

 and the latter plant will hardly grow even then in the most 

 sheltered place. Two other beds containing Pansies, .tc. 

 which were gay till July, were filled with Pelargoniums plunged 



in six-inch pots, and were at once gay again, the Pelargoniams 

 having been potted in May. An edging of Tagetes pnmila, 

 which is easily moved, was added. I hope to make nee of this 

 system, having Pelargoniums establinhed in puts to plunge, 

 to a greater extent next year, as by this means one may in- 

 dulge in the later spring flowers without losing any time with 

 the bedding plants. 



We see. then, that the principal bedding plants are hardier 

 than Potatoes, and it is clear that the earlier they are planted 

 ont the longer is the garden gay. Spring decoration may be 

 secured as Bhown above. — A. 0. W. 



GRAPE JUDGING. 



I THINK Mr. D. Thomson's suggestions (seepage 250), sbotild 

 be carried out next seasin, as it would effectually settle the 

 question — Colour rrrsiis Flavour. 



I would suggest that the several productions be not sub- 

 mitted for judgment before three weeks from the time of 

 colouring, as a dish of black Grapes might be shown as soon 

 as coloured and not really ripe : consequently they would be 

 at a disadvantage. — John Allistox. 



MR. MILLERS VINERIES, BISHOP'S 

 STORTFORD. 



Ix looking over your last year's volume (vol. XI.), I find, page 

 420, a description of these vineries, and particularly a notice of 

 one of them, a span-roof, 200 feet by 30, with inside borders. In 

 page 470 Mr. Wills denounces such borders as a rank hereey, 

 and with powerful logic says, " Would Mr. Meredith make out- 

 side and deep Vine borders, when a great portion of his living 

 depends on the result ? " Again, Mr. Wills says, " I feel sure, 

 that the Vines at Bishop's Stortford will show next season that 

 the once-a-month system of watering during their growth, and 

 their being so long kept without any, is highly injurious to 

 them." .\las ! for this prophecy, the heresy of inside borders 

 seems likely to simplify the m iking of Vine borders, now such 

 a bugbear to the tyro in Vine culture. 



Living within a pleasant drive of Bishop's Stortford, I drove 

 over a few days since to look at the vineries ; there are some 

 wide and lofty lean-to vineries about 300 feet in length, all with 

 outside borders. The Grujies in these houses are as fine as 

 can be wished for, and tlie crop abundant. They are all Muscats 

 and Hambuigljs. The Vines are now live years old. In the 

 span-roofed house, with its inside border of the length and 

 width given by " Vxti.s." the Vines are three years old. This 

 house is so well described by " Vitis," page 420, that I need not 

 dwell upon it. I only wish to point out the failure of Mr. 

 Wills's prophecy. The Vines are in the most exuberant health, 

 and the few bunches tliey are allowed to carry are quite first- 

 rote. As they are not yet allowed to carry a full crop like the 

 lean-to houses, the bunches are larecr, and I noticed parti- 

 cularly that the Muscats were much finer in colour. This alone 

 is a strong argument in favour of an inside border ; but as I 

 really know but very little about Grape-growing, I leave the 

 subject to such men as the Messrs. Thomson, the illustrious 

 Arcades diiiho of the Grape-growing world. 



I was particularly struck with the avenue of Black Hamburgh 

 Grapes, formed by two rows of Vines (trained upright to stakes), 

 one on each side of the central walk, and fi feet apart in the 

 rows. They are all bearing beautiful bunches ; and a curious 

 fact is, that the bunches close to the groiud, although some 

 la feet from the glass, are as deep in colour as those on the 

 upper part of the Vines. This seems against the opinion wbish 

 has, I think, been broached by one of our clever theorists — 

 that glass obstructs the colouring rays, so that if fruit is at 

 some distance from it they are weakened. 



It has become a question whether the produce of this fine 

 house would not have been more than doubled, if the whole 

 area of it had been planted with these upright Vines about 

 4 feet apart, leaving the roof clear, and thus forming " a vine- 

 yard under glass." It is, I am inclined to think, a matter qiute 

 worthy of being taken into consideration by those who are build- 

 ing vineries ; the Vines thus trained are so beautiful, and lamiad 

 one of the garden Vines in warm climates. 



The borders were dressed lost spring with half-inch bones aad 

 manure to a depth of nearly 2 inches, tliis will be given annu- 

 aUy. 



Mr. Wills alludes to the small quantity of water given to tlM 



