350 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t November 7, 1667. 



Vines, however, were still growing in the border where they 

 had been planted upwards of twenty years ; bat Nettles and 

 all manner of rampant weeds had effectually choked them np, 

 BO that their growth had dwindled down to poor little shoots 

 that never ripened and, of course, bore no fruit. I began by 

 cutting off every particle of wood down to the ground, several 

 of the stems sawn off being 4 inches in diameter. I then 

 cleared the border of weeds, and gave it a good dressing of 

 dung, lime rubbish, and sewage. In the following summer I 

 trained one or two young rods from the old roots up to stakes 

 and wires, and when autumn came a span-roofed house 45 feet 

 l)y 19 was erected over them. The shoots were then cut back 

 to 3 or 4 feet, and in the following year, when the dressing 

 fcegan to teU, very vigorous wood was made, but those strong 

 goosequill roots of which Mr. Thomson speaks were destroyed 

 by the winter, and when I commenced forcing on March 1st, 

 ihough the great plump eyes began to push out, and I expected 

 soon to see the bunches show, a terrible pause ensued, and 

 *veek after week passed in April without any progress being 

 made. I wondered why such great buds should produce such 

 puny little shoots, and till 1 read Mr. Thomson's book I did 

 not fully comprehend it ; but as it was evident that the roots 

 would not back the buds up and enable them to progress, I saw 

 the only hope of a crop was to diminish the heat and wait till the 

 cold outside border became warmer and the fibrous roots could 

 come into play. For quite six weeks I saw but little change, 

 fcnt when May came my hopes revived. The stored-up sap 

 contained in these plump buds and strong gross canes was 

 sufficient to make this beginning, but that was all. When the 

 snn came to the rescue at last and warmed the border, fresh 

 roots were formed ; and though most of the early growths came 

 to nothing, fresh eyes shot forth luxuriant foliage, which went 

 on, and plenty of bunches at last rewarded my patience. These 

 Grapes have now coloured and ripened well 164 bunches, some 

 over 2 lbs. in weight, but there is a tendency to shanking about 

 several of the Vines (ten in number), which, considering the 

 state of the border for so long, is not to be wondered at. 



Now, is not this a case of stored-up sap ? " H. S." says that 

 if there be any stored-up sap, a Vine carefully taken from the 

 ground and suspended in a proper temperature ought to grow 

 till its stores of sap are exhausted. So I believe it would if 

 the roots were wrapped in wet moss. If the roots are not in 

 the ground or in a moist state, of course the stored-up sap 

 would quickly dry up ; but if they are in the wet cold ground, 

 though not in a state to draw nourishment from it, the stored- 

 up sap is kept from diminishing, and will, as in the case of my 

 Vines, go as far as it can. This is, I believe, Mr. Thomson's 

 meaning, but I leave him to answer this and the rest of what 

 " H. S." has to say. All that we want to arrive at is truth, 

 and the only way likely to lead to this is by carefully noting 

 facts. 



As for the prophetic Vines of Judah or the temperature of 

 "Western Africa I care not, nor for any « priori assumptions of 

 how the Vine ought to grow. " In the close damp atmosphere 

 of 100°, charged with pestilent vapours from sulphur-bedaubed 

 hot-water pipes," the finest Grapes which the world now pro- 

 duces are, as far as I know, grown. No doubt the transparent 

 air of Samaria sounds very nice, and is far better suited for the 

 health and growth of animal life than the humid air of the 

 tropics ; but the most glorious vegetable productions thrive 

 generally best under those conditions which are either fatal or 

 injurious to animal existence : therefore this kind of argument 

 is worthless. The only way of testing the truth of Mr. Thom- 

 son's or any other treatise on Vine-growing is by results. Who 

 can produce the best Grapes ? — H. Nicholls, Hawkhurst Lodge, 

 Horsham, 



" H. S." has brought so much vague theory to bear on this 

 subject, with a view to condemn the teachings of my treatise 

 on the Vine, that it must he a relief to the readers of The 

 Journal op Horticultuee, and probably to himself, to pass 

 from the region of theory to that of facts : therefore I send 

 along with this four berries of Muscat Grapes, the collective 

 weight of which is over 2.i ozs. ; they are picked from a large 

 house of Muscats, the temperature and general treatment of 

 which have been exactly such as I recommend in my work on 

 the Vine. And allow me to submit to " H. S." that if he is 

 anxious to arrive at truth in this matter, he cannot do better 

 than send a few berries of the same Grape grown on his system 

 to the Editors of The Journal of Hokticcltcre, who will 

 iti4ge of our different systems by their results, and if his are ] 



the more satisfactory I shall become his pupil, but if the re- 

 verse, I shall hope to receive him as mine. — Wst. Thomson. 



[The berries were of uniform size, and perfect in colour, 

 ripeness, and lusciousness. We never met with liner specimens 



--Eds.] 



PROLIFEROUS FERNS. 



I AM inclined to agree with " W. O'B.'s" remarks with 

 regard to the cause of Ferns becoming proliferous when treated 

 in the way he describes ; still there are many varieties of 

 Polystichums and a few Scolopendriums which have proved 

 themselves constant with regard to their proliferous nature. 



From a large plant of Polystichum aculeatum cristatum, 

 I have taken no less than ten bulbs, and all are growing well. 

 In the autumn of last year it showed signs of throwing up very 

 large fronds, but confined damp atmosphere caused the fronds 

 to come up in the spring, stunted, and with abrupt apices ; 

 nearly every frond produced one or more bulbs. I do not 

 expect it to be proliferous another year, unless treated in the 

 same manner ; and even then it is more than probable it would 

 not be so. I have had the plant for five years, and it was 

 never proliferous before. One Polystichum angulare grandi- 

 dens, purchased this year, has been earthed up, but another 

 has not ; both have produced a few bulbs, but not on all the 

 fronds. I think a test of at least two or three years must 

 be allowed before this can strictly be called Polystichum 

 angulare grandidens proliferum. On my fernery in the open 

 air Polystichum biseratum occasionally becomes proliferous. 

 With me, Scolopendrium Wardii and Asplenium refractum 

 have always proved proliferous. I have a plant of Osmunda 

 regalis, var. cristata bulbifera, which is bnlbiferoiis, the same 

 as that described by Mr. Lowe, in " New and Hare Ferns," 

 vol. ii. page 461. 



If it be possible to obtain it, a correct list of proliferous 

 Ferns which have stood a test of four or five years' growth, 

 would be exceedingly valuable to all those interested in British. 

 Ferns.— J. E. M. 



HOW TO HAXG AN AXE. 



Stephen Washburn sends the following: "Having seen 

 an article on chopping and the way an axe should be hung, 

 (See Journal of Horticulture vol. viii. page li.">'J), and having 

 adopted in my own practice a plan somewhat different from the 

 method there recommended, I would hke to give my own views 

 on the subject. In the first place, the crook at the hand-hold 

 should be no longer than the width of the man's hand who 



uses the axe ; all the rest of the curve should be the other way, 

 and just enough to make the edge of the axe naturally incline 

 forwards ; and the two corners of the axe should be exactly on 

 a line with the middle of the hand-hold, as shown in the 

 accompanying cut. This will always bring the bit of the axe 

 square upon the stick vou are chopping. This is the correct 

 principle, and will be admitted by every one who has ever done- 

 much chopping. — [Canada Farmer.) 



HEATING BY A STOVE. 



I HAVE a small greenhouse, heated, for economy's sake, by 

 an old Gill stove in a shed on the other side of the back wall. 

 Fancying that much heat is lost, I thought of placing a case, 

 formed of sheet iron, over the stove, so as to confine the heat, 

 and having an aperture made through the wall from the space 

 so enclosed and above the top of the stove, so as to allow the 

 heat to pass into the greenhouse. I am, however, at present 

 deterred by the fear that the heated air from the surfaces of 

 the stove would be injurious to the plants. Will you say if 

 such a proceeding would be accompanied by any danger ? — 

 W. B. E. 



[We have advised another correspondent to do exactly as 

 you propose doing with your stove — leaving an opening round 

 it, and allowing the heat to go from that opening into your 



