January 14, 1869. 1 



JODBNAti OF HOKTICDLTORB AND OOTTAGB GARDENER. 



25 



can stay for many minutes in it to admire tliem, and yet 

 grndRe expense on the denizens of the flower garden, of which 

 nearly all ladies are enthusiastic admirers. 



A few words more and I hiive done. One fjood plant is worth 

 a dozen bad ones. Too many Rardoners fail from counting-up 

 their bedding plants by the thousands, and think it a lino 

 boast if they fan say they have bedded out 1(1,000 Pelar- 

 goniums. Much better effect can be produced by the judicious 

 management of a few good plants, than by treble the number 

 of inferior. The last summer — that of 1808 — should be a 

 Jesson to all gardeners. I never saw a single bad or weakly 

 plant do any good, and, on the other hand, wherever the Pelar- 

 goniums and other plants were turned out in good health, I 

 never saw them do better. This should, consequently, be always 

 borne in mind bv all gardeners, that quality is better than 

 quantity.— C. P. Peach, 



GRAPES AT NUNEIIA:\r PAKK. 



Having here a large collection of the different varieties of 

 Grapes, and growing some of them under very different cir- 

 cumstances, I think some of your readers may derive a little 

 advantage from my relating my experience and the diiJerent 

 temperatures the Vines are grown in. 



The Trentham Black I have growing in a Muscat house, and 

 nothing can be more satisfactory ; it is also growing in a Black 

 Hamburgh house, and is there giving equal satisfaction, setting 

 very freely. Here I must remark that the temperature in a 

 Black Hamburgh house in the afternoons often rises with sun 

 heat to 95° ; but fire heat is very little used when sufficient 

 sun heat can be obtained, the fire heat never exceeding 70°, 

 and being very seldom so high. In the after part of the day the 

 house is copiously supplied with water, as for years I have 

 given up the old-fashioned plan of keeping the house as dry as 

 dust for three weeks or a month when the Vines are in flower. 

 I never use a syringe at any season after the Vines have broken, 

 and yet I have no difficulty in keeping down red spider. The 

 third and last place in which I have Trentham Black is in the 

 front of a Peach house, and I was induced to put it in such a 

 situation from reading in this Journal how well it did in a 

 ground vinery ; but however well it did in the ground vinery, 

 it is a complete failure with me, as but few berries set. 



The Muscat Hamburgh I grow, and generally grow well, 

 along with Muscats and other Grapes that require a high tem- 

 perature. I even grow it along with Black Hamburghs, by 

 looking carefully after the bunches when in flower, going over 

 them every day with the hand, and giving them a good shaking ; 

 but no such attention is required when they are grown along 

 with Muscats and Barbarossa [Gros Guillaume]. In my 

 opinion this Grape cannot be surpassed for flavour ; but it has 

 one great fault — -namely, that it requires cutting witliin a month 

 after it is ripe, otherwise it becomes dried up, and is no credit 

 to the gardener when sent to table, though losing none of its 

 richness. 



With regard to the Black Hamburgh, every one knows what 

 to do with it. The Alicante and Lady Downe's require the 

 same treatment as the Muscats. Lady Downe's is a very shy 

 breaker if not well handled in the autumn ; but if the wood 

 was well ripened in the previous year there will be no lack of 

 bunches, as they are shown very freely. 



The Buckland Sweetwater is really a first-class Grape when 

 ■well managed, growing well either with Hamburghs or Muscats, 

 but setting more freely when grown along with the former than 

 with the latter, the temperature being too high, and causing 

 the flowers to become black and drop. 



Many more of the older varieties are grown here, but much 

 the same treatment is adopted for them as for those previously 

 mentioned. The newer kinds are growing well with me, but 

 having no experience of their qualities I leave them till some 

 future occasion, when they shall have their good or bad qualities 

 recorded. 



I have seen lately many inquiries about planting Vines after 

 thfey have been fruited in pots. I will, therefore, record my 

 experience on this subject. For my own part, if I had strong 

 fruited pot Vines I should always do so, because I should then 

 know what to do with them. 



Three years ago last autumn I planted out four Vines in the 

 front of two Peach houses, each of these being 63 feet long. 

 The Vines were trained with one rod to the right and another 

 to the left, and by the end of the following summer they had 

 extended the whole length of the houses, making a little more 



than .SO feet of growth, andbear'n' eight bunches each. In 

 the following year, 18(;7, they each br.>ught to perfection twenty- 

 four bunches, and last year forty each. The sort is Dutch 

 Sweetwater. 



In the year after the Vinos were planted I had to supply a 

 gentleman with six Vines for a new vinery ; and as he had fre- 

 quently had an opportunity of seeing how well the Vines that 

 I planted out of doors were doing, nothing would satisfy him 

 hut old pot Vines for planting. Much against my will, he 

 planted five Vines out of pots, and one strong Vino fit for 

 planting, being only one year old. The result has been as 

 follows : The pot Vines made from .S to .5 feet of growth, the 

 young Vine about 23 feet, and then it was stopped, and at the 

 present time it will take two years before the others will haye 

 as good canes. 



I have no doubt many, when they read this, will ask, 'What 

 was the cause of all this difference ? The answer is plain. 

 The one grower had the experience, and the other had to be 

 told what to do, which is next to impossible ; a doctor might 

 just as well prescribe for a patient whom he had seen taken ill, 

 but had not seen for months afterwards. 



I intended to have stated my experience on the extension 

 system, but must leave that for a future number. — James 

 Stewart, Nuneham Park. 



AURICULAS AT KENSINGTON. 



I HAVE only just received the schedule of the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society, and as a lover of the Auricula I naturally glanced 

 at it to see what had been done for this favourite flower : and 

 I venture to say that never since Auriculas were first shown 

 has so preposterous an arrangement been made. I last year 

 wrote about the time fixed, and this year an improvement has 

 certainly been made by offering prizes at both the spring 

 Shows ; but who, in the name of Flora, could have been the 

 suggester of the notion of dividing the classes as they are divided 

 here? — nine Auriculas edged, and nine Auriculas selfa and 

 fancies ; to say nothing of the stinted way in which the prizes 

 are offered. While prizes are accorded for Hyacinths, Crocuses, 

 Tulips, Roses, Azaleas, &o., to both nurserymen and ama- 

 teurs, here, in the case of a plant certainly requiring as much 

 skill as any of them, no such division is made. But what are 

 fancy Auriculas ? It is the first time I have ever heard of such 

 a term. I suppose Alpine Auriculas are meant, but I believe 

 nothing can be more useless than the attempt to change names 

 which have a hold on the floral public. Some wiseacre pro- 

 posed something of the kind with Dahlias, but we never hear 

 now of any but the old-fashioned term. I do not know how 

 many names have been proposed for the variegated Pelargo- 

 niums, but ninety-nine out of a hundred still speak of the Gold 

 Tricolors, Silver Tricolors, and Bicolors. But this is not what 

 I have to complain of. I think, in the first place, that the 

 beauty of a stand of Auriculas will be spoiled by the selfs being 

 excluded, as they always tend to brighten it up so much, and 

 that a stand of Alpines and self stage flowers will be a most 

 muddly-lookLug concern. Secondly, I know many growers, 

 such as my old friend Mr. Lightbody, of Falkirk, who would 

 not allow an Alpine near their place, because the pollen so 

 much more readily fertilises that it almost destroys the hope 

 of obtaining pure stage varieties, and thus many growers will 

 be able only to contend in one class. 



This may be said to be a "growl;" but I feel that these 

 things ought to be exposed. Why the Council could not have 

 allowed things to have remained as last year, only offering 

 prizes at a reasonable day, I cannot understand. And here let 

 me protest against the way one is treated in these matters. 

 Last year, when I wrote on the absurdity of offering prizes on 

 the 9th of May, I was told by a worthy who signed himself 

 " Acricula," but who never grew an Auricula in his life, that 

 the " animus " of my paper was clearly to be seen ; inferring 

 that because I had been scurvily treated by the Council some 

 years ago, that I was only actuated by a feeling of hostility, 

 and, when I wrote a short reply to it, the only point in my 

 reply was cut out. I do not think this is fair ; but it will not 

 deter me from exposing what I think wrong and injurious to the 

 cause I have at heart — the welfare of horticulture.— D., Deal. 



Eaely Vegetables froji Cornwall. — The growers of early 

 vegetables in Cornwall had great success in the past year. Up- 

 wards of 3600 tons of Broccoli were sent out of the county, 

 against 1500 tons in 1867, and 3200 tons in 1866. The con- 



