December 8, 1888. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTIGDLTUBE AND COTTAGE QABDENKK. 



415 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



DECEMBER 8-9, 1868. 



Meeting oj Liuueaa Society, 8 p.m. 

 2 Sdnday is Advent. 



Meeting of Royal MicroscopicalllSociety, 



[3 P.M. 



Afoon 

 Rises. 



Moon 



Sots. 



1 9 

 16 10 

 38 11 

 morn. 

 49 



6 2 



m. h 

 40 10 

 25 11 

 after. 

 81 



69 

 24 

 60 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Days. 

 19 

 20 

 21 

 ( 

 28 

 24 

 25 



Clooli 

 after 

 Sun. 



9 48 



9 24 



8 69 



8 8.S 



R 7 



7 41 



7 14 



DaT 



of 

 year 



838 

 889 

 840 

 841 

 842 

 343 

 841 



From observations takon near London dnrint; the last forty-one years, the average day temperatnre of the woeli is 47 8 ; and its nlsht 

 temperature 35.6. Tho greatest heat was 60", on the 7th, 1861 ; and the lowest cold 14 , on the 6tb and Ctb, 1841. The greatest fall of 

 rain was 1.02 inch. 



OUT-OF-DOORS GRAPES. 



UDGING by the many fine old Vines that 

 are to be met with on walls and houses 

 throughout the country, it would seem that 

 Grapes have been much more cultivated in 

 the open air in times gone by than they are 

 at the present day. The practice of growing 

 Grapes in the open air seems to have gone 

 out of fashion of late years. It is very sel- 

 dom indeed that we see or hear of vineyards 

 or the planting of Vines at the present day 

 anywhere excepting uuder glass. Why is this '.' 



That certain kinds of Grapes can and may be cultivated 

 in the open air in this country with a fair amount of suc- 

 cess, if px'oper attention be paid to them, is tolerably cer- 

 tain. In a few spots, indeed, they are stQl largely cultivated, 

 aa at Mr. Darkin's vineyard, IJury St. Edmunds, and the 

 Rectory, Woodstock (by Mr. Fenn), both for use as dessert 

 fruit and for making wine ; but these are exceptions. 

 Grapes, it is true, are more abundantly cultivated, and 

 enjoyed in far greater quantities, than they ever have been, 

 but that is owing to cheap glass, ground \'ineries, orchard 

 houses, &c. It is to be regretted, however, that the open- 

 au- cultivation of the Vine should be neglected, as, however 

 cheap glass and glass structures may be, and plentiful and 

 good as the suppl}' of Grapes is, they are not within the 

 means of every one. I am sorry to note the disappearance 

 of the familiar Vine from the walls of our gardens and 

 houses, especially from those of the dwellings of the humbler 

 classes. I like to see cottages with Vines trained against 

 them, and loaded with tlie clusters of the temptiug-looking 

 fiiiit ; and how much more pleasant it is to eat the Grapes 

 of one's own growing, although they may not be quite so 

 fine as those that may be purchased. In ordinary seasons 

 reaUy excellent Grapes can be cultivated on the open wall 

 with very little attention, which, however, is rarel}', very 

 rarely, bestowed on them. I have tasted Royal JMuscadine 

 Grapes, both this season and last, equal to. yea, better 

 than, those that are ordinarily supplied for dessert at the 

 restaui-ants in Paris. If oiu- summer be unusually cold 

 and wet, as it sometimes unfortunately is, and the Grapes 

 may not become sweet enough for table, then wine, good, 

 wholesome, spai-kling Champagne, can be made from them, 

 such as was enjoyed by the Fruit Committee from Mr. 

 Lovegrove, of Maidenhead, and such as I have tasted with 

 Mr. Frost, of Dropmore. 



The Rev. George Kemp did good service in furtheruig 

 the cultivation of the Vine in the open air, by offering 

 special prizes for the fruit so produced at tho meeting of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society's Fruit Committee on 

 October aoth. It was a happy idea of Mr. Kemp, and a 

 more favourable season for such an exhibition could not 

 possibly have been, it having been almost tropical in its 

 character, and particularly well suited for Grapes. The 

 exhibition at South Kensington, however, although the 

 examples and exhibitors were numerous enough, was not 

 a very successful one. I have seen better Grapes in many 

 parts of the country, and I believe if this exhibition were 

 No. 401.— Vol. XV., New Sbbies. 



repeated better Grapes would be submitted. Some of the 

 examples were handsome enough in appearance, and others 

 wei'e excellent in flavour, but taken as a whole, they were 

 below par. Few of them, I daresay, had had much atten- 

 tion bestowed upon their cultivation, but being by chance 

 presentable, were in due course exhibited. Now, I should 

 like to do away with this chancework, and have a little 

 attention bestowed on them, so as to produce a desired 

 result the same as with Grapes under glass. Of those 

 exhibited at South Kensington, the collection which dis- 

 played the greatest cultural skill and care was that of Mr. 

 Lynn, of Hedsor Gardens, which was awarded the second 

 prize ; they were Black Hamburglis remarkably well grown, 

 clean, and good. They were, however, inferior in flavour 

 to tlie Ro^al Muscadine exhibited by Mr. Foster and 

 Mr. Eai'Iey. which obtained the first prize ; Mr. Kemp's 

 object in oil'ering the prizes not being so much the calling 

 forth of cultural skill in the production of any variety, as 

 to discover wliich of the many varieties is the Grape most 

 suited to open air-cultivation. 



Rijyiil Muscadine. — This has been approved as the best 

 out-door Grape. Judging of its value by flavour aa a des- 

 sert fruit, combined with constitution and appearance, it is, 

 in my opinion, the most useful variety, and that which I 

 always recommend for planting iu the open air. It is of 

 a very hardy constitution, and fruits very freely, the 

 bunches being of good size, and the fruit generally ripen- 

 ing pretty well. This is the same Grape as is cultivated 

 so largely in France, and sold in tlie streets under the 

 name of Chasselas de Fontainebleau ; it is also the most 

 common white variety in this country in open-air cultiva- 

 tion. Sometimes it is called White Chasselas, but more 

 frequently confounded with the AVhite Sweetwater. 'When 

 grown in the open air, the sides of the berries next the sun 

 are generally much covered with a cinnamon russet. In- 

 deed, jMonsieur will not purchase or enjoy liis Grapes 

 unless tlipy are thus discoloured ; to him it is a mark of 

 excellence, iu which I believe he is right, to us a blemish. 



Having stated these opinions on the open-air cultivation 

 of the Vine, and named the one best adapted for the pur- 

 pose, as far as my knowledge goes, I shall now pass in 

 review some other varieties which have come under my 

 own observation, and which are frequently recommended 

 for out-door duty. 



Ilutcli Saeetwaler. — Tiiis variety ripens its fruit well ; 

 the berries are large, and they are of very good flavour, 

 and sweet. Its great fault is its setting badly. If it could 

 but be made to set its fruit thoroughly, instead of a strag- 

 gling berry here and there, it would prove the most valuable 

 of all. As it is, it cannot be depended on. 



Black Hamhurtili. — In warm seasons this is an excellent 

 variet}', producing an enormous crop, but it seldom colours 

 well. Last season being warm, it was iu many places first- 

 class. Recommended for makhig wine. 



Black Prince — This is a very taldng Grape, producing 

 bunches of large size, which ahva3's colour well, and look 

 very handsome. It will colour quite black, although not 

 half-ripe, the berries frequently being quite acid and sour. 

 Even when ripe and in its best character, it is not pleasant 



No. 1«53.— Vol. XL., Ois SBUsa. 



