148 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



[ February 20, IBES. 



COW dung. I then have the cow dnng forked up with a portion 

 of the soil below it, turning this over frequently to temper it 

 •thoroughly, at the same time turning over what had been 

 previously laid out. When planting time draws near I add a 

 little more rotten cow dung, and then fill in the soil that has 

 been thrown out. This I have done for three years in succes- 

 sion, and have never been disappointed with the result. 



When leaf mould is introduced, let it be leaf mould, not 

 rotting leaves. Nothing to my mind is more injurious than 

 decaying sticks or timber. Pieces of rotten sticks are invari- 

 ably mingled with decaying leaves, and as invariably fungus is 

 produced. Of all edgings for beds, avoid wooden ones ; the 

 boards and stays employed are almost certain, sooner or later, 

 to produce fungus, a consequence of all others to be feared. I 

 Ao not know of anything else which has such an injurious effect 

 upon bulbs. 



The disease of the Gladiolus is n perplexity to all cultivators 

 who have suiiered by it. From c'ose observation, however, I 

 attribute it maiuly to the followiu;} causes : — 1st, Too tender 

 nursing; 2nd, Atmospheric influence; 3rd, By manure being 

 brought into close contact with the bulbs: 4th, To a fungus, 

 which may be introduced by manure, rotting leaves, decay- 

 ing timber, &e. Of these the first two are, in my opinion, the 

 principal. Bulbs started in bottom heat are more subject to 

 become diseased than those planted in the open ground, espe- 

 cially if not properly hardened in a cold frame previous to 

 planting-out ; when so stimulated, they are incapable of sus- 

 taining the severity of the shock to which tbey are subjected on 

 being planted-out. As soon as the growth of a plant is from 

 any cause checked, it at once becomes the prey to atmospheric 

 influences. If your readers will take the trouble, when they 

 observe a plant becoming unhealthy, to examine its foliage with 

 a microscope, they will find it minutely specked or blotched. 

 On continuing their observations daily, they will find this 

 appearance extend gradually, till ultimately the plant sickens, 

 the disease having then penetrated the bulb. I have some- 

 times tried sulphur dusted through a fine muslin bag, and 

 haje thought with success, but have not sufficiently tested 

 this to recommend it as a remedy. 



There appears to be some doubt as to how far the roots of 

 the Gladiolus penetrate into the earth. I should recommend 

 those who are desirous of proving this to introduce, when 

 planting, a piece of thin, common window glass, about 18 inches 

 long by 10 wide, perpendicularly into the soil, close to a 

 medium-sized bulb, and when the plant is in full bloom, to 

 take away 4 inches of the soil from the centre of the outer side 

 of the glass, taking care not to disturb it; they will then have 

 Skn opportunity of deciding how deep the roots really penetrate. 

 Any of your readers who think proper to try this experiment 

 will be somewhat surprised at the result. This will also afford 

 proof as to whether the disease commences at the root or above 

 ground. I have been in the habit of employing this interest- 

 ing method upon various plants for years. 



Since writing the above, I have read with much interest the 

 article by Mr. Tillery, for which I beg personally to thank him. 

 I fully coincide in many of his views, but the means at his 

 command are evidently so extensive that few can act upon 

 some of his suggestions. I therefore still offer my more 

 humble experience for the benefit of amateurs and others who, 

 like myself, are in a less favoured position. — M., Durham. 



THE ROYAL ASCOT GRAPE. 

 I HAVE had frequent opportunities of seeing the Vines and 

 fruit of this variety at the Royal Nursery, Ascot, from the time 

 the Vines were started in December, ISfit!, until now, and have 

 been much pleased with it. I am glad it has gained the appre- 

 ciation of the Editors of The Journal of HoKTicuLTnEE. I 

 am not quite certain, however, that it ought to be classed 

 amongst our earliest Grapes. It is perfectly true that it colours 

 earlier than any other Black Grape ; and being the blackest of 

 all Black Grapes, and having fine large berries, it was acceptable 

 in market before the Black Hamburgh, and brought 'is. per pound 

 more than the latter. I did not, however, think it quite ripe ; 

 and it possesses so many extraordinarily good qualities that 

 I should much regret to see it recommended for what I am not 

 certain that it is. Having thus e>;pressed a doubt whether it 

 ought to be classed amongst our earliest Grapes, I must state 

 that the jjlants ot it which Mr. Standish has grafted on the 

 Chasselas Musque, and which produced the fruit to which you 

 refer at page 94, seem to have done their work in maturing and 



ripening the bunches in so short a lime that I am quite prepared 

 to believe that, grafted upon the Chasselas Musque, the Royal 

 Ascot will prove the earliest Black Grape we have seen. I 

 must also state that I have noticed the temperature the fruit wa3 

 produced in has been low. From what I have seen and the 

 inquiries I have made, I believe the average temperature in 

 which the Grapes shown at the last meeting of the Fruit Com- 

 mittee were grown did not exceed 55°, when the temperature 

 had to be kept up by means of fire heat, and this has of course 

 been the case for months. This is an exceedingly low temperature 

 for a first-class Grape to attain the state of perfection in which 

 the Koyal Ascot was when shown before the Fruit Committee. 

 I think I can safely say that the bunches did not make their 

 appearance until towards the middle or end of August. 



You say it possesses "a richness of flavour which is not 

 found in any early variety except itself." I would add to this 

 that it is in all respects, when fully ripe, the finest Black Grape 

 I have ever tasted. It possesses the firmness of flesh of the 

 finest ripened Muscat, more briskness and piquancy of flavour, 

 without the luscious richness of properly ripened Muscats. I 

 decidedly prefer this Grape when fairly ripe to the most per- 

 fectly ripened Muscat I ever tasted. 



To what you say about the prolificacy and pertinacity of this 

 variety in yielding a succession of fruit without going to rest, 

 or showing any disposition to do so, I can honestly add that the 

 Vines seem as if they could be kept growing and showing fruit 

 continually ; and I have no doubt that this variety can, with 

 proper management, be easily and cheaply ripened, and had in 

 a fresh state any month in the year. I do not think that the 

 ripe fruit now is quite equal to what this Grape was in June 

 last, but in its present state I do not know where to find its 

 equal at this season. It is fresh, crisp, and perfectly delicious. 



I have no right to expose Mr. Standisb's treatment of this 

 Vine, but a few words as to how the plants which produced the 

 fruit shown before the Fruit Committee were treated may 

 account for the berries not being of the size they ought to have 

 been. The Vines which produced the fruit shown were planted 

 last May in a border of soil not more than 18 inches wide, and 

 on the surface of this were four 4-inch hot-water pipes in two 

 sets of two. The poor little Vines — for they were very small 

 when planted out — seemed to me in great danger of having 

 the little life they had in them roasted out of them. Then 

 they were smothered up with Pine plants ; and the house was, 

 for the sake of the Pines, kept much too hot for the Vines to 

 have any chance to make a strong growth. After the fruit 

 shown before the Fruit Committee made its appearance, Mr. 

 Standish determined to give the Vines more soil for their roots 

 to work in ; but in doing this he found that the roots of the 

 Vines had made their way amongst the materials in which the 

 Pines were plunged, and to accomplish his object he had to all 

 but transplaut the Vines, and this after they had shown their 

 fruit. The Vines flagged, dropped some leaves, and showed 

 clearly that they did not like the treatment ; but next time I 

 saw them the fruit had made wonderful progress, and the 

 Vines seemed to have quite recovered from the check they had 

 sustained through the transplanting. If the Vines had been 

 planted in anything like a fair border, and left to help them- 

 selves without being transplanted, I have no doubt that the 

 berries would have been much larger than they are. I think 

 they are something wonderful, considering the treatment the 

 Vines have received. 



1 beg to thank you for the information that there is in Italy 

 a variety of Grape which possesses the perpetual-bearing cha- 

 racter which the Royal Ascot has shown. This character was 

 to me so extraordinary that I was inclined to fear it might not 

 be lasting, or rather that it might be less strongly exhibited 

 in the course of a few years ; but now I know that there has 

 long been a variety with this perpetual-bearing character in 

 cultivation, there can be no fear that the Royal Ascot will not 

 retain this most valuable characteristic. The Royal Ascot 

 requires no such attention as you say is bestowed upon the 

 Ij va di tri volte, for it never produces a lateral that does not 

 .■-how one, two, or three bunches according to the strength of 

 the Vine. 



The constitution and vigour of the Royal Ascot Vine are 

 very remarkable. Mr. Standish allowed the Vines which were 

 planted in the autumn of 1865, in his house of this variety, to 

 carry a heavy crop, which they perfectly matured in Jlay and 

 June, 1866. ' Then the perpetual-bearing tendency forced itself 

 into notice, and a goodly number of bunches which showed 

 after the first crop was cut were thinned and left to take their 

 chance, the house being kept open and cool. These coloured 



