422 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December i, 1868. 



from 3 to 14 inches in diameter, 210 Hamburghs, 145 Muscats, 

 SO Sweetwater, 40 Alicante, 40 Barbarossa, (i Lady Downe's, 

 and 1 Muscat Hamburgh. The three-inch pots contain plants 

 struck this spring, about the size of a tobacco-pipe. The 

 14-inch pots have some fine canes 1? inch in circumference at 

 56 inches from the rim of the pot. Common garden soil and 

 stable manure were used for potting, and cinders for drainage. 



I have only to add, that the total cost of borders, including 

 concrete, has been less than £30, and then I think I have said 

 everything about my Vines, except that I am getting ready to 

 start them into growth again, and hope to have nearly half a 

 ton of ripe Grapes from them by the time they have been 

 planted a year. 



I hope Mr. Wills will pardon the error I made in supposing 

 he intended to make his border witli " oho] '1 is, lime 

 rubbish, boiled bones, and charcoal, in layers of '.' inches or 

 1 foot iu thickness, .... well incorporated together." The 

 mistake could not have occurred had the quantity of each in- 

 gredient been mentioned. However, I thankfully accept his 

 explanation, and trust he has made no mistake when he says, 

 " The quantity of bones I shall use will bo about two pecks for 

 mixing with each nine-inch layer for a border — say Hi feet 

 vide and 30 long." Such a layer of earth would contain about 

 072 peck?. The bones would, therefore, be to the soil as 1 is 

 i" 336. Rather hoina-opathic this ; and I am sure Mr. Wills 

 can prescribe a better Vine diet, as well as give us a fair 

 estimate and plain record of everything connected with the 

 extensive operations about to be carried out for the formation 

 of the Vine-borders at Huntroyde Park. — H. S. 



FLOWERING AND OTHEE PLANTS IX A 



VINERY. 



i. to " Vines and Flowering Plants in the Same 

 House," page 305. you will oblige me much by stating what 

 modifications I need make in the list of flowering plants there 

 given, and in their treatment, in a house of similar size, in 

 which I purpose commencing to force early in February. I 

 mean, of course, to keep the welfare of the fruit in view as the 

 main object, and to have nothing in the house that would 

 seriously injure the quality of the crop. 



Hew far, also, could Strawberries and Potatoes in pots be 

 grown without injury to the Vines, and could one or both be 

 continued on the shelves under the Vinos after the appearance 

 of the foliage, by shifting the pots in turn to the shelves in 

 front of the house close to the glass ? If so, how frequently 

 should they be shifted ?— W. 



[By commencing to force early in February, you will not be 

 able to cultivate till a late period an equal quantity of fta 

 plants ; but if you have the Grapes off early, and the wood be 

 ripe early, you may (ill the house at an earlier period in the 

 autumn with the plants named, and may do much with the cold 

 I which you mention in sheltering your hardier flowering 



plants. All the plants named at page 3G5 may be kept in the house 

 so long as the temperature of that house 15° at night ; 



but when the average heat reaches from 50° to 55°, then florists' 

 Pelargoniums, Cinerarias, Primulas, Calceolarias, &c, should 

 be moved to colder quarters, also all kinds of established bed- 

 ding plants. Supposing that such plants have been in bloom 

 in winter and early spring, after the house is fairly started 

 for Vines, Camellias and Epaerises which have bloomed, along 

 with Oranges, may be kept in it to make their fresh wood, and 

 Scarlet Pelargoniums in the open places. If floral ornament 

 is wanted in the house in summer beneath the Vines, that 

 should chiefly be supplied by fine-foliaged stove plants, as 

 Gesneras and Begonias, and tender annuals, as Cockscombs, 

 Feathered Cockscombs, and Egg Plants. After you commence 

 forcing, however, when the roof has become pretty well shaded 

 with foliage, we should deceive you if we led you to think that 

 beneath that foliage of Vines you were to have stages of flower- 

 ing plants, and then beneath them Potatoes and Strawberries. 

 Such plants as w 7 e have mentioned, Camellias and Epaerises, 

 whilst making their wood, will sustain no injury from a little 

 shade and an average temperature of 60°, if hardened off after- 

 wards. 



Your Strawberries and Potatoes in pots will succeed just in 

 proportion to the light you can give them, and in the case of 

 Potatoes by not subjecting them to too high a temperature. 

 To make the most of your house in this respect, we would set 

 the frames to work now, with a little mild heat beneath them. 

 Into one we would place Potatoes in pots, a single set in a 



small pot, three to be put into a large pot afterwards; or place 

 two or three sets in a 12 or 14-inch pot at once. Supposing the 

 heat of the frame to approach 50°, or a little more, the Potatoes 

 would be advancing, and would do well if removed to the stage 

 of your vinery when the heat there was averaging 50°, and by 

 the time it reached 00° the Potatoes would be well advanced, and 

 could be removed to the front of the house as the shade began 

 to deepen, bearing in mind that the heat for the Potatoes should 

 not exceed 60°. Thus by moving them you could have fair 

 gatherings from the house ; and if the heat was making the 

 stalks weakly, then you could take them to the frames. Unless 

 your house is very open in front, so as to secure air for the 

 Potatoes as well as light, we would not advise you to have any 

 succession of Potatoes, but to be satisfied with this one early 

 crop. 



We would proceed in the same way with Strawberries. If 

 your frame will afford the Strawberry plants a temperature of 

 about 5" higher than the vinery now, it will bring them on 

 gradually, and when your house is all ready you may set them 

 at 16 or 1« inches from the glass, in any part of the house where 

 there is no shade, and where the plants will enjoy a fair circu- 

 lation of air. Plants thus treated will generally bo in bloom 

 I their fruit before the Vines produce much shade, and 

 the increase of heat given to the Vines will assist the swelling of 

 the fruit of the Strawberry plants ; but if line flavour is desired 

 the fruit when swelling must have plenty of light. If this 

 li 'lit can be afforded them there is no necessity for shifting 

 lants at all, and, therefore, we can offer no definite in- 

 structions as to the number of times the plants will require 

 shifting from place to place. If your roof is at all thickly 

 c iti ed with Vine foliage, the Strawberries previously set will 

 swell tinder the foliage, but be deficient in flavour ; and suc- 

 ms of Strawberry plants will only do well if they have 

 not set their fruit before being admitted, by affording them 

 an open space either at the back or the front of the house. 

 There, from air passing over them, they will set their bloom in 

 o rather high temperature, but they will do this very im- 

 perfectly in shade. They will do all the better as successions 

 when they are forwarded a little in frames beforehand. For 

 instance, the check or change is too great when Strawberry 

 plants are taken from the open air into a temperature of 65°, 

 but if taken from a frame where they had a temperature of 

 from 55' to 60° the change is little felt. 



On the simple principle that all forcing of hardy fruits sue- 

 best when the forcing proceeds gradually from a low 

 rature to a high one, in all such cases as the vinery to 

 which you refer, the first crop of Strawberries in the house will 

 often be the best, because if the Strawberry plants are placed 

 in the house before you commence forcing, the temperature 

 will gradually be increased from 45° to 60°, and in very warm 

 nights to a little more. Whore people have vineries to come 

 in m succession to each other, the crops of Strawberries can 

 receive something like justice by merely taking a crop out of 

 each house. Bear in mind, that Justin proportion as you place 

 terries or Potatoes in a high temperature at once, will 

 be not only the tendency to weakness in the plants, but the 

 likelihood of their being attacked by insects, which may also 

 find their way to your Vines. We speak thus unreservedly, 

 because, though in Peach-houses and vineries, by due prepara- 

 tion of the plants and affording light spaces to successions, 

 almost as much fruit has been gathered as would pay for the 

 expense of forcing the house, we would wish it to be clearly 

 understood that without that preparation and much shifting 

 little good will be done except with the first crop, and even 

 that, flavour will much depend on the light given. 



Hence, though Mr. Fish has never had a house which he 

 could devote to Strawberries, but had to do all that was pos- 

 sible by shifting, at a great amount of labour, just as you will 

 have to do, he is fully convinced that the cheapest plan on the 

 whole would be to have a Strawberry-house in several divisions, 

 such as was described as existing at Enville ; then each divi- 

 sion could have the very treatment and temperature required, 

 and could be filled several times during the season, and there 

 would be no trouble with shade or too much heat. When 

 Strawberries bear in the open air the house could be devoted 

 to another purpose. Meanwhile you may do much in your 

 vinery, and without injuring the Vines, if you bear in mind 

 that, 'at least before the bloom sets, the plants must have light 

 ami air, and be seldom in a temperature of more than 60° at 

 night—if not higher than 55° all the better for them. 



You may, as you propose, forward the Potatoes under the 

 shade of Vines, to go out under the protection of cold frames ; 



