81 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTDEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



r J«nii»ry 80, UM. ^^ 



BtUl for a long timo nttor they bml Rrown about 18 iuebos, and 

 eiliaustoJ, as I enpposc, the sturcd-up sap. At length, after 

 a conHidcrablo nniount of patienco bad been exorcised, tbcy 

 started into growtb, an J did pretty well. Two years afterwards 

 on examining tbe insido border I found the original roots of 

 tboso Vines absulutcly rotten. Tbe laycd part of tbeir stems 

 bad not tbickened in tbe least, rather tbe reverse, and on 

 folloiring n]> those stems no roots nero found till the place was 

 reached where tbo Vino entered tbe border in front. The stems 

 and old roots were cut away. I have planted a good many 

 Vines in a variety of ways during some years, and could see 

 nothing bnt mischief arising from biying tlie stems in the soil. 



I will refer to another iustanco ilillcring from the foregoing. 

 In tbe course of renewing tbo Vines in a couple of vineries a 

 lew years ago, after planting there were some fine, strong, well- 

 ripened Ilamburghs for which I bad no particular use, and so I 

 determined to try the coiling system with them. In the new 

 border insido tbo two vineries 1 plunged a row of these Vines, 

 pots and all, in the soil. They were plunged so that tbo stems 

 were buried in tbe border in a perpendicular position to tbe 

 depth of a foot or 15 inches above tlie surface of the pot. Now 

 these were splendid Vines, with buds like Nuts, and tbe object 

 was to dwarf them a little, and prepare them for table. With 

 tliis view a small pot was passed over each, so that it rested 

 OQ tbe .surface of the soil, and tbo Vines pushed np through tbe 

 pots to tbe length of about ;! feet. Those Vines broke strongly, 

 showed magnificent bimches for pot Vines, but soon came to a 

 standstill, and never did any good. When they were removed 

 it was found that tbe original roots in tbe pots had never made 

 a move, and that an effort bad been made to overcome tbeir 

 unnatural position by emitting roots near the surface. I bad 

 often forced Viues in pots before, and have since, bnt never 

 without success, except when a portion of tbe stem was laid. 



I could point to still another case adverse to laying Vines ; 

 Muscats which had been planted two years in one house were 

 removed to another, and in planting them about 3 feet of 

 their stems was layed. In tbe first year they made very little 

 growth, and during tbe second tbeir growth was not good, 

 and the bunches all wired. The third year they fruited, but 

 not satisfactorily. Improvement took place yearly, bnt they 

 cannot now be said to have succeeded so well as they ought to 

 have done. If examined now there is a tbickened lump on tbe 

 stems near the surface of the soil, and below that a mass of 

 roots. Tbe stems below or beyond that were layed in tbe soil, 

 and have not thickened in the least since the day they were 

 plantel, and have only a small insignilicant root here and there. 

 Now I am perfectly well convinced that aU these Viues would 

 have done better had they not been layed, because all their 

 cotemporariea not layed beat them completely. I have tried 

 a good many ways of planting Vines. In one instance, for the 

 satisfaction of my assistants, I planted a year-old Vine from 

 a pot without in the least breaking-up the ball or uncoiling the 

 roots. It was a strong Vine in an eight-inch pot. All tbe 

 others in tbo same house, thirty-two in number, made magni- 

 ficent growths ; their roots were all uncoiled and washed. The 

 Vine planted with the ball entire did not do nearly so well the 

 first year, but it grew well in a few years, and made a good 

 Vine. I prefer sha k i n g out the roots entirely, and not burv-ing 

 a morsel of the stem. 



Perhaps tbo experience of Mr. Rivera is quite opposite to 

 mine as regards this coiling or laying system ; but your readers 

 will not be the worse of knowing that there are two sides to 

 this as to every other (juestion. What the consequences might 

 be if the stem of a Vino were merely pegged down to tbe sur- 

 face of tbe soU and not covered with mould I do not know, but 

 I mean, if spared, to try the experiment. I rather think, how- 

 eyer, that it is not tbe order of Nature with many plants to 

 have many points for forming roots with adv.intugc. The Vine, 

 however, forms roots more freely than many plants or trees. 

 The liber of tbe Vino is thin, and lilie many more subjects, it 

 costs its coat yearly, and so exposes the channel for tbe down- 

 ward sap more to tho influence of the soil in which it is 

 buried. — D. Thomson-. 



will become so under tbe management suggested by " J. H." 

 remains to be proven ; but I cannot endorse tho statement 

 made by him to the effect that out of every hundred Mosas 

 fmitcd in this country four only are good-flavoured. 



lly the way, is it not time "J. H." removed the veil in which 

 ho is .shrouded? Tlie statements we have read from him 

 lately have made all tbe gardeners with whom I am acquainted 

 exclaim, " Can these things be?" — Wm. Hrou Ooweb, Keic. 



[Our young correspondent and his friends need not be in- 

 credulous of the statements made by " J. H." We know him 

 to be a gentleman whoso word may be depended upon. He 

 has had largo experience in the culture ol tropical fruits, ia 

 now engaged in erecting houses for their extensive cultivation, 

 and is well-known to some of our most distinguished Orchid 

 cultivators. It pleases him not to proclaim bis nam« and 

 residence, and wi.sely for his own comfort does he thus avoid 

 publicity, for as it is, we have had to forward to him many more 

 letters than are desirable for an invalid to have to answer. 

 —Eds.] 



MUSA "\^TTATA. 

 Fob the information of Mr. Sayers and " .J. H." I may state 

 that tbe above-named plant fruited for tbo first time in Europe 

 about three years since in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 

 Two years ago a smaller plant also fruited in tbe same gardens, 

 but upon neither occasion was tho produce eatable. That it 



SO■V^^NG AND AiTER-MANAGKMENT 



OF PELAllOOSILM, VERBEN.\, XSV> OTHER CHOICE SEEDS. 

 {Continued j'rvm patje 198.) 



KxcorinoE tho young plants to grow as fast as they can, 

 giving them at tbo same time all tbe air possible to cause 

 them to become stocky, as well as to prevent tneir damp- 

 ing off. As soon as they hove well filled their pots with roots 

 and have made from seven to ten good leaves, they may be 

 shifted into 48-sized pots. The soil for this potting should be 

 stronger and not sifted so fine as recommended before ; if it ia 

 rubbed through a riddlo about three-quarters of an inch in the 

 mesh it will be quite fine enough for them. Two-thirds of 

 nice fibry loam, and one of leaf soO and sand should be used, 

 and as much of it rubbed through the riddle as possible. The 

 same care must be taken in crocking tho pots as before, only 

 so many crocks will not be required. I use about four pieces 

 for a four-inch pot ; placing the largest piece over the hole in 

 tbo bottom of the pot, the others are then put in aroimd it, 

 and some of the clean fibre that could not be rubbed through 

 tho sieve is then placed on the crocks, just enough to prevent 

 the soil from trickling down amongst the drainage. The stem 

 of the plant should not be buried any deeper at this potting 

 than it was before. The pots should be filled up lightly with 

 tbe soU till about two-thirds full, then turn the plant carefully 

 out of its jiot, and after disentangling the roots from the 

 drainage draw the soil into a little hUlock in the centre of the 

 pot. The plant should then be placed on tho centre of the 

 hillock, or cone, and the roots nicely spread out over its sides, 

 a handful of the finest soil from the heap on the bench being 

 then Ughtly sprinkled over them. After this baa been done 

 the pot may be filled up all round, then take it up with both 

 hands, keepiug both thumbs on the ball of tbe plant, one on 

 each side of the stem, with the fingers clasping tbe sides of 

 tbe pot, then tap the pot gently on the bench tUl the ball of 

 the plant and the soil surrounding it have sunk down to about 

 half nu inch below tho rim. It is of great importance to keep 

 the thiunb of each hand firmly fixed on the ball of the plant. 

 This kee])S it steady, and prevents its jumping about in the 

 loose soil. If the operation of potting is carefully perfonned 

 there need not boa single root broken, they will aU be in their 

 proper positions, and will at once begin working in the new 

 soil. 



None bnt those who have minutely watched the growth ol a 

 plant that has been potted with every care, and one that has 

 been carelessly potted, would credit how great is tho difference 

 in their growth afterwards. This, then, is a part of the system 

 of plant-growing that should be performed with great care, 

 although some will say that where there are so many thousands 

 of \onng plants to bo potted it is a waste of time ; but this ia 

 a great mistake, for if the operator will only take an interest in 

 what be is doing he will perform his work well and quite as 

 expeditiously as be who sticks his plants into their pots in any 

 way, and fancies tliat ho is very clever because he can pot a 

 certain number of plants in an hour or a day. His hands may 

 have been \ery busy, and at tbe end of an honr the bench may 

 be nearly fiUcd up with plants, but on nimiing tbe eye over 

 them one sees many of them very much out of the perpen- 

 dicular, some are far from being in the centre of tbe pot, 

 whilst in the ease of others the soil has been pressed into hard 

 uneveu lumps above the level of the pots ; and if you wUI take 



