224 



JOUBNAL OP HOBTICDLTUKB AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



r Much so, lees. 



When the eyes have rooted and made growth alike at top and 

 hottom, and the pots are full of roots, bring into the house a 

 quantity of soil suilicient for shifting them into larger pots, 

 and keep it there two or tliree days and nights to air. The 

 pots I now propose to give are fi inches in diameter, and only 

 one piece of crock should be placed over the hole, and then 

 half an inch of the fibrous parts of the soil, and over this 

 sprinkle as much soot as the thumb and two fingers will take 

 out of a flower- pot. This is to keep worms from coming through 

 the hole at the bottom of the pot, for I find them very trouble- 

 some in this respect when the pots are plunged in tan-beds. 



The following is the soil which I prefer to all others for 

 Vines in pots : — From a piece of old sward where the soil is 

 hazel or yellow loam, and the subsoil gravel, take off the turf 

 3 inches thick, and lay it up in nn open situation, grass side 

 downwards. On this place a layer of fresh horse-droppings 

 3 inches thick, without straw, another of sods, and so on to the 

 top of the heap. If sheep-droppings can bo Lad, use a layer of 

 them an inch thick in preference to horse-droppings. Lot the 

 heap 1 e six months, and then turn it over in dry weather 

 chopping it roughly with a spade, and sprinkling over it in the 

 turning a bushel of soot to every cartload. Allow the whole to 

 remain three months longer, and then turn it again when the 

 weather is dry and frosty. In three months more the dung will 

 have been mostly washed into the sods, or there will be very 

 little of it to be seen, and what there is not the heavy, soapy 

 mass, such as we have from manure rotted by itself. If soU 

 of the above description cannot be procured, as a substitute 

 collect from any wayside or place where the hedges are thin 

 from being choked at bottom, as many tufts of gi-ass as pos- 

 sible, aud not only take the tufts but their roots, and an inch 

 or two of soil along with them. Pile the tufts up, mixing with 

 every cartload half a bushel of salt, and the same of lime. 

 These materials should be left six months, and ought then to 

 be turned over, adding half-reduced horsedung, such as that 

 from an old Mushroom-bed, equal in quantity to one-sixth of the 

 whole. This mixture, turned over again in three months, will 

 at the end of three more constitute a compost that will gi'ow 

 Vines well. Failing the above composts, throw up in spring 

 some good, rather light soil, in alternate layers, with an equal 

 thickness of fresh dung ; after being twice turned the mixture 

 ■will be soil of fine quality for Vines. If the compost is natu- 

 rally full of fine sandy particles no further addition of sand 

 will bo necessary ; but if the soil is of a heavy nature, sufficient 

 should be added to bring it to the state of a rather sandy soil. 

 A quantity of the compost being taken into the house" where 

 the Vines are, to warm, and the pots being in readiness, turn 

 out the plants, and, after removing the old drainage, place 

 them in the fresh pots, but without taking them out of the 

 house. Pot the plants an inch deeper than they were before, 

 press the soil gently, though not very firmly, about the ball, 

 which is not to be disturbed, and give a gentle wntering, plung- 

 ing the pots at once in the hotbed as before. Sprinkle them 

 overhead twice daily, morning and evening, with water, which 

 must always be of the same temperature as the house, whether 

 used for syringing or watering. 



It sometimes happens that two shoots come from the eye. 

 Take away the weakest with the point of a sharp knife ; and 

 if there is a show for fruit, remove it in like manner, in both 

 cases early. The plants, being kept in the hotbed, will quickly 

 fill the pots with roots, and begin to spindle up weakly enough. 

 Endeavour to avoid this by affording them all the light possible, 

 and air on all favourable occasions, maintaining a temperature 

 of G5° by night and 70° by day, with a rise to 80° or 85° on cloudy 

 days with clear intervals, and to 85° or 90° on those which are 

 clear, air being given in propoi'tion to the increase in tempe- 

 rature. 



When the pots are full of roots repot the Vines at once into 

 nine-inch pots, plunging them for a time, or until the roots 

 reach the sides of the pot ; then withdraw the latter by degrees 

 fi-om the plunging material, and finally remove them to a house 

 where they have abundance of light and are not far from the 

 glass. If there is room in the place or house where the eyes 

 were raised, do not shift them out of it, but continue them in 

 the bed. After the canes begin to run a neat stick should be 

 placed by each, a small one at first, and a stronger one after- 

 wards, and the shoots tied to it loosely. I do not approve of 

 keeping the canes trained to upright "stakes the first season, 

 for it tends to render them weak at bottom, and the eyes there 

 are poor, and the shoots that proceed from them in the follow- 

 ing year fruitless, or productive of very small bunches. I do 

 not consider that the canes ought to be kept trained erect after 



the Vines are put in their fruiting pots. The canes after their 

 last potting should be trained to the roof of a light well-venti- 

 lated structure, having the roquisito heat, and at a distance of 

 not exceeding 16 inches, nor less than '.( inches from the 

 glass. — G. Abbey. 



(To be contiaiud.) 



AMOUNT OP SAP LOST BY A \TNE BY 



BLEEDING. 



Ax experiment I tried with a Vine twelve months ago may 

 be deemed of sufficient interest to be allowed a corner in the 

 .TonuNAL OF HoRTicci.TUBE, as showing that Vine-cultivators 

 need not be very nervous if a httlo bleeding do occur at start- 

 ing-time, owing to late pruning or other causes, although it 

 may be, and no doubt is, advisable by proper management to 

 prevent such a waste of sap altogether. 



The Vine was a Tokay, the roots of which were in an out- 

 side border. It had been planted sixteen years, and had to be 

 dispensed with to liberate its rafter for another Vine growing 

 in the inside pit. It was cut close to the bend below the bottom 

 of the rafter, leaving one spur, on the 7th of April, 1865, at 

 10 r.u. 



OzH. Drs. 



April 8tli, 10 P.M., the Vino had bled 14 



., 9lh, „ „ 15 3 



„ loth, „ „ 18 8 



„ ll'li, ., „ 19 



„ 12th, „ , 16 



,. 13th. „ „ 9 6 



„ nth. „ „ 8 



„ 15th, „ „ a 



„ 16lh, „ „ 10 



., 17th, „ „ 4 



„ 19th, „ ,, in 48 hours .. 4 



105 2 

 or, Clbs. 9Jozs. 



During the first day or two the sap came perfectly bright and 

 insipid ; afterwards gradually more turbid, especially as the 

 diminution became considerable towards its cessation, sur- 

 rounding and sealing the wound with a mucilaginous or starchy 

 deposit. Then the Vine quickly developed embryo buds in its 

 old stem, throwing out strong and vigorous shoots, and, when 

 these were removed, others with surprising persistence ; and 

 when all within reach were cut away, others followed from the 

 lowest parts of the stem to the very end of the growing season, 

 and the Vine is now, pxobably, waiting the return of warmth 

 to renew its efforts. — Thomas Wilson, Thomton-in-Craven. 



WORK FOR THE VkTEEK. 



KITCHEN GAKDEX. 



WniLE the present favom-able weather continues the prin- 

 cipal sowings of summer crops will be completed in most 

 localities, and there will be more time to attend to hoeing, 

 surface-stirring, and earthing-np amongst advancing crops. 

 The pulverisation of the soil is one of the best preservatives 

 against the effects of frost. Ufi(, make a small sowing of Bed. 

 Broccoli, trench ground where this crop and Brussels Sprouts 

 are past use. The former cut, and the latter where not picked 

 running to seed, pull up the stalks and lay them regularly over 

 the whole surface of the groimd, then spread a few barrow- 

 loads of hot lime over them previous to their being trenched 

 into the ground, it will kill snails and hasten decomposition. 

 Sow (irange's Early White and Early Purple Broccoli, and 

 Brussels Sprouts. Carrots in frames, thin out. Attend to the 

 pricking out of all seedling vegetables sown in boxes. See that 

 birds do not take the seeds of any of the Cabbage tribe just as 

 they are vegetating. Pieces of glass on a siring between stakes 

 are rattled by the wind and glitter in the sun, and are a means 

 of scaring them. Jerui-akm Artichokes, plantations of these 

 and Horseradish should be completed with the least possible 

 delay. Pciis, sow these and Broad Beans for succession, to- 

 gether with Spinach. Advancing crops of Peas should be 

 shaded from tiie effects of the snn on frosty mornings, the 

 earth to be kept well pulverised and drawn up to thsm as they 

 advance. Potatoes, if any of the eariy crop are peeping above 

 ground they had better have a little soil drawn over them, or 

 ho otherwise protected. Continue jdanting. Sarutjx sow, also 

 Chou de Milan and Scotch Kale for early winter supply. Snc- 

 cRsaions of saUids of all kinds must be kept up, and those 

 advancing thinned out. The backwardness of the season will 

 enable us to perform many operations which, generally speak- 



