136 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICDLTDEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



( Febraai7 18, 1875. 



watering them, and also the roots may get out at the bottom 

 of the pots. Moreover, I do not consider the root-growth so 

 healthy as it would be above ground in a larger pot where it 

 would be moderately aerated. Farther, the labour saved at 

 a time when labour is always scarce and valuable is immense, 

 and the pots can all be got in readiness in a dry shed during 

 bad weather ; and lastly, the young plants when layered into 

 the fruiting pots at first need not be severed so early, they 

 can continue to draw supplies from the parent plants tiU the 

 runners begin to wither, and there is no check from any cause 

 whatever. Taking into account the check received when the 

 runner is cut as soon as rooting has fairly commenced, the 

 shading necessarily following this, the breakage and bruising 

 of roots when transferring the plants from the small pots to 

 larger ones, I am persuaded that runners layered into the 

 fruiting pots are fully a fortnight in advance of those layered 

 in small pots and afterwards shifted. 



I suppose it is unnecessary to remind practical readers that 

 the more cheeks the plants receive the more liable they are 

 to insects. Bed spider is often very troublesome to forced 

 Strawberries ; it not only injures the foliage by extracting its 

 juices, but it is very partial to ripe fruit, and will frequently 

 disfigure it altogether by robbing it of its refreshing bright- 

 ness. My Strawberry plants last spring were entirely free 

 from red spider, and this season, too, they are so far free. I 

 attribute this to the summer treatment and the unchecked 

 growth resulting from it. I believe it is generally in summer 

 that the plants get their breeding stock of red spider, and 

 then as soon as they are introduced to warmth in spring they 

 are not slow to increase and multiply. 



Strawberries for forcing should not be kept in houses till 

 they are actually required to commence growth ; failing a cold 

 pit, they will do equally well plunged in a bank of ashes. The 

 plants of course are quite hardy; it is only the pots that 

 require protection. When in the forcing house, if the plants 

 are placed on shelves, it is a good plan to place a piece of turf 

 under each pot, which will greatly assist to keep them moist, 

 and if cut into squares a little larger than the pots they can 

 easily be moved about with them. The roots will enter the turf 

 and obtain nourishment from it, and when ripening commences 

 it will be found that the plants will bear to be kept drier than 

 they otherwise would, and it is also well known that the drier 

 they can be kept then without suffering the better flavoured 

 will be the fruit. On no account must a plant be allowed to 

 become very dry while the fruit is swelling ; it this happens 

 only once, it can never be fully remedied. If fine fruit is 

 required, six to eight are quite sufficient to have on a plant. 

 AU the late flowers should be cut off with a sharp pair of 

 scissors immediately a sufficient number of the forwardest are 

 seen to be perfectly developed. — Wm. Taylok. 



BLACK MUSCAT (MUSCAT HAMBURGH) GRAPE. 

 Opinions are conflicting as to the identity and merits of this 

 Grape. Dr. Hogg in the " Frait Manual " gives its name as 

 the Black Muscat ; Mr. Thompson in the " Gardener's Assist- 

 ant," page 670, describes the Black Muscat of Alexandria and 

 Muscat Hamburgh as distinct kinds. Muscat Hamburgh is 

 thus described by Mr. Thompson—" Leaves large, deeply three- 

 lobed, nearly smooth above, pubescent beneath; ribs set with 

 short bristly hairs. Bunch long, tapering, and shouldered. 

 Berries large, oval, black ; flesh of the consistence of the Black 

 Hamburgh, very rich, with a decidedly muscat flavour. This 

 excellent variety is stated to have been raised from the Black 

 Hamburgh crossed with the Muscat of Alexandria, in conse- 

 quence of which the rich muscat flavour of the latter has been 

 imparted to the Hamburgh breed, and a great desideratum 

 obtained. It fruited for the first time in 1848, and produced 

 fruit of great excellence in an old house, it was stated, without 

 fire heat. It is one of the best new Grapes in existence — in 

 fact we think the very best as far as we are aware." Mr. 

 Thompson describes the Black Muscat of Alexandria as follows 

 — " This in size, form, and quality is similar to the White 

 Muscat of Alexandria, the only difference being in regard to 

 colour. It is not generally cultivated, probably owing to its 

 requiring much heat and yet not always colouring well ; and 

 when that is the case, although its flavour may be good, its 

 appearance is inferior to that of the white variety, which is 

 accordingly preferred." To make the description complete we 

 must refer to Mr. Thompson's note on the Muscat of Alex- 

 andria (" Gardener's Assistant," page 672) — " Leaves large, 

 deeply lobed, sharply serrated, smooth above, slightly pubescent 



beneath ; petioles long, smooth, stained with red , as also are the 

 ribs for some distance from them. Bunch very large, strongly 

 shouldered. Berries large, oval, hanging loosely; skin rather 

 thick; flesh firm, with an exceedingly rich muscat flavour." 



Assuming Black Hamburgh to be Muscat Hamburgh, how 

 are we to reconcile the divergence of the descriptions ? Muscat 

 Hamburgh has a Hamburgh flesh, ripens in a house without 

 fire heat. Black Muscat has firm flesh and requires much heat. 

 Not knowing the Black Muscat that was cultivated prior to the 

 introduction of another kind under the title of Muscat Ham- 

 burgh I do not propose to express an opinion as to the identity 

 of the two, but I submit that there is greater similarity between 

 the Black Hamburgh and Muscat Hamburgh than between 

 Muscat of Alexandria and Muscat Hamburgh, and these I shall 

 note as best I can, taking that of the leaves first, then the 

 bunch, and influence of temperature. 



Firstly of the leaves. Muscat Hamburgh has leaves more 

 like a Black Hamburgh than Muscat of Alexandria. All are 

 five-lobed, the middle one tapering and elongated, and midrib 

 straight. The midrib of the principal side lobes is straight in 

 Muscat of Alexandria, but the midrib of the principal side lobes 

 of Black and JIuscat Hamburgh curve inwards, as also do 

 the lobes to the middle or central one. The lower divisions 

 of the leaves of Muscat Hamburgh meet or overlap at the foot- 

 stalk, those of Black Hamburgh and Muscat of Alexandria not 

 meeting or overlapping. The Muscat Hamburgh leaves are 

 deeply cut as regards those between the middle and principal 

 side lobes, as much so as those of Muscat of Alexandria, both 

 being twice as deeply cut as those of Black Hamburgh. The 

 divisions or cuts forming the two lower lobes are greater in 

 Muscat of Alexandria by one-third than in either Black or 

 Muscat Hamburgh, the length in both being about equal. The 

 leaves also in Muscat Hamburgh are more deeply serrated 

 than in either Black Hamburgh or Muscat of Alexandria. In 

 texture the leaves of Muscat Hamburgh are more flabby and 

 quicker dried up than either Muscat of Alexandria or Black 

 Hamburgh. 



The bunch of Muscat Hamburgh is more loose, and the 

 berry. stalks are thin and flexile as compared with Muscat of 

 Alexandria, which everybody knows are stiff and brittle. 



Then as to influence of temperature upon the three kinds, 

 I may state that I have these with others in a house forced to 

 ripen in May, and also in another to ripen in August. In the 

 first instance the Muscat Hamburgh starts as soon and as 

 freely as the Black Hamburgh or Mill Hill Hamburgh, they 

 being only a few days later than White Frontignan. Buck- 

 land Sweetwater starts same time as the Black Hamburgh. 

 Muscat of Alexandria is a fortnight later in starting than 

 White Frontignan, and fully a week later than Muscat Ham- 

 burgh. Muscat Hamburgh flowers simultaneously with the 

 Hamburghs. Muscat of Alexandria is seven to ten days later 

 in flowering ; and whilst the Muscat of Alexandria has a ten- 

 dency, when early forced, to dry up or shrivel in the bunch, the 

 Muscat Hamburgh exhibits no such tendency. The berries set 

 very freely, there being no small " deaf " flowers with spider- 

 weblike-thread footstalks which characterise Muscat of Alex- 

 andria. This defect is not confined to this variety, and is not 

 greater in it than in Lady Downes' and Mrs. Pince's. Muscat 

 Hamburgh commences to colour at the same time as Black 

 Hamburgh, and is ripe at the same time as it and Mill Hill 

 Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria being a fortnight later. The 

 flesh is firmer than Black Hamburgh, slightly crackling — about 

 half as much so as Muscat of Alexandria, and the muscat 

 flavour about as much developed as in Mrs. Pince's — in neither 

 not more than a third that of Muscat of Alexandria. It hangs 

 longer in good condition than Muscat of Alexandria ripened 

 in an early house, and does not lose its muscat flavour by 

 hanging. 



Its doings in the later house are only a confirmation of its 

 doings in the earlier one. Muscat Hamburgh starts with the 

 Black Hamburgh, ripens at the same time, and keeps in good 

 condition after the Black Hamburgh. Muscat of Alexandria 

 are spotted, and rotten if the air be damp, and like Mrs. 

 Pince's, and sometimes Lady Downes', are shrivelled if the 

 air be dry ; while Muscat Hamburgh has never yet spotted by 

 a too moist atmosphere, but, instead of this, cracks at the 

 point of the berry. It will hang well until February ; how 

 much longer I know not, as I have not tested, and the muscat 

 flavour is as marked at that time as in September. There is 

 one other point — viz., its colouring. It is the worst of any 

 Grape I know in this respect. Heavy crop and large bunches 

 in this, as in Hamburghs, result in bad colour. 



