Febrnmy 25, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



105 



for early forcing, planted chiefly with the Black Hamburgh I 

 and Muscadine varieties — one for late Black Hamburgh Grapes, 

 one for Muscat of Alexandria, one for West's St. Peter's and 

 Black Alicante, one for Lady Downe's and Mrs. Pince, and one 

 house which contains various sorts, together with pita used for 

 the purpose of forcing early Potatoes, Asparagus, &c. We will 

 now add the notes of another correspondent. 



Being in the neighbourhood of Bury St. Edmunds, I took 

 advantage of the opportunity to spend a few hours with Jfr. 

 Grieve, the head gardener to the Rev. E. R. Beuyon, so well 

 known to the horticultural public by his skill in crossing Pelar- 

 goniums of the Zonal section, especially the Tricolors. On first 

 entering the kitchen garden the visitor is struck by the way it 

 is laid out, and the method of training the Gooseberry bushes. 

 Very stout poles are inserted in the ground at the base of each 



bush, to which the trees are trained in the pyramid fashion. 

 A whole quarter is devoted to the bushes, and ample space 

 allowed between the rows to allow of gathering the fruit with 

 facility. The quarters of the garden are divided and sub- 

 divided by Yew hedges ; these are regularly furnished through- 

 out, and have been clipped and trained with mathematical 

 precision. This is certainly a very pleasing arrangement so 

 tar as effect is concerned, but its advantages are doubtful. 

 The hedges may shelter some crops, but they occupy much 

 space, and would uot do where ground is valuable. 



There are likewise extensive ranges of glass houses in the 

 kitchen garden. The first range we enter is a Muscat house 

 and Peach house. Some excellent Muscats were still hanging 

 on the Vines ; the bunches were small, but the berries pos- 

 sessed that high golden colour indicative of good cultivation 



Mr. Grieve cuts his spurs back close to the main stem, not 

 caring to cut to a good eye, which soon causes unsightly spurs 

 to form, but which is the sure way to get large bunches. Most 

 interesting to me were the two fine orchard houses. There 

 is a bed in the centre, which is planted with one row of Peach 

 trees feet apart. The side borders are planted with Cherries, 

 all the trees being trained in the bush or pyramid form. From 

 some cause Cherries do not succeed in the open air at Culford, 

 but excellent crops are obtained in the same house with the 

 Peaches. Some cultivators experience diiBculty in getting 

 Cherry trees to set their fruit ; but this need not be, if only 

 the atmosphere can be dry and air admitted night and day. 

 Black Hamburgh and Royal Muscadine Grapes are grown over 

 the passages from Vines trained to wires near the glass ; these 

 two sorts are the very best that can be planted in such position. 

 Another orchard house is devoted to Peaches and Nectarines 

 planted out and trained to a trellis overhead. The training 

 was different from anything I had previously seen. It may 

 be styled cordon training : main branches are trained either 

 horizontally or vertically, and the side growths roughly spurred 

 back after the manner of Vine rods. A large number of varie- 

 ties are grown. I inquired which were the best Peaches, and 

 they are Noblesse, Belle de la Croix, and Grosse Mignonne ; 

 and for early forcing. Royal George. Nectarines — Elruge, Im- 

 peratrice, and Pitmaston Orange. Mr. Grieve does not grow 

 Pine Apple, but it is certainly superior to all of the orange- 

 fleshed sorts. 



Decorative plants are trained to the back walls in some of 

 the houses, notably Habrothamnus elegans, which was plenti- 

 fully covered with deep rose-coloured flowers. Begonia insignis, 

 one of the very best for winter flowering, is much grown. 

 Amongst the bedding plants wintered in these lean-to vineries 

 were a large number of standard Zonale Pelargoniums, single 

 and double-flowered. The plants are trained to a clear stem 

 of S or 4 feet high ; the heads are trained to a circular wire, 

 and the plants supported by a stout stick when they are 

 planted-out in the beds. These plants, many of them ten 

 years old, are very useful for planting in the centres of beds 

 and as single specimens on a lawn. Of bedding Pelargoniums 

 the best white-flowered variety is a hybrid raised at Culford 

 named Dolly Varden ; it is a cross between a bronze Zonal 

 and P. peltatum elegans. Bronze Harry Hieover is the best 

 for small beds. Culford Rose and Culford Pink are both very 

 useful varieties for vases, especially the former. Bridal Wreath, 

 another hybrid Ivyleaf, is a favourite here. 



The vineries contain the Vine described and figured in the 

 .Journal (see pa3;e .583, No. 718) from which the bunch of Golden 

 Champion was cut from a cane of Trebbiano. I did not see the 

 bunch hanging, but those who did see it had no doubt what- 

 ever but that it was Golden Champion. It has also been found 

 that Muscat Hamburgh succeeds remarkably well worked on 

 the Frontignan stock. In the Lady Downe's house, where a 

 very large crop was hanging, were a few rods of Mrs. Pince's 

 Black Muscat, which is much liked for its good flavour, but it 



