March 25, 1873. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



220 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



MARCH 23-31,1375. 



Lady-day. Slessrs. Vcitch & Song' ExhibiUou of 

 Good Friday. [ Spriup Fl.iwers at Chelsei. 



Eoyal Horticulfcuiiil Socier.y, :\Ir. W. Paul'.^ Es'iibitiou 

 Ea'stkr Sunday. [ of Spring Flowers to .Vpril 3nl. 



BanklloliiUy. Mr. Ciitbiiati's Spring Show at High- 

 Chemical Society Anniversary at S P.M. [gate. 

 Royal Botauio Sooioty's Spring Show. f 



Average p„„ 



Temperatare near maea. Sets- 



Day. 



50.9 

 618 

 51.1 

 53 

 53 7 

 63.7 

 5J.3 



Niffht. iMean. m. 



32,8 

 82.6 

 311 

 310 

 3J.4 

 34 3 

 33.9 



419 



42 2 

 441 



43 5 

 43 6 

 4t0 

 44.6 



51 

 49 

 40 

 44 

 43 

 40 



From obsermtions lako/. near LonJon during forty-three years, the acerago day terapcrataro of the week is 52.9-; and its night temperature 



SHANKING: ITS CAUSE AND CUEE. 



HANKING, like many other so-called dis- 

 eases, is rot a disease at all, it is merely a 

 reminder — and not always a gentle one — ou 

 the part of Nature that we do not (inder- 

 stand her teachings. I believe outdoor 

 Grapes do not often shank, and we know 

 they do not always have the most skilful 

 treatment, but put a glass covering over 

 them and they are at once liable to shank- 

 ing, imperfect setting, and all sorts of bad 

 behaviour. Why is this ? Why should they, like most 

 recipients of charity among the .genus homo, behave 

 badly in proportion to the amount of kindness lavished 

 on them ? tiimilar cases occur with many other plants 

 besides Vines ; they do tolerably well left to themselves, 

 but immediatoly they are nursed their constitution seems 

 impaired, and they require all sorts of indulgences. 



The reason is, we only possess a jiartial knowledge of 

 the plant's requirements. We perhaps understand per- 

 fectly what is required above ground to produce vigorous 

 growth, and even tolerably well-ripeued wood, and flatter 

 ourselves that all must be right, and picture in our mind's 

 eye the well-finished Grapes we shall have to astonish 

 our friends with in the coming summer. 



This illusion is kept up through the greater part of the 

 following season of growth ; the Vines break regularly 

 and stronglj' ; they show three times as many bunches 

 as are required ; they set well, if they are Hamburghs or 

 Sweetwaters, and swell rapidly ; they commence colour- 

 ing. All must be right this time ; but no, many of the 

 berries which should turn blue-black turn to a very ugly 

 red, and never ripen at all. 



On esamination it will be found that the st.alks of such 

 berries have shrivelled and ceased to perform their func- 

 tions. Sometimes the shanking will be visible before this 

 time, and occasionally it is delayed until the berries colour 

 tolerably well, but they will not become sweet ; yet at 

 whatever stage it is visible chronic cases always occur 

 from the same cause — viz., insufficient root action in 

 proportion to the growth at the top during the early part 

 of the season. 



There may be slight temporary cases resulting from 

 overcropping, denuding the plants of foliage or from in- 

 Buflicient watering, but the progress of shanking is then 

 easily arrested by a change of treatment. On the other 

 hand, let the roots of a Vine be in a cold outside border, 

 and its head comfortably housed in an average tempera- 

 ture of 711 during the cold spring months, nothing on 

 earth will prevent its fruit shanking after a few years of 

 Buch treatment. 



I am aware that most people who have to produce 

 early fruit from Vines which have their roots outside 

 profess to cover their borders, but are they always sure 

 the principal roots are under the covering? They may 

 be a hundred yards away. 



Shanking also occurs on Vines which have their roots 

 wholly inside the house, and even on those which are 



No. 731— Vol. XXVIII., New Series. 



unforced : can it then be said to arise from the same 

 cause ? Most assuredly. The Vine is like no other plant 

 with which I am acquainted, for it makes considerable 

 growth at the top, and even forms full-sized leaves, before 

 it commences to root ; and in the case of small cut-down 

 plants which are only allowed to make one shoot, the said 

 shoot grows from 9 to IH inches in length before a single 

 rootlet begins to move ; the length of such growth depends 

 mainly on the temperature in which it is made. 



If, then, it is clear that this growth is made from the 

 stored-up sap and the stored-up sap is limited, there is 

 no advantage in distributing it over 18 inches of growth 

 instead of confining it to 9 inches. For this reason I 

 prefer the growth to move as slowly as is consistent with 

 healthy growth till the roots commence action, and as 

 I know there must be a certain amount of foliage before 

 the roots can commence, I never disbud till the leaves 

 assume a darker green and plainly tell that they have 

 a new supply of nourishment. The growth made after 

 this will be more solid, and when ripened the wood will 

 be round and contain but little pith, instead ot being 

 flat, as it often is on young Vines which have been cut 

 do^vn. 



I have alluded to young cut-down Vines to make my 

 meaning clear. In the case of older Vines making 

 numerous growths it is very similar, only the growths 

 from being numerous are not so long. They also come 

 into full leaf before root- action commences, and the length 

 of growth thus made also mainly depends on atmospheric 

 conditions. The embryo bunch is already formed in the 

 plump bud of the previous year ; its supply of nourish- 

 ment till such timo as root-action commences is limited, 

 a high temperature as soon as the buds have started will 

 bring it out quicker than a medium one, and the bunch 

 will also look larger. This deceptive appearance is owing 

 to the flower stalks being longer than they should be ; in- 

 stead of being a quarter of an inch they are, perhaps, three- 

 eighths long, and of course weak in proportion. 



They will never recover this, and though they may 

 grow luxuriantly till colouring time, they will most as- 

 suredly shank. It must not bo thought that the length 

 aud strength of the flower stalks are determined after 

 these are visible, it is much earlier than this that the 

 mischief is done, although continued ill-treatment may 

 aggravate it. 



If my readers will agree with me as to the cause of 

 shanking, the cure will suggest itself — viz., a healthy 

 medium for the roots and a moderate temperature tiU 

 the flowers are set. They will probably find this cure 

 for shanking also a cure for bad setting. 5.j" is the mini- 

 mum atmospheric temperature aimed at for all Vines, 

 including Muscats, till the flowers are set ; •'j° lower occa- 

 sionally will do them no harm at any timo. After they 

 are set they will bear almost anything short of roasting. 

 My earliest Grapes are produced on pot V^ines, for which 

 the atmospheric temperature is about the same as that 

 given above, but they have a bo'tom heat of 80 to 95°. 



If the roots of a Vine are in a greenhouse, the border 

 is often covered with plants all through the spdng months 



No. 1332,— Vol, LIII., Old Series. 



