Tune 24, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOBTIOULTURR AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



491 



discovery merely, but a? a destructive agent jeopardising the 

 crop of a valuable esculent. 



At Cbiswick we note three distinct circumstances — viz., 

 First, that the disease is extensive; second, that English 

 varieties are perfectly free ; and third, that it is nowhere present 

 in the crops of American varieties from imported seed. 



The disease is not in one part of the garden alone, but in 

 every part where American varieties are grown. In one 

 quarter we find rows of Begents, every plant of which is in 

 perfect health, and the next row of Euly Rose is practically 

 ruined. Some roots are fresh enough, but for twenty roots 

 together decay of the haulm is complete. On another border 

 which is devoted to the trial of several kinds, we find amidst 

 Mr. Fenn's seedhngs (which are uniformly healthy and in a 

 high degree promising), six rows of American Snowflake with 

 ten sets in each row. Out of these sixty sets there are just six 

 healthy plants, the rest not being slightly affected, but the 

 haulm absolutely decayed and the produce worthless. Again, 

 we find rows of American Breadfruit, imported seed supplied 

 by Messrs. Carter & Co., perfectly healthy, and Snowflake 

 by their side from English seed extensively diseased. The 

 disease is thus limited to American varieties from English 

 seed, the garden affording no instance of an English variety 

 being affected, nor yet an American variety from imported 

 seed. 



Having noticed the incidence and peculiarities of the disease 

 we glance at its characteristics. So far as we could see, the 

 main — visible — seat of the malady is the stem of the plant 

 just at or very sUghtly within the surface of the soil. It is 

 best explained by the perfect analogy afforded by a decayed 

 post; above ground it is sound, and below sound, but between 

 these points it is decayed. 



Out of dozens of stems we pulled up not one of them but 

 was most affected at the point named. Some were absolutely 

 rotten, and affording a feeding ground for grubs and fungi ; 

 while others only slightly affected were merely discoloured and 

 partly shrivelled, precisely and exactly as are plants which are 

 "damping" or "fogging off." The old sets of some were 

 perfectly sound and healthy, and were even pushing out fresh 

 growth ; and some of che stems which above ground were rotten, 

 below it were pushing fresh white rootlets. Is the fungus 

 which takes possession of the plants the cause or the effect of 

 the disease ? That is an important point to determine ; but 

 taking a practical rather than a scientific view of the case, we 

 cannot suppose it to be the cause. That, however, is the 

 subject of special investigation. 



The disease is distinct from the old murrain in appearance, 

 and also in being affected by weather influences. The old 

 disease spreads most rapidly with rain ; the new increased the 

 most quickly under the late dry sunny weather. Since the 

 rains the progress of the malady has been slower, and the 

 plants are generally more healthy and show fewer fresh out- 

 breaks. It would appear that the real seat of the disease is in 

 the seed tuber, and that when once acquired it is hereditary. 

 Certain it is that in instances more or less fiequent it has 

 exhibited itself during the past few years, and, unfortunately, 

 not much less certainly is it increasing in virulency. At 

 Chiswick it is unquestionably severe, and the warning we have 

 given is no hurried note of alarm, but a timely notice of an 

 established outbreak. All the American varieties from English 

 seed are affected except Alpha. 



Although at Chiswick none of the crop growing from im- 

 ported seed is attacked, Mr. Fenn's experience proves that such 

 seed is not invulnerable to the inroads of the disease. — Ens.] 



mile of the gardens at Kensington should be £10 10s. annually. 

 The raising of the subscriptions would tend to enhance the 

 value of the attractions by restricting the enjoyment of them 

 to a select company. He believed this would raise the Society's 

 income from subscriptions of Fellows alone to £20,000, which 

 would leave something for the redemption of the debenture 

 debt. Assuming that only 1000 Fellows joined at £10 10s. 

 it would realise 10,000 guineas. The exhibitions, life com- 

 positions, admissions to the gardens, and miscellaneous re- 

 ceipts would bring the income up to £20,000, and, as the 

 working expenses would be £17,000, there would be a balance 

 of £3000 to pay off the debt. He moved, "That in any 

 scheme which may be promoted with a view to the restoration 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society to its original high position, 

 the annual subscription of Fellows within one mile of the 

 gardens at South Kensington should be fixed at a minimum 

 rate of ten guineas, and that the Fellows' tickets should be 

 used only by resident members of the families of Fellows." 

 Mr. R. Dean, Dr. Denny, Mr. P. Barr, Mr. D. Wooster, and 

 others addressed the meeting, and a general opinion was ex- 

 pressed that the failure of the Society was mainly due to bad 

 management, caused by dissensions in the Council. The 

 resolution was then carried, and it was decided that it be 

 forwarded to the Council of the Society. 



BOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 On the ICth there was a meeting of some of the Fellows at 

 the Charing Cross Hotel, " to consider the present position 

 and prospects of the Society." Mr. A. F. Godson, the Chair- 

 man, said the object was to prepare a practical scheme to 

 extricate the Society from its difficulties. Mr. Shirley Hibberd 

 said the Fellows could not sell their laud, and they had no 

 available assets. The arrangement must provide for existing 

 covenants, to perform all duties prescribed by the charter, 

 to make the best of the lease, the best of the Society's relations 

 with the Commissioners of the Exhibition of 1862, and the 

 very best of the local Fellows. To reconstruct the Society on 

 a sound basis the London garden must be kept in the most per- 

 fect condition possible, and improvemunts should be made in 

 the gardens by which the expenditure would amount to £17,000 

 per year. The subscriptions for the Fellows residing within a 



GEOS GUILLAUME VINE. 



Mk. Abbey is perfectly justified, according to his own ex- 

 perience with this fine Grape, in differing from me in 

 common with the author of the "Fruit Manual" and Mr. 

 Luckhurst, as to its being a shy bearer under the orthodox 

 system of short-spur-pruning. With Mr. Abbey it has fruited 

 freely under that treatment, and perhaps it may continue to 

 do so, and — perhaps not. For the first few years of a Vine's 

 life the orthodox form of close pruning is permissible with any 

 variety, for so long as there is a yearly extension of cane which 

 has not to be cut away, the system of cutting-in the side 

 growths can hardly be called " close pruning." It is when 

 there can be no further extension, but when every shoot, 

 including the terminal one, is cut to within half an inch of 

 the previous year's wood, that Gros GuiUaume is so often shy 

 in producing fruit, while other varieties yield Grapes in the 

 greatest perfection. 



Notwithstanding Mr. Abbey's experience to the contrary, 

 I am of opinion that the shyness of the Grape in question 

 under the common mode of pruning is to be attributed its 

 absence from nine-tenths of the vineries in the country. If it 

 is not generally shy why this significant absence? It cannot 

 be that its quality is either inferior or its appearance any- 

 thing approaching to poor, for to the eye it is fine and to the 

 palate agreeable. For a few years it is common for this Grape 

 to bear well, but after the Vine has filled its allotted space and 

 close pruning in its integrity is carried out, then it is that 

 failure has been so common as practically to banish it from 

 many establishments. Had it been really a free bearer under 

 the ordinary system of pruning its other good qualities must 

 have ensured its increase; it would, like the Black Hamburgh, 

 Alicante, and Lady Dowue's Seedling, have been planted as a 

 staple variety, whereas the rule is to limit its culture to a 

 Vine or two in a place, just to " keep the sort." 



The author of the " Fruit Manual " says the Vine is " a bad 

 bearer except on poor soils," which amounts to this — that in 

 ordinary soils it is of gross habit, and hence must not be 

 mutilated so violently as those of moderate growth. Mr. 

 Luckhurst has found that to be true. So have I. I have 

 found the Vine to bear freely for half a dozen years, and then 

 to cease showing fruit. I have seen it year after year under 

 the hard pruning practically barren, and subsequently on 

 affording it more room and an extension of cane again become 

 satisfactorily fruitful. 



I had last year opportunities, in at the least twenty instances, 

 of seeing this Grape grown, but only in one place was it really 

 satisfactory and relied on as the staple late Grape ; and this 

 case afforded a striking proof of the soundness of Mr. Luck- 

 hurst's views and my confirmation of them. There were twenty 

 Vines in the same house and border, and of the same age. 

 Some of these Vines and some parts of the others had been 

 pruned closely in to the old wood, the rest and other portions 

 being furnished with canes laid in thinly from the previous 

 year's growth. The advantage of tho long pruning was over- 

 whelming, for there alone wore tho grand Grapes. I have 

 experienced precisely the same results, hence it was that I was 



