XXIV PROCEEDINGS. 



Miscellaneous subjects of Exhibition. Black Hamburgh 

 grapes, plump and fresh, but rather deficient in colour, 

 from G. Crawshay, Esq., of Colney Hatch. These were 

 stated to have been grown according to Mr. Crawshay's 

 usual plan, viz., in a house to which no fire-heat had been 

 applied except in November and December, when small 

 fires were lighted merely to dry up damp. The vineries at 

 Colney Hatch are well ventilated, and to this circumstance 

 chiefly is no doubt to be attributed Mr. Crawshay's success 

 in keeping his grapes plump and fresh till this late period. 

 From Mr. Vick, of Chichester, some Black Hamburgh 

 Grapes. " The sample sent," wrote Mr. Vick, " is part 

 of 7 lbs. which I cut this morning (16th January) from a 

 vine growing upon the south front of my dwelling-house. 

 The season of 1847, although dry and warm, was very un- 

 favourable for ripening grapes out of doors, from the 

 circumstance of their being three weeks or a month later 

 than usual in coming into blossom ; and the season being 

 far advanced before they began, to colour, I thought I 

 would endeavour to assist them by placing some small 

 cucumber lights, which 1 had lying by me, over the vine, 

 in a sloping direction, so as to project from the house about 

 2k feet : this, with the assistance of a net suspended from 

 the lights, was all the pi'otection they received, and which 

 has preserved them to the present period." The grapes 

 exhibited were quite ripe and well coloured. Mr. Hewitt, 

 gardener to J. Purday, Esq., of Bayswater, sent a Black 

 Antigua Pine Apple, forming a perfect pyramid, and 

 weighing 4 lbs. 10 oz. Mr. Glendinning, of the Chiswick 

 Nursery, showed a Gesnerwort, resembling G. Hondensis or 

 breviflora ; and finally, from Mr. Bowers, of Busbridge, 

 Godalming, Surrey, was a watering-pot tube, whose novelty 

 consisted in its having a valve at the tip, moved by a lever 

 working on a spring. " I have found this simple contriv- 

 ance," says Mr. Bowers, " most useful in watering pot 

 plants in houses, particularly on wide benches, &c., the 

 operator, without half the usual labour and loss of water, 

 being enabled to supply every plant, however dissimilar, 

 with its dvie portion to a drop. The watering-pot being 

 held between both hands, the thumb of the left hand placed 

 on the lever lifts the valve, and allows much or little 

 water to flow according to the requirements of the plant ; 

 and the instant the pressure is removed the water is shut 

 off". The lever is worked as easily as the key of a German 

 flute. With this invention plants can be watered without 

 washing the soil out of the pots, which is apt to be done by 



