Jnly 2, 1874. 1 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTORB AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



JULY 2—8, 1874. 



Spalding Horticultural Show. 



Devou and Exeter Rose Show. 



Jungermann born, 157*2. 



5 Sunday ^fter Thinity. 



Meeiiuji of EntumriloKicdl Society, 7 I'.ai. 



MidlaDd Horticaltural Show opeus. 



liojal Botanic Society's Evening Fete. 



Average Tempera- 

 ture Dear Londun. 



Rain in 

 43 years. 



Days. 

 17 

 19 

 15 

 17 

 19 

 22 

 20 



San 

 Rises 



m, h. 

 50af3 

 50 3 



Snn 

 iSels. 



Moon 

 Uises. 



m. h. 

 18 at 8 

 17 8 



m. h. 



42 10 



11 



15 11 



29 11 



42 11 



66 11 



Moon 

 Sets. 



56 11 



after. 

 47 2 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Days. 

 18 

 19 



20 

 21 



c 



23 

 24 



Clock 



before 

 Sun. 



Day 



of 

 Year. 



183 

 181 

 185 



186 

 187 

 188 

 189 



LIBRARY 



NEW VOU 

 tOTAMC/ 

 OARDEf-. 



From observations taken near London daring forty-three years, the average day temoeratare of the week Is 71.«''; and its night tomperatore 

 50.5-. The greatest heat was 97^ on the 5th, 1852 ; and the lowest cold 33^ on the 7th, 1864. The greatest fall of ram was 0.78 laoh. 



->iS^- 



MUSCAT GRAPES. 



MATEUES generally seem to think there is 

 something difficult or mysterious about grow- 

 ing Muscat Grapes, and the same feeling is 

 not altogether absent from professional gar- 

 deners. The poor appearance of this class 

 of Grapes, too, at many establishments where 

 other sorts are well grown, tends to confirm 

 the idea that there is some mystery about 

 their cultm-e. Once get rid of these wrong 

 notions, and the culture of the Muscat of 

 Alexandria becomes as simple as that of the Black Ham- 

 burgh. It is necessary, however, to bear in mind two or 

 three facts concerning it : It does not flower so early as 

 the Black Hamburgh ; it takes a longer period than that 

 variety to ripen to perfection, for instance, supposing the 

 Black Hambm-gh takes five months and a half, the Muscat 

 of Alexandria and its varieties will take seven months ; 

 it wants more light than black Grapes do, for the latter 

 will colour perfectly under the thickest foliage. Muscats 

 must have space between the leaves for the light to reach 

 the fruit. Excepting in the hottest part of summer, they 

 •will bear the sun shining directly on the fruit. They are 

 also grosser feeders than the Black Hamburgh. 



Muscat Grapes can be grown with a certain amount of 

 success in a Black Hamburgh house, but owing to their 

 flowering and ripening at a later season than the Ham- 

 burghs, they canndt be expected to grow to perfection 

 there. If Grapes with a Muscat flavour are required 

 from a Hamburgh house it is better to depend on some 

 of the early Frontignan varieties, which flower and ripen 

 about the same time as the Hamburghs, and can be 

 grown perfectly with them. 



Where a house cannot be devoted specially to Muscats 

 they can be grown to great perfection in a house with 

 Buch sorts as Lady Downe's, Alicante, and Mrs. Pince, 

 •taking care to afford them more room than the black 

 varieties, for the reason I have already given — that they 

 require more light. The best place to grow them, where 

 a large quantity is required, is a good-sized span-roofed 

 house, with the ends running north and south ; they there 

 get the benefit of the sun all day long ; it shines most 

 directly on them in the morning and evening, and they 

 are partially shaded at midday by the rafters. The Vines 

 should not be planted nearer together than 5 or C feet 

 if they are intended to be kept to one main rod ; if they 

 are not intended to be restricted to one rod, they should 

 then be allotted a similar space for each main stem that 

 is allowed to grow. The weight of fruit will be as great 

 as if the Vines were crowded, and the quality, of course, 

 will be infinitely superior. 



It is altogether a mistake to suppose that Muscats 

 require more fire heat than other Vines. I never attempt 

 to keep them higher than 55° diu'ing cold nights in the 

 spring, and they are often as low as 50', even when in 

 flower. As for setting, I can assure my readers that I 

 have had as much dilBculty to thin Muscats this season 

 as I 'have had to thin Hamburghs. I beheve the prin- 



, No. 63i.-VoL. XXVII., New Seeies. 



cipal cause of bad setting is too much fire heat and too 

 little air and water. 



Muscats should not be kept stopped too closely while 

 the fruit is swelling. Stop them at first three or (our 

 leaves beyond the bunch, then allow them while they are 

 flowering to make another leaf or two, and also during 

 the second swelling. Till the fruit is nearly full grown, 

 they should be allowed to make as much foliage as there 

 is room for without obstructing the hght from the fruit. 

 When the fruit is fully grown, some of the immature 

 shoots may be cut ofl', which wiU hasten the ripening of 

 the principal eyes for the coming season. 



Such plants as Azaleas, Fuchsias, Gardenias, Gera- 

 niums, &c., can be grown perfectly well in the same house 

 up to the middle or end of May ; after which time only 

 such things as grow best in the shade can be accommo- 

 dated. — William Taylok. 



ANTHUEIUM SCHERZERIANUM CULTURE. 



ToDE correspondent "T. J. H." asks me to say a few 

 words respecting the culture of this now well-known and 

 much- valued plant, and truly they must perforce be few, 

 for I really know of nothing requiring less care and 

 trouble than the plant in question. I have often thought 

 it a nice subject for discussion and a puzzle for the judges 

 when I have seen this plant staged as one in a collection 

 of stove and greenhouse plants in flower, when really it 

 often has not had a single flower open upon the spadix. 

 I have known people assert that the spathe was really 

 and truly the bloom, but few of my readers will have 

 fallen into this error. For matter of argument we might 

 say Anthuriutn Scberzerianum cannot be classed as a 

 first-rate ornamental-leaved plant, because the foliage is 

 not sufficiently attractive to allow of its admission to this 

 section. Then, again, it is not a plant remarkable for 

 the beauty of its flowers, for these are extremely small 

 and unattractive ; but the beauty and brdhancy of its 

 spathe or floral leaf is such that it at once carries the 

 day against all competition, and lan'ds it quite in the 

 front rank, in spite of the immense number of exotic gems 

 which now serve to enchant our eyes in the gardens of 

 horticulturists throughout the length and breadth of the 

 three kingdoms. I have heard the question raised as to 

 whether it should take rank as a stove or greenhouse 

 plant, but I think there cannot be a shadow of reason on 

 the side of those who argue for the latter. True, during 

 some four months of summer it thrives admirably in 

 the greenhouse or conservatory, but it is too frequently 

 forgotten that in such structures the thermometer ranges 

 very high during summer, but that if the plant were 

 left in the same position all the winter it would pre- 

 sent a wobegone appearance, if, indeed, life existed in it 

 at all. 



There are many varieties of this plant now to be found 

 in our plant houses, some of which have been imported 

 direct, but the greater number of our plants are home 

 seedhn^s. However, amongst the thousands which I have 

 seen I could not say I have met with even one which 



No. 1344 —Vol.. LH., Ou> SSSIZS. 



