JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ Jacnary 6, 187S. 



tion, I answer in reply, We do not live in the times when 

 wiseacres are prophets." 



At the present time, according to the " gennino Potato" who 

 "does not like to be uuder-rated," it is my "novelties" only 

 that are to be extinguished. I am very glad to learn that, 

 beeanse we shall still have some kinds left, and my existence 

 seems to be wound-up in Potatoes of some sort. Certainly 

 the disease came very early this year, and my seedlings being 

 mostly earlyish sorts would be more likely to suffer most this 

 season by consequence ; but I could show your correspondent 

 as fine samples of tubers in bulk as even a Scotchman would 

 desire to see. I never had a better yield or one freer from 

 disease, especially Rector of Woodstock, though I scarcely 

 remember the disease to arrive sooner. In nine summers out 

 of ten the Peronospora iufestans attacks us about the begin- 

 ning of August, and in nine seasons out of ten the majority 

 of my sorts would be found to be ripe by then and ready to 

 be taken safely from the ground. As to flavour, who shall 

 decide ? Why, it was written, to my utter astonishment, by a 

 confrere in a contemporary a short time ago, that by some the 

 acme of perfection of a Potato should be no flavour at all, but 

 the salt wherewith it was salted ! I wonder how the admirers 

 of that dictum would esteem the Punbar Regent ! I certainly 

 have endeavoured to impart a refined flavour into my seed- 

 lings, and I was under the impreetion, along with a host of 

 friends, that I had attained to superior flavour in my sorts. 

 The " Ddneak Regent " says No. Well then I will charit- 

 ably suppose it is uneducated in its taste, and " Sawnie " 

 may be enabled to taste more justly than others. — Robekt 

 Fenn, Rectory, Woodstock. 



GRAPES NOT COLOUEING— RIBBED GLASS. 



" E. H." on page 482 narrates two instances of Grapes not 

 colouring, the Vines being grown in houses glazed with rough 

 glass. He is at a loss where to attach the blame, and solicits 

 the opinions of others who can communicate their experience. 



Heavy cropping alone predisposes to a deficiency of colour 

 in Grapes ; in fact, if the Vines are too heavily cropped the 

 Grapes cannot colour well, let the glass or the soil be of what- 

 ever nature it may. I think heavy cropping of his Black 

 Hamburgh Vines has much to do with the failure of which he 

 complains; this he can conclude if the Trentham Black which 

 coloured well in the same house was less heavily cropped than 

 the Black Hamburgh. 



But heavy cropping, it ehonld be remembered, is a relative 

 term, and cannot be satisfactorily defined by any given weight 

 of fruit per yard of rod. The condition of the Vines is of 

 primary importance in assessing their fruit-bearing powers. 

 A healthy Vine in a good and well-fed border may be lightly 

 cropped with 20 lbs. of Grapes, while another of the same size 

 may be overcropped with half that weight of fruit. We must, 

 therefore, look to the condition of the Vines, and especially 

 the borders, in determining what is a heavy and what a light 

 crop of Grapes. " E. H." is evidently not satisfied with the 

 borders, for he proposes to renew them, and I am, therefore, 

 confirmed in my opinion that the principal cause of the lack 

 of colour in the Grapes is the overcropping of the Vines. 



I assume that " E. H." is an ameteur, and as the Vines of 

 many are in the same condition as are his I may usefully com- 

 municate a little instruction which I think applicable. 



The first point to ascertain — Is the border well drained ? 

 If it is not I should take the border out; but if it is — if the 

 water can pass away freely (whether by drains or a naturally 

 porous subsoil), I slaould not take up the Vines and make an 

 entirely new border, as by that operation time. Grapes, and 

 money would be wasted. I -should remove the surface soil, 

 baring the principal roots. These I should "notch" at S-feet 

 intervals by making vertical cuts nearly to the pith, then slant- 

 ing upward — not downward, mind — to meet them, taking out 

 the pieces. I should then cover the roots with an inch of 

 small charcoal or rough wood ashes, and then 4 or 5 inches of 

 fresh soil. If to this can be added (in the spring, just previous 

 to starting the Vines) fermenting material to raise the surface 

 of the border to 100° — not mere — a radical improvement cannot 

 fail to follow. The old roots will emit spongioles, which can 

 be kept near the surface by further dressings of soil, manure, 

 and water. If feimenting material cannot be had, apply in 

 its stead a heavy covering of rich manure, and fresh roots will 

 be certainly but more slowly emitted than by the aid of surface 

 heat. When once a Vine border can be netted with feeding 

 roots to a foot in depth from the surface I care not what is 



below ; provided the water can pass away. Grapes will be pro- 

 duced above if the management of the Vines is correct. If 

 " E. H." follows this practice and trains thinly, so that every 

 leaf can develope itself, his Vines will improve ; but it must be 

 kept in mind that the growths must be disposed more thinly 

 under rough than under clear glass. Every ray of light ia 

 important, and every leaf must be free. 



I will now state that I do not consider rough glass suited 

 for vineries, and my reasons for so thinking. In my neigh- 

 bour's garden are a pair of vineries. They are large, and were 

 erected at great cost, and were glazed with rough glass. They 

 have long been in the care of a good gardener, but to colour 

 the Grapes he had to reduce the bunches to less than a "halt 

 crop ;" to those Vines it was really a full crop. The glass, he 

 was satisfied, was at fault, but the expense of reglazing with 

 clear glass could not be incurred. One day a bright thought 

 struck him that the glass in the vineries, which was rough, 

 and in the frames, which was clear, was of the same size. He 

 measured and found it so, and then with his men set to work 

 and exchanged the glasses, finding sufficient clear glass from 

 the frames to glaze one vinery, the other remaining rough- 

 glazed. The additional light effected a great improvement, 

 much larger crops of Grapes being perfected than in the other 

 division, all the Vines having the same border treatment and 

 temperature. 



In hot sunny summers Vines will flourish under rough glass ; 

 but in a dull season like the last, and especially where much 

 artificial heat could not be afforded, rough glass is a great 

 obstacle to the production of good and satisfactory crops of 

 Grapes. 



With better root-action and in average seasons "E. H." 

 may find his Vines sufliciently improved to prevent him incur- 

 ring the expense of reglazing ; but if expense is not an object 

 he may be tolerably certain that their improvement would be 

 proportionally greater if they could have the advantage of 

 more light — clear glass. — A Noktheen Gakdeneb. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 We have had sent tons some specimens of Feisbt's Crested 

 Kale, various in colour, and desirable for those who use such 

 garnishing. 



A coKRBSPONDBNT says that a most fraqbant Rose is 



Baron Haussmann. 



The prices of admission to the Ckystaii Palace are 



reduced to Is. on ordinary Saturdays, and 6i. on ordinary 

 Mondays. 



THE EUCALYPTUS GLOBULUS AS A PROMOTER 

 OF HEALTH IN MARSHY PLACES. 



A FEW years ago paragraphs went the round of the papers 

 extolling the virtues of the Eucalyptus globulus in rendering 

 marshy places in subtropical and temperate regions more 

 healthy, and, in fact, it was asserted that the plant had the 

 power of expelling fever entirely from such districts. This 

 valuable property seemed almost too good to be credited, 

 although fresh evidence kept forthcoming of its efficacy in 

 that respect — in fact, it seemed that the friends and admirers 

 of this valuable tree were hkely to ruin its qualifications by 

 assuming a too extravagant position for them, and the con- 

 sequence was that for some time afterwards we heard no more 

 of the Eucalyptus and its virtues, and some sceptics went 

 the length of asserting that its qualifications in the way indi- 

 cated extended no further than the same number of Willows 

 might have done; in other words, that the Eucalyptus was 

 only to be credited for assisting to dry up the marsh on which 

 it was growing, which might be more effectually done by 

 drainage. 



This, perhaps, was drawing a conclusion from works at 

 home, without considering the difference which climate, situa- 

 tion, costliness of labour, and several other things inter- 

 vened to render comparison impossible. It is possible that 

 the Eucalyptus may yet be of service, and it may even deserve 

 all the qualities its greatest admirers attribute to it. Be this, 

 however, as it may — and I do not by any means deny its merits, 

 nor yet admit them to the full— I am pleased again to see it 

 once more brought before the public, and in a manner likely 

 to elicit some useful observations. Without in any way com- 

 mitting myself to any opinion on the case, I strongly recom- 

 mend it to the consideration of my gardening friends, more 



