January 22, 1874. ) 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



75 



a far superior one to the American Arbor- Vitre, T. occidentalis, 

 much more dense, anil of a brighter and richer green. 



rinding the country all round covered with snow, and the 

 earth bound in a hard frost, I was glad to hasten on to Lyons, 

 in hopes that a change for the better would be got. I found 

 Lyons enveloped in a fog as dense, it pot quite so yellow, as 

 some of those we experience about London, and for four days 

 this had been the case. It cleared away, however, and was 

 followed by as hard a frost as that I left behind me at Dijon. 

 The sun was bright, however, in the middle of the day, and 

 the picturesque scenery of this line city was lit up as if it was 

 summer. I had no time to see any of the gardens here, nor 

 would it have been much use if I had, for there is little now 

 to be seen. I paid a visit to that enthusiastic amateur 

 M. Jean Sisley, who received me cordially in his fine Franco- 

 English manner. I found him busy sowing seed of Zonal 

 Geraniums, from which he expects, no doubt, to raise yaiieties 

 which will some day make themselves widely known. 



In the flower market at Lyons there was not a great deal to 

 be seen. The great thing of the season appeared to be small 

 Spruce Firs, with the dyed flowers of Xeranthemum anuuum 

 tied to the tips of the branches. 



There is one thing I remarked at Lyons, and which I found 

 to prevail aU the way southwards, and that is the mode in 

 which horses are partially clipped. It is not a gardening 

 subject, but it may have interest for many of the readers of 

 these lines. In Eughmd I noticed before I left that the omni- 

 bus horses in London and working horses in the country are 

 clipped all over their belly and legs, the long hair being left on 

 the sides and back. Here the back and sides are clipped, and 

 the belly and legs left with the natural covering ; and this ap- 

 pears to me the more sensible way, for a cloth is put over the 

 back, and the belly and legs are naturally protected by the 

 hair, whereas in the case of English horses the legs and belly 

 are exposed to the rigours of all weathers without any means 

 of protecting them. It would not be very convenient to put 

 long stockings on horses, and this appears to have suggested 

 itself to the French, who preserve the natural covering. — 

 R., Mentone. 



ESTIMATE OF GEAPES. 



I HEARTILY agree with Mr. Luckhurst in what he says about 

 Black Alicante Cirape. With us here it promises to keep quite 

 as long as Lady Downe's, growing by its side, and, as Mr. 

 Luckhurst says, the bunches are much better. With regard 

 to Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat, I am afraid that there is more 

 than one variety of this fine late Grape. I have now met with 

 what I take to be the true variety in three different places, 

 and in every case the fine-proportioned bunches, thickly set 

 with full-sized berries, and of good finish, were everything that 

 could be desired. Now we have here two plants of Mrs. Pinoe ; 

 one (the true one) is planted in an intermediate house along 

 with Hamburghs, Foster's White Seedling, &c., where, not- 

 withstanding the disadvantage of its ripening so much later 

 than those sorts, it has done pretty well, with the exception 

 of two or three bunches at the bottom of the rafters, which 

 seemed to have set rather imperfectly, but the colour was 

 fair. I think it a great mistake to plant this Vine along with 

 early sorts. It thrives well enough under cool treatment as 

 far as the health of the Vine is concerned, but its fruit requires 

 the same length of time and temperature as Muscats to ripen 

 it fully. It cannot be denied that it will ripen under ordinary 

 treatment with other sorts, but then while trying to ripen it 

 mischief is very often done to those which are ripe before 

 Mrs. Pince is much changed in colour. The other Vine re- 

 ferred to is planted in the late house along with White Tokay, 

 Black Alicante, and Lady Downe's. The Vine is as vigorous, 

 if not more so, than that in the intermediate house ; the leaves, 

 too, are quite in character with the other ; the bunches are 

 more broadly shouldered — in fact, they are quite as broad as 

 they are long ; the berries are much of the same substance, but 

 irregular in size, the footstalks have not that stout robust 

 appearance which is its character, and the colour is very poor. 

 I also find the bunches are shanking, the footstalks of all the 

 smaller berries are shrivelled-up, and the berries themselves 

 are now (10th January) beginning to shrivel. 



Has Mr. Luckhurst observed any difference between the 

 Vines of Mrs. Pince which he has and those he has seen when 

 from home ? I hope my case may be a solitary one, but the 

 various opinions about the quality of this Grape almost con- 

 vince me that there may be something in there being two sorts ; 



and if so it would bo well for those who have not succeeded 

 with it to communicate with their friends who have, and seo 

 that they have the same sorts. Our two Vines were both 

 planted at the same time and in the same border, so that 

 difference of situation can have nothing to do with this case. 



While on this subject I will say a few words about the mode 

 of allowing Vines to grow to the extraordinary length of 2.5 feet 

 in one season. I cannot see the utility of allowing a Vine to 

 grow to such a length, and then at pruning time cutting-off 

 10 or 18 feet of the best of the canes. I say the best of tho 

 canes, for I have always found that the best wood and buds 

 are to be found just below where the canes have been stopped, 

 and where side shoots have pushed to a considerable length, 

 providing the wood is thoroughly ripened. My method is to 

 stop the canes a short distance above the place to which 

 they are likely to be pruned-back, and encourage all the 

 eyes on the young canes to break, train the resulting shoots 

 in the usual way to occupy all the space, stopping only to 

 prevent crowding. This I have practised for five years, and 

 I find that fine fruiting eyes are produced at the base of the 

 side shoots (just such as are so often cut away), and always 

 well ripened. Some four years ago our Editors thought fit 

 to publish a few remarks of mine on this subject with their 

 own ideas, from which I profited, but I was sorry this failed 

 to draw any discussion. In September, 1872, 1, with a friend, 

 paid a visit to Lambton Castle, about the time of the Glasgow 

 Show, and saw those fine Grapes of Mr. Hunter's, and my 

 heart leaped when I saw the side shoots trained along the 

 wires like Pear trees on a wall, and at their base those very 

 buds that would produce the li-lbs. Hamburghs. — R. Inglis. 



MUSHEOOM HOUSE AND MANAGEMENT. 



I AM frequently asked by amateurs how to grow Mushrooms, 

 and having had a large share of success for many years, perhaps 

 a few notes descriptive of my method may be acceptable to 

 some of your readers. 



The house should have a north aspect, in which case you 

 may grow Mushrooms nearly all the year round ; and the roof, 

 of whatever material it may be, should be ceiled, as its being 

 so tends to keep the temperature more uniform. The heating 

 medium should be hot-water pipes or a brick flue. 



The beds, or shelves, ought to be arranged as conveniently 

 as possible ; I prefer them of wood, 1 foot deep and 3 feet wide. 

 I usually commence forcing about the first week in September. 

 Horse droppings are collected every morning from the stables 

 and placed under cover, and when I have enough for a bed I 

 make it up at once, mixing with the droppings one barrowful 

 of loam to six of droppings. The bed should be made quite 

 firm. As soon as the heat begins to rise I make holes with a 

 dibber 8 inches apart over the whole bed. In three or four 

 days the heat will begin to decline ; when it is about 75' the bed 

 is ready to spawn. It is then covered with 1 inch of loam and 

 beaten quite smooth, and a moderate covering of hay placed 

 upon it. In four or five weeks the greater portion of the hay 

 may be removed, leaving just sufficient to cover the surface. 

 I never water the bed, but if the hay feels dry a very slight 

 dewing-over is given it. In six weeks the Mushrooms wiU 

 begin to appear, and will continue producing for about three 

 months. Successional beds should be made-up according to 

 the requirements. — Thos. Pkosser. 



CULTURE OP CHEILANTHES ELEGANS. 



This is one of the most beautiful of Ferns and yet often 

 in collections it is in a miserable condition — in fact, struggling 

 for life in a temperature and atmosphere quite uncongenial to 

 its health. To those, therefore, who have not succeeded in the 

 culture of this Fern I offer a few remarks, which, if attended 

 to, will insure success and gratification. 



We will suppose you have a young plant in a 5-inch pot in 

 the spring. First turn it out of the pot, and examine if this 

 is full of roots ; if so, it will require a shift into a clean pot 

 two sizes larger, which will be a 7-inch pot. Drain this well, 

 and put a little moss on the top of the drainage ; then prepare 

 a compost of three parts peat and one of light turfy loam, and 

 add as much silver sand as will give the whole a sandy appear- 

 ance. If you add to this a little charcoal or charcoal-dust, to 

 keep the whole sweet, you will have a mixture that almost aU 

 Ferns will luxuriate in. Pot the plant firmly in this soil. If 

 you have only a small greenhouse, you can grow it to perfection. 



The great mistake made by many in managing this Fern is 



