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JOURNAL 0*" HOETICCLTDEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



I Fcbraai7 5, 1874. 



Black Muscat. It is far more likely that there is a right and 

 wrong method of culture, and, as is usually the case, the 

 majority of us have followed the wrong one. It will be 

 interesting to note the effect of such alterations of treatment 

 as the experience of the past season may suggest. 



Permit me to remind Mr. Inglis that the canes of 25 feet 

 long were produced by young Vines in about four months after 

 they were planted, and as the tips of the canes were by that 

 time nearer the bottom than the top of the back wall of the 

 ■vinery, the eyes upon that part growing upon the treUis sus- 

 tained no harm, but rather derived much benefit from the 

 unchecked growth. 



There can be no doubt that much mischief is occasioned by 

 an indiscriminate application of the doctrine of close-pinching. 

 Far better would it be not to touch any part of a Vine during 

 the first season of growth in its permanent position, than to 

 pinch and train with the precision that is so often practised. 

 Let the roots and branches ramble as they may, we want no 

 fruit, but growth that is lusty, stout, and strong, to establish 

 the Vine, to impart to it a vigorous constitution, and thus lay 

 the foundation of healthy and fruitful existence. It may be 

 well to quote a case in point. Among a batch of forty or fifty 

 Vines that once came into my hands to be planted in a new 

 range of vineries, was a Black Hamburgh of so weakly a con- 

 dition that it was first of all put aside as useless, but as the 

 roots proved to be healthy and the slender cane well ripened, 

 I determined to afford it a corner. It was, therefore, pruned 

 to within 2 feet of its base, and instead of being pinched like 

 its more sturdy neighbours every shoot was encouraged to 

 grow. The result obtained was remarkable and conclusive, 

 for this weakly plant actually yielded four or five canes that 

 were larger than many of the single canes of the, at one time,' 

 more vigorous Vines. — Edward Lucehdest. 



MY SEED OEDEES— A EETROSPECT. 



It is nearly twenty years since I first made out a seed order. 

 I had then become " head man." How I had longed for the 

 time, and promised myself what wonderful things I would do ! 

 I left sure that I was in advance of the times, and would show 

 how to strike out of the rusty old grooves that my hard- 

 headed, grey-haired chief had moved in. To be sure, he was 

 safe, there was no getting over that ; but then what was it ? 

 Why, only the same things over again. True, we had always 

 plenty of roots, and vegetables, and herbs. Onions never 

 failed — no, never ; but then we had only two sorts — summer 

 and winter Onions ; and at the same time we young fellows 

 knew very well that they were nowhere amongst the new kinds 

 — out of date, and would do very well for cottage gardens; 

 but something different was wanted in a nobleman's place, 

 such as more sorts to " follow one another," and not sticking 

 to the common 6d.-an-ounce things. And then the Beet — 

 just the same one old sort. Of course, there was no com- 

 plaint of colour or flavour ; but then his lordship did not know 

 what good Beet was — had only had this " old thing " all his 

 life, which was not right, considering the splendid new sorts 

 he ought to enjoy. Wo would have five or six sorts to " follow 

 one another." Of course, that was the proper thing to do. 



And then Lettuce. Just two sorts of that again, and only 

 two. Such as it was we could always cut, summer and winter 

 — indeed, it was one of the prides of our practical Yorkshire 

 chief, as he said, "Nivver to be wDioot sallet." "Follow one 

 another " the Lettuces certainly did by the surplus plants 

 running to seed. But what waste ! and how short-sighted not 

 to grow aU the new sorts which could hardly be made to run 

 at all, the reason, as everybody knew, that seed was so dear ! 

 What better proof could anyone desire than that? And then 

 their "nutty" flavour — what a treat it would bo to his lord- 

 ship, our sorts tasting of plain Lettuce, and nothing else ! 

 But his time would go and ours come, and we would then show 

 the difference between fogeydom and progress. 



Worst of all, however, were the Peas. I am afraid it made 

 our blood crawl when we thought about it ; and we were almost 

 ashamed to admit the fact that in a fine four-acred garden 

 were only three or, at the most, four sorts relied on to supply 

 the regular great demand. It is true a few odd pints of new 

 ones were obtained for trial now and then, and everybody 

 could SCO their superiority but the " old fossil ; " and then the 

 three great baps would come as usual maiked Early Frame, 

 Champion of England, and Ne Plus Ultra, with a few quarts 

 over of British Queen. Early Frame we knew was a long way 

 in ariear as the times went, the new ones being a week or 



ten days in advance, and we actually labelled it the " Old 

 Snail ; " and in the following May, and as if to make us 

 ashamed of ourselves, the " Old Snail " gave us a good dish 

 on the 18th day in the north of England, and it was seldom 

 that it was after the 25th that we had to wait for a peck. 

 Champion of England we had a little more respect for, it being 

 in Bendigo's time, who had the " oracle of the ring" in the 

 bothy, otherwise it was druidical, and not what the nine- 

 teenth-century Peas had come to. "NePlus" was very well ; 

 but row after row was surfeiting. We liked British Queen 

 better, being so much sweeter to eat out of the pods as we 

 gathered. No doubt we had an abundance of Peas to gather 

 every day from May until severe frost set in ; but then having 

 the same old sorts over again was unbearable, and I think we 

 added unprofessional. In a garden like that we would have 

 fifteen or twenty varieties to "follow one another," and his 

 lordship should have " the best " instead of being kept to the 

 common ones year after year. The old chief had a regular 

 crotchet about his Peas ; and if he could not get the first sowing 

 in on the 5th of November, not many thmgs on the place were 

 right, nor people either. On the arrival of this day we knew 

 the order — it was probably forty years old. This was it 

 exactly: " Na, lads, lets ha t'Peas in — it's t'fift agean. Git 

 all t'labels written — three Frames, seven Champions, five Ne 

 Plus, and one Queen, and that'll do for t'season. Av nivver 

 been wihoot Peas i'all ma time, an' ha nivver sal be sticking 

 to fold sorts an sixteen sawings." 



Cauliflowers (including BroccoU) we had, in those days, " all 

 the year round ;" and of both put together we had never 

 more than half a dozen what we called " paltry old sorts." Of 

 Cabbage we had the ridiculous number of two, one of which has- 

 vanished off the face of the earth — no, catalogues — by its old 

 name of Carver's Early. We thought it ought to have done that 

 years ago. True, the old sloth would be ready to cut as soon as 

 the Brussels Sprouts were over, but we knew the new ones were 

 much faster than that ; and how he should pet it by planting 

 in a wood for seed three miles away from any of its congeners, 

 we could never understand. We knew very well his object, 

 because, as he said, " he muddent hev seed ' smittled,' as he 

 sud nivver git another like it ; " but that an old thing like that 

 should be worth all the trouble was a mystery we could not 

 fathom. Then we never grew anybody's " Fern-leaved " 

 Parsley as we ought to have done. Certainly, we were never 

 known to be short of a handful, and never heard the cook, 

 grumble once, but that was because she knew no better, and 

 we longed to teach her what first-class Parsley really was. 



At length the old chief was called to his fathers, full of 

 years and honours, and never had the writer — he knows it now 

 —a more trusty friend nor a more safe and reliable teacher, or 

 his lordship a more competent and faithful servant. His motto 

 was, "A few things and good to depend on, and of these a 

 strong lot ; " while for fancy it may be summed-up, " As many 

 as you like, but not much of each." That was an old man's 

 counsel. Let us lest it. 



As this, however, may stretch my letter to an inordinate 

 length, I think I had better defer it till next week. In the 

 meantime let me not be prematurely dubbed an old fogey 

 prejudiced against all improvement, and an enemy to further 

 research and further efl'ort in any direction tending to advance 

 horticulture, and to add to the benefits, pleasure, and interest 

 of which it is an inexhaustible scource. No ; if I have read 

 the Journal for over twenty years, and hope to enjoy the same 

 pleasure over twenty more, I cannot admit myself an old fogey 

 yet, but had rather be yclept— An Old Fkiend. 



THE KITCHEN GAEDEN.— No. 5. 



It may be asked, W^hat is the most desirable shape for a 

 walled-in garden? I will endeavour to answer the question, 

 though in doing so I may be unable to advance anything beyond 

 that which practice has already taught most of us. The ma- 

 jority of those concerned know that a garden is waUed-in for 

 the purpose of not only securing increased warmth for the cul- 

 tivation of early vegetables, but also, and principally, to afford 

 a home for those tender and choice fruits which will not arrive 

 at perfection without greater protection and heat than can be 

 secured in the open ground. To prolong the ripening of some 

 fruits and to hasten that of others are objects likewise to be 

 considered. Although various forms have been advocated, not 

 more than three or four can be recommended to the notice 

 of those about to make a garden. There are gardens, it is 

 true, of various irregular shapes ; but as these result from the 



