298 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 80 1875. 



26 lbs. 8 ozfl. when out, has only been planted four years ; it 

 was grown from an eye taken from an old Vine which had 

 produced very large bunches. The second year it was planted 

 a bunch was cut from it that weighed 14 lbs. ; the third year 

 one which weighed 16 lbs. G ozs. ; and this year the same as 

 given above. The exact measurement of the Vine from bottom 

 to top is 20 feet. The wood of this year's growth is 2^ inches 

 in circumference, the old wood being 5^ inches in circum- 

 ference, and a few of the leaves measure 21 inches by 18 inches, 

 and are extremely thick and leathery. 



Such is a brief unvarnished history of a now-celebrated 

 Vine. As seen hanging the huge bunch presented an extra- 

 ordinaiy sight. The stem was an honest stem — of that there 

 could be no doubt. It was as smooth, clear, thick, and almost 

 as hard as a walking-stick. Its ponderous shoulders were tied 

 straight out, and measured across them 2 feet 3 inches ; the 

 length of the bunch was also 2 feet 3 inches, and its circum- 

 ference, following the contour of the shoulders to the body 

 of the bunch, precisely 8 feet. The accompanying illustration, 

 fig. 67, from a photograph taken when the bunch was hanging 

 on the Vine, gives as faithful an idea as is to be obtained of 

 this remarkable example of Grape culture. The berries of 

 the bunch were of a full size — indeed, Mr. Dickson had paid 

 too much attention to quality of berry, and certainly sacrificed 

 many ounces in weight by so freely thinning ; they hung 

 loosely, and were as large as berries of Syrian usually are on 

 medium-sized bunches. The Vine was only permitted to per- 

 fect that one bunch. A neighbouring bunch of the same sort 

 measured 2 feet 8 inches in length and 1 foot 7 inches in 

 diameter ; Alicante, 1 foot 8 inches across by 1 foot 3 inches 

 long, another bunch being 1 foot 6 inches by 1 foot 6 inches ; 

 Black Hamburgh was 1 foot 8 inches across and 1 foot 2 inches 

 in length ; and Mrs. Pince'e Black Muscat and Black Prince 

 16 inches by 16 inches. Such are a few of the measurements, 

 and now for a list of the weights of some bunches of Syrian 

 which have been produced ; and although they are not in- 

 dividually the heaviest on record, they are as a series probably 

 unequalled in the annals of Grape culture. 



In the yearl8Cll,at the Edinburgh International Exhibition, 

 the first prize was awarded to a bunch weighing 16i lbs. ; in 

 1870 the first-prize bunoh at the Eoyal Caledonian Society's 

 Show weighed 19 lbs. 5 ozs. ; in 1871 the first-prize bunch at 

 the same Society's Show weighed 18 lbs. 7 ozs. ; in 1872 the 

 first-prize bunoh at Glasgow weighed 19 lbs. 6 ozs. ; in 1873 at 

 Manchester the prize bunch weighed 16 lbs. 1 oz. ; and in the 

 same year another bunoh at Glasgow weighed 16 lbs. 10 ozs. ; 

 then came the bunch of the present year, weighing (by the 

 Judges) 25 lbs. 15 ozs. 



Is not that an achievement without a parallel ? and would 

 not a commemorative medal be worthily bestowed for such an 

 example of skill ? The few pounds won in money have no 

 doubt been useful to a plain hard-working man, but should he 

 not have something tangible to hand down to his children? 

 and would the patrons of horticulture, by enabling him to do 

 BO, be doing anything more than simple justice both to the 

 science they represent and to the man who has so well brought 

 out its resources in the important branch of Grape production ? 

 It may be replied that others have done well also. Well, let 

 them be honoured too. Many ther.) are who do infinite honour 

 to the craft in a less sensational but not less worthy maaner, 

 who cannot bring their works before the multitude, and are 

 never heard of, but who plod on in honourable obscurity; but 

 when their works are seen let them have a reward. 



In addition to the vineries there is at Aikleton a Peach 

 house 180 feet long, with a drum trellis running along the 

 front, and occupied with fine healthy trees of Peaches, Nec- 

 tarines, Plums, and Cherries, all of which boar annually fine 

 crops of fruit. In a future communication I will again direct 

 attention to the Vines at Arkleton, noticing the border forma- 

 tion, and search for the causes that have contributed to such 

 great results. Able men have no secrets, and Mr. Dickson 

 not only permitted me to see everything connected with the 

 garden, but generously replied to all questions concerning his 

 mode of culture. — J. W. 



on his card till nearly 2 r.M. of the first day of the Show. It 

 was then taken off, and affixed to the card of a competitor, and 

 no satisfactory reason was given for this alteration. — B. N. S. 



EniNnuRon Hobticdltuual Exhibition. — lu the report of 

 the Great Flower and Fruit Show at Edinburgh, when men- 

 tioning the judging it is said, " For perfect fairness, smooth- 

 ness, and celerity no system can be better." Yet, in my own 

 case, my gardener sent to the Show four variegated Geraniums. 

 These were marked " first prize," and the prize slip remained 



DOINGS OF THE LAST AND WORK FOR 

 THE PRESENT WEEK. 



KITCHEN GABDEN. 



Since last writing under this heading we have had copious 

 showers of rain. The ground had become very dry, and all 

 autumn crops were showing the effects of the want of moisture 

 at the roots. We bad not been doing much except hoeing and 

 weeding the ground, and we shall now have an opportunity to 

 weed all the walks. This work is always best done after rain. 

 Endive comes in useful for mixed salads in autumn and winter, 

 and for this purpose it must be blanched. The best way is to 

 invert a flower pot over each plant, and as the Endive is used 

 the pots can be removed to other plants, and in this way a suc- 

 cession of it is obtained. The holes in the bottom of the pots 

 must be stopped. Young plants may now be put out for Buc- 

 cesaional crops. 



Potatoes should now be lifted for winter use. When the haulm 

 is quite dead there is no benefit derived from leaving the tubers 

 in the ground. The " curl " was very prevalent on the plants 

 in the fields this year, and it was certainly worst on the part 

 where the Potatoes had been allowed to remain in the ground 

 long after the tubers were ripe. One would fancy that the reverse 

 would be the case, and that the better-ripened and firmer the 

 Potato the stronger would be the plant next season, but in 

 actual practice we do not find it so. There is no doubt but that 

 the " curl " was known half a century ago. Mcintosh writing 

 in the " Practical Gardener," a book published in 1828, says, 

 " Such as are intended for seed should not be allowed to become 

 too ripe, as in that case they are more subject to the disease 

 called the ' curl,' which is often very detrimental to the crops." 

 On the farm at Loxford many acres were planted with Dal- 

 mahoys, the seed tubers of which were some time in the ground 

 after the haulm had died, and the whole of the crop was severely 

 attacked by " curl." 



We have been gathering enormous quantities of Scarlet 

 Runner Beans from two rows of about 40 feet in length each. 

 They are a very useful vegetable to us. As we have previously 

 stated, the difficulty we have to obtain anything like decent 

 crops of Peas so late as this is very great. It is not altogether 

 the climate that is in fault with us, the soil is too light; this is 

 in our favour in May, but against us all through the summer 

 and autumn. We saw at Burghley Park, Stamford under the 

 excellent management of Mr. Gilbert, some fine rows of Peas 

 bearing good crops the other day. Mr. Gilbert's plan is to dig- 

 out the ground as for Celery trenches, but not quite so deep, 

 the Peas are then sown iu the trench in rich soil. Artificial 

 watering was not approved of, but in exceptionally dry seasons 

 it would be well to water the rows, and whatever quantity was 

 appUed none would be wasted, as the roots, being lower than 

 the surrounding level, would absorb all the water. 



ORCHARD HOUSE. 



All the trees from which the fruit has been gathered have 

 been either potted or top-dressed. Those trees that were re- 

 potted last year have been top-dressed this year. We repot 

 every alternate season. When we were accustomed to repot iu 

 November we found the trees did not set their fruit so well, but 

 since this operation has been performed iu September the trees 

 become established before the leaves fall, and the fruit always 

 sets well, at least if it does not do so the fault is not in insufii- 

 cieut root action. We have in previous seasons said that some 

 attention is required to see that the leaves do not flag too much ; 

 dewing them with the syringe and keeping the house rather 

 close will prevent any injury. Top-dressing may be done later 

 iu the season, but it is just as well to do this at the same time 

 as the potting. It will be a saving of time to have all the work 

 over at one time. Following the practice recommended by Mr. 

 Rivers, malt or kiln dust has been used in former years, but it 

 is not readily obtained here; and as stable manure and turfy 

 loam both pretty well rotted, in the proportion of one of the 

 former to two of the latter, answers equally well or bett er, we 

 do not trouble to obtain the kilu dust either for summer or 

 winter dressings. It is best if the loam and manure can be 

 mixed and laid-up in a heap for two or three months. The way 

 in which the treesare dressed is this ;— With an iron prong (the 

 tine of a Potato-fork broken oil' is as good as snything, or a. 

 screw-driver answers well), fork-out as much of the surface 

 mould as possible to half the depth of the pot. It is not desir- 

 able to work too close to the stem; a space cf about 3 inches will 

 be as much as can be obtained iu a 15-inch pot. The compost 

 ought to bo rammed in rather firmly, because the organic 

 matter decays during the winter. The fresh material is very 

 soon filled with new active rootlets. 



PINERIES. 



We find that fiuit ripening and others approaching to that 



