322 General Notices. 



tied lightly around the whole stem and the stake, so as to render ascent 

 impossible without passing over it. — {lb. 1849, p. 325.) 



Fines. — A generally successful cultivator of the vine hasnotunfrequently 

 to lament the failure in the setting of some of the superior sorts of grapes, 

 such as the Muscat of Alexandria, the Tottenham Park Muscat, Black Mo- 

 rocco, West's St. Peter, &c. On the Black Morocco, this season, produ- 

 cing a profusion of unusually large bunches, there is only one on which the 

 berries are even partially well set ; the rest are composed of small stoneless 

 berries with here and there a single one swelling off ; the excepted bunch 

 happened to be placed upwards towards the glass. An unusually large crop 

 of the St. Peter grape is likewise composed of similar defective bunches. 

 The same complaints are frequently made by other cultivators, and the sorts 

 of vines alluded to have been discarded by many, owing to the failure. 

 Will you favor the writer with an explanation of the cause of this defect in 

 the setting of the grapes, and suggest any mode of treatment likely to reme- 

 dy it. The temperature of the house has been usually from 75° to 80° 

 during the time of blossoming, with as much moisture as possible [Oh?] pro- 

 duced by water thrown on the hot iron pipes, syringing being discontinued 

 during that period, air being freely admitted. Nothing can exceed the 

 strength and vigor of the vines, the stems of many of 15 years' growth be- 

 ing as large as is usually found at double that age, great attention having 

 been paid to the original composition of the border, which has since been 

 largely supplied with decomposed animal matter. — Clericns, Devonshire. 

 [As much moisture as possible I There is the mischief. Vines cannot set 

 their flowers in moisture.] — {lb. 1849, p. 325.) 



Antirrhinums. — It is often asked can the capabilities of these flowers 

 ever enable them to enter the rank of florist flowers ; and if so, what posi- 

 tion will they be able to elevate themselves to among these too-frequently 

 overruled and rigidly-disciplined favorites. In reply, I would state that the 

 snapdragon flower, as regards markings and colors, is endued with powers 

 and capabilities which, with attention and judgment in cross breeding and 

 culture, will ere long prove its right to range prominently amid the best of 

 Flora's productions. A very brief period has as yet been devoted to the 

 improvement of the antirrhinum ; and yet the rapid advancement the better 

 and more attractive properties of this flower have made in this short space 

 of time encourages me to hope that we may expect greater distinctness and 

 regularity in its stripes and markings than in tlje carnation or the tulip 

 themselves. This statement is based upon the fact that A. Youngii, a 

 chance seedling, is a flower regularly marked and invariably having equal 

 coloring on each side. Last year, out of eight or ten bushes of it planted 

 in different parts of my garden, I did not discover any difference in any one 

 of the flowers, which, however, are by no means good as to form. I believe 

 that the old reticulatum, and the varied ones like Ibrahim Pasha, will sus- 

 tain the same fact with regard to invariability of marking. A right standard 

 of perfection by which to judge of this flower is yet, however, a desidera- 

 tum.- (/J 1849, p. 325.) 



Summer Treatment of Hardivooded Greenhouse Plants. — Every one 



