186 Review of Paxton's Horticultural Register. 



a valuable addition to the already extensive works on horticulture. 

 It gradually, however, became less entertaining, and when Mr. 

 Paxton commenced his Magazine of Botany, all his labor seemed 

 to have been betowed on that, to the neglect of the Register, if 

 we may judge from the articles which were first published in the 

 former and copied at length into the latter, so that persons taking 

 the two works, received but little more benefit than if they took but 

 one. Mr. Paxton's time, also, we presume — being forester and 

 head gardener to his grace the Duke of Devonshire, whose exten- 

 sive ranges of houses, are so deservedly celebrated — must be 

 somewhat limited, and consequently he could not bestow that care 

 upon it which he probably would have done had this not been 

 the case. The editorial department w as at length put into the 

 hands of Mr. Main, who has rendered it, by his able pen, alto- 

 gether another work. We shall occasionally look it over, and 

 whatever we find that is useful to our readers we shall lay before 

 them. 



The January, February and March numbers each commence with 

 an article upon the "shrivelling," or shanking, sometimes called, of 

 grapes. This disease, which is always more or less observable in 

 vines grown in green-houses and graperies in our vicinity, has never 

 been satisfactorily accounted for, although many and various causes 

 have been assigned to its appearance. From whatever cause it 

 does arise, it is a very destructive disease to the grape, and fre- 

 quently a large part of the clusters of a whole crop are much in- 

 jured. Some cultivators attribute it to a damp cold border ; some 

 to dampness of the soil in the house ; many to want of air when 

 the fruit is coloring and ripening, and others to overbearing the 

 vines. We have had some experience in raising grapes, but not 

 sufficient to warrant us in making any assertions in regard to what 

 we imagine to be the cause. We have been partially troubled 

 with the disease ; but we intend to make such observations and to 

 note down such facts as are likely to throw additional light upon 

 the subject. For the present we would direct attention to the 

 following article, which comes nearer to our ideas of the cause than 

 any thing that we have before seen : — 



" In reference to the "shrivelling of grapes," I beg leave to add a few 

 remarks to those of Mr. Denyer, not only with the view of supporting 

 his statements, but also to mention the result of my experience, for the 

 benefit of my " younger brethren." 



A range of houses was placed under my care some years ago, where 

 the grapes produced had been bad colored and shrivelled. I forced 

 them two seasons, and, although those berries which did swell were 

 well colored, yet the extremities of the bunches shrivelled. Mr. Judd 

 had stated in the " Transactions," that inattention to airing the houses 

 was the cause. Several gardeners of high repute, to whom I mentioned 

 the circumstance, were of the same opinion. As, however, I had been 

 duly initiated into the routine of forcing, and had attended to these 



