248 Qiieries a7id Answers. 



who sent it to me in flower. As it is very possible that Mr. Errington's, 

 cowslip may be a somewhat different variety from the Saffi'on Walclen one, 

 if he would have the goodness to supply me with a root» I shall be happy 

 in return to give him a plant of the one in my possession ; which I have, 

 no doubt I shall be able to do after the flowering season in the ensuing 

 spring. Yours, — W. T. Bree. Allesley Rectory, near Coventry, Feb. 5. 1831.. 



The Pine-apples at Castle Semple, ijlanted in Beds of Earth. — I have 

 seen this mode tried many years ago, but never found it answer ; probably, 

 however, from the plants being placed too far distant from each other, 

 and from their not being allowed to fruit their suckers, and the suckers of 

 their suckers, as one of your correspondents (Vol. V.) says is done in 

 the Royal Gardens at Munich. Can any one in the neighbourhood of 

 Castle Semple inform me of the present state and future prospects of the 

 pine plants there? — H. B. Reid. Glamorganshire, Oct. 1830. 



How can Grapes he best and longest preserved after they are cut ? — I 

 have many vines under my care, and am expected to supply grapes at 

 table as long as possible : I consequently allow them to hang longer on 

 the vines than is right they should. Anxious to learn the very best mode 

 of keeping grapes after they are cut, I communicate my present mode, 

 that its defects may be perceived and amended by some kind correspond- 

 ent knowing a better. I save the Syrian till last : the Hamburgh and other 

 kinds were last year ripe at the end of July, and were not all cut till 

 December 2. The Syrian, which I never cut till perfectly ripe, I cut 

 about the 1 0th of December. I then procured some clean sand, and dried 

 it by the fire, till it would pass through a fine hair sieve. The grapes and 

 the sand being dry, and the sand become cold, I took a shallow box, and 

 having separated the shoulders from the main stalks of the bunches, I 

 placed them in the bottom of the box ; pouring the sand well in among 

 the berries, so as to prevent as much as possible any two berries from 

 touching each other. 1 then placed the box in a warm dry room ; and by 

 these means I have kept the grapes this season for above two months 

 from the time I cut them, as I only finished the last of them yesterday; 

 and they were acknowledged, by those who partook of them, to be as 

 good as when put into the sand, except that the stalks had turned brown. 

 Yours, &C. — E. S. Feb. 14. 1831. 



The Soil in which Mr. Seymour'' s Peach Trees are grown. — In answer to. 

 Mi-. Errington (Vol. VI. p. 695.), I have to inform him, that our soil is 

 a light sandy loam, about 18 in. deep, upon a very dry open gravel; and 

 that, in planting young peach trees, I generally trench in a considerable 

 quantity of good dung, and annually give the borders a dressing of the 

 same kind of material, although I must allow that I occasionally give them 

 a dressing of strong loam upon the surface. With regard to luxuriant 

 wood as a matter of choice, T never consider a 6 ft. shoot as too strong in 

 the centre of my young trees. If these be treated as shown in the 

 correct figure (Vol. II. p. 293.) or the imaginary one (Vol. VI. p. 436.), 

 they will seldom be found to produce strong shoots in any other parts of 

 the trees ; but should they appear inclined to do so, and the shoots lie 

 well, so as to be made future leading branches, they may be retrained; but, 

 if not, it is easy to remove them, and the sap will be diverted to some 

 more useful purpose. But I must confess that, had Mr. Errington given, 

 the same information respecting the distance his trees were planted apart, 

 in his letter in Vol. VI. p. 34., as he has in the letter in p. 693., my 

 observations would have been of a very different nature, and directed to a 

 different point ; for I consider 9 or lO" yards as the most convenient dis- 

 tance for peach or nectarine trees, although there are in Carlton garden 

 trees of those kinds completely covering from 10 to 15 yards of a 10 ft. 

 wall. 



With regard to Mi". Errington offering to show his wall of trees against. 



