308 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 24, 1878. 
effected at the expense of other modes of garden decora- 
tion.—EDs. ] 
ABOUT VINES.—No. 1. 
WHEN about to commence growing Vines the thing that 
surprised me most was the great diversity of opinion that was 
held by Vine-growers as to the best treatment. This diversity 
of opinion led me to conclude that Vines must be tenacious of 
life, and if they secured something like ordinary common-sense 
treatment they would make satisfactory returns. This being 
my third year’s experience my early opinion remains the same. 
During the three years I have met with some disappointments 
and things to dishearten frequently, success also has been my 
share ; but now partly across the stream how glad I feel when 
remembering the valuable experience I haye gained by failures 
which once perplexed me. I fortunately have had many kind 
friends; but the inexperienced person who wishes to grow 
Grapes must not expect that advice is all that is needed, he 
must think for himself if he wishes to succeed. Let me here 
stipulate that my remarks are intended especially for amateurs, 
but at the same time if any advice I may offer by professionals 
be counted unsound, then I shall be glad if I should succeed 
in raising a friendly criticism. 
Of my pleasures one is to make a clean breast as to how a 
thing is done. Secrets are not of my store, and I always 
look with pity on the person that is famed for his secrets. It 
will not be possible to speak of all the difficulties I have met 
with in one, or perhaps two or more articles; consequently I 
will begin at the beginning—Vine-raising, and then follow on 
in succession with my three years’ experience. 
When I commenced to plant my desire was the fashionable 
one—to procure strong canes ; and I may here say, with what 
I procured I was so far satisfied that, did I require to purchase 
a fresh supply. I would willingly again purchase from the same 
gentleman. But experience has since taught me that strong 
canes are not the most desirable. What is wanted is a potful 
of healthy roots with just such a cane as no exciting treatment 
will furnish, <A child 6 feet 2 at fourteen is something to look 
at, so is an extraordinarily strong cane the first season from 
the eye, but it is neither a natural nor desirable growth, and 
certainly not calculated the second season to do well. Stimu- 
lants to young Vines the same as to young children I vote a 
curse. During my short experience in looking round I have 
met with many planting canes and some fruiting canes that 
at the first glance have been fine to look upon, but after being 
turned out from the pots their roots haye been only “ mush.” 
When it is decided to stimulate young Vines with guano— 
which at best I consider a foolish practice—its application 
ought only to be entrusted to the most trustworthy. Even 
one careless watering will so damage the roots that, however 
strong the cane may be, a Vine from the eye the season follow- 
ing will be stronger at the end of the first season than will 
the cane with the damaged roots by the second season of its 
growth. This I haye proved. 
My land being rather light I sought it all over for some soil 
a little stronger. On the side of the old fence where the 
watercourse had been dug deep out and the subsoil laid up 
against the fence for many years, I found some just to my 
liking ; so the first season I secured all I could, added a little 
cow manure, and this year I have found this heap most 
desirable. Being desirous to raise Vines I determined, attain 
what size they might, to grow them in this compost, also 
to grow them in a cold house and to water them only with 
pure water. With this treatment I had the pleasure of stop- 
ping my canes at 6 feet, and their roots are something to be 
proud of. This, in connection with the raising of Vines, 
your readers will see is very simple treatment, as I will also 
show are many other of the treatments in connection with the 
Vine really necessary to secure success.—JOSEPH WITHER- 
SPOON, Led Rose Vineries, Chester-le-Strect. 
THE PAMPAS GRASS AND ITS CULTIVATION. 
GRASSES are a family that comprise a great many species, 
and form one of the very large bodies of the vegetable world. 
There is no region of the universe where varieties are not to 
be found, and what is there in the whole yegetable kingdom so 
useful and conducive to the health and happiness of mankind ? 
Of all the Grasses cultivated for ornamental purposes we 
think the Pampas snould be placed first on the list. What is 
there more effective in pleasure grounds, or on lake banks, at 
this season of the year than the spikes of this silvery giant 
waving to and fro with the breeze? Being a native of the 
prairies in the Argentine Republic some people imagine that 
moisture is its chief essential. These prairies, or pampas as 
they are generally termed, from which the plant derives its 
name, are not what many suppose them to be, vast tracts of 
marshy land ; indeed, the ground is in most parts level, and 
at certain seasons pretty dry. As a proof of this we find when 
the Pampas Grass is planted in a shady wet situation in this 
country that it seldom produces flowers, yet how many plants 
do we find placed in such positions, and large specimens too? 
If by chance the plants thus placed do flower they only pro- 
duce three or four worthless spikes, and this goes on year after 
year, until at last the plants are condemned as being a bad 
variety, while the whole cause of this barrenness lies at the 
root of the evil—of planting them in such situations. 
Our largest specimen has thrown up sixty spikes this season, 
and is at present in full flower. It is 9 feet high, and the 
foliage, which hangs like a fountain in full play, covers a cir- 
cumference of 45 feet. It is six years planted out from a 
48-sized pot. Its position is due south, and stands in a bay of 
the tennis ground, sheltered from north and west by a back- 
ground of tall shrubs. There was a pit dug out about 2 feet 
deep and 12 in circumference, and filled up with a mixture 
composed of chopped-up old pasture sods, lime rubbish, and 
cow manure trodden firm. When the flower spikes appear we 
give liberal waterings with pretty strong liquid from the cow 
house until the flowers are fully out. 
Iam conyinced that the success in flowering these Grasses 
is due to their full exposure to the sun ; they thereby get early 
and well ripened. and so the fact holds good in the case of the 
Pampas Grass as well as in all other plants and fruits—good 
ripened wood is the harbinger of success.—H. E, A. 
TEA AND NOISETTE ROSES. 
I VENTURE to send a list of twenty-five Tea and Noisette 
Roses which I can confidently recommend to readers of our 
Journal as most suitable for exhibition, appending a few 
remarks on most of the varieties I did not touch upon in my 
former communication. 
Of course Maréchal Niel must head the list of all Tea Roses 
for what purpose soever wanted—garden, conservatory, deco- 
rative, or what not. But how seldom is this grandest of all 
Roses seen at all in the exhibition hall! and when seen hardly 
eyer well shown, being either disproportionally large or small 
with its company, and especially is this the case in its own 
class among Teas or Noisettes. By-the-by, has any rosarian 
found out the secret of pruning the Rose (I do not mean against 
a wall or pillar)? Mr. George Paul’s idea is the best I ever 
tried—to start with three plants (or some multiple of three), 
and cut-back hard one plant every year, so that each third 
year would give a plant with vigorous blossom-producing 
wood. 
How so competent a rosarian as Mr. Charles Turner (in com- 
pany I know with many others) can bracket Madame Bravy 
and Alba Rosea in his Rose catalogue, is a mystery to me. 
The former in true character is globular and much fuller, while 
the shape of the leaves of both entirely differs. That good old 
pot Rose Eugéne Desgaches seems to me to run Alba Rosea 
much closer. 
Is America grown as often as its merits deserve? I believe 
not. Itis almost if not the only variety of its class which opens 
really well, and for its freeness of growth and hardiness is 
eclipsed by few Roses. I remember seeing triplets of this 
variety exhibited at the good old Birmingham Rose Show, 
which were by many mistaken for that grand old Bourbon 
Souvenir de la Malmaison. ~- 
Belle Lyonnaise, though undoubtedly a first-class Rose, I 
find very uncertain except in autumn, and I seldom can bloom 
it even then in character; but a cousin of mine in the neigh- 
bourhood, with, perhaps, the difference of a slightly heavier 
soil, is seldom without splendid blooms in her garden, bearing 
out a remark I have before made about different rosarians 
haying their different specialties. 
In the group in which Souvenir d’un Ami is the acknow- 
ledged old favourite I have included in my list Souvenir de 
Paul Neyron, as I consider Comtesse Riza du Pare a far superior 
Rose where they differ at all in depth of colour and substance, 
Indeed, I consider this the finest new Tea Rose sent out for 
some time, as Madame Welsh I thought so highly of from two 
or three blooms I saw in the spring under glass will require 
