January 2 0, IS63. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



some extreme mixtures were made, in which charcoal dust, 

 mortar rubbish, and other materials entered freely — not all 

 alike by any means, but there were several which at. other 

 times I Ehould have considered odd and unsuitable; still the 

 exceptional nature of the case warranted this at the time. 



" The result was crops of fruit, not so fine certainly as have 

 been grown on more favourable mixtures, but the fruit was 

 healthy and clean, and my object was attained. This, I may 

 observe, was in 1S51, and I do not think we had a diseased fruit 

 until very late in the summer, and am not sure there was any 

 then, and since that time we have been free from the disease. 



"I have heard of its visiting other places in a like manner, and 

 I believe it to be more prevalent in winter-grown fruit than in 

 those grown in summer. This is easily to be accounted for : the 

 plant at the latter time is more robust, and capable of eo pre- 

 paring its juices as to feed its legitimate objects ; whereas, the 

 energies of the othergo to feed an incurable abscess, and whether 

 you grossly feed or half starve ( he patient, he cannot long survive 

 when the stomach remaius so long out of order. Plants like 

 human beings, however, benefit much by inhaling a more 

 suitable atmosphere, aud it is possible ' A Constant Reader's ' 

 plants may partially recover when more sunny weather sets in ; 

 but my experience leads me to think they will be too far gone 

 then, and the fiet of their being affected on dung-beds in 

 summer, both in his case and in my own, leaves little hope of a 

 cure until the growing of Cucumber plants has ceased for a time, 

 so as to allow all traces of that contagion or infection, which 

 I believe has a something to do with the matter, to die away ; and 

 a fresh beginning made at a proper time when there is a good 

 chance of success, will most likely result in healthy plants, and 

 clean and wholesome fruit. — J. Robsox.""] 



COCOA-NUT FIBEE DUST FOB, PEOPAGATING 



PLANTS. 



The tide threatens to overflow the tanks already in the matter 

 and manner of applying the cocoa-nut fibre dust over open 

 tanks for propagation. They told me at Slew, last September, 

 ten times more in favour of the stuff that way than I put on 

 record, because I missed the head propagator, and, also, because 

 I intended to go to Kew on purpose for this one object, some 

 time at the height of the propagating season. Meantime, and to 

 stem the tide of inquiries about how the refuse is to be kept out 

 of the tank, let me come, or become, a correspondent, and put a 

 few simple questions to ladies like " A. H.," in a shade of 

 mauve pink paper, and to gentlemen like his reverence down 

 about Salop. 



How is it that the coffee "grounds" are kept back, and that 

 tea leaves do not get into breakfast-cups ? The way those feats 

 are achieved, or a way like it, ought certainly to keep back this 

 refuse from a tank of water under it, and yet let up the vapour 

 to keep the refuse constantly moist. 



Or, how do the brewers down in the country manage to keep 

 the "grains" from going down from the mash-tubs into the 

 cooler? Surely the ingenuity which has accomplished such 

 difficult engineering processes could suggest some simple mode 

 of effecting this ; for to tell the truth, I quite forgot to ask the 

 gardeners at Eew how they managed to surmount the difficulty, 

 but I must take a note of it and make a diligent inquiry. 



But I can tell how our clergyman, the Rev. Edward Phillips, 

 managed this whiter to prevent this refuse from going down in 

 his propagating-pit, and in another hot pit, which may be 

 30 feet long, and 5 or 6 feet wide, all heated by Mr. Jones's 

 cannon boiler. 



The reverend gentleman sent for a load of the cocoa-nut 

 fibre bristles, not the dust of the refuse, paid 10*. for the load on 

 the spot, so it must be worth over three times more money than 

 " our dust," and so it is, for it is found to be better than hair in 

 all stuffing where hair is used, and in all kinds of plaster and 

 mortar, and such-like. Well, 3 inches of this bristly stuff, 

 put over open rubble, is pressed into 1 inch in thickness, which 

 keeps back sand and mould, and lets up hot vapour in abun- 

 dance. — D. Beaton. 



SEA-KALE. 

 Fob Sea-kale to be in the same bedfor ten years as "P. M.'s," 

 and prove profitable in the year 1863, is taking us young men by 

 surprise, who have for their motto " Upwards and Onwards." 



±7 



Sea-kale, like all other strong-growing vegetables, is very fond 

 of liquid manure at midsummer ; but I never before understood 

 that it cared for it at Christmas, nor any other plant wanting 

 foliage. What would Grape-growers say if Mr. Thomson, in his 

 admirable treatise on the Vine, advocated giving liquid manure 

 to the Grape before a h'uf was to be seen on the rods? Though 

 the one is a fruit and the other a vegetable, both should have 

 leaves, at least, before a stimulant in the shape of a liquid is 

 brought into use.— H. Knight. 



NEW GEAPES ON NEW-YEAE'S DAT. 



Your correspondent, James Fowler, Harewood Gardens, seems 

 to question my statement doubting Mr. Thomson's being the 

 first to raise new Grapes on New-Tear's day, because I did not 

 send any to be inspected before the 10th of February, 1862. 

 Now, for the " why." I might have sent sooner ; but, if he 

 will remember, that was the time the question first became 

 discussed in your columns, or in that of your contemporary. 

 "Next," because I never show Grapos or any other fruit in 

 London. 



I herewith send you a small bunch of new and old Ham- 

 burghs for your opinion, and may state I cut some of both on 

 the 1st of January this year. 



I have at the present time hanging — Barbarossa, Lady 

 Downe's, West's St. Peter's, Muscat of Alexandria, and 

 Charlesworth Tokay. I have no word at the present time 

 to say which are the best, but will leave that to abler hands to 

 judge. To show that the idea is not new of having Grapes so 

 early, I may mention that I saw at this place, some few years 

 since, Grapes ripe on the 1st of January, and they had had 

 them some years before then, which statement, should my pre- 

 decessor see, he can vouch for. — J. E. F., January 12?A. 



[The bunch of new Grapes sent by " J. E. F." was a very 

 fine one, short, and well set ; the berries large and as black as 

 sloes. They were not, however, quite ripe, having rather a too- 

 marked acidity about them ; still they evidenced on the part of 

 " J. E. F." very high gardening skill. Accompanying the fruit 

 was a leaf which measured 17 inches broad, and Vl\ inches 

 from the poiut to the margin of one of the lower lobes ! It 

 was like a rhubarb leaf for size. The bunch of old Hamburghs 

 had decidedly the advantage in flavour ; they were considerably 

 shrivelled and had begun to assume the raisin form. — Eds. 



J. OF H.] 



I was rather surprised a few weeks back at seeing in your 

 Journal a communication from Mr. Anderson, setting up the 

 case of Mr. Thomson's having new Grapes on the 1st of January 

 as unprecedented. I would have taken no further notice of the 

 matter, only from seeing that there is some doubt still of others 

 having done the same. 



I have little doubt there are many cases of the kind in the 

 country, if they were made known. I myself cut some good 

 new ripe Grapes at Christmas, some sixteen or seventeen years, 

 ago. I can see no reason why any one who is allowed the means 

 should not have done so for years back. In fact, I consider it. 

 much easier to have new Grapes in December than in March. 

 Of course, the Tines require a season or two of preparation. 



Your correspondent, Mr. Fowler, need have no doubts about 

 " J. E. F.," of Knowsley Hall, having ripe Grapes on the 1st of 

 January, for it is well known in this neighbourhood that the 

 late gardener at Enowsley, Mr. Jennings, who is well known aB 

 one of the best gardeners in the country, had regularly for many 

 years back a large house of new Grapes ready by Christmas, 

 and Grapes of such a quality as would not have disgraced our 

 great London exhibitions in May : therefore, with the means. 

 already provided, the present gardener would, with ordinary care,, 

 have but little trouble, so far, in following the footsteps of his. 

 predecessor. — J. Skene, Garswood, near Warrington. 



ESTABLISHING A EOOKEET. 



Lf " Gatley " will take the top of an old bee-hive and fix it 

 firmly as high up as it oan be placed in one of his Elm trees, I 

 think he may succeed. I did so some years ago and the rooks 

 had young ones in it for two seasons, but they were stolen each 

 time, so that I did not succeed after all. The" trees were nearly 

 in the centre of this city. — D., Lincoln. 



