September 28, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



241 



— escaping at each end — as to move every leaf, and thus 

 the air of the house even in a sultry day is in motion, and 

 every leaf aerated. This I opine is the cause to a great extent 

 of the extreme health and vigour of the trees ; whereas open- 

 ings in the roof do not allow of the accumulation of heat, hence 

 the rush of air is less violent and less effectual. This is, 

 perhaps, a new idea, but I think quite sound. 



I may also observe that one house of the same length and 

 width, with aa uubrokon roof, and the apertures at each 

 end enlarged and closed in winter, is used as a forcing house, 

 and in this house are the same signs of vigour and health in 

 the Vines and trees. This system will allow us to have orchard 

 iiouses with a maximum width of 24 feet, built at a much 

 cheaper rate than those of Mr. Ayres or Mr. Pearson, and yet 

 squally efiective. — Xnquieek. 



GOLDEN CHAMPION GKAPE. 



When discussing with others the merits and demerits of this 

 Vine last spring, I felt bound to speak favourably of it so far 

 as my experience then went, reserving my full opinion until I 

 should have had another season's practice in its culture. Having 

 again grown and fruited Golden Champion in two separate 

 houses under somewhat different treatment I feel better able 

 to speak without reserve on the subject, and shall now give my 

 candid opinion. 



At the outset allow me to assert that my opinion has under- 

 gone no change as regards the high qualities of this Grape ; 

 but I am rather more convinced that after a few more years, 

 when its peculiar cultural requirements shall be better under- 

 stood. Golden Champion will have a place in most vineries. 

 But now to speak of it as I have found it. Here, as regards 

 growth (on its own roots of course), it has fully maintained its 

 reputation, producing in both houses canes equal to those of 

 most other varietieji. The spurs of last year broke freely into 

 fine short-jointed laterals, with one or two fine-formed bunches 

 on each. With a few exceptions which occurred in the early 

 house, the berries in the house named set very thickly, and 

 swelled with a rapidity far surpassing any other Vine in the 

 house, showing the necessity of running the scissors several 

 times among the berries long before the proper time for final 

 thinning. This rapid swelling was constantly sustained until 

 the fruit had attained the dimensions of ordinary Grapes when 

 lipe ; at this period it slackened, and then the second swelling 

 and the ripening followed. 



The berries on this Vine were of the usual oblong form, of a 

 .golden amber colour, and each was a mouthful. Spot, I am 

 sorry to say, was present on a few of the berries on two of the 

 bunches. This blemish shows itself just under the skin, and 

 its effect is anything but pleasant. It in a great degree mars 

 the beauty of a bunob, no matter how perfect it may be in 

 svery other respect. Besides, when the berries attacked begin 

 to colour this blemish takes more or less the character of a 

 spreading wound, which renders necessary the instant removal 

 of the affected berries, in order to prevent the disease being 

 communicated to those next them. 



As regards the hanging properties of Golden Champion after 

 it is ripe, 1 have found that it will not keep long without 

 shrivelling, although by this the flavour of its fruit is not in 

 the least impaired. 



Having described the behaviour of this Vine in an early 

 Jionse chiefly planted with Hambnrghs, I shall now speak of 

 the Vine in our intermediate or Muscat house. This Vine, 

 irom the day it was planted — thr^e seasons ago — has been less 

 robust in growth, with the peculiarity of having its berries 

 round and flattened at both ends instead of oval. Only two 

 bunches were permitted to ripen this year, owing to the weak 

 growth of the Vine as compared with that in the early house. 

 These bunches ripened in the fullest sense of the word without 

 spot or blemish. I have just cut the last. It had a flavour 

 dangerous to try, so rich and so peculiarly agreeable — more so 

 than I ever experienced on any former occasion. 



Now we shall see what effect wind and hot vapour have upon 

 the fruit of the Golden Champion. To test both I allowed one 

 bunch to remain ; it hung close to the front ventilator, so 

 •closely that when air was admitted the bunch was constantly 

 swayed to and fro by the current. The other bunch was situ- 

 ated immediately over the gutter on the flow-pipe, and within 

 18 inches of it ; it was consequently subjected to an incessant 

 flow of hot vapour day and night from the time the house was 

 started until colouring commenced, when no water was allowed 

 in the troughs. Those two bunches were not in the least inju- 



riously influenced, but were all that could be desired when 

 ripe. 



In conclusion, it will be seen that I have no reason to com- 

 plain of this Grape as far as my experience has gone. It has 

 done well with me both in a moderately early house, where the 

 temperature has been kept also moderate ; but, if possible, I 

 think it ripened its fruit better in the Muscat house, though in 

 the latter case the wood was not to be compared for strength 

 with that in the other house. Another hint : I find when thin- 

 ning the fruit of the Golden Champion that the most scrupulous 

 care must be exercised to avoid handling ; the most tender 

 touch will leave a lasting mark, and the faintest scratch becomes 

 a vulgar scar when the skin gets expanded by age and the 

 growth of the fruit. — A. Eekb, Carbet Castle. 



Camek's Ckiceet Club played its last match for the 

 season — Married versus Single members — at Dulwich on the 

 16th inst., and the result was a victory for the Single by one 

 run. Score : Single, 87 ; Married, 86. The match was fol- 

 lowed by the annual dinner, at which thirty-five members of 

 the Club sat down. After the usual toasts had been proposed 

 and responded to, the Secretary gave a resume of the doings of 

 the Club during the past season, when it transpired that four 

 matches had been won, three lost, and five drawn. 



SOME PEEDATORY INSECTS OF OUR 

 GARDENS.— No. 19. 



I SUPPOSE almost every person of any observation is well 

 acquainted with the external appearance of a wasp. We have 

 all seen this insect if we are not blind. We have not all felt 

 it, though ; no ! and those who have not may be regarded as 

 having — a pleasure yet in store ? Well, not exactly that, but 

 the sting of the wasp, except with certain peculiarly constituted 

 individuals, is not really so painful as common report alleges. 

 I conceive the wasp is in many things an individual grievously 

 calumniated ; he ia the victim of spite, which has been nursed 

 and fostered by successive generations until even bis exterior 

 is regarded as disgusting, and an adjective coined from his 

 name is expressive of a disposition anything but amiable in 

 the human family. 



What are the leading charges against the wasp ? First and 

 foremost, it is said, he is a notorious thief, and spares no 

 sweets which come within his reach, attacking also other pro- 

 duce at times. Granted that he does, yet other species of 

 insects are just as annoying and predacious as he is, and they 

 are not visited with such extreme censure. Moreover, it must 

 not be forgotten that the wasp is also carnivorous, and kills 

 and carries off other insects, even at times our pertinacious 

 enemy the blowfly. Secondly, he is charged with being highly 

 malicious and spiteful. " The wasps," says a foreign author, 

 "are a race of dangerous brigands which live by rapine, are 

 incessantly fighting battles, and exist only to do harm. They 

 are an excitable race it is well not to cross. If great heat adds 

 to their natural irritability they savagely attack those who 

 annoy them, and pursue them to a distance." Very dreadful 

 indeed ! Perhaps the Continental wasps are worse in de- 

 meanour than our British specimens. 



My own experience corresponds rather with that of Mr. Cox, 

 who observes, " The wasp is not vicious, but simply resentful. 

 It does not attack or sting unprovoked, and if allowed peacefully 

 to pitch upon us without previous hunting, it will most pro- 

 bably do us no injury." And I have myself even hunted them 

 (by accident) — that is to say, I have struck them down when 

 chasing other insects, and have found that when liberated from 

 the net they were usually only too glad to take their departure, 

 though now and then an individual would perform some 

 gyrations in the air in one's vicinity for a short time, the at- 

 tention being necessarily concentrated upon these gyrations 

 until the offended Hjmenopteron went off. " Bat," exclaims 

 some one, " wasps are malicious. I have seen one at rest, and 

 ho (or more properly she, for the male wasps are stingless), 

 kept thrusting the sting out, as if longing to employ it on 

 somebody." Quite true,'! have seen that also; but what is 

 there in the fact ? Why simply this, that the wasp's sting is a 

 most important weapon to its owner, and it is incumbent upon 

 the insect to keep it in good order. The movement of the 

 sting in and out of the sheath is a merely mechanical act, on a 

 par with the " dusting and brushing " operations gone through 

 by many insects. I do not think it can be proved that wasps 

 are quarrelsome amongst themselves to' any great extent, cer- 



