332 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



[ November 2, 1871. 



will ripen a crop of frnit on the back wall of a newly-planted 

 vinery or in other parts of the house, always bearing in mind 

 that the fruit will not ripen well in a position where it is not 

 exposed to the light and air. They have also a fine effect if 

 grown as standards, with the head trained to a circular trellis, 

 and the bunches allowed to hang down from the outer edge of 

 the circle. The plants should be in such a position that the 

 frnit may be just above the eye of a person looking at it. 



After the young Vines are planted-out in the house, and have 

 started into growth, a stick should be placed to each, as the 

 young shoots are easily damaged, and I ought to state that it 

 is better to train the shoots from the base of the plant, as such 

 always grow strongest. A somewhat moist atmosphere should 

 be maintained in the house ; this is preferable to syringing the 

 plants. 



Those who intend planting a vinery, and who have not yet 

 obtained the young Vines, should purchase them at once from 

 a respectable nurseryman, and pay the highest price for them ; 

 a shilling or two saved in the price of a Vine must be con- 

 sidered a small matter in comparison with having a large 

 number of failures from planting badly-grown canes. Those 

 who rush to the cheapest market for their goods generally pay 

 most in the end. When the plants are sent home they should 

 be kept until planting time in a cool house where frost cannot 

 injure them. 



If the Vines are healthy and in good condition, all will start 

 into rapid growth, when one shoot should be trained up at 

 every 2 feet 9 inches, allowing 1 foot 6 inches at each end. 

 There is much difference of opinion amongst practical men 

 with respect to the beat method of cutting the young rods at 

 pruning time ; some cut them back nearly to the bottom of the 

 rafter, others go to the opposite extreme, and leave the young 

 cane the whole length of the rafter. I prefer leaving from 

 6 to 9 feet from the bottom of the rafter, according to the 

 strength of the canes. The weaker canes should be shortened 

 most, and if any of them are unusually weak I should cut them 

 close back to the bottom of the rafter ; they would then break 

 more strongly the following year. I should also take a crop of 

 ■from two to three bunches from all canes that had grown to 

 the top of the rafters. The second year each cane would carry 

 about six bunches. 



Vakieties. — There is much difference of opinion regarding 

 the best varieties to plant. To a certain extent the varieties 

 are a matter of taste, and the Grape Vine is also much in- 

 fluenced by soil and situation. I have lately seen that very 

 fine-flavoured Grape Chasselas Mnsqu6 in excellent condition, 

 the bunches and berries very large for the variety, and beauti- 

 fully ripened, and the same Vines do well every year ; yet I 

 have repeatedly seen this sort under apparently far more favour- 

 able circumstances, still it was not possible to get a present- 

 able bunch from it. Again, there is Eoyal Ascot ; how often has 

 Mr. Standish shown it in splendid condition, the berries large 

 and perfectly finished in every respect, and the flavour all that 

 could be desired, yet many good Grape-growers fail to grow it 

 creditably. It has done badly with me this year ; most of the frnit 

 cracked at the apex of the berries, and, as a consequence, decay 

 soon set in. Mr. Pearson, of Chilwell, who is well known as one 

 of our moat successful Grape-growers, brought up a bunch of 

 this, also in bad condition, to one of the meetings at South Ken- 

 sington ; BO that we must likewise class this amongst uncertain 

 Grapes. Take Golden Champion as one of the most recent 

 introductions; it is a very champion amongst white Grapes 

 when it can be obtained in good order. It has very much im- 

 proved with me this year ; the berries have not only finished oS 

 well, but they have also kept well, and I have bunches hanging 

 now in good condition, although they were ripe in July. It has 

 never grown very strongly with me, but always shows plenty of 

 bunches ; on the other hand, many good growers condemn it 

 as utterly worthless, and most of them are agreed that it is an 

 uncertain Grape. I have it grafted on the Black Hamb urgh 

 also on the Trentham Black. I will send you a few berries 

 from each to say whether you think they are utterly worthless. 

 Our opinion is recorded in another column. — Eds.] 



Many more Grapes could be mentioned as uncertain. I will 

 name instead a few that will not cause disappointment. For 

 general purposes, and the best of all Grapes, is the Black 

 Hamburgh ; every other must give place to this. Madresfield 

 Court Black is said by some to surpass it ; it is certainly a 

 grand acquisition. This, with Lady Downe's, I would recom- 

 mend for a cool house. As two white Grapes for a cool house 

 I would choose White Frontignan and Buckland Sweetwater ; 

 the latter should be grafted on Black Hamburgh. Foster's 



White Seedling is by some thought a better Grape than Buck- 

 land Sweetwater, but it seldom acquires a golden colour, and 

 has not such a fine appearance as the other. There are some 

 very fine new white Grapes (that is, as far as one can judge from 

 seeing a bunch and tasting the berries) being sent out by 

 Messrs. Standish, of Ascot, and Mr. John Pearson, of Chilwell, 

 Nottingham. All of them are early varieties, and adapted for 

 cool houses. Ferdinand de Lesseps is the most distinct ; it 

 partakes of the blood of that highly-scented variety the Straw- 

 berry Grape, and is also perfumed ; the berries are oval, of a 

 rich golden colour, and delicious flavour. In Dr. Hogg, another 

 variety raised by Mr. Pearson, and to be sent out by him, the 

 bunch is long and tapering, the berries large, round, and of a 

 rich Muscat or Frontignan flavour. The berries, Mr. Pearson 

 says, are not liable to crack. In Mr. Standish's Ascot Citronelle 

 we have another very early distinct Grape ; the bunch and 

 berries are medium-sized, with a very rich piquant flavour, 

 partaking of the Frontignan. For the Muscat house I would 

 plant Alicante and Muscat of Alexandria or Bowood Muscat. 



I said nothing about Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat, which, 

 with me, is an exceedingly fine variety, but it is uncertain, so 

 many good growers having failed to produce good fruit from it. 

 I have it grafted on Lady Downe's, but it does not colour so 

 well on that variety as it does on its own roots. In the Mus- 

 cat house on its own roots it has coloured pretty well, and 

 carries a crop of fine bunches weighing from 2 to 8 lbs. each. 

 One fault with Mrs. Pinoe is that the berries are apt to shrivel 

 long before those of Lady Downe's or Alicante. — J. Douglas. 



NEW ROSES FOR 1872. 

 The circumstances under which France was placed twelve 

 months ago were undoubtedly the cause of the unusually email 

 number of new Eoses that were received from that country for 

 the season 1870-71, the number being thirteen — three Eemon- 

 tant Hybrids and ten Tea-scented. Of these, six Tea-scented 

 kinds were raised by Ducher, four Tea- scented and one Eemon- 

 tant by Levet, one Eemontant by Gnillot pere, and the other 

 by Schwartz. None of these are yet sufficiently well known to 

 enable one to pronounce a decided judgment on their merits, 

 and as yet but little notice has been taken of them in these 

 pages. While the depression of French horticulture conse- 

 quent upon the gigantic struggle brought to a close last spring, 

 excited genuine sympathy among all classes here, in one de- 

 partment, at least, a negative kind of relief, so to speak, was 

 felt by the Eose amateurs, and probably by the professional 

 growers also, owing to the absence of the host of new Eoses 

 previously offered every year to delight and perplex, to interest 

 and disappoint. Now the terrible storm has passed away, our 

 sincerest wishes are that our French neighbours generally, and 

 the horticultural portion of them in particular, may speedily 

 recover their former vigour. A prominent sign of efforts being 

 made to bring about returning prosperity is to, be found in 

 the announcement of new Eoses for 1872 just received from 

 Paris — their name is legion. To attempt at this early period 

 to form any just estimate of what they are from the brief and 

 somewhat formal descriptions attached to them would be but a 

 waste of time and space. Any real improvement upon what 

 we already possess we shall gladly accept ; but it is too much to 

 be feared the good is accompanied by so much that is worthless, 

 that to pick it out from the multitude of subjects offered for 

 choice must at best prove a perplexing and even wearisome 

 task. To sum up, the announcements to the present time con- 

 tain the names of fifteen Tea-scented Eoses, one Eemontant 

 Moss, one Hybrid not Eemontant, one Bourbon, and fifty Ee- 

 montant Hybrids— in all sixty-eight. By placing before our 

 Eose friends the list in its entirety, they will be able to analyse 

 its contents and judge for themselves. The numerals prefixed 

 are for convenience of reference. 



TEA-SCENTED. 



1. Blanqui. — VigoronB, very free-blooming. Flowers large, full, 

 and symmetrical ; pure white. 



2. Comte de Gnvel. — Vigorous and free-blooming. Flowers large, 

 full, and well formed ; straw yellow changing to white. Seedling from 

 Canari. 



3. Comte Tavema. — Very vigorous. Flowers large, very full, and 

 well formed ; yellow_ with brighter centre. Seedling from Louise de 

 Savoie. 



4. ComtessedeNadaillac. — Vigorous and floriferons. Flowers large, 

 full, and globular ; bright vivid rose upon a copper apricot yellow 

 ground. 



5. Henry Leccq. — Vigorous. Flowers medium, very fuU, with long 

 swollen buds ; deep rose. 



