24 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jannary 12, 1S71. 



ginella denticulata, that I have decided to grow more of them [ 

 when convenient. j 



My plan was to take the points of the medinm-sized bloom- ' 

 ing shoots, and make them into cnttings about 4 inches long, I 

 taking cff the bottom leaf only; to place each cutting in a very 

 small pot, say a 72, or 2-inch pot ; and to strike them in a brisk 

 bottom heat and a moist, close atmosphere. Afterwards I 

 put four of these cuttings in a 6-incb pot ; the tallest in the 

 centre, potting it rather higher than the others, and three 

 round the sides. Place the latter slantingly and equidistant. I 

 nsed a rich turfy loam, a handful of rotten cow manure, and 

 sand. I kept them in close quarters until established, and 

 then allowed them more light and moderate air. They cannot 

 grow tall with such moderate-rooting space, but instead of that 

 the nourishment the plants take from the soil will not only 

 give the foliage a good colour, but will develope as fine a lot 

 of floral leaves as can well be wished for, and the pot and plants 

 will not, perhaps, exceed 1 foot high. The cuttings, I think, 

 should be selected just as the shoot has ceased growing, and is 

 about to form its tiny floral bracts. — T. Recoed. 



GROUND VINEPJES. 



I HAVE read much and heard much for and against ground 

 vineries, and one Journal went so far as to say that they were 

 unworthy the attention of gardeners, excepting for the growth 

 of vegetables in winter, but they might do for amateurs. Even 

 the inventor a week or so ago, in writing to " our Journal," 

 said that he did not believe in them. However, being very 

 fond of Grapes, and, moreover, being an amateur fruit-grower, 

 I thought I would try some of them three or four years ago. 

 So I wrote to Mr. Kivett to send me half a dozen of his pattern 

 of ground vinery. On receiving them I saw it would be an im- 

 provement to do away with the groove for the glass to rest in, 

 instead of which I made it to lap, and fixed with iron hooks, 

 by which means I also got rid of the putty. I also strengthened 

 the ends with a light iron cross-bar, and supported the ridge 

 woodwork by bracing it to the lower wood on each side with a 

 light iron bar. This prevented warping, which othervrise was 

 apt to take place, and then the glass fell out. Instead of slates 

 I paved the bottom with tiles, which I thought would hold 

 both heat and moisture. To each Vine I allowed a growth of 

 21 feet — that is, three 7-feet lengths of lights. 



The sorts I have planted are Black Muscat of Alexandria or 

 Muscat Hamburgh, Foster's White Seedling, Lady Downe's, 

 Frankenthal, Black Hamburgh, Black Hamburgh (Morris's 

 variety), Early Golden Frontignan, General della Marmora, 

 Fintindo, La Ville de Bruxelles, Golden Champion, Trentham 

 Black, and a seedling of my own. Some of the Vines have 

 fruited, others not yet, but I will give my notes of those that 

 have. 



Early Golden Frontignan bears well, and was ripe and of 

 excellent flavour in the first week of September, both in 1869 

 and 1870. 



Foster's White Seedling. This is a fine Grape, and succeeds 

 remarkably well in a ground vinery. It was ripe in the middle 

 of September. 



Trentham Black did not set well in 1869, but set well in 

 1870. In colour it is jet black. Its flavour was all that could 

 be desired. It was ripe in the last week of September. 



General della Marmora is a free bearer, but I do not think 

 much of the flavour. It is poor in quality, at least with me. 

 This I shall dig up or graft. 



Fintindo, a black Grape, loose in the bunch, and which does 

 not require thinning, or at most very little. It is smaller in 

 the berry than the Black Hamburgh, and not so good. 



Frankenthal and Black Hamburgh both did remarkably well, 

 were fine in colour and flavour, and were ripe in the last week 

 of September and the first week of October. 



Black Muscat of Alexandria was large in bunch and good in 

 colour, and delicious. 



Lady Downe's became black at the beginning of October, 

 and was cut ripe on the ith of November. A very free bearer. 



Morris's Black Hamburgh I bought as earlier than the Black 

 Hamburgh. I have not found it so, nor to my thinking is it 

 80 good in other respects as that variety. 



The rest of my Vines I have not allowed to bear yet. As far 

 as I have gone I deem my ground vineries a great success, as 

 they supply me with excellent Grapes more than two months 

 in the year with comparatively little trouble. Many of my 

 friends, after seeing the Vines and tasting the produce, have 

 taken the measurement of the frames and had some made, 



and are now growing for themselves. I do not pretend to say 

 that the growth is equal to the fruit grown in my heated 

 vinery, but I aver the Grapes are good and rich in flavour, 

 equal to, nay better, in quality than many that I have seen 

 grown in cool houses ; and I would say to my brother amaten>rs, 

 Try one Vine, such as the Trentham Black or the Frankenthal, 

 and if you succeed as well as I have done, I think you will not 

 regret the experiment. One word more. Do not have the glass 

 less than 21-oz., and if the weather is very hot whiten the glass 

 on the side next the sun. — Hakkiso:s Weis, Weirleigli, Kent, 



CYCLAJNIEN CULTURE. 



Befoee recording my experience on Cyclamen culture I wish 

 to give this warning — with proper attention it is one of the 

 most easy plants to cultivate, but without that it is one of the 

 most difficult. I can assure Mr. W. Seott he can not only have 

 good blooming plants in ten months, but in eight months useful 

 ones with from two to ten dezen blooms, and I believe for 

 general purposes from October till May they are not equalled, 

 especially for London rooms. 



For exhibition purposes, I think as a rule they should be 

 shown in collections independently of size of pots, taking the 

 quality of flower and foliage into consideration as the colours 

 are so various, and perhaps in several collections of six or 

 twelve they may be nearly all equal but different in colour. 



I think in time a good Cyclamen will equal what our best 

 Fuchsias are now in shape and substance of petal; good dis- 

 tinct-based flowers — that is my standard of excellence. 



To have good plants in eight or ten months sow the seed any 

 time after January, allowing eight or ten months according as 

 the plants are wanted to bloom ; o-inch pots or pans will do. 

 Sow about 1 inch apart in a gentle bottom heat. When the 

 plants are up keep them as near the glass as possible, giving 

 air gradually ; and after this time they should have all the air 

 possible, dependant upon the external temperature, and night 

 and day during the summer months. As soon as they have 

 made three or four leaves pot off the plants singly in small 

 60-sized pots, reshifting, as the roots find their way to the out- 

 sides of the pots, to large GO's, o-inch, and 6-ineh pots, returning 

 them to the bottom heat, as they are very susceptible of any 

 check, which will keep them on the standstill for a month or 

 six weeks. The soU should be either warmed or the pots 

 raised from the bottom heat two or three days before shitting. 

 I do not recommend planting two or three plants in a pot, nor 

 planting them out. 



A frame is the best place in which to grow them during the 

 summer months, shading at all times from strong sunshine ; 

 and as a good show of bloom entirely depends upon clean 

 healthy foliage, the plants should be syringed at least twice 

 a-day to preserve cleanliness, and to savo the foliage from red 

 spider, which appears to be their chief enemy. 



Not later than September plants should be removed from the 

 frames to a stage or shelf in the greenhouse or conservatory, 83 

 after that time they are subject to damp, maintaining just- 

 enough fire heat to expel frost and damp, and giving plenty o£ 

 air without cold currents. If they are kept in a damp, close- 

 atmosphere whilst in bloom during the winter months, anyone 

 can have spotted varieties to his heart's content, but such I 

 consider a disfigurement. 



After the blooming season place the plants in a cool pit or 

 greenhouse, and gradually withhold water, but never allow 

 them to become dust dry. After they have lost all or the greater 

 part of the leaves, shake them out, repot, and return them to 

 a cold frame, sprinkling twice a-day overhead, and watering at 

 the root very cautiously at first, increasing the supply as the 

 foliage increases. Return them to a stage in the greenhouse at 

 the end of September. In two or three years good specimen 

 plants can be had from IS inches to 2 feet in diameter, with 

 corms of from 4 to 6 inches. 



The amateur may rest assured Cyclamens can be grown quite 

 as well without bottom heat as with it. Sow the seed in 

 October instead of in spring, place the pots on a shelf in a 

 greenhouse near the glass, and grow the plants in a cold frame 

 during the hot summer months. 



I find the best compost is one-half good fibrous loam, and 

 one-half leaf mould and well-rotted hotbed manure. Avoid 

 cow dung, as it contains so many grubs, and should any be 

 missed in the potting, they will completely destroy the plant, 

 commencing with the roots and finishing at the corm. 



A few words about the ten-months collection of plants ex- 

 hibited at South Kensington by Mr. Clarke, of Twickenham, 



