Jannary 26, 1S71. 1 



JOUENAL OF HOETIOULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEFENEB. 



C3 



double-flowering varieties, ita habit and growth being dwari 

 and compact ; colour clear scarlet lake. The trusses are of 

 extraordinary size, and the individual flowers are very full and 

 double. I have seen nothing of its colour equal to this. 

 Emile Letnoine, extraordinarily large trusses of large and vary 

 double flowers ; colour carmine changing to scarlet. It is of 

 medium growth, throwing its truBses well above the foliage. I 

 should say it will make a good becider. Gloire de Nancy, much 

 in the way of Andrew Henderson, but not nearly so good ; 

 flowers rich rosy scarlet, growth vigorous. Surpasse Gloire de 

 Nancy and Eanunouliflora pleniasima, not worth growing. 

 Victor, a remarkably efleotiva variety, the flowers being of a 

 bright orange scarlet, striped and flaked with white. This is 

 a splendid variety. Madame Lemoine, a shrubby-growing 

 kind with the leaves conspicuously marked with a dark brown 

 zone ; a free bloomer. The trusses are immense, the flowers 

 very double and perfectly formed, of a beautiful bright pink 

 colour. This is, of its colour, one of the best double-flowering 

 varieties ever sent out. Wilhelm Piitner, an extremely attractive 

 and dazzling variety, producing immense truBses of large double 

 flowers of an esceediugly rich carmine colour. Marie Lemoine, 

 this vaviety is said to be the same in style as Madame Lemoine, 

 but with the trusses larger, and the habit dwarf and compact. 

 I have not had it long enough to prove it. The other varieties 

 I have proved. 



I have now a stock of Madame Lemoine which I purpose 

 bedding out next summer. The number of cuttings required 

 were potted-off in August ; each cutting had a thumb-pot. 

 After the cuttings were potted they were well watered, a place 

 in the yard was covered with coal ashes which were made level 

 and hard ; on this the pots were placed, no frame or other pro- 

 tection being put over them. The cuttings soon took root, 

 and when frost was expected they were removed to a Melon 

 pit, where they have been kept ever sinco. I shall have them 

 potted in March in large 48-Bized pots; they will be taken into 

 the Peach house to remain until the last week of April, they 

 ■will then bo placed in the yard for a fortnight, and finally 

 removed to the flower garden, where they are to be plunged in 

 tb e bed in which they are intended to remain for the summer. 

 The pots should be plunged just deeply enougti for the rims to 

 be covered. Every plant must be carefully watered before 

 plunging. I expect to restrict the vigour of the plants by the 

 above mode of treatment. 



The method is not a new one. About twelve years ago when 

 I lived under Mr. James Mcintosh, at Drumlanrig Gardens, 

 plunging vigorous varieties of the single Pelargonium was there 

 practised with good results — in fact, some of those plunged in 

 the beds hardly made more than an inch of wood, and had 

 very small leaves. If any of your readers have tried plunging 

 the double-flowering varieties, I shall be glad to know the 

 result. — (J. M. M'Okow. 



ICE VERSUS GLASS. 



Makt of your correspondents like " E. F." (see page 49 of 

 last week's Journal), havo no doubt had their attention di- 

 rected to this subject in a way that has been anything but 

 agreeable during this severe weather. The breakage of glass 

 has been in many places very great. Having suffered a good 

 deal from this cause, perhaps a few of my deductions may 

 be usef a! to others. 



Some years since I drew the attention of your readers to the 

 fact, that much of the glass used for horticultural buildings 

 had never been properly annealed. This is a subject on which 

 many persons have never thought ; those who have, know that 

 if glass is allowed to cool quickly after it is made, it is liable to 

 break on very slight changes of temperature. I once heard 

 and saw a large and expensive looking-glass crack across when 

 no one was near it. Tumblers that havo not been annealed 

 properly will not bear hot water, and those who have seen 

 Eupert's drops know that hot glass cooled very quickly cannot 

 even be scratched without falling into fine powder. Having 

 badly annealed glass, a person must expect that in time it will 

 all oraok. To deal with a respectable firm, and not to be too 

 anxious for cheap glass, is the only way to guard against 

 this worst cause of breakage. Mere thickness is no safeguard, 

 heavy glass if unannealed will break quite as soon as thin. It 

 is very bad economy to use glass however good too thin. I 

 shall never again order glass under 21 ozs. to the foot, it is 

 much cheaper in the end than 15-oz. glass. 



Then, again, glass is often used too wide, and in that ease it 

 is too weak to carry heavy snow or bear rough wind without 



breaking. Panes 15 inches wide are as wide as ever ought to 

 be used, and I should prefer 14 inches. A wide lap is also one 

 of the chief causes of breakage ; so long as there is a lap it can- 

 not be too narrow. A wide lap holds much moisture, and as ice 

 occupies more space than water, such moisture when frozen 

 must lift one pane up or press the other down, and in cold 

 weather the glass will not bear this without breaking, even 

 when good in quality. Some will say, " Why have any lap 

 at all ? Place the edges together merely, and if cut level they 

 will keep out the water." My answer is, that in stormy weather 

 a roof so glazed will admit water at every joint, as I have 

 proved. Of course, a very flat roof is a cause of breakage, as 

 more water is retained by the laps of the glass, and mora 

 snow accumulates on it. But I have proved that the greatest 

 preventive to breakage by frost is to cut the glass to a slight 

 curve instead of a straight edge. However slight the curve 

 may be it causes all the rain to run down the middle of the 

 pane, thus drawing it away from the putty — a most valuable 

 effect ; but in addition it prevents the moisture resting be- 

 tween the laps, because as it collects at the lowest part of the 

 oarva its weight overcomes the capillary attraction o! the lap, 

 and it runs off, or rather down. lu my new houses in which I 

 have adopted this plan, there is not one pane cracked with frost 

 to twenty in those where the straight-cut glass has been used. 

 Now, this groat improvement costs little to carry out, next to 

 nothing in fact. The curve being very slight, it is little more 

 than removing the corners of the panes. The trouble to the 

 glazier is nothing, because it is only cutting to a slightly 

 rounded edge in place of a straight one. In addition to these 

 advantages a house so glazed has a much better appearance 

 than one glazed in the ordinary manner. — J. E, Peaeson, 

 Chilwell. 



SETTING OF GEAPES. 



After reading Mr. Pearson's excellent and useful article 

 nnder the above heading (see vol. xix., page 509), I came to 

 the conclusion that it might be of benefit to the amateur at 

 least to know a little about the setting of the Grapes referred 

 to by me on the previous page. 



Taking them as there described. Grizzly Frontignan is the 

 first, and requires no attention beyond a gentle shake when the 

 flowers expand, and the same remark holds good as regards 

 Eoyal Muscadine, Buckland Sweetwater, and Foster's White 

 Seedling. Black Hamburgh and Frankenthal I never set arti- 

 ficially, as I find no need for it. Mill Hill Hamburgh with me 

 was a bad setter, and shanked as well. In the late house, 

 which receives little heat, I find no difficulty with Trentham 

 Black and West's St. Peter's ; but Lady Downe's, Alicante, and 

 Barbarossa [Gros Guillaums] require a brush to be run over 

 them, and should al?o be planted at the warm end. 



My treatment of Vines when in flower Is very simple, though 

 I do not affirm it would do for Vines in flower now or earlier, 

 but those flowering, say in Mar«h, have the benefit of more 

 light and sun than thosa fioweriug earlier. When I see the 

 Vines are about opening the flowers I cease syringing overhead, 

 but maintain a moist atmosphere by keeping the troughs full of 

 water, and by damping and syringing the floors and walls, for I 

 do not consider anything is gained by keeping a dry atmosphere. 

 Should the weather be unfavourable or unsettled I use a little 

 extra fire, so that I may give more air at the back and a little 

 in front, taking every advantage of sunshine to admit more air. 

 I also leave a little air at night at the back. Where bees are 

 kept every means should be taken to entice them into the 

 vineries. I have frequently carried in both bees and blue- 

 bottle flies, and shut them up for a few hours ; the flies, 

 though not extracting the honey, must do much good by dis- 

 turbing the foliage. Should there be any cutting or search- 

 ing winds at the time the Vines are in flower, it is better to 

 dispense with the front air. With me the setting of the above 

 Grapes is an easy matter, and they are very suitable to those 

 who require quality rather than quantity and size, and especially 

 to the amateur. 



Alter reading Mr. Pearson's notes, I wish I had room for 

 Mrs. Pince and Muscat Hamburgh, though I am afraid they 

 would require more heat than I should care to give. I should 

 like to hear how Golden Champion succeeds in Lancashire; 

 I intended having a Vine of it in the gummer, but was 

 dissuaded, being told it was a bad setter— in fact, partaking, 

 as Mr. Pearson says, of the Canon Hall Muscat. I have not 

 seen it in fruit myself. 



I have endeavoured to show the treatment of my Vines when 



