April 27, 1871. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTTJEB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



301 



ceeds them all in its good bearing qualities, rarely or never 

 missing a crop, and oUen yielding a heavy one, as Mr. Critten- 

 den has had more fruit in some seasons than he had last year, 

 which is not given as an exceptional season, but as a good 

 average year. 



The features of the tree diiier but little from those of other 

 Damsons, excepting in one particular, and on that, perhaps, 

 its merits may in some degree depend — it is later in blooming 

 than most others. This was very perceptible during the pre- 

 sent season, where the old Sweet Damson was grown in the 

 same locality as Critteaden's Prolitic, as it is often called, the 

 former being in full flower some days before the latter. The 

 heavy bearing of the tree causes a partial downward bending 

 in the branches, and these often break when not propped up. 

 Its long and remarkable clusters of fruit are a great recom- 

 mendation ; another is its adaptability to almost any situation. 

 If auyone has a Damson which equals Crittenden's in pro- 

 ductiveness, and has the means of shovving figures like the 

 above, I shall be glad to hear of it. — John Eobson. 



VIOLETS— DIELYTR. 4. CUCULLARIA. 



While you' are recording the experiences of your corre- 

 spondents about Violets allow me to add mine. The varieties 

 I have are King, Qaeen, Tree, Old Blue, White, Brandyana, 

 Marie Louise, Bed, and Neapolitan of the doubles ; and Bnssian, 

 Czar, Devoniensi?, White, Wilsoni, Odorata (of New York), 

 Cilifornica, Obliqua Slriata, Oaeullsta, and Padata of the 

 singles. All are scented except -the last four, and all hardy ex- 

 cept the last. The last four are also deciduous. 



In regard to the double varieties all are good, but their great 

 fault is unquestionably their short stalks ; and I doubt, if a 

 number of blooms wei-e mixed together, whether anyone could 

 distiiaguish between King, Tree, and Old Blue — I cannot. It 

 is possible I may not have Kiag true, but in growth and every- 

 thing it is only the Old Blue. Qaeen is very tine, but not 

 white. It does not do so well in a frame as the Neapolitan, 

 though in the open border the full suri does not afioct it. 

 However, my purest blooms I always gather at the back of a 

 hedge in poor gravelly soil. Marie Louise, sent out two years 

 ago, seems nothing particular, but I have hardly had time to 

 give it a fair trial. Bod lean make nothing of; it is a poor 

 mifiy plant with me. 



With regard to single varieties nothirig can approach Czar in 

 my opinion, though it is a little tender, and its leaves are dis- 

 figured by frost ; but for size, for scent, and for strength of 

 growth it is unequalled. Devoniensis is good for its colour', 

 soent, and length of stalk. Russian and White grow mirch 

 where they please in my garden, and to any amount. Odorata 

 (of New York) I have not yet bloomed. Californicais a fine late 

 sort with no scent. Cueullata, highly spoken of, is no better 

 than Viola canina of the hedges. Pedata is very pretty, blooming 

 twice in the year, but wants a cold frame. Wilsoni is a new 

 variety, late and very sweet, with a pleasing colour, but the 

 flower is bad. Of course all are not now in bloom, but I send 

 what I can gather. 



" G. L." and "J. W." have written so much and so well 

 upon the culture of Violets that little mors need be said. I 

 may, however, remark that seed often remains in the ground 

 for twelve months before it vegetates. " J. W." says that The 

 Czar reproduces itself truly from seed. I can only say that 

 three years ago I sowed a quantity of seed gathered by myself. 

 After it had remained in the ground for twelve months plants 

 came up. I planted out a large bed of the seedlings, which 

 bloomed last year ; every one of them turned out to be the 

 common white Violet, there was not a blue one in the whole 

 bed. I have occasionally saved seed from the Double Blue, 

 ■which appeared perfectly good, but I cannot persuade it to 

 vegetate. 



While writing, I wish to take the opportunity of saying that 

 I have at last persuaded Dielytra cncullaria to bloom, after 

 having had it in possession ten years. I remember that a few 

 years ago yoa requested me, if ever I succeeded in flowering it, 

 I would send you a bloom. I have much pleasure in now com- 

 plying with your request. It is a poor thing, and utterly unlike 

 the coloured plate of it, the beauty of which induced me origin- 

 ally to purchase it. I think the plate appeared in one of Van 

 Houtte's works. — A. E. 



[The specimens enclosed were very superior. Those of Queen 

 are always stained with blue. Many years since we grew a 

 more densely purple and more densely double variety than we 



now see anywhere. The soil was light, on a gravelly subsoil, 

 and the garden an old one, full of old-fashioned flowers and old 

 fruit trees. 



We do not agree with you in your estimate of the Dielytra 

 cuouUaria. The white waxen flowers among the pale green 

 foliage surely must look graceful. Do not condemn it, but 

 grow it a little more luxuriantly. Your flowers are the first we 

 have seen, although the plant was introduced in 1731, and is 

 portraited in the " Botanical Magazine," t. 1127, under the 

 name of Pumaria cueullaria, or Two-spurred Fumitory.J^As in 

 your specimen, there are ^ix flowers on the stalk, but rather 

 larger than yours. — Eds.] 



THINNING GRAPES. 



Thinning the fruit is by no means the least important part 

 of Grape culture. It requires the combination of great care 

 and sound judgment, as well as patience; therefore such work 

 should not be entrusted to those who do not show a capability 

 for it, for it is a very easy matter to spoil the appearance of a 

 bunch, and, indeed, to injure a whole crop by a too careless or 

 injudicious application of the scissors. Many cultivators con- 

 sider thinning Grapes the most perplexing part of gardening, 

 and are very impatient over it, owing, perhaps, principally to 

 their having had many times to place themselves in very awk- 

 ward and inconvenient postures in order to perform the work. 

 Through such disinclination to commence the work and want 

 of perseverance, as well as the pressure of other work at the 

 same time, the crop is often irreparably injured by the berries 

 becoming too crowded and large ; consequently when thinning is 

 done a sudden and unnatural check is given to the flow of the 

 Vine's juices, and there is a loss of much that would have been 

 directed towards, and stored up in, the berries which would 

 have remained after an earlier thinning ; an imperfectly deve- 

 loped and an uneven crop is the result. 



When the berries commence swelling after they are set, thin- 

 ning should also begin, for besides other advantages it is then 

 easier to select the berries for cutting out and to shape out the 

 bunch than at any other time, and one berry can be cut out 

 without touching its neighbour — a thing always to be avoided, 

 for almost the lightest touch with the hand or a puncture with 

 the points of the scissors, though perhaps not seen at the time, 

 will, as the berry approaches maturity, come out as a great 

 eyesore and an objection to a good Grape-grower ; and to the 

 exhibitor of such Grapes it may be the means of placing him a 

 stage or two lower in the prize list. In selecting a bunch of 

 Grapes for thinniag, my first operation would be to shape the 

 upper part of the bunch by tying out its loose shoulders, if any, 

 with finely twisted matting ; and in order to hold the bunch 

 steady I use a twig from a birch broom about 8 inches long, with 

 a crochet at one end like a prop, and a hook at the other end, 

 so that the bunch or any part of it can bo pushed from the ope- 

 rator or brought nearer to him without leaving a mark of any 

 kind. Next comes the thinning of the berries. The distance 

 at which they should be left apart depends greatly upon the 

 variety and the crop to be taken from it, also the general vigour 

 of the plant, and whether young or old ; for instance, the 

 berries of a Black Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria, and others 

 of that class and size, must be left at a greater distance than 

 those of a Frontignaja or Sweetwater. At some places, and on 

 heavily cropped old Vines, the berries will not swell to more 

 than two-thirds the size of those at another place, therefore 

 such matters must be taken into consideration. However, I 

 guard as much as possible against overcropping ; I believe that 

 more mischief results from inattention to this than many like 

 to attribute to it. 



In thinning the berries a well-formed bunch should be aimed 

 at ; if they have set well there will be no difficulty in this. 

 Eetain the largest berries with the strongest footstalks. I com- 

 mence generally at the point of the bunoh first, and take care 

 to leave the centre berry of every branchlet. I like to see 

 vigorous strings to the berries, and consider it anything but a 

 good sign when the string is too weak to support the berry in 

 its place ; it is a pretty sure sign of imperfect root action, and 

 most likely shanking to a large extent. — Thomas Eecoed. 



WILD GERANIUMS, 



The remarks of your correspondent " W. E.," in the number 



of April 6th, have been perused by me with sincere pleasure. 



I had long entertained views in harmony with his as regards 



the enjoyment to be derived from the cultivation of plants so 



