September 20, 1877. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



239 



fruit. The third-prize table of Mr. Methveu was alao chastely 

 arranged, and contained some excellent dishes of fruit. 



Bpergnes and bouquets were numerous, but several of them 

 were too highly coloured. Those to which the prizes were 

 awarded were, however, excellent. The first-prize bouquet of 

 Mr. Poaketfc had a central flower of Bucharis surrounded with 

 Stephanotis, Ericas, and light sprays of Ixora, also small Onci- 

 diums, and a veil of gauze Fern. It was medium-sized and well 

 executed. Mrs. Cramont's second-prize bouquet was composed 

 of Eacharis, Panoratiums, and Stephanotis, relieved by small 

 sprays of blue Browallias and Fern. Prizes were offered for 

 baskets of cut flowers, and the several examples in competition 

 prodnoed rather an imposing effect; but on the whole the 

 arrangements were too formal, and the flowers too much 

 crowded. 



Fruit. — "When the schedule was originally prepared fruit re- 

 ceived but little consideration, and the prizes offered were quite 

 inadequate to command good entries. An additional sum of 

 upwards of £30 was subsequently added to the fruit classes, and 

 a somewhat limited but very good display resulted. Mr. West- 

 cott, Raby Castle, was awarded first honours in the class for 

 eight dishes (Pines excluded) for an excellent collection contain- 

 ing remarkably good Black Hamburgh Grapes and very good 

 Golden Champions, also Waltham Cross ; Melons, Plums, Pit- 

 maston Orange Nectarines, Barrington Peaches, Figs, and Apri- 

 cots. Mr. Jowsey, Sedbury Park, Richmond, secured the se- 

 oond prize, and Mr. Errington of Unsworth Hall the third for 

 highly creditable collections. In the class for six dishes the 

 prizewinners were Mr. Shaw, Blakebrook, Kidderminster, Mr. 

 Westcott, and Mr. Wass in the order named, who all staged 

 good collections. A few very good Pine Apples were exhibited, 

 the prizes going to Mr. Brown and to Mr. "Westcott. But a much 

 better class was that for two bunches of black Grapes, the prizes 

 being offered by Mr. Kinnear, Radclyffe House, which attracted 

 thirteen competitors. The Judge (Mr. Rivers, Sawbridgworth) 

 awarded the first prize to Mr. Witherspoon, Chester-le-Street, 

 for medium-sized but handsome and well-coloured bunches of 

 Black Alicante ; the berries were very fine and regular, and the 

 more creditable to the exhibitor (an amateur) as being the first 

 Grapes he has grown. Mr. "Westcott had the second prize with 

 Black Hamburghs of great merit; if these had been placed 

 equal first no injustice would have been done. Mr. Jowsey had 

 the third prize. Mr. "Westcott won the chief prize for white 

 Grapes, followed by Mr. Bradley, gardener to T. S. Turnbull, 

 Esq., High Barnes, Sunderland; and Mr. Stocksley, Elswick 

 Park, for very good produce ; and for the heaviest bunch Mr. 

 Jowsey won with a well-shaped bunch of Gros Gnillaume, 

 weighing about 7 lbs. Fifteen Melons were staged, medium- 

 Bized good dessert fruit. Mr. Starrie, gardener to J. Noble, 

 Esq., had the firBt prize. A few dishes of very good Peaches 

 were exhibited, but owing to the dull weather some of the fruit 

 was deficient in colour. Mr. Shields, gardener to Col. Reed, 

 Newbiggen House, Kenton, had the first prize with a capital dish. 

 Nectarines were Bmall, as also were Pears. Apples were limited, 

 but a few very fine dishes were staged by Messrs. Shaw, Brown, 

 and Rylance. Plums were poor. Cucumbers large — too large, 

 and unnamed. Mr. Rivers sent a collection of fruit in twelve 

 varieties of Pears, Apples, Peaches, and Nectarines, many of 

 them being new, and contributed much to the completeness 

 and interest of this section of the Show. It is evident that good 

 fruit is grown in the nortb, and liberal prizes only are necessary 

 to ensure a fine Bhow of it at Newcastle. Only a few vegetables 

 were exhibited, but these were good; and Mr. Turner's School- 

 master Potato was much admired. Many exhibits were not 

 named, which always detracts from the interest and even from 

 the usefulness of a Show. 



The mode of affixing the prizes merits notice, as being the 

 fairest, simplest, and best that has come under our notice. 

 Every exhibit has a card attached containing the name and 

 address of the exhibitor, together with the number of the class 

 and description of the exhibit. This card is placed in an en- 

 velope and on which is the class number. After the awards are 

 made, not before, the envelope is opened and the award of first, 

 second, or third prize is pasted on — not anywhere, be it ob- 

 served, covering important portions of the cards as at Carlisle, 

 but in a space left blank for the purpose. Nothing can ba 

 neater, better, nor more expeditious. 



The Show was a great success. Visitors crowded the Hall in 

 such numbers and with such enthusiasm as are seldom seen. 

 Newcastle is the centre of a population within a radius of ten 

 miles of a million and a half. It has also excellent railway facili- 

 ties. It contains men of horticultural skill and great administra- 

 tive ability, and, moreover, whose nature to give a hearty, a 

 courteous, a hospitable welcome to all comers aiding in the 

 exhibitions which they have established so well. Newcastle 

 csn hardly fail to become an important horticultural centre, and 

 great shows are certain to be provided so long as the same able 

 and willing workers devote their energies to the work in which 

 they are now engaged. "We are glad to have visited this Show, 

 and to have noted the extraordinary zeal of its chief officials, 



and the none less usofulif more obscure aid given by Mrs. W. J. 

 Taylor. 



SHANKING OF GRAPES. 



" Inquirer" raises a very important question whan he asks 

 , " "Why outdoor Grapes do not shank?" and as I think I can 

 " read between the lines " that he wants to know why indoor 

 Grapes do shank, I will put the two questions together and 

 say, " What is the cause of shanking, and how oan it be pre- 

 vented or checked ?" 



First of all let us consider what is shanking. It is the small 

 stalk whioh connects the berry with the bunch caasing to 

 convey nutriment to the berry, and consequently the berry 

 comes to a standstill and the stalk withers. It generally takes 

 place just when the fruit begins to colour, and the shanked 

 berries remain red or green and sour. It will ba found to 

 occur most on Vines which have been grown in very rich 

 borders with their roots unchecked during the first few years 

 of their existence. The roots of Vines so grown do not ramify 

 and make numerous fe?ders as those do which are grown in 

 little else than loam. The less manure, so long as the soil is 

 sufficiently fertile to promote good growth, the better will be 

 the constitution of the Vine. It will have harder and more 

 perfect wood, and also more numerous though not such gross 

 feeders. The roots of Vines planted in riohly prepared borders 

 often dart Btraight through them without ramifying scarcely 

 at all ; not, perhaps, because there are not the necessary ingre- 

 dients in the border for their sustenance, but because their 

 wants are so easily supplied without, as it were, any effort on 

 their part, and then, like people who are not early taught to 

 cater for themselves, they do not find out the way till it is too 

 late. As the roots, so the branches. If the former are gross 

 the latter will correspond to them, and have a largo amount 

 of pith, long joints, and drawn-out cells. Very probably there 

 are about the same number of cells whether the joints are 

 near together or far apart, and a similar amount of solid 

 material is built up in each case. 



Shanking is very prevalent on Vines whioh are not allowed 

 to carry sufficient foliage in comparison with the fruit they 

 bear ; in fact it can ba produced on any Viae however hea ; thy 

 in two or three years if it is pinched-in too hard, or if a large 

 portion of its leaves are removed just before the fruit ripens 

 under the pretext of admitting light to the fruit, or because 

 the leaves are required for garnishing. I guard very jealously 

 all the Vine leaves on fruiting plants which can be exposed to 

 the light till the fruit is perfectly matured. I would rather 

 have "the fruit taken than that the Vices should be partially 

 denuded, and therefore leaves for garnishing are grown else- 

 where. 



Shanking is often oaused, too, by an insufficiency of water. 

 What I consider a sufficiency may be gleaued from the fact 

 that four Muscat Vines, which now fill a compartment 80 feet 

 by 30 feet of our large vinery, have bean watered twelve times 

 since the beginning of March, each Vine receiving about 

 300 gallons each time, although the area of the space con- 

 taining their roots is only about 15 feet by 8 for each Vine. 



Besides what I have pointed out there is no doubt that 

 " Inquirer " is right in thinking that high night temperatures 

 have a good deal to do with shanking, and it may interest him, 

 if he is not already acquainted with the faot, to know that I 

 never aim at a higher night temperature than 55° for Vines, 

 including Muscats, till the flowers are Bet, and further that 

 Muscats always do set under such treatment as thickly as 

 Hamburghs; they are, in fact, generally set and start swelling 

 perceptibly before the cap falls off which covers the stamens. 



There are several reasons for recommending a comparatively 

 low temperature for the development of the flowers, but the 

 principal are because the roots never start, and consequently 

 cannot take up food, till some of the leaves are grown to their 

 full size ; therefore, if you force, all is coming out and nothing 

 going in. Bottom heat makes no difference in this respect ; 

 you cannot start the root first if tho Vine is healthy. And 

 again, flower stalks if not grown sturdily at first will be very 

 likely to break down when they become fruit stalks. 



I had almost forgotten to note that outdoor Vines receive 

 their greatest amount of water during winter, the soil in. which 

 they are growing never even approaching dryness at that 

 time ; neither does it in the houses of which I have charge. 

 Watering Vine borders is a very frequent employment for wet 

 weather during winter. The summer watering also does not 

 stop when the fruit begins to ripen, as so many people recom- 

 mend, but goes on rather increasingly towards ths autumn 



