18 



THE P10EIST AND POMOLOGIST. 



remained till March, when it was potted on and placed in a cucumber-pit, where it soon 

 made rapid growth. It was duly stopped and potted on till it finally filled an 11 -inch pot 

 with roots. The soil used was a mixture of peat and loam in about equal parts, with a little 

 silver sand. This had all taken place by the end of June, when the plant was placed in a 

 cool greenhouse, which was left open night and day. It continued there till about the middle 

 of September, when it showed bloom at the points of all the principal shoots. It was then 

 removed to the stove, where it soon began to develope its beautiful bracts, and in a fortnight 

 it had twelve sprays of bloom on it, from a foot to half a yard in length. 



"The plant has a fine compact habit of growth, and bright green smooth leaves, and 

 differs in all respects (except the thorns at the base ol the leaves), from B. speciosa. There 

 can be no doubt but that it will bloom in a much lower temperature than the latter, and 

 being an autumn bloomer it will be a great acquisition. In my opinion it would do well 

 and bloom freely in a warm conservatory. The colour is not so rich as in £. speciosa, being 

 of a bright pink shaded with lilac. 



"A third Bougainvillcea in my possession bids fair to bloom in the spring, having all the 

 requisites of roots and branches well matured in an 11 -inch pot. 



(c Swyncombe Gardens." " J. Daniels." 



WINTER-RIPENED GRAPES. 



I observe that my friend Mr. Tillery gives winter-ripened Grapes a 

 back -handed slap in his article in your last Number ; first, because he considers 

 it unnecessary to have them when old Grapes can easily be had ; and in the 

 second place, because forcing Vines so early as to have the fruit ripe in January 

 weakens them, in consequence of their not getting a proper winter's rest. He 

 thinks that to have Grapes ripe in March, so as to shake hands with the old 

 ones before they are over, is early enough. 



My own experience in this matter runs completely counter to the substance 

 of the above paragraph. To the first objection I reply that, where there are 

 plenty of vineries, it is desirable to force one, so as not only to have ripe Grapes 

 on New Year's-day, for the mere sake of having them on that day, but also to 

 be able to garnish both the old and the new Grapes with Vine leaves. These 

 new Vine leaves give old plump Grapes all the appearance of new ones, and the 

 dessert-table a fresh-looking and summer appearance that nothing besides can ; 

 and 1 would strongly recommend that where a vinery cannot be spared for early 

 forcing, it is worth while for the leaves alone to have a Vine brought into some 

 hot corner in early autumn. 



To the objection that forcing Grapes so as to have them ripe in January 

 exhausts the Vines more than having them ripe in March I demur, as being 

 opposed to all my experience. I consider Vines cannot be rested in August and 

 September any better, if so well, as in June and July ; for be it remarked, if 

 Grapes are to be ripe in March, forcing must begin on the 1st of October. 



I will now detail what I have found in practice to be the case. In the year 

 1855 1 cleared out and replanted all the vineries here, except one that I thought 

 would give some fruit till the young Vines came into bearing. Of this one I raised 

 the roots, and laid them in new soil, and they bore fair crops of Grapes, which 

 ripened in April and May. I determined to get rid of the Vines in 1860 on account 

 of their being unsightly, and pruned on the old long-spur system. This being 

 my intention I filled the house in August with a lining of leaves and dung, so 

 as to throw heat into the outside border, where their roots were then exclu- 

 sively. They broke freely in September, and we cut the first dish off them on 

 January 1st, 1860. As it was still my intention to do away with them as soon 

 as their crop was cut, I made free with their leaves for garnishing the dessert. 

 In the meantime my employers and others at their table thought the flavour 

 of the Grapes so much superior to Lady Downes' and West's St. Peter's, and 

 admired them so much that I resolved to haye another year's crop out of them. 



