MAY, 



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in four years, and all these trees would be in a full bearing state. As glass is 

 now so cheap, I would cover all the walls with it ; and thus guarantee on an 

 average of twenty years as much fruit off 50 yards of wall as is now obtained, 

 in the ordinary way from 500 yards, and the crops would be certain every year. 

 Royal Nurseries, Bagshot and Ascot. John Standish. 



'"ALL ABOUT GRAPES." 



Under the above heading, in last month's Florist and Pomologist, 

 my friend Mr. Tillery has described the very complete arrangements he has 

 made in the new gardens at Welbeck, for having Grapes ripe at all seasons ; 

 and having had the pleasure of seeing the splendid houses he describes, I con- 

 sider that nothing can be more complete than they are. Thus far we agree ; 

 but I differ from him still as to its being more difficult to get Vines to rest in 

 J une and J uly, as compared with August and September. He seems to overlook 

 the fact, that though the atmosphere may be hotter in the two former months, 

 the roots are in the earth, and it during the two latter is much hotter than 

 during the former months. I am quite aware that Mr. Tillery recommended 

 Vines in pots or tubs for supplying Grapes in March. Against this I have 

 nothing to say, but I submit that Grapes cannot be cut from Vines in pots 

 on the first day of the year, these young Vines having been struck the 

 previous season ; and that they can be from permanent Vines with much less 

 injury to their constitution than if Grapes were ripened on them in March. 



Mr. Tillery quotes the practice and experience of the late Mr. Forbes, of 

 Woburn Abbey, a name well entitled to the respect of every gardener ; but I 

 fear his experience is dead against Mr. Forbes' theory. Many of your readers 

 may recollect, that in January, 1855, Mr. Forbes exhibited at the Pomological 

 or Horticultural Society a dish of new Grapes, a feat which excited much in- 

 terest ; and as I had the pleasure of being acquainted with Mr. Forbes, I wrote 

 asking him how he managed to have Grapes so early. With that candour 

 which was one of his characteristics he replied :— " The Vines began to break 

 of their own accord in August, and I shut up the house, and in this way we had 

 the Grapes so early." This was the first time he ever produced them'so early. 



On the 4th of May of the same year Mr. Forbes, having heard that I was 

 leaving his neighbourhood, wrote a letter, now before me, asking me to pay 

 him a visit before leaving, and from this letter I give the folio wino- extract : — 

 " I begun last October to try and get a vinery to follow my early one, but 

 could not possibly get them to break until after Christmas : consequently, I 

 will have none fit to cut this month, which I much regret." 



With regard to Mr. Dowding's experience at Oakhill, I cannot speak from 

 personal knowledge, as he had just left his situation when I went to that 

 neighbourhood ; but I was for seventeen years subsequently in the constant 

 habit of visiting the place while it was managed by Mr. Dowding's immediate 

 successor, Mr. Davis, who, certainly, was well entitled to stand in the first 

 rank as a Grape-grower and general forcing-gardener. He never ripened 

 Grapes in January— not because he was unable to do so, but because it suited 

 his arrangements better to have them ripe early in March. Nor do 1 believe 

 his predecessor ever had them ripe in January. If my memory does not 

 deceive me, Mr. Davis forced the same house of Vines for many 'years con- 

 secutively, so as to have the Grapes ripe in March, and noble 'crops they 

 produced, without exhausting the Vines seriously ; showing that, even forced 

 as they were in what I consider the most difficult months of the year with 



