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g)J 256 NOTES CULTURAL, CRITICAL, AND SUGGESTIVE. 
months, which Krauss did not spend in Natal. July and August are fine, the days hot (as high as 
31°), but cool in the morning and evening ; the thermometer, however, seldom falling so low as 15° 
Centig. [59° Fahrenheit]. A changeable, windy, and disagreeable period begins in September, the 
precursor of the rain. From these statements, the course of the seasons is the same as in the East 
Indies, except that the rainy season of three months occurs during the spring in the southern hemi- 
sphere, i. e., three months later than in the former. — Ray Reports. 
Culture of the Vine (Reeve and Benham). — A new work has recently been issued from the press by 
Mr. John Sanders, gardener to T. A. Smith, Esq., of Tedworth, and though it does not contain any 
very startling novelties, the directions are plain and practical, and such as might be expected from a 
man who has evidently devoted more attention to the routine than to the theory of Grape management. 
The directions maj r be followed without any fear of the result, as Mr. Sanders' success sufficiently testifies, 
but whether the practices recommended are quite unexceptionable, is open to very considerable doubt. 
The errors, however, are those of omission rather than commission, and have arisen from the author 
presuming too much upon the knowledge of his readers. Thus the' important matter of planting the 
Vine is discussed (p. 5) in some half score of lines, and not one word is said of the method of planting, 
as to whether the ball is to be put in entire, or whether the proper plan of spreading the roots carefully 
out is to be followed. Nothing is said of deep or shallow planting, so that the uninitiated who take Mr. 
S. for a guide, may plant the balls entire a foot deep, or they may spread the roots carefully out a few 
inches below the surface of the border if they happen to think they ought to do so. Autumn planting 
is recommended, but whether autumn may be the first of August, or the thirty-first of October, we are 
not informed. If the latter we object entirely, for we see no philosophy in submitting healthy roots 
to a cold border in a dormant state, when they might be protected in pots, as nothing is gained by it, 
and some risk is run of the young and the tender spongioles being destroyed before the growth of 
spring commences, and thus a quantity of roots which ought to spread and ramify from the front wall of 
the house, would be lost for ever. Again, under protection of borders, Mr. S. recommends (p. 10) " leaves 
of hard-wooded forest trees, such as Oak, Beech, &c, which have been previously collected in a large 
heap, and well trampled together, which soon become heated, and settle into solid masses. In using 
these leaves, take from the centre of the heap those which are the driest and most firmly cemented 
together, and in as large pieces as possible, and from four to six: inches thick. Begin by forking the 
surface of the border lightly over, and when the earth is thus loosened, the masses of leaves should be 
laid entirely over the border, lapping one over the other on the same principle as the roof of a house is 
slated, for the purpose of preventing the rain penetrating." Over these flaky leaves six inches of loose 
ones are laid, and two or three inches of fine soil, to make all neat and clean. This, no doubt, is a very 
good plan, but hundreds of Grape growers around the metropolis would, like ourselves, exclaim, 
" where are the leaves to come from ? " Flakes of Californian gold would be almost as acceptable to 
suburban gardeners ; in fact, they could not be produced. Yet Mr. S. recommends no substitute ! We 
are not told whether the Vine border should be covered in the autumn to prevent the escape of heat or 
not ; but we are rather led to infer that the covering is not applied until just before forcing commences, 
for Mr. S. remarks, " before any internal heat is applied to the Vines proceed with borders as follows," 
&c. &c. ; and hence it appears the borders are left exposed to the chilling rains of winter, and are 
covered just as forcing commences. This is a doctrine not generally received by our best forcing 
gardeners ; they prefer the prevention of the escape of heat in the autumn, at least few of them like to 
expose the borders of their early houses to the drenching rains of winter, and hence protect them in 
the autumn. Mr. S. either does not follow the general plan, or has failed to say so. These are grave 
omissions, and though they might be pardonable in a periodical essayist, are scarcely so with one who 
assumes the responsibility of a public instructor. The work is illustrated by nine engravings, explanatory 
of the formation of houses, the pruning of Vines, &c, and the subject, of Vine culture is discussed in 
four chapters — viz., " Culture of the Vine under Glass ;" Culture of the Muscat Grape ;" " Culture of 
the Vine in the Open Air ;" and " Culture of the Vine in Pots ;" each chapter, notwithstanding the 
drawbacks alluded to above, contains a mass of very useful and evidently practical information, which 
may be studied with profit by most Grape growers. The subject, however, of Vine management is by 
no means exhausted, and we regard Mr. Sanders' little treatise more as a contribution towards the 
proper history and management of the Vine than as being complete in itself. — A. 
Grouping Trees in Parks. — The late Mr. Gilpin had a very good plan of forming groups in parks ; 
he first determined on the positions where two, three, or more would be effective, and not far from 
each other ; he planted these with trees of the desired kind, and of a permanent character, and then ro 
enclosed a rectangular figure around them, filling up all the intervals with trees of very rapid growth, )? 
and with Gorse, Broom, &c, as nurses. C 
