208 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 12, 1885, 
have the floret 9 incurved, but when they do the grey lower surface gives 
the blooms quite a different aspect. 
Isidore Feral .—Another new and very beautiful Japanese variety, 
coming well in October. The colour is a very bright pink, almost 
cerise. The flowers are from 3 to 4 inches across, and the plant grows 
3 feet 6 inches high. It is of slender habit, and requires the support 
of a stick. 
Mons. H. Jacotot .— A reflexed flower of a velvety crimson colour. It 
is a good grower, and fit for the open garden. It grows from 2 feet 
6 inches to 3 feet high. The stems are stout, but want support. The 
flowers are about 3 inches across, but as the buds come very close together 
it would be all the better for having some taken oat, though if left alone 
it forms a very handsome truss of flowers. It stands rough weather 
wonderfully well. 
La Desiree .—A new white Pompon. It grows from 4 feet to 4 feet 
6 inches high, and although the stems are stout they require sticks. It 
bears neat little nearly globular flowers in clusters, each flower being 
inch across. It is very good and robust. 
Mdlle. Darnaud .—This is a new and very good semi-early Pompon, 
suitable for the open garden, being robust and dwarf. It ranges from 2 to 
3 feet high, and bears flowers about 1 inch in diameter. They come in 
clusters on the ends of the branches. The colour is deep pink. 
Heloisc Mielcz .—Quite a different variety from the one sent to me 
from France last season, which was so poor that I threw it away. The 
one under consideration is a useful little Pompon, growing about 20 inches 
high, and bearing very white reflexed flowers about 1| inch in diameter, 
rather flat in form. I believe this will become a favourite both for cut 
flowers and as a small pot plant, as well as for general decorative 
purposes. Both the plant and the flowers are stout and thick. 
Mdlle. Lacroix .—This may fairly be included amongst the semi-early 
sorts. It is a Japanese variety, and described by the French as having 
“ flowers of a rosy white, passing to white.” The flowers 1 have seen 
were pure white, but perhaps that is due to our climate. It is a real 
beauty, and will probably prove a second Madame Desgrange in popularity 
only for later flowering. It grows about 3 feet high, with stout wood, 
and is suited for open beds as well as for culture under glass. It is also 
said to he excellent for exhibition, and for all purposes of decoration is 
really superb. Its flowers are extremely elegant and refined, and no 
doubt will find favour with the ladies. The blooms are not very large, 
but consist of narrow, slightly twisted, stiff florets, standing out so as to 
form a ball. The centre fills up very well. I think that all who grow 
it will feel delighted and satisfied.—W. PlERCY, West Road , Forest Hill , 
London , S. E. 
NOTES ON GRAPES. 
Duke of Buccleuch Grape.— In response to the suggestion of your 
correspondent who signs himself “ Thinker,” I have to say regarding the 
growth of this Grape that I have grown it in the driest of districts and 
soils and in the wettest, in light sandy soils and on heavy wet ones, and 
have always found it among the most robust-growing of Vines. Just now 
I have a small houseful of it in the same range with a house of Black 
Hamburghs. This range is sunk into the ground 3 feet below the general 
level. The border to it was made hurriedly in 1868, and Vines planted 
in it which were only intended to be cropped for two or three years, but 
they are still bearing well, and the Dukes make much stronger wood than 
the Hamburghs, and they are not by any means weakly. 
I have grown it on its own roots, on Hamburgh and Muscat roots, and 
under each condition found it the most vigorous of Vines. At the Tweed 
Vineyard this Grape is on its own roots, and probably they are the most 
rank or gross-growing Vines in the vineyard. 
I had it once forming one of three limbs of a Vine, the other two 
being Hamburghs, and the Duke was by far the stronger. 
While speaking of Vines it sounds rather strange to an old stager to 
see it stated that, “generally speaking, Black Hamburghs are out of 
season after September.” If this be correct all I can say is the more's the 
pity. 
We have a large house of Black Hamburghs here that as a rule we 
begin to use about the end of September, and it keeps on in good condi¬ 
tion till December, and no other black Grape has been tolerated at table 
while it lasted. Moreover, I have seen Black Hamburghs in good order 
at the end of January. 
It is much to be feared the culture of large coarse sorts have of late 
years pushed the grand old Black Hamburghs out of the place which its 
superior quality assigns it. From May till Christmas at any rate I should 
say no other black Grape can compete with it for quality. What says 
“ Thinker?”—D. Thomson, Drumlanrig. 
Madresfield Court Grape. — Your correspondent, “ Thinker ” 
(see page 188), honours me by stating that he should like to hear what l 
have to say upon the above Grape. Doubtless Madresfield Court when 
first sent out was recommended as a late-keeping variety, and to some 
extent has fallen short of that expectation. I am not in a position to say 
that its keeping qualities were ever properly tested before being put into 
the hands of cultivators, but this in no way affects the fact of its being a 
first-class Grape and well worthy of the certificate awarded to it by the 
Royal Horticultural Society. In my opinion Madre-field Court is the finest 
black Grape in cultivation,not even excepting the good old Black Hamburgh. 
In proof of this it has for the past three years been awarded first prizes for 
the finest flavoured black Grapes at the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society’s Autumn Fruit Show, including the Great International ; this, 
too, in competition with several samples of Muscat Hamburgh. These 
Edinburgh autumn exhibitions are acknowledged to be the greatest Grape 
shows in the kingdom, therefore a sure criterion as to the good or bad 
qualities of any Grape. 
It has another good point—namely, in being a first-class traveller, and 
keep3 well after being packed and jostled on a long journey. This I have 
been able to amply prove in a most satisfactoiy manner. Part of my 
duties during the autumn are to supply Grapes for a large shooting party 
in the far north of Scotland. These are taken a 450 miles railway journey, 
then carted fifteen miles over a rough Highland road. For this purpose 
I have tried several varieties, but by far the greatest praise has been 
bestowed on Madresfield Court, while on the other band Duke of Buccleuch, 
Muscat of Alexandria, and Black Hamburgh have turned out anything but 
satisfactory. I have no hesitation in saying that when Madresfield Court, 
is better known and its cultural requirements better understood it will 
become as it deserves to be, one of the most popular Grapes in cultivation. 
Someone will say, “ What about its berries splitting ?” Well, if they do 
sometimes split that is not entirely the fault of the Grape. We grow about 
eighty bunches, and I believe I am well within the mark when I state 
that we have not occasion to cut out more than twenty berries annually. 
With us it keeps plump and sound three months after it is ripe. I hope 
next week to say a few words on the Duke of Buccleuch Grape.— James 
McIndoe. 
Grape Gros MAroc. —If Mr. Mclndoe’s opinion of the merits of this 
Grape is to be estimated by his opinion of the Black Hamburgh, which he 
must know much better, the less regard your readers pay to his dictum the 
better I should say. Speaking of the Black Hamburgh, he says that “ gene¬ 
rally speaking it is out of season after September.” Generally speaking, I 
know of no Grape growers who regard the Black Hamburgh as out of 
season ” while it can be had, and that is till the end of November or 
Christmas ; at least, wherever a long supply of Grapes is expected. Our 
latest Hamburghs are never ripe until October, and during the whole of 
that month and later we have them fine, and so have my neighbours. I 
have often had it at Christmas. I would ask Mr. McIndoe what other black 
Grape he depends on after September if his Black Hamburghs are by that 
time done ?— Non-Believer. 
TRENCHING GROUND. 
In reviewing and replying to the various pcints made by different 
contributors to this discussion I shall first notice the remarks by 
“ W. F. R.” on page 126. It may be gratifying to a few of my well- 
wishing friends to learn from him that I have not gone far astray, nor 
attempted to cause a revolution in the treatment of our garden soils. 
What I wished to avoid from the first was the expression of extreme 
views, but as it often happens a middle course is calculated to mislead. 
There are exceptions to every rule, and it is not always easy to decide 
when trenching should be resorted to and when avoided. My aim was to 
call attention to the fact that this laborious and expensive operation may 
easily prove a source of injury rather than profit. In the case of 
“ W. P. R. ” I unhesitatingly assert that there was little or no need to 
resort to trenching in order to restore the garden to its proper fertility. 
In all probability for a long time prior to his taking charge of the garden 
it had been heavily manured, only half dug, and lightly cropped. The 
surface had thus become a mass of inert or poisonous soil, and in which 
vegetables generally would not grow satisfactorily. Clubbing doubtless 
did occur with his Cabbages, &c., but according to my experience under 
an exactly similar state of affairs it was not the true “ clubbing ” brought 
about by insects, but only a refusal or inability on the part of the young 
plants to root into the poisoned soil. The cheapest, and, I believe, the 
best remedy would have been digging to the full depth of the blades of 
straight new spades, tbis being done early in the winter, and roughly, 
followed in the spring by a liberal dressing of lime, road trimmings, 
mortar rubbish, burnt clay, or other somewhat similar materials, all well 
forked into the surface. This would, and didin my case, prove all the 
corrective needed, and as I am given to close cropping coupled with 
liberal treatment, no further difficulty was experienced in the matter. 
The ground I recently trenched for dwarf Roses had been occupied 
with Roses for many years, and is situated in the highest and warmest 
position in the garden. Even in this case I do not feel certain we acted 
wisely, as at the present time the ground is a quagmire. Luckily we 
anticipated this by planting the Roses before much rain fell. One of my 
objections to trenching of any kind is the fact that in the case of heavy 
clayey soils the extra depth gained is apt to become saturated, and being 
impervious to all warmth more injurious than advantageous to the deep¬ 
running roots, and, further, that they are also the first to bind and crack 
badly in hot weather. 
All my opponents seem unanimous as to the desirability of providing 
a deep root run for vegetables generally, and both “ W. P. R.” and Mr. 
Temple glory in their gross growth. Speaking of Carrots, Parsnips, and 
Onions sown on trenched ground, Mr. Temple states that “ the great 
height of the tops and the immense size of clean roots showed that the 
right thiDg had been done.” It is a pity he did not add Beet, as it is just 
as good a practice to grow these near the size of Mangolds as the kinds 
named to an “ immense size.” Where Mr. Temple grows one immense 
root on trenched ground, I will undertake to grow three roots on ground 
not dug at all for these crops, and yet these shall be preferred by any 
experienced cook. What next ? will be asked. Simply this, I assert that 
even ordinary digging is practised more often than is really needful, and I 
hope later on to be able to substantiate the assertion. 
