312 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND C0T1AGE GARBLEER. 
[ April 16, 1835. 
sharp tap with the hand on the main stem to disperse the pollen, and if 
the weather will permit close the ventilators and damp every available 
surface to produce a genial atmosphere. On dark cold days keep the 
temperature low with less moisture, and make up the loss on bright days 
by raising the temperature to 85° or 90° with sun heat. Treated in this 
way the wood is short-j tinted and the folige clean with plenty of sub¬ 
stance, the two chief features in producing good fruit and preparing the 
Vines for the future crop. Never syringe the Vines after the buds have 
started however clear the water may be ; it damages the bloom on the 
fruit, which is so highly appreciated, and is no benefit to the foliage. 
Evaporating troughs on hot-water pipes may be dispensed with, as the 
cool moisture from the floor is better for the foliage. 
Disbudding must be carefully attended to as the Vines make progress, 
keeping them regularly and evenly balanced by pinching in the strongest 
growths and encouraging the weakest. Allow every leaf room to perform 
its functions. A smaller number of well-developed leaves is more bene¬ 
ficial to the Vine than a large number in a crowded state. Be careful in 
tying down strong growths, as they are liable to break from the main 
stem. As soon as the bunches show their character remove all off that 
are not required except in shy-setting sorts, which should remain until 
after they are set. Allow the berries to get a fair size, so that it can easily 
be seen which are taking the lead. Take a light wooden peg in the left 
hand, and a pair of clean sharp Grape scissors in the right; begin at the 
bottom of the bunch and work to the top, easing the shoulders with the 
peg, thinning all the small and innermost berries. Be careful not to rub 
them with either the peg or the scissors. Discretion must be used in 
thinning to allow room for every berry to swell freely, and sufficient be 
left to form a compact bunch when finished, as nothing looks worse than a 
bunch spreading all over the dessert dish. 
As the Grapes commence the second swelling give the inside border 
a thorough watering with weak liquid manure at 70° to 80°. If early 
Vines, continue the same treatment until the Grapes are half coloured, 
then gradually reduce the moisture and ventilate more freely until the 
Grapes are ripe, when plenty of ventilation and as little fire heat as 
possible is all that is required to keep the fruit in good condition. When 
Grapes are colouring it is an erroneous practice to open the ventilators 
and withhold moisture both from the atmosphere and the borders. This is 
done with a view of producing better colour, better bloom, and better 
flavour, but, as a rule, is more productive of red spider, red Grapes, and 
red foliage. I can speak with confidence on this point, as I have cut 
tons of Grapes well finished in every respect by continuing the same treat¬ 
ment till the Grapes are ready to cut. If the borders are properly drained 
and the Vines in good health, they can scarcely have too much water at 
the roots from the time they commence the second swelling till they are 
half coloured. As the Vines advance in age I give a regular supply of 
weak liquid manure, fresh made from sheep or cow dung, after the fruit 
is all cut. The inside borders should never be allowed to become dust 
dry, as it exhausts the soil of the natural food the roots require to prepare 
the future crop ; in fact, the production of good healthy roots and foliage, 
and preserving them as long as possible, is the secret of success. 
AMONG THE DAHLIAS, 
It seems to me that there is a decided re-action in favour of Dahlias, 
not merely the single varieties, but all the sections are being again 
extensively grown. Only a short time since it was the fashion with many 
growers to cultivate few or but the single sorts, the heavy taste-offending 
doubles being ostracised. Now the taste for the latter is being renewed 
again, and unless I am much mistaken they will nearly displace the 
much over-estimated singles. The latter, I admit, are decidedly pretty, 
especially when cut; hut the majority are rank growers, the flowers are 
short-lived, and these being followed by innumerable seed pods soon 
render the plants unsightly. Then these flimsy blooms are bad travellers, 
and are of little service at the end of the season for church decoration 
and other somewhat similar purposes for which the doubles of all sort3 
are so largely used. 
I was never particularly enamoured of the singles with the exception 
of the good old Paragon, and a late autumn visit to the Salisbury Nurseries 
of Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., completely dispelled any lingering 
doubts as to the comparative value of the sections in the minds of myself 
and, I believe, the rest of a rather large party of gardeners whom I 
accompanied. At this nursery the specialities are Dahlias, Boses, 
Verbenas, and Vines, and for all of these they are justly famed. It was 
the first-mentioned I went principally to inspect, the Roses at the time of 
my visit (late in October) being naturally long past their best, and so aLo 
would have been the Dahlias in most seasons. Several acres are devoted 
to them, and as there were long rows of each I could not well have a 
better opportunity for selecting the best among them. These selections, 
which were made with the assistance of Mr. Wyatt, the experienced 
grower, and who perhaps knows Dahlias as well as anv cultivator in the 
country, I shall append. They may be relied upon as being among the best 
up to the present time, the varieties being chosen from great numbers, the 
raisers including Messrs. Keynes, Turner, Eckford, Rawlings, Fellowes, 
and Harris. Most of the sorts named are of remarkably sturdy habit, 
and this is especially noticeable in the numerous seedlings raised by 
the Messrs. Keynes, the heights in most cases rangiog from 3 feet to 
4 feet. 
It should he added that every plant, whether the blooms are required 
for exhibition or otherwise, should have abundance of room to develope, as 
all well repay for liberal treatment. They are best grown with a single 
stem, and not starved in small pots in the earlier stages of growth. 
Those recently struck and in small pots, or which are received from the 
nurseries in thumbs or 2i-inch pots, should be shifted into 5-inch or G-inch 
pots, and kept growing sturdily in cold frames till near bedding-out time. 
At planting time the positions for them should be well enriched with solid 
manure, and if chopped turf can be spared some of this may well be 
added. Each plant should have a stout stake placed to it at once, and 
later on the growths should be thinned and kept properly tied up. If fine 
bloom3 are required an early thinning of the buds should also be resorted 
to, reserving the best-formed central ones only. 
The mere fact of having a great number of varieties, or even a great 
number of plants of a few of the best varieties, does not render winning 
the premier prizes a foregone conclusion ; and at Messrs. Keynes it is 
found necessary to spend much time in selecting the blooms with which 
they frequently gain high honours, and we were assured that out of the 
many hundreds of blooms at their disposal it is by no means an easy 
matter to pick out a perfect stand of twenty-four. In the classes at local 
shows, however, such a high standard is not so often attained, and 
consequently beginners need not be deterred from entering the lists of 
competitors. None but the best sorts should be grown by them, and a3 
many of these as there is space for, the aim being not to have as many 
varieties to choose from as can be collected, but rather to have as many 
blooms as possible of each sort. It is better to grow a few really 
well than a greater number indifferently. In the subjoined lists of 
varieties I have not attempted to describe the whole of them, as all will 
be found fully described in the catalogues of Messrs. Keynes, Williams 
and Co., and other noted growers. 
Twenty-four Shorn Dahlias —Imperial, Condor, Canary, Constancy, 
Henry Walton, Herbert Turner, Mrs. Gladstone, Hon. Mrs. Percy 
Wyndham, Miss Canned, Royal Queen, Mrs. Shirley Hibberd, Prince 
Bismarck, Delight, Earl Radnor, Emily Edwards, Georgiana, James 
Cocker, James Vick, Joseph Ashby, Lady Wimboine, Prince of Denmark, 
Walter H. Williams, William Rawlings, and Mrs. Stancombe. 
Twenty-four Fancy Dahlias. —Alderman, Annie Pritchard, Chorister, 
Fanny Sturt, Flora Wyatt, Frederick Smith, Gaiety, George Barnes, 
Henry Glasscock, Jessie McIntosh, John Forbes, James O’Brien, Maid 
of Athens, Miss Browning, Mrs. Saunders, Professor Fawcett, Parrot, 
Rebecca, John Saunders, Madame Sonbeyre, Mandarin, Rev. J. B. M. 
Camm, Florence Stark, and Hercules. 
Twelve Pompons, —Lady Blanche, Golden Gem, Little Prince, Rosetta, 
Fanny Weinar, Favourite, Isabel, Cupid, E. F. Junker, Nemesis, Guiding 
Star, and Royalty. 
Twelve Singles. —Paragon, Acquisition, Terra Cotta, Velvet Mantle, 
Grandee, White Queen, Rose Circle, Aurata, Mauve Queen Improved, 
Negress, Defiance, and Bertha. 
Twelve Dwarf Bedding Dahlias. —Crimson Gem, John Wyatt, Mont 
Blanc, White Bedder, George Thomson, King of Dwarfs, Scarlet Globe, 
Yellow Globe, John McPherson, Leah, Rising Sun, and Little Wonder. 
Cactus Dahlias. —Constance, Glare of the Garden, Juarezii, Parrot, 
and Crimson Glare of the Garden.—W. Igg-ULDEn-. 
NATIONAL AURICULA SOCIETY. 
Allow me to remind your readers who are interested in this Society 
that the Exhibition will be held on April 21st in the conservatory of the 
Royal Horticultural Society. Entries should be sent at once to Mr. A. F. 
Barron, South Kens'ngton. Those exhibitors who bring their plants 
out of the pots will have pots provided to place them in, and green moss 
to cover the surface. It is absolutely necessary that all exhibits be 
placed ready for the Judges at 11 a.m. 
Those who have been accustomed to exhibit seedlings will kindly take 
note of Rule X. in the schedule—That all plants submitted for certifi¬ 
cates must be staged separately from the collections. It may not be 
generally known that there is a separate fund for seedlings, the 
subscribers to it according to the last published balance sheet being six 
persons interested in seedling-raising, the balance in hand being £7 4s. 
It may be well to state that it is proposed to hold a Primula conference 
in 1886, and the preliminary arrangements will be made on ihe 21st. 
The luncheon will take place at 2 p.m., when John T. D. Llewelyn, Esq., 
will qrreside, the subject of discussion after luncheon being the proposed 
conference. The Council of the Royal Horticultural Society have 
appointed Colonels Clarke and Beddome, the Hon. and Rev. Mr. Bos- 
cawen, Messrs, Loder, G. F. Wilson, Llewelyn, and Godman to confer 
with the Society. Tickets for luncheon are 3s. 6d. each, and may be 
obtained oi application to Mr. Rolt, 170, Hartfield Road, New Wimble¬ 
don.—J. Douglas, Great Gearies, Ilford 
NOTES AT OAKHOLME, SHEFFIELD. 
Oakholme, the residence of Thos. Wilson, Esq., a liberal patron of 
horticulture, is well knovn and justly celebrated in Sheffield and district 
for its beautiful and well-kept gardens and greenhouses, and especially 
for the high class of Orchid and general plant cultivation there practised 
for many years past by the skilful head gardener, Mr. Wm. Hannah. 
ORCHIDS. 
The cultivation of Orchids here grown is not numerically so large as 
that at Westbrook, Sheffield, but is second only to that in this district, 
and not even to that in the size, vigour, and rare quality as to varieties and 
the individual specimens. At the present time there is a remarkably fine 
display of bloom, the flower house being packed with choice examples. 
In the same range, and next adjoining this house on the one side, is a 
conservatory literally ablaze with a fine display of specimen Azaleas, 
