455 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 4, 18S5. 
other much more popular, if less noble, sorts that are equally as liable to 
split? Madresfield Court is liable to crack badly, and so also under certain 
conditions are Lady Downe’s, Frontignans, Muscats, and other fleshy 
Grapes ; but in neither case very rarely from one cause alone. I have 
known all these Grapes crack badly either from excess of food, from a 
heavy deluge of water at the roots following an insufficient supply of ihe 
same, or from deficient or faulty ventilation alone. Sometimes there is 
a combination of causes, sometimes only one will do the mischief, and 
that, too, in a few hours, but that one cause is not endosmose. Last 
autumn a heavily cropped supernumerary Vine of Lady Downe’s unfortu¬ 
nately became much too dry at the roots, and the consequence of a good 
soaking was a loss of the greater portion of the berries, these bursting and 
decaying in a very short time. The Grapes were nearly ripe at the time, 
and the house was heate 1 and freely ventilated. There were at least four 
other sorts of Grapes, all rooting in an inside border, in the same house, 
but none of them was so dry at the roots, and none of them cracked their 
berries to any extent. If at the same time as we watered the border we 
also kept the house close, then the splitting might not have been entirely 
due to a sudden rush of sap from rcots, it would only have been one of 
the causes. 
Mr. Thomson prevents the Duke splitting it3 berries wholesale by the 
rough and ready method of gimle'ing the laterals; but ought he not also, 
and will he not, add that he pays close attention to the ventilation, as he, 
I am certain, is well aware that his process unless accompanied by a 
buoyant atmosphere would only be a partial remedy ? Why the Duke 
split badly in the tent at the Manchester Show ought not to be a mystery 
to anyone, and Mr. Thomson, I venture to assert, gave the correct 
solution—viz., the expansion of the fluids, coupled, he might have added, 
with a softening of the skin of the berries brought about by the excessive 
heat and moisture in the tent. “ A Thinker ” is doubtless well aware that 
Manchester is what is generally termed a very moist neighbourhood, 
there being, in fact, on an average not thirty wholly fine days in the year. 
Those who are acquainted with the signs, or, in other words, are 
weatherwise, are generally not in the least daunted at having a very wet 
dull morning, as by midday or shortly afterwards the sun breaks out and 
everything quickly dries and brightens up. As a consequence, evapora¬ 
tion is rapid, but when this is checked by an awoing or canvas the case i3 
greatly altered, and we all know, too, what a temperature an exhibition 
tent will attain. At the 1881 Show the tents were standing in water, and 
we seriously contemplated fitting up rafts on which to pay a visit to the 
fruit exhibits. This stite of affairs was “ too much " for the Duke, the 
moisture and temperature when the san shone being very different to what 
it had experienced during the latter part of its petted career. 
These are not mere assertions, but, as I shall attempt to prove, are 
facts difficult to controvert. The softening of the skin I hold to be an 
important point, and an increased root-action with the natural result of an 
increase in the food supply is another, both being due to faulty ventilation. 
Cracking of nearly ripe fruit, whether of Grapes, Melons, Tomatoes, and 
hardy trees such as Cherries, Plums, and Gooseberries, rarely (if ever) 
occurs to a deplorable extent in clear weather, for the simple reason that 
evaporation is going on briskly. Directly dull showery weather intervenes 
this evaporation naturally materially lessens, and the consequence is the 
excess of sap partly finds its way to the fruit and partly back to the roots. 
One becomes gorged and the other is stimulated into still brisker search 
and spread, this being followed by a greater supply of crude sap. Coupled 
with this state of affairs, we may perhaps find either a heated house highly 
charged with moisture or warm rains falling on the hardy fruits, and this 
serving to soften their skins as well as causing them to expand, and crack 
goes the repleted fruit, 'l’his theory of skin-softening may not be found 
tenable, but if heat and moisture are the best softeners of the buds of fruit 
trees or Vines, as well as the surest stimulus to brisk root-action, why does 
it not hold good in the case of softening the skins and making them more 
liable to burst ? If it will soften the skins of animals, including the 
“ higher order,” as we are pleased to term ourselves, it may be as reason¬ 
ably expected to similarly affect fruit. 
Judicious ventilation, coupled with a moderate heat from the hot- 
water pipes, is the best preventive of splitting, and if this is not found 
wholly successful, then recourse should at once be had to other expedients 
in connection with it. At Wiiton House, Salisbury, where the system of 
ventilating the vineries is as perfect as can well be, no difficulty would be 
experienced in maintaining a buoyant atmosphere in all weathers, and 
Mr. Challis informs me cracking never occurs. Yet if I remember 
rightly a whole house is given up to Madresfield Court Grape. This 
noble Grape is also muffi prized at Wiston Park, Steyning, Sussex, where 
it is kept by Mr. Coombp, the able gardener, in good condition up to 
Christmas. Here, a?ain, the houses are constructed on a good principle, 
and although the Vines are planted in a heated and aerated border, Mr. 
Coombe is positive that good ventilation has most to do with the preven¬ 
tion cf splitting and the development of the long-keeping properties of all 
kinds of Grapes. A high temperature and a steamy atmosphere may 
swell the berries to a larger size, but it would be a better policy to aim at 
tbe production of tougher-skinned, if smaller-berried Grapes. In dull 
showery weather, if it is not po'-sible to open the top ventilators, then the 
doors and front lights should be sff open, and in all cases the atmosphere 
may be rendered more fit for the Grapes if a little fire heat can be turned 
on, as without it the circulation is sluggish. In too many cases the venti¬ 
lators have to be covered over with some kind of protective mateiial 
against waspa, and this is certain also to check ingress of fresh air and 
e--'ress of that which is likely, and very frequently dois, injure the Grapes. 
The skin does not burst in all cases, notably in that of the "Black Ham¬ 
burgh, but they become rotten, and thtjt is as bad as splitting. Some 
partially prevent their Grape’ from splitting by checking the supply of 
sap either by gimleting or cutting a nick in the laterals, others allow the 
sub-laterals to extend, the excess being thus diverted, and others, again, 
keep the offending sorts drier at the roots than the rest which may be 
growing in the same border. Will the endosmose theory commend itself 
to them, or will they continue to rely on their methods of prevention?— 
W. Iggulden. 
TUBEROUS BEGONIAS. 
The present is an important time with the Tuberous 
Begonias, and whether required as summer bedding plants or 
for indoor decoration they should be well looked after. By 
strict observance of a few simple rules the cultivation of these 
Begonias is by no means a difficult task, and raising them from 
seed, provided good seed has been obtained, is comparatively 
easy. A short time since I gave a few practical instructions 
respecting the propagation of these Begonias by means of 
cuttings and seeds, and with a view of supplementing those 
remarks I will now briefly refer to their after management. 
Cuttings which were taken as directed and inserted singly in 
small pots will have made sufficient roots to be ready for the 
first shift; at least such is the case with ours, the average losses 
being less than 5 per cent, after they were placed in the frame 
and had received the first watering. The lights were allowed to 
remain off till the foliage was dry, when they were placed on and 
kept close for five or six days, removing them for a short time 
each morning early, to allow the escape of any damp. At the 
end of the first week air was given by degrees, and finally the 
lights were entirely removed, a temperature of from 55° to 60° at 
night being maintained throughout, with a proportionate rise in 
the day, and still greater by strong sun heat. Perhaps one of 
the chief drawbacks in the propagation of these is the injudicious 
use of the watering pot, and as it is by no means an easy matter 
to direct a stream of water to one particular cutting without 
wetting its neighbour, it is safest to remove them singly from 
the cutting frame and water thoroughly, without wetting the 
foliage, giving the water around the side of the pot, and not dash 
it at the centre against the cutting as is too often the case. 
Cuttings may still be inserted of the best sorts, but the sooner 
this is completed the better. 
A word or two as to their after management. Presuming the 
cuttings have been inserted in 2^-inch pots, the earliest batch 
will have filled their pots with roots, and a shift from these into 
5-inch pots will be sufficient to carry them for some time to 
come. The pots must be well drained, and the soil should 
consist of good mellow turfy loam and leaf soil in about equal 
parts, to which add well-decomposed manure to about one-sixth 
of the soil, together with a liberal addition of sharp sandy grit. 
On no account should the soil be of an adhesive nature, and if 
inclined that way, prepare it three or four days before it is 
required for use, and spread it in an open airy shed to dry. In 
all well-regulated establishments, however, dry soil is at hand. 
In potting press firmly, and after the work is completed give a 
thorough watering and remove them to the greenhouse. A little 
fire heat at night will be sufficient for them at this stage, which 
may be discontinued as the nights become warmer ; and here it 
may be well to remark that as this section of Begonias are 
essentially greenhouse plants, a high temperature at any time is 
the reverse of beneficial to them, so that to obtain the best 
results and have strong, robust, short-jointed specimens, a cool 
temperature and free ventilation on all favourable occasions are 
requisite. 
The next important point is the seedlings. The plants from 
the earliest sown batches should now be strong, and with four to 
eight leaves, and a few of the strongest even more. Our earliest 
and strongest of these are now in pans, and occupy a position on 
a shelf near the glass, and are strong, with stout overlapping 
leaves. Here they will remain till the weather is sufficiently 
warm to remove them to the pits to hai’den ready for planting 
out in the trial ground. The next, and probably the most im¬ 
portant work to be done now, is to see to those tubers which are 
depended upon for a summer and autumn display, and where 
these are bedded to any extent they will be found not only 
among the most effective plants, but among the easiest to 
manage. Perhaps the simplest way is to place them in boxes 
of cocoa-nut fibre in the way previously recommended, allowing 
them to start at will, giving little or no water at first, and keep 
them continually cool. So treated they will make steady but 
always vigorous growth, so essential to them as summer bedding 
plants. In these boxes they may remain till they are transferred 
to their summer quarters, thus at once dispensing with the 
somewhat tedious and expensive operation of potting, to say 
nothing of the saving in pots and soil. As the bedding plant of 
the future for either lafrge or small gardens the Begonia holds a 
