154 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 21, 1884. 
the best shoots should he trained, and when they have completed their 
growth cut one of them back to two eyes, and the other should be pruned 
to a convenient length for producing fruit; while the other, which was cut 
back to two eyes, will produce two shoots that will have to be pruned in 
the same way—that is, one of them left and the other cut back to two 
eyes again. There will thus be a succession of fruit-bearing wood, while 
the shoot that has borne the fruit the preceding season should be cut out. 
If, however, the Vines are wanted to cover more space, they must be 
trained so that there shall be two or more sets to bear fruit like the above. 
The Short Rod System. —This is on the same principle, but buds should 
be selected alternately from each side of the shoot. The others being 
removed from between the chosen buds, they should be disbudded when 
the wood is nearly ripe. The buds that are left generally bear the follow¬ 
ing season. The shoots produced from the buds that are left are stopped in 
summer to one eye beyond the fruit, and in autumn are pruned to two 
eyes. One of the shoots produced from the two eyes is allowed to bear 
fruit while the other is not. In autumn again the shoot which bore fruit 
is pruned to one eye, while the other is pruned to three or four eyes, so 
that there may be a strong bud left at the end to produce the fruit next 
season. The other buds, with the exception of that at the base, are taken 
off; two buds left, one at the apex and the other at the base, one to bear 
fruit and the other to form the succession shoot the following seasoD, while 
the bud left on the base of the other shoot forms the fruit-bearing wood 
for the season after. 
The Spur System. —Spurring has become the general way of pruning 
"V ines. They should be planted so that each Vine is grown in the centre of 
a sash or light, for if they are planted as they often are and trained up a 
rafter, they will not get the light they require. G-reat care should be taken 
in pruning Vines in this way (namely, to two or three eyes) to get their 
shoots to push alternately by the removal of every other bud, and two 
might very safely be removed in very short-jointed wood. As soon as the 
young shoots have pushed so that they can be tied in, they should be 
stopped at one joint beyond the bunch just showing, or where there is 
plenty of room they may be stopped at two joints beyond the fruit, but a 
gardener in this case, as well as many others, must use his own discretion. 
After this laterals will push, and these should be stopped above their first 
joints, and so on through the entire season. 
Thinning. —When a Vine has more bunches than it is thought can be 
perfected—and here a gardener has to u-e his judgment—they should be 
thinned, care being taken that the worst bunches are taken off, and that 
the bunches left are at regular distances apart. There is no prettier 
sight than a house hung with ripe bunches, as if the distances had been 
measured. The sooner those that have to be sacrificed for the good of the 
others are taken the better—that is, as soon as it can be seen what the 
bunches are going to make. If a gardener is greedy he is deservedly 
punished by the unsatisfactory results that follow. The berries should be 
thinned as soon as they attain the size of small peas, care being taken 
that those nearest the centre of the bunch are taken first. In thinning 
a bunch the operation should be commenced at the end, working upwards 
towards the top of the bunch. Some bunches are cone-shaped, while 
others form very distinct shoulders ; these should be tied up, taking out 
all the berries that might become overcrowded, and in all cases care should 
bs taken not to touch the bunches with the head or hands. The bunches 
should be examined again in a short time, and those berries that show the 
least signs of being overcrowded should be taken out, and the old maxim 
of quality before quantity should be the guide. 
Temperature. —Vines should be started with a temperature of from 
40° to 45° at night and about 50° by day, increasing to 60° with sun heat, 
the heat being gradually increased (while the buds are swelling till they 
are in leaf) up to 55° at night and from 65° to 70° by day up to 75° with 
sun heat. When the Vines are flowering the temperature may be increased 
to 65° at night, 70° by day, and 80° with sun heat. Muscats require a 
rather higher temperature—say 70’ at night and 80° to 85° by day. Great 
care must be taken in regulating the temperature of vineries that there 
is not a sudden influx of cold air. Ventilation should be given to keep 
the house at such a temperature rather than to lower it when it has 
become too high by neglect; but practice alone makes a man perfect in 
ventilation, as in all other things. 
Diseases. —Shrivelling is a disease that is owing to the roots of the 
"Vine not supplying a sufficiency of sap, which is caused by their being in 
too low a temperature. This often occurs in stoves where the Vines have 
their roots in an outside border, the temperature of the border being 
considerably less than that inside; or it may be caused by the roots 
getting into some substance that does not suit them, and if their roots 
were examined it would be found that the fibre was very much discoloured, 
and in some instances quite decayed. We sometimes find bunches that have 
from three to ten berries quite colourless and sour, while the others have 
both colour, and this is also caused by the great difference in the tem¬ 
perature of the roots and the Vine. 
Shanking is also caused by the same mismanagement—indeed, most of 
the diseases that the bunch is subject to is caused by the carelessness or 
mismanagement of the gardener, or in some instances ignorance. 
Eust is supposed to be caused by overheating the vinery, and then as 
suddenly reducing it, which should by all means be avoided. 
Spot on Grapes is caused by changes of temperature, irregular water¬ 
ing, and growing the Vines in too low a temperature. This disease 
often occurs in the case of Muscats, which proves that it must generally be 
caused by too low a temperature, seeing that the Muscat is most likely to 
suffer from want of heat. Want of colour is caused by the Vine having 
too heavy a crop or having an insufficiency of foliage to elaborate the sap, 
0 r it may be caused by the bunches being too much exposed to the solar 
rays, and becoming by that means portly burnt in order to secure the 
good colouring of Grapes. Care should be taken not to hurry the ripening 
process, as we often see perfectly coloured Grapes grown without any 
artificial heat at all in the north of England with the simple protection of 
glass, and then often subject to ventilation both night and day, and in the 
south those grown against walls are often a beautiful colour. 
Mildew is a disease that often attacks Vines, but which can be checked 
by the application of sulphur in the form of vapour, also by mixing it 
w r ith the paint that is used to paint them with in their dormant state. 
Insect Pests. —Red spider is one of the pests that often infest \ ine3 
that can be destroyed by the application of sulphur in the form of vapour. 
Also the frequent use of the syringe is beneficial in checking it, as a hot 
dry atmosphere is favourable to its increase. Thrip is another pest that 
infests the Vine, but a good fumigating occasionally will effectually keep 
it in check. 
Scale and mealy bug sometimes attack the Vine. When this is the case 
cleaning off all the loose bark and washing them in warm water mixed 
with soft soap is a good cure; also washing the walls or painting them 
with a mixture of lime, sulphur, and tobacco juice. If the vineries were 
kept clean and frequent syringing there would be less to contend with than 
is often the case. 
Bleeding of the Vine is caused by the Vines being pruned after the sap 
has commenced rising. This can be avoided by pruning them as soon as 
the leaves have fallen ; but if by chance they should be left too long and 
they bleed at all, that portion might be seared with a red-hot iron, or the 
end might be thrust into an entire potato, which is as good a preventive 
as I know. 
Varieties of Vines. —The following are a few of the best varieties for 
a greenhouse or vinery:—Black Hamburgh, Black Prince, Lady Downe’s, 
West’s St. Peter’s, Royal Muscadine, Dutch Sweetwater, Trentham Black, 
Gros Guillaume. For the stove the following are very good:—Muscat of 
Alexandria, Canon Hall Muscat, Black Hamburgh, Bowood Muscat, 
Muscat Hamburgh, and Gros Guillaume. The above are varieties that 
have been grown by myself, and for general purposes are among the best 
varieties that can be cultivated. 
No man now ought to be long ignorant of any subject in gardening, 
seeing there are so many valuable works and periodicals on the subject 
that he may want information on, and if he begrudges the few shillings 
or pence that these works cost he cannot have that interest in gardening 
that he ought to have, and which is indispensable in the making of a good 
gardener — James Inman, Chapel Ailerton. 
[The second prize paper read at the Leeds Gardeners’ meeting ] 
PASSIFLORA EDULIS. 
To the request of a Kentish correspondent ('‘Super”), who desires 
to know “ all about Passiflora edulis, its culture, and its uses,” we cite 
the following from a previous issue, as such a comprehensive question 
cannot be answered satisfactorily either to our correspondent or others 
in the form of a brief reply in the column devoted to inquiries. 
This is an interesting species of an extensive and beautiful family of 
climbing plants. Most of them require a stove temperature to bring them 
to perfection, although P. cserulea and its varieties will flourish on a 
south wall in the open air in the southern counties. But P. edulis while 
being a native of India will still succeed in a lower temperature than 
many of its allies—that is, it will cover a roof and flower freely in a 
warm conservatory, yet to perfect its fruit it requires, and is worthy of, 
stove temperature. Its flowers are not nearly so beautiful as those of 
some other varieties, but its handsome plum-like fruits, which are so easily 
and freely produced, add an interest to the plant to which its more gay 
compeers can have no claim. The fruit, besides being decidedly orna¬ 
mental, has a flavour which is particularly agreeable to some palates ; 
and where such is the case, and means are provided, it is specially grown 
for dessert purposes. In the gardens of Drumlanrig Castle a house is 
solely devoted to the culture of this fruit, and large crops are produced. 
The fruit has a pleasant aroma, is cooling, and has a refreshing subacid 
taste, and is particularly adapted for allaying thirst in the tropical coun¬ 
tries to which it is indigenous. 
As an ornamental roof-covering plant it is to be feared that P. edulis 
has frequently given place to less worthy objects. It is not easy to find 
a plant more beautiful than this with its elegant pendant shoots laden with 
flowers and fruit, which hang with an airy gracefulness from the roof of 
a suitable glass structure. The plant is, moreover, of very easy culture. 
It should be raised from cuttings in preference to seed. Seedling plants 
grow freely enough, and soon cover a large space, but they are sparse in 
blooming compared with plants which have been struck from cuttings. 
Short-jointed young shoots strike quite easily any time during the summer 
if put in sand under a bellglass, and attended to by the requisite amount 
of heat, shade, and moisture. 
A suitable compost for established plants is turfy loam two-thirds, 
the remainder leaf mould, peat, and old decayed cowdung, this to be 
liberally mixed with sand and broken charcoal. Although the plants 
requiie an abundant supply of water during the summer season any 
approach to stagnancy is pernicious, and consequently the drainage must 
be very complete. It is well, too, in potting to place some crocks or 
rubble round the neck of the plant, as it is apt to canker and decay at 
the surface of the soil ; but to grow it well it should be planted out. 
Corners of bark pits, walled-off from the bottom, form fitting receptacles 
in which to plant. In these, with due attention, plants will flourish for 
many years. In the summer season a free use of the syringe is neces¬ 
sary, as a dry atmosphere, and especially if dry at the roots, if only occa- 
