274 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 3, 1884. 
Inquiry on Vines [J. M., Northampton). — Your inquiry never reached 
our hands. If you will send full particulars of the condition of the Vines 
on which you need information your letter shall have our best attention. 
Stamps for Numbers {II. S.). —You have not sent stamps for postage. 
If you send 3d. more, what you want shall be forwarded ; but you will 
perceive that your name and full postal address are necessary for this, and 
these you have accidentally omitted. Your question about Vines will be 
answered next week. 
Winter-flowering Heaths {A Young Head Gardener). —Undoubtedly 
these rank amongst the most ornamental and admired of flowering plants 
during autumn, winter, and early spring, and they ought to be more exten¬ 
sively grown. We shall publish an article on their culture in an early issue 
that will be more serviceable to you than a brief reply in this column. 
Many persons fail to grow these plants well, some by want by experience, 
others by lack of the requisite accommodation. 
Vines Flagging {A. G.). —You do not state how far your Vines are 
advanced, and unless they are in flower the temperature is 5° too high. You 
have probably used too much fire heat from the commencement, and kept 
the house too close. This, with a period of dull weather, would result in 
flimsy foliage that could not endure a sudden outburst of sun. As the roots 
are in an outside border they can scarcely be dry. Lower the temperature a 
few degrees, avoid a close moist atmosphere, leave the top lights slightly 
open all night, admitting more air immediately the thermometer indicates an 
increase of temperature in the morning, and you may expect more substance 
in the leaves, better enabling them to endure the sun. If they continue to 
flag sprinkle the glass with whitewash applied with the syringe ; but only 
as the lesser of two evils, scorching being the greater. Are the roots active 
and working in good soil ? 
Heating Vineries ( C. II., Belgium). —The maximum temperature you will 
need in a late vinery will be 70° to 75° by artificial means, and to secure that 
you will need six rows of 4-inch pipes along the front of the house, or three 
flows and the same number of return pipes. The pipes must be so placed that 
they are above the border, and would be best disposed on the flat, so as to extend 
over a considerable part of the area, and thereby diffuse the heat more evenly. 
There ought to be a clear space of a yard between the pipes and the front 
wall, so as to admit of the Vines being planted along the front inside the 
house. Four rows of 4-inch pipes—that is, two flows and corresponding 
returns, will be sufficient heating power for the early vineries. You do not 
give any position for the boiler, but we presume it would be fixed in the 
coach house at the back of the late house, through into that house at the 
end next the early house, and then branch from it to the early vinery, 
the pipes being taken in a covered flue or drain along the back pathway of 
the late house to the early house in front of the gardener’s rooms. You will 
need valves on all the flow and return pipes, so that the houses can be heated 
separately or together as required. Ventilators in the back wall would not 
suffice, as we fail to see where the ventilation is to come from : there really 
is no means of the heated air passing away and being replaced by fresh. 
The chief ventilators should be in the roof, lights running the whole length 
of each house and made to open by crank and lever movement little or much 
as required. For the late house the opening lights ought to be 3 feet wide 
or down the roof, whilst for the early houses 2 feet wide would be suitable. 
Vines (A Lady). —If | your Vines are healthy and the roots are plentiful 
near the surface of the border, the compost of which is good, the bunches 
you describe will develope, and weigh, perhaps, a pound each, or at least the 
best of them ought to do so under good management. The temperature of 
your house is 5° too high by fire heat, but the sun temperature of 85° is 
right. The late varieties are rather slow in starting, but with a genial atmo¬ 
sphere they will soon commence growing at the present temperature. When 
the bunches are visible the heat may be raised 5° ; and if you increase that 
a few degrees when flowering, again similarly when the berries commence 
swelling after stoning, allowing a proportionate increase of sun heat, the 
Grapes will be ripe in September. 
Tomatoes {Idem). —A compost of two parts turfy loam, one of decayed 
manure, and a sixth part of pulverised bones will be suitable for Tomatoes, 
and you may drain the pots as you propose. You would probably find Mr. 
Iggulden’s manual “ The Tomato ” useful, which can be had post free from 
our office in return for Is. Id. in postage stamps. It gives all the details of 
culture both in pots, frames, and the open air. 
Marechal Niel Rose Leaves Withering {A. S. D.). —It is not unusua^ 
for a number of the first formed small leaves to wither as the larger, later> 
and better foliage expands, and the growth of the Rose advances towards 
the flowering stage; several leaves that have remained on the stems since 
last year also wither in the spring. There are still signs of scorching on 
the leaves sent that would seem to indicate some error in ventilation. 
Syringing too late in the afternoon and deferring the opening of the venti¬ 
lators too long in the morning would contribute to the withering of the 
leaves, so would insufficient supplies of water at the roots. You do not 
state the size of the plant ; unless it is very small the quantity of water 
you give is not half sufficient. Possibly it is in this respect you err, and 
liquid manure also may be needed. After writing the above your letter 
was destroyed, and as your address cannot be remembered you will perhaps 
oblige with it again, and what you want shall be sent; if at the same 
time you state the space your Rose occupies and the nature of the soil, with 
the size of the border, we may perhaps be able to give you further advice 
ou the subject. 
Marechal Niel Rose {G. F. M.). —It is almost impossible for us to fully 
comprehend the condition of a plant from a general description of it in a 
short letter. The plant, judging from the specimens sent, is certainly in a 
debilitated state, and has not strength for developing the flowers; it is, 
therefore, overcropped, few as the blooms may be. As to the soundness of 
our advice on cutting-back the growths, we need no better testimony than is 
embodied in a communication from Mr. Divers in another column. Nowhere 
is this grand Rose grown better than at Burghley, hundreds of blooms of 
exhibition quality being cut from one plant, the leaves of which are at the 
least four times the size of those you have sent. But cutting-down alone is 
not sufficient for producing vigorous growth. The roots of the plant must 
be strong and actively working in good soil, and the stock must be sound. 
Perhaps the stock of your tree is faulty in some respect. Is it cracked or 
cankered ? Again, the tree may be old and worn out, as this Rose does not 
usually continue vigorous for many years on the Briar. _ There are excep¬ 
tions, we know, but the rule we have stated. The border you mention is 
abundantly large, but what of the soil ? It may be sour or inert, or possibly 
it is or has been dry at the bottom. If the plant is not old and the stock is 
sound we have no doubt we could improve the condition of the Rose. As it 
appears that something more than mulching is needed we should dig out 
most of the old soil, keeping the roots moist during the process, and the 
foliage too, shading it also if needed to prevent flagging. We should then 
surround the roots with turfy loam, with a seventh of decayed manure mixed 
with it, and a liberal quantity of wood ashes if available, or a sprinkling of 
bonemeal, say two quarts to a bushel of soil. We should also shorten-back 
the growths to good buds in the young wood, syringe the plant, and keep it 
as warm as possible, then expect fresh growth to start that would gather 
strength during the season and produce far better foliage than is produced 
now, and eventually better flowers. You will perceive we are very willing 
to assist you, but feel a desire to know something more of the character of 
the plant to enable us to do so effectively and to our satisfaction. 
Moss Litter for Mushroom Beds (J. H. B., Sunderland ).—Gardeners 
who contribute to the press, or whose success in culture is recorded therein, 
are often troubled with so many letters that they are unable to answer them ; 
also by want of thought on the part of seekers for information are taxed 
with postage, if they do reply, that ought not to be imposed. If you did not 
enclose a stamped directed envelope to the gardener you name he was qnit e 
justified in' not acknowledging the receipt of your letter. Moss litter atter 
being used in stables is an excellent medium for growing Mushrooms. We 
have seen highly productive beds that were made with this material, not out¬ 
doors, but in a close shed. Mr. Walker of Sheffield grew his Mushrooms 
in boxes under cover, and they were referred to as follows by a correspon¬ 
dent in December, 1882 :—“ Mr. Walker made up some beds with moss 
litter, which have succeeded beyond his expectations. _ He says he has never 
before had beds which have been so quick in coming into bearing or so last¬ 
ingly productive. He commenced gathering Mushrooms in five weeks from 
the making-up of the beds, and when I saw them he had been gathering from 
them every day for five weeks, and the beds then were quite covered witn 
fine Mushrooms, which are very thick and solid. He also showed me a box 
which by way of experiment he had filled with moss which had not been 
used in the stables, but which he had saturated with stable drainage from ® 
tank where it is collected. This upon being made up into the box heated 
very strongly, so that he had to wait a number of days for the heat to sub¬ 
side before spawning, but when I first saw it the spawn had run through it 
and Mushrooms were appearing apparently as thickly and as freely as upon 
the other beds. On a subsequent examination there was no doubt the 
experiment was a great success, as the box was crowded with splendid 
Mushrooms.” If you desire further details on growing Mushrooms in moss 
litter you will find them on page 442, vol. vi., of the Journal, the issue or 
May 31st, 1883. If you do not possess that number we think it can be sup- 
plied by the publisher on receipt of 3 %d. in postage stamps and naming the 
date we have given. 
Vines Dying {G. M.). —We sympathise with you very much in the loss of 
your Vines. It is, indeed, a great disappointment to see them die one after 
another in the way you mention. We are more surprised at the old than the 
young Vines dying, assuming they are not attacked with the phylloxera. 
Whether they are or not it is impossible to determine without a close ex¬ 
amination of a portion of the old roots, and especially the young fibres. You 
say nothing about the soil. Are you sure it is suitable ? The protection 
you have given is quite sufficient. We are not at all surprised to hear of the 
collapse of young Vines planted in an outside border, and the whole length 
of the rod retained and started into growth in February. By that treat¬ 
ment the sap is drawn out of the stems before a sufficient number of roots 
are produced for continuing the supply. One of your Vines affords evidence 
that the root-action was too feeble for the length of cane, as when this was 
cut down to the ground it commenced growing. Making a border of good 
soil 3 or 4 feet wide up to the side of the house, and planting canes short¬ 
ened to 2 or 3 feet, would with good attention result in healthy rods, it 
does not do, however, to shorten the canes in spring, and anv that may be 
planted now should have the bud3 removed from the upper half of them, 
thus concentrating the force of the roots on the buds below. A narrow 
border is as good as a wide one the first year, and it can be increased in 
width as required. We presume you have examined the stems of the \ ines 
and satisfied yourself that they have not been injured by rats or mice. We 
have known several Vines killed by these destructive rodents gnawing the 
stems and cutting off the supply of food from the roots. If we can help 
you further we shall be glad to do so. 
Fungus in Vinery {S. E .).— We are sorry to inform you that your Vines 
are infested with fungus, the bark being thickly covered with it in a manner 
which we have not previously seen, and it is also unfortunately present on the 
roots. A portion of the mulching material is also permeated with fungus, 
including the mycelium of the Mushroom. It is in all probability with this 
mulching that the fungus has been introduced. It may be cleansed from 
the rods easily, and as the roots may not be seriously infested, as those 
before us are not, the Vines may possibly recover. At once remove the 
loose bark carefully and burn it, then thoroughly wash the rods with a 
mixture of sulphur and water. The mixture will be more easily effected if a 
few handfuls of sulphur are tied up in a piece of canvas and soaked for a 
time in hot water; then rub it well with the hand and mix in cold water to 
the consistency of cream. Apply this to the rods, rubbing it well into the 
interstices of the bark with a brush. A toothbrush will be useful for 
working round the spurs. If this work is well done the fungus on the rods 
will be destroyed. Next remove all the mulching from the borders with a 
portion of soil, and give a good dressing of freshly slaked lime, spreading 
it on to the depth of half an inch and pointing it into the surface, then 
giving a heavy watering with water at the temperature of 100°. If you can 
readily procure some ammoniacal liquor from gasworks, and add one gallon to 
five of the water, it will act both as a destroyer of fungus and a manure to 
the Vines. Although the border is not dry, this watering will do no harm 
but good, as it will warm the border, thus inciting root-action, and check the 
