504 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 26, 1884. 
must degenerate into a wordy wrangle, of winch, iperliaps, tliis 
note is an example. 
Then as to the exact date of the origin of the “ new ” plan of 
leaving, say, 12 feet of rod. It appears I went too far back to 
prove its long existence by citing 20-feet-long rods thirty years 
ago. That is quite a “new plan” of objecting, certainly (going 
too far back to prove something old), newer a good deal than the 
“ new plan " of Vine-pruning; but let that pass, and I will come 
nearer for an example. In 1870-71 the so-called “new plan” 
was followed in a range of vineries upwards of 400 feet in length, 
the young canes having been left from 6 feet to 12 feet long, 
according to their strength, at the first priming after planting. 
How will that more modern date suit ? 
As to the late Mr. Pearson’s work and opinions, nothing can 
be gained by discussing them, and they certainly were not fully 
declared in his concise little book. This I happen to know by 
having had the privilege of more than one personal discussion 
with the deceased gentleman, and I am hence able to record 
something of what he both thought, said, and did without 
gathering my material for “ history ” from a book. 
Then there remains the tremendous question as to the 
originator of the new old system. I am quite unable whom to 
think of with the object of according whatever credit may be 
due. I am quite sure it does not belong to me, for the long rods 
were in vogue to my positive knowledge in 1850 ; the grower of 
the Vines referred to in 1871-1872 made no claim to the dis¬ 
covery; “A Kitchen Gardener,” I think, has not entered any 
claim, nor have we any evidence that “ Non-Believer ” has done 
so. 1 trust we are none of us so weak as to rely on a phantom 
for our fame, and to spend our time in tilting at windmills. 
I am much obliged to “ Non-Believer ” for affording me 
materials for a few notes, and I shall now be quite content for 
him to go on non-believing. 
Mr. Luckhurst has honoured me with notice, and in an able 
elucidatory communication makes out a very good case in favour 
of converting espalier fruit trees into palmette verriers, and has 
shown how well the spaces can be occupied between the shortened 
trees by vertical or diagonal cordons. I am not the person to 
find fault with such trees, nor should I like to see some old- 
fashioned espaliers which I have often pruned and gathered 
bushels of fruit from shortened and “turned up ” and Frenchified, 
however excellent the new method may be. Trees with branches 
18 feet long, as straight as gun rods, studded with spurs and 
roped with fruit, are not to be lightly transformed. That is my 
whole contention. Leave well alone; but trees showing signs of 
collapse of the lower branches can no doubt be remodelled 
advantageously in the manner indicated. 
I am quite unable to admit the necessity of spurs a foot long 
on espalier Apple trees, and I think the advocacy of such may 
have a tendency to lead to that very evil of overcrowding which 
your correspondent has warned against so effective^. That the 
practice is safe in Mr. Luckhurst’s hands I should not think of 
questioning, but all owmers of fruit trees are not in a position to 
bestow on them such “ watchful and intelligent ” care as he does. 
I observe spurs 6 inches long are referred to as “puny,” and 
am asked how many Apples nearly 6 inches in diameter I would 
leave on such spurs. 1 would leave one, and be thankful. If 
more of that size can be developed on long and lanky spurs I 
should like to see them. I am asked by Mr. Luckhurst if I 
have ever seen a cordon. I have answered in the affirmative, and 
recognised the value of such trees. May 1 ask your correspon¬ 
dent if he thinks the wondei-ful Apples and Pears that have won 
the chief prizes of late years at Hereford and other great exhi¬ 
bitions have been produced on spurs a foot long? I am strongly 
of opinion that the spurs from which they were gathered were 
not half that length ; and 1 think very loudly that trees well 
furnished with 6-inch spurs will bear as much fruit as can be 
matured of first-class size and quality, and a good deal more if 
all the blossoms set. Where, then, is the advantage of longer 
spurs ? _ 
While on the subject of fruit trees, I think “ H. J. H.” 
(page 488) gives a good hint on summer pruning. This practice 
is often deferred too long, then carried out too severely. More 
than once I have seen mistakes made in shortening the growths 
of Pears, Apples, and Gooseberries to two or three leaves, some 
of them imperfect, as is often the case; and a safer and better 
plan, as a rule, is to leave five or six leaves, doing the remainder 
of the shortening at the winter pruning. Severely shortening 
the growths in summer after much crowding has often been 
followed by the shrivelling of the few leaves that were left, when 
the weather has been dry and the sun hot. The trees have then 
decidedly not been benefited by summer pruning. 
Doctors appear to differ on the measures to adopt to prevent 
the scalding of Grapes—at least on the question of temperature. 
“ Keep the house cool,” says “ S.” (page 485). Does he mean 
cool at night as well as by day ? for some competent persons 
rather advise that the night temperature be somewhat increased, 
to prevent the condensation of moistui’e on the berries. The 
colder the fruit is, the greater the condensation must be; then 
unless very early and gradual morning ventilation is carefully 
practised, the evaporation from the fruit is excessive, which 
necessarily cools the surface and a collapse occurs. Is there not 
something in that theory ? I am inclined to think so. The 
worst case of scalding 1 have seen was in a vinery without fire 
heat during a period when the nights were unusually cold and 
the days hot. Had there been less difference between the night 
and day temperatures, the probability is that the evil would have 
been less pronounced. Preventing a very high temperature 
during the day, and a very low one at night is, in my experience, 
advisable, with always plenty of foliage; sufficient, as your cor¬ 
respondent says, to “ cover every inch of roof.” Acting on this 
principle about the stoning period, I have never been troubled 
with scalded Grapes. _ 
A “ wrinkle ” in baffling the Onion maggot is, I think, 
imparted by Mr. Henry F. Moore on page 484. It is a fallacy 
to suppose that salt, lime, and soot dug into the ground prevent 
the attacks of the maggot. No such mixture that can be safely 
applied will kill the parent of the grubs in its chrysalis state. 
The maggots do not crawl out of the ground and attack the 
plants. The attack is from the air, the flies depositing eggs on 
the leaves, and the maggots resulting find their way to the 
ground and enter the Onion just below the surface, where the 
neck of the incipient bulb is blanched. They never enter the 
green leaves or stem ; and here comes the “ wrinkle,” the “ young 
Onions slightly earthed up are pi-otected from attack.” This 
is worth trying, but to be fairly tried the slight earthing should 
be done in good time. Transplanted Onions are not often seri¬ 
ously attacked. Is it not because the vulnerable part of the plant 
is inserted in the soil ? 
Worth remembering, I think is Mr. Harding's remedy for 
the fruit form of the Cucumber disease—“ increase of fire heat 
with less atmospheric moisture.” This disease was the most 
prevalent during the wet and cold summers that prevailed two 
or three years since, and with warmer and drier seasons its viru¬ 
lence appears to have subsided. Several years ago there was a 
great outbreak of this disease, and the seasons then were incle¬ 
ment ; when the summers wmre warmer it, practically vanished. 
It is a terrible scourge, and the method of checking it above 
indicated is at least worth a little thought by those who may be 
so unfortunate as to have to combat the destructive visitant. 
Buried in the middle of a paragraph on page 483 is a brief 
but merited tribute to the effectiveness of Delphiniums in gardens 
about midsummer. “When the spikes from 6 to 7 feet high 
develope themselves, how grandly gay the garden is,” says 
“ D., Deal.” “ Grandly gay ” indeed are these noble plants. 
I have had the pleasure of growung them largely, and the tower¬ 
ing masses, some of them 9 feet high, and of the most charming 
colours, are splendidly imposing. Grow in rich deep soil, thin 
out the stems, secure them to stakes, mulch the soil over the 
roots, give liquid manure copiously, and see what good varieties 
of Delphiniums will do. They will astonish those who have been 
content to grow them on the let-alone principle, and will command 
admiration. 
The notes on Stapelias take me back in memory, and directed 
my thoughts to many good and curious old plants of forty years 
ago. Vineries were heated by hues in those days, and good Grapes 
w r ere grown. On the flues were Cactuses and Stapelias, the 
former trained up the back wall of a house 50 or 60 feet long, 
which in the season of the plants’ flowering was a blaze of beauty 
such as would have gladdened the eyes of Mr. Castle, who seems 
to have a weakness—or shall I say strongness ?—for these lately 
neglected plants. The Stapelias were not gay, but remarkable. 
We garden boys always called them Toadtiowers, from the fancied 
resemblance of their colours to the markings of toads ; also 
perhaps because both were considered in about the same degree 
