March is,i8f 2 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 211 
there might possibly be a deficiency of lime after all, 
and the idea had no sooner been allowed to enter my 
head than it was confirmed by at least half a dozen of 
the plainest possible proofs ; but so blind had I been 
to them before that I should have treated any such 
idea with ridicule. Well, “ there are none so blind as 
those who will not see;” and very possibly, but for the 
fact of my supply of turf being cut off, I should not 
have had the film taken off my eyes in this respect for 
some time longer. 
Some of the evidences of the scarcity of lime are 
that the water from the springs is peculiarly soft; the 
soil when handled for potting does not make the hands 
rough ; the kernels of stone fruits are often imperfect; 
if seed is produced on a patch of ground, that particular 
patch may be pointed out for years afterwards as com¬ 
paratively barren; there is very little incrustation in 
the inside of pipes, boilers, &c.; Rhododendrons grow 
well, and Box edging does not. 
All these evidences are plain enough to anyone with 
open eyes. I generally am credited with keeping mine 
open, but in this particular case I was clearly stone- 
blind. A follower of the old school of Grape-growers 
would not have made this mistake. He makes up his 
mixture everywhere in the same way—so much turf, 
so much manure, so many bones, so much lime rubbish, 
and special quantities of certain other ingredients more 
of imaginative than real value ; and then, after waiting 
a few years, whatever may be the nature of the soil 
surrounding him, if he uses ordinary attention he, as a 
matter of course, produces ordinary Grapes without 
any special trouble. His more advanced or more 
favoured brother adds a portion of similar material to 
his border every two or three years, and of course 
makes more sure of continued success; but anybody 
can or ought to be able to grow average Grapes under 
the last-mentioned conditions, whether he be a gardener 
or not. To grow them so as to make them pay for 
growing or to cause a sensation in the fruit-growing 
world is another thing. 
When smarting under one of the disappointments 
just detailed I had a visit from two celebrated Grape- 
growers. “Oh ! I am glad to see you,” I said (though 
I do not really believe I was), “ I want to ask your 
advice.” Well, they being great personal friends, 
gave me the best advice they could under the circum¬ 
stances. It is true they did not quite agree as to 
the plan to be immediately followed, but they were 
thoroughly agreed that my Grape-growing fame was 
over till 1 rooted out these Vines and made a fresh 
start. “ How could I expect Vine roots to flourish in 
a border which was as hard as a turnpike road ? To 
get some of them even to live I must break up the 
surface and let the air into it.” I did not take their 
advice. As I had already got over the greater part of 
my trouble, and felt sure I was now on the road to 
success, their gloomy forebodings did not take much 
effect on me, and I repaid my comforters the following 
year by sending them a challenge, promising to allow 
them to be judges, but it was not accepted. 
APPLYING THE REMEDY. 
It was while the thinning was going on that the 
possibility of a deficiency of lime was entertained. 
The flowers did not set well, and of those which had 
apparently set we did not like the shape of the berries, 
many of them being too round and giving a suspicion 
of faulty stoning. To wait till the autumn before 
applying a remedy would be to lose another season. 
Let us apply it at once while the foliage will have a 
chance to utilise it. But it would need great care; 
the roots must not be disturbed, and nothing must be 
brought into the house which would injure the skin of 
the berries or the tender foliage. Some new lime was 
procured, was slaked in the ordinary way, and allowed 
to cool. Then more water was applied to it, making 
it about as moist as soil is when it is in a good con¬ 
dition for potting purposes; and to make sure that 
none was left unslaked it was spread out thinly, and 
the last water was applied from the rose of a watering 
pot. It was now taken into the house and spread all 
over the border fully half an inch thick; the crust of 
the border was then broken with a fork about an inch 
deep, and it was well watered, giving a little in a place 
at first, then coming back and giving more several 
times till the usual quantity of water had been applied. 
Of course the lime did not all disappear at this 
watering, and we merely damped it now and then 
between "waterings to keep it from blowing about. 
When it was nearly all gone from the surface we gave 
another similar application, so that every part of the 
border which contained roots had in the course of the 
summer a full inch of lime. In the autumn, as soon 
as the fruit was coloured, we dug a trench about 2 feet 
wide just outside where the new soil had been applied 
before, and we mixed some wood ashes and some lime 
(in the same state as that which had been applied to 
the surface of the border) with the old soil and returned 
it, trampling it down as hard as possible, and waited 
confidently for the result. I am happy to say we were 
not disappointed. I need hardly add that the Vines 
have not had a monopoly of the lime which has been 
brought into the garden since that time, and it has 
acted everywhere almost like magic.— W. Taylor. 
(To be continued.) 
PLANTING POTATOES. 
The time is again at hand when this important work must be 
done. In some gardens many early Potatoes have already been 
planted, but the bulk of the crops will yet require attention. 
Careful planting is always the best: of this there can be no doubt 
in the minds of those who have watched the results of different 
modes of planting. Dry and suitably manured ground are two 
important points to secure at the beginning. By waiting and 
taking advantage of the weather a proper state of the soil may be 
secured by all. But as regards the manure some difficulty is 
occasionally experienced. We are not ill to please in Potato 
manure, as with some we use yard dung, and with others hardly 
anything but decayed leaves, while others have only soot, salt, 
and ashes. All depends on the nature of the soil; but we never 
expect a satisfactory crop of Potatoes from poor soil. To think 
that a piece of ground which is not good enough for some 
other crops, such as Cauliflowers and Peas, will do for Potatoes, 
is a mistake ; Potatoes might be produced, but a paying crop 
need not be expected. Ground which has been heavily manured 
for previous crops may not want a large addition for Potatoes, 
and perhaps a sprinkling of soot or salt would be sufficient. 
These may be usefully applied to Potato land ; they are both 
fertilisers, and apart from this they cleanse the soil of worms and 
grubs, and this in itself is a great consideration. 
In preparing for planting ordinary crops the manure may be 
applied first, then digging the ground deeply, and planting the Po¬ 
tatoes as the work progresses. Eighteen inches between the rows 
and a foot between the sets are suitable distances for some dwarf 
varieties, but with others both of these distances will have to be 
increased 6 inches, and Magnum Bonums may require even more 
than this. Very close planting is the cause of the tubers being 
small. When the tubers are grown for exhibition they can hardly 
have too much room, 3 feet each way being no unusual distance 
