October 18, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
331 
of the house, and other branches springing from them at intervals of 
3 to 4 feet are trained up parallel with the rafters. 
When I took charge, nearly fifteen years ago, the greater part of 
its roots were outside, or at least very few could be found inside. It 
bore Grapes of various colours, various sizes, and various flavours ; 
and I understood it had long been its nature so to do. After a time, 
when it had been subjected to a little medical and surgical treatment, 
its character became more fixed, and now it is a veritable Black 
Hamburgh. It has a magnificent stem of 16 or 18 inches girth ; but 
although one Vine fills the house it cannot be said that it is now 
grown on the extension system, for having long ago filled its allotted 
bounds it is kept spurred-in quite closely, and is therefore to all 
intents and purposes grown on what is called the restrictive mode. 
The subject of renovating and rejuvenising Vines having been so 
lately written about, it is unnecessary now to detail that part of the 
subject; but where roots have to be cut through I would again urge 
on all cultivators the importance of getting it done speedily while the 
foliage is healthy. 
Prior to the commencement of my diary all insects had been 
destroyed by the liberal use of petroleum and water as soon as the 
fruit was gathered. A top-dressing to the inside border had been 
given at the same time in the shape of some naturally made leaf 
soil, a little loamy soil, and some half-inch bones pricked in with 
a fork 3 or 4 inches deep. 
This operation would destroy many small fibry roots, but at this 
time of year with healthy foliage they start making root again 
immediately, and utilise to the fullest extent anything fresh and 
suitable which is given them. Pruning had also been completed at 
least five weeks in the orthodox fashion of spur-pruning.— Wm. Taylor. 
(To be continued.) 
POTATOES. 
This year I have grown a great many varieties of Potatoes, and 
have done my utmost to find out the best croppers and least liable to 
disease. Year by year I add a few new kinds to my stock, but I have 
determined to do away with many of the varieties I have grown this 
year. They have had a fair trial planted in my garden in a light 
soil well dressed with stable manure and old lime rubbish, and in a 
field with hot gravelly soil moderately manured. Almost all the varie¬ 
ties are of recent introduction, and if I succeed in drawing the atten¬ 
tion of your readers to a few really useful Potatoes, and thus prevent 
their incurring disappointment in growing some belauded but worthless 
ones, I shall be amply repaid, for I am an ardent admirer and most 
interested cultivator of the noble tuber. The following are the results 
of my trials. 
Ashleaf (Veitch’s).—The best early kidney for the garden, of 
very good quality, earlier but not so prolific as Myatt’s. No disease. 
Ashleaf (Myatt’s).—Great cropper in the garden and good in the 
field, the tubers being of good size, quality, and appearauce. Best 
early for market-growing. No disease. 
Advancer (Daniels).—A great cropper in the garden, all the tubers 
being very large, but the eyes rather deep and haulm very robust. 
This Potato did well in the field also, and was free from disease. A 
good field variety. 
American Purple -—A very useful variety. Grown in the garden 
only it produced fine clean tubers free from disease. Haulm strong 
and branching. 
Beauty of Hebron .—A great cropper both in the field and garden, 
of good quality tor table, early and of good appearance. One of the 
best Potatoes for field or garden, and quite free from disease. 
Beauty of Kent .—Of first-class table quality, a good cropper in the 
garden, but bad in the field. Haulm medium and mottled. It is 
a handsome Potato, and good for garden cultivation. Slightly 
diseased. 
Cosmopolitan (Carter’s).—A second early rough-skinned kidney, 
handsome and good cropper. Grown in the garden only this year for 
the fiist time, I can but express a belief that it is a very good variety. 
Duke of Albany (Sharpe).—This Potato is very prolific and early, 
with tubers large and of splendid table quality. It is quite free from 
disease. This variety will without doubt be very popular with growers 
for market, and either for garden or field I can very strongly recom¬ 
mend it. 
Early White Emperor .—Useless except for exhibition. 
Eight-weeks (Carter).—A good cropper both in field and garden, 
of excellent table quality. The haulm is branching and mottled. 
Being early, prolific, and of good appearance, it is well suited for 
field or garden cultivation. 
International Kidney .—Useless except for exhibition. 
Improved Peachblow .—In the garden a good cropper with large 
tubers ; in the field a bad one, but with large tubers. I keep this 
Potato for baking. Free from disease. Haulm erect and strong. 
Mammoth Pearl .—In garden and field few tubers to the root, but 
all of good size. 
Manhattan .— A fair cropper with large tubers, but badly diseased 
in both field and garden. 
Matchless .—A handsome early variety and prolific. Free from 
disease, but of poor table quality. Moderate haulm. 
Mr. Bresee .—This also goes by the name of Peerless Rose. It is 
of fair table quality, very prolific in garden and field, and very hand¬ 
some. Some of the Potatoes grown in the garden were immense. 
Being early with short haulm it is useful where Savoys, &c., are 
grown between the rows. 
Porter's Excelsior .—Handsome and prolific, but no good except 
for exhibition. 
Pride of Wilts .—Useless except for exhibition. 
St. Patrick .—Good cropper in field and garden. A second early 
kidney, of good quality for table and free from disease. Profitable 
for field cultivation, producing a good crop of fine tubers on a poor 
soil. 
Schoolmaster .—Handsome and of good quality. An excellent 
garden variety, but not prolific in the field. 
Trophy .—Good cropper, producing Urge tubers both in field and 
garden, but of poor table quality. Of good appearance, and nearly 
free from disease. 
Triumph .—Handsome and prolific in field and garden, with plenty 
of fair-sized tubers, none being very large. It is very early and of 
dwarf top. Quite free from disease. 
Vicar of Laleham .—Very handsome blue round, a good cropper 
in the garden, but not in the field. Boils very white. Slightly 
diseased. 
Woodstock Kidney (Sutton).—Prolific, with very robust haulm, 
producing very clean-looking Potatoes of good quality. Diseased. 
Wormleighton s Seedling .—An improved Magnum Bonum, pro¬ 
ducing, I think, larger and truer-shaped tubers, which are of excellent 
table quality. A great cropper, and a thoroughly good Potato in 
every respect. Free from disease. 
White Elephant (Daniels).—Great cropper in the garden, but* 
much to my surprise, a poor one in the field. Not of good table 
quality. 
Wiltshire Snowflake (Lye).—Takes the disease, but is a good 
cropping Potato of excellent table quality, The tubers are of 
uniform size. 
Other varieties I grow, but I am afraid that I have already written 
far too much, The above is the result of my experience, and I trust 
it may be of some use. In conclusion, I may say that for garden 
cultivation I would choose Veitch’s Ashleaf, Duke of Albany, Beauty 
of Kent, Schoolmaster, Wormleighton’s Seedling, Beauty of Hebron, 
and Eight-weeks. For the field—St. Patrick, Mr. Bresee, Myatts 
Ashleaf, Advancer, Beauty of Hebron, Duke of Albany, Eight- 
weeks, and Wormleighton’s Seedling ; or in all, twelve Potatoes for 
both field and garden cultivation.—H. S. E., Great Totham. 
THE OLD CRIMSON CLOVE CARNATION. 
This is one of the best of all our border flowers, and I am glad to see 
it has been brought so much into notice this season, as of all Carnations 
this is my favourite. Its colour is decided, the flowers never fail to open 
in profusion, and its fragrance is delightful. We grow scores of it and 
never have too many. It begins to open its massive blooms in June, and 
never ceases producing them until late in October, and we can always 
count on having it in bloom sixteen or seventeen weeks, which is much 
longer than the majority of Carnations will continue flowering. It is not 
easily damaged by wet or injured by cold nights, and it will bear any 
frost or severe weather in winter. If left undisturbed for years it will 
grow into a large mass many feet or yards in diameter, or it may be 
layered and rooted like any other Carnation and planted out in beds or 
borders in spring. Young plants like these generally produce the finest 
blooms, but for a grand old-fashioned mass the undisturbed plants are 
unsurpassed. Some years ago I sent a number of plants of this to Mr. 
F. W. Burbidge in Dublin, and from him I had a quantity of a dwarf- 
growing double-blooming Sweet William, which in colour exactly 
resembles the Crimson Clove, and they are both charming.—J. Muir. 
The Edinburgh Gardens. —“J. B. II.” asks me to perform a great 
task, much greater indeed than he seems to he aware of. At page 21 
of the present volume is a paper on the subject, to which his attention 
may be directed. There he will see recommended what Mr. Thomson 
has to say on the subject in his “ Handy Book of the Flower Garden.’'' 
If your correspondent is in earnest about studying the arrangement of 
colours in flower gardens this he will do, and h9 would not be muen 
benefited by all that could be pressed into a paragraph, which is all 
that time will allow me to write at present. “ J. B. H.” says white or 
red cannot always be used as edging. Certainly not. Bu 'either ia 
appropriate next grass, where a yellow is not, and it wa the nv&riab 
use of yellow as an edging in the Edinburgh gardens tha was criticised. 
Next grey stone colour, such as the pavement of the garden over th9 
