518 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December IS, 1883. 
this being separated from the pleasure grounds by a heavy belt of deciduous 
and evergreen trees and shrubs. Mr. W. Brnnister, the practical gardener 
in charge of these gardens generally, has long been well known as a 
successful exhibitor of fruit, plants, and vegetables, his successes not being 
confined to the Bristol district. At the time of my visit, or early in 
September, the vineries were very attractive, notably a house of Black 
Hamburgh. The crop of this good old Grape was heavy, the colour and 
quality being especially good. Another house contained a full crop of 
such Grapes as Muscat of Alexandria, Lady Downe’s, and Venn’s Black 
Muscat; but as these, although good, were giving signs of deterioration, 
the work of renovation was to be commenced this autumn. The borders 
are both inside and outside, and as the latter has been made for some time 
and is full of roots it was intended to cut and clear a wide trench along 
the house, or that part of the border farthest away from the stems, and to 
substitute a quantity of good fresh compost. This will undoubtedly 
greatly benefit the Vines and improve the weight and quality of the crops 
next season. A good-sized lean-to structure, devoted principally to Peach 
and Nectarine culture, is decidedly worthy of imitation, especially where 
the owners of gardens happen also to do much of their own gardening. 
Perforated zinc in sheets is substituted for sash-bars and glass along the 
whole front of the house, and more zinc is worked into the front of a raised 
and top glazed lap which is formed along the ridge of the house. Besides 
being cheaper and needing no subsequent repairs, this perforated zinc does 
away with apparatus and the necessity for ventilating, besides keeping out 
the wasps. The house is completely furnished with Peach and Nectarine 
trees, and a failure to crop never occurs. Melons are well grown, 
Mr. Bannister’s favourite sorts being High-cross Hybrid and William 
Tillery. 
In the plant houses I observed very fine batches of Pancratium fragrans 
and P. grand iflorum, the stock of these being imported in the first instance. 
A few Orchids, including a good batch of Calanthes, and many of the best 
Crotons, Dracasnas, and other choice plants required for house and table 
decoration, are well grown, as are also numbers of Ferns, including several 
large and good seedling Gymnogrammas. A very fine plant of Allamanda 
Hendersonii is trained over the roof of one of the plant stoves. It is 
rooting in a small raised pit filled with good loamy soil, and being kept 
freely thinned out and otherwise well attended the result is an abundance 
of showy blooms from May in one year till February in the next, and very 
valuable the blooms prove for dinner-table decoration during the dull 
winter months. In the cooler houses such serviceable flowering plants as 
Begonias, single and double Zonal Pelargoniums, Celosias, and Fuchsias 
were in excellent condition. 
Hardy fruits are a speciality with Mr. Bannister, and nothing could 
have been more satisfactory than the heavy crops of fine Apples and Pears. 
Particularly good were such Pears as Marie Louise, Glou Morceau, Beurr6 
Superfin, and Easter Beurrd especially were receiving the shelter of walls, 
and a large bush-shaped tree of Alexander Lambert was crowded with 
fine fruit. The rather new Worcester Pearmain Apple is found to be a 
good bearer, and the very handsome fruit forms an attractive dish both on 
the dining and exhibition tables. In spite of the poor position and heavy 
clayey soil of the kitchen garden, it is made to produce excellent crops of 
vegetables, some of which easily gained the first prize for a collection at 
the late Bristol Chrysanthemum Show.—W. Iggulden. 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Renovation of Soil .— In our last calendar attention was called to the 
importance of adding fertile soil periodically to the stations of trees 
established in what is naturally a poor thin soil. This is of such vital 
moment to the health as well as the fruitfulness of the trees, that we 
revert to it in view of making provision for the future as well as doing 
what we still may for the present. Well would it be if such work could 
always be done immediately after the year’s growth is over before the soil 
has become very wet from the heavy rain of autumn. As a means to so 
admirable an end, we are making provision now of a heap of soil for use 
next autumn, and are gradually getting a considerable quantity of ant hills 
carted from an old pasture. These will be chopped to pieces coarsely with 
spades, and thrown in a heap with about a third part added of farmyard 
manure, a fourth of finely sifted coal ashes, and a fourth of spent lime, for 
the simple reason that our poor soil contains neither lime nor coarse gritty 
matter. This heap will be turned and mixed two or three times in the 
coarse of the next eight months, and it will be in prime condition by the 
time it is required foi the trees. From a rich pasture the ant hills or a 
top spit of turf sods would alone suffice for the trees, and would preferably 
be used at once; but ours is an extreme case, and we give it for the assist¬ 
ance of the numerous readers of the Journal who have to contend with 
the difficulties of a poor soil. If the trees were planted with due care 
there will be no occasion for any disturbance of the soil of the stations ; it 
is the poor soil between the stations which is to be excavated to a depth of 
2 feet and replaced with some such compost as we have indicated. Where 
the soil is too poor for fruit culture turf sods taken from an adjacent 
pasture are not to be depended upon, for when the vegetable matter 
becomes exhausted the trees inevitably deteriorate, and it is in such cases 
that nitrogenous manure is beneficially mixed with the soil in the first 
instance, and also subsequently as ofien as appears necessary. 
Top-dressing .—To all trees in shallow soil top-dressing with rich com¬ 
post is highly beneficial. It sustains health and vigour, induces root- 
growth near the surface, and helps materially to prevent, canker, which is 
frequently so baneful to trees in such soil. Care must, however, be taken 
not to bury the stem to a hurtful degree, especially of Cherries, or it may 
lead to the loss of valuable trees. 
Pruning and Training .—Lose no opportunity of pushing on this work 
so as to make sure of finishing long before sap-movement begins again. 
Large arrears carried over to the new year often have to wait till spring 
draws nigh, and the trees suffer from hurried work, and are also enfeebled 
by very late pruning. Pay particular attention to spur-thinning now, so 
as to avoid much fruit-thinning in summer, and to afford full play to light 
and air upon every part of the tree. Crowded spurs form harbours of 
refuge for noxious insects, and are also objectionable for the unnecessary 
quantity of fruit produced, which is worthless if left unthinned, and leads 
to much wasted time in fruit-thinning at a busy season of the year. 
Old Trees .—The lichen-covered branches of old trees undoubtedly har¬ 
bour insects, which attract birds, whose searching after the larva leads to 
the destruction of blossom buds, often to a hurtful degree. Something 
may now be done to lessen this evil by a thorough dusting of fresh-slaked 
lime when the trees are damp. Such trees often suffer, too, from insufficient 
drainage, and from having many roots deep down in a cold inert subsoil. 
The remedy for these evils is obvious, and the necessary attention to it 
may soon be well repaid by renewed vigour and abundant fruit crops. 
Hasty measures with old trees are not advisable. Old spurs may b® 
removed with advantage, but not always, and we would certainly do all 
that is possible to promote the health of a tree before bringing the pruning 
knife to work upon it. 
FRUIT-FORCING. 
Vines. — Late Grapes. —Muscats and all thin-skinned Grapes for use 
during this month and January must be cut early in December and 
bottled; but the thick-skinned varieties, such as Lady Downe’s, Alicante, 
Gros Colman, Gros Guillaume, and the latest-keeping white varieties not 
attaining their full flavour and quality until they have remained on the 
Vines some time, which is generally not the case until the turn of the 
year, when their removal to a properly arranged and managed Grape room 
will insure their keeping fresh and plump for more than four months, ov 
until May, without shrivelling or any depreciation of flavour. Former 
in-tructions having been attended to, the bottles will be filled and ready 
for the reception of the stalks of the Vine shoots, which should be cut off 
down to a promising bud, in order that they may go well into the bottles 
and admit of the bunches hanging free of the bottles. In cutting and 
removing the bunches the berries must not be rubbed or disturbed, nor 
must any of the points of the shoots or laterals above the bunch be 
removed, as every wound or cut acts as a channel for the escape of 
moisture. The room should have openings in the roof so arranged as to 
allow of the escape of moisture without producing a draught, and if the 
walls be hollow or thick there will he less occasion for dispelling 
atmospheric moisture, and no more fire heat should be given than to 
maintain the temperature about 45°, and the less it fluctuates the better. Th® 
bunches will require examining once or twice a week for decayed berries ; 
but if the Grapes are properly ripened the loss will be small, as in the even 
temperature of the Grape room the Grapes will keep much better than 
when left on the Vines until March. This subject is referred to more fully 
in another column. 
Pruning Late Vines. —As soon as the Grapes are cut the Vines should 
be pruned in order that they may have a long season of rest, with free 
exposure on all favourable occasions, keeping them as cool and dry as 
possible, a few degrees of frost doing no harm provided the atmosphere 
be dry. Spare the Vines if practicable the moist or damp atmosphere 
induced by wintering plants in the house. 
Figs. — Earliest Forced Trees in Pots. —Those shut up in November 
with fermenting materials in the pit will now be swelling the terminal 
buds and the fruit be gradually expanding. The roots, too, will be active;, 
sending out young feeders, being influenced that way by the genial 
warmth obtained from the fermenting material. If the heat does not 
exceed 75° the materials may be trodden down firmly round the 
pedestals and bottom of the pots, and a further supply of sweetened 
fermenting Oak or Beech leaves introduced from the reserve heap. 
Care must be taken that the heat about the sides of the pots doe3 nob 
exceed 70° to 75°. The heat and moisture given off by the fermenting 
materials will greatly facilitate forcing by mitigating the aridity 
consequent on the employment of fire heat, of which no more than is 
necessary should be employed, which in severe weather need only be used 
to maintain a night temperature of -50° to 55°, and on very colds nights a 
lower minimum will do no harm ; but with light an advance of 5° to 10° 
should be given, with a still further advance from sun heat, and lose no 
opportunity of admitting air without subjecting the tender growths to cold 
currents. Syringe the trees and all available surfaces in the morning, and 
again in the afternoon if the day has been fine and dry, but it should not 
be practised later than 2 f m., and if only a moderately fine day the 
morning syringing will be sufficient, as too much moisture is apt to induce 
a soft growth, whereas the aim should be to secure a sturdy and well- 
solidified development. The glass must be kept clean, and a little extra 
fire heat turned on if necessary, so that a little air may be given to expel 
accumulated moisture. 
Pruning in Succession Houses .— Lose no time in having this completed- 
