JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 20, 1881. ] 
351 
be kept for weeks at that figure, and even in sunny weather from 
80° to 85° are the highest temperatures reached for a few hours a 
day. Well, we start Vines in February to be ripe in autumn ; we 
have them set in May, and there remains for them to finish their 
crop the best of the summer and autumn months. In warm 
weather you can indulge in afternoon temperatures with the 
house closed and a steaming atmosphere of 90° to 100°. I do not 
think these high moist temperatures of benefit to Vines, I rather 
prefer an afternoon temperature of 75° to 80° with ventilation as 
being more healthy. Of course in hot summer weather we have 
higher temperatures than these, but always with plenty of air ; in 
fact I have had the ventilators of our vineries wide open at 10 P.M. 
and the temperature at 70°. In a season like that the necessity 
for fire heat was of the slightest, and in working with free venti¬ 
lation we found that damping-down vineries was a part of the 
routine which could be abandoned without any ill effects. 
All Grape-growers who employ fresh air as a factor in the pro¬ 
duction of good Grapes will find the necessity for employing 
water to cause atmospheric moisture to be less and less as they 
do with little fire heat and much air. Some of our best Grape- 
growers have almost dispensed with the “damping down” of 
their vineries altogether ; but during sunless and cold summers, 
when Vines cannot obtain the amount of heat necessary, there is 
nothing for it but using the coal, and “ Single-iianded’s ” 
estimate of the time when coal is ol the most benefit exactly fits 
the case. 
Now as to the setting of Mr. Simpson’s Grapes, I failed to see 
anything out of the common about them in that respect, but there 
were so many better Grapes beside them that perhaps it was 
somewhat difficult to form an unbiassed opinion on their merits. 
The setting of Grapes, in fact, does not depend entirely on tem¬ 
peratures. The best set Muscats of my experience were grown in 
a Pine stove, yet in the same garden in a well-appointed Muscat 
house under the usual 75° treatment the setting was not good. 
In a lower temperature here with old Vines we find the Muscats set 
ordinarily well, though great numbers of the 'berries which swell 
cannot be said to be properly set, as they are stoneless. I do not 
think a higher temperature would improve these, the fault is 
somewhere else. I should be pleased to know who are the Grape- 
growers “ Single-handed ” refers to as showing some of the 
best Grapes at the past Edinburgh Show 7 , and whether they were 
ripened in a low night temperature.— R. P. Brothehston. 
That a good practical knowledge of Grape-growing is neces¬ 
sary to every gardener no one will deny ; therefore I do not con¬ 
sider that this subject is a wearying one. To those who have seen 
it discussed many times it may be so, but there are always young 
gardeners who are glad to improve their knowledge. 
The coke bill is generally a serious item in the gardener’s 
expenses, and any system that will assist him in reducing this 
will be acceptable. If good Grapes can be grown in a low night 
temperature, that will be one way of reducing the account. That 
such is the case I do not think it will be difficult to prove. 
During the past season we have heard many complain of the 
want of colour in their Grapes, and the difficulty of keeping red 
spider down. Some have attributed this to the excessive heat. 
That may be so ; but I am inclined to believe that a high night 
temperature may also have something to do with it. In many 
places where the low night temperature system is adopted, the 
Grapes have been all that could be desired both in flavour and 
colour. In one of the vineries here Muscat of Alexandria and 
Black Alicante are planted, and during the flowering time the 
night temperature never exceeded 55°. Many assert that Muscats 
require a high night temperature to secure a good set. I have 
before me a table of the temperatures formerly kept in a large 
fruit-growing place in Lancashire. I find that 758 was the 
average night temperature for Muscats when in bloom, yet in a 
temperature 20° lower our Muscats set freely enough. The 
Grapes are well ripened, the colour is good, and we are free 
from red spider. I do not mean to say it is advisable to dis¬ 
pense with fire heat altogether, that depends upon the weather; 
we have found it an advantage to turn a little heat on at times, 
but we do without it as much as we possibly can. 
In the Peach house we have had no fire heat beyond what was 
necessary to keep the frost out. We had an excellent crop, many 
of the Peaches weighing over 9 ozs., and measuring upwards of 
10 inches in circumference. I should be glad to see what others 
have to say on this subject.— Cantab. 
FUCHSIA EDELWEISS. 
We have received sprays of this new Fuchsia from Messrs. 
Hender & Son, Plymouth, accompanied by the following letter 
— “ We send blooms of our seedling Fuchsia Edelweiss, which 
we hope to send out another spring. We have grown it beside 
some of the best varieties, such as Miss Lucy Finnis, Grand 
Duchess, Snowcloud, &c., and find it of better habit and a more 
profuse bloomer than any, having four to six blooms at a joint 
when growing strong. It is rather late now for good blooms ; 
those sent are just as they come in ordinary cultivation. The 
white is very pure. If you think it worthy we should be glad 
of a line respecting it in the Journal of Horticulture." 
We do think it worthy, and not overpraised in the above letter. 
Fig. GO.—Fuchsia Edelweiss. 
It is evidently a very profuse bloomer, and the flowers are of good 
form and very pure. They are reduced in size in the annexed 
engraving. 
AUTUMN-PLANTED POTATOES. 
Last October I asked some questions about planting Potatoes, 
which were kindly answered in the Journal, and I was requested 
to send the results of the experiments that I was then about to 
try. The Potatoes were planted the first week in October about 
C inches deep, they were well covered with dry decayed manure, 
and the holes were then filled with soil. The tubers were not 
cut, and the variety was Early Rose. In due time the shoots 
appeared, and were much injured by the late frosts ; the foliage 
never looked healthy after, and there was 10 per cent, blanks in 
the rows. The Potatoes were ready to lift the second week in 
July, but the crop was not heavy, many of the tubers being very 
small, most of the large tubers very ill-shaped, and when conked 
they were close in substance, which I attributed to deep planting. 
So much for autumn-planted Potatoes. By way of test, at the 
end of March I planted one row of the same variety close to the 
others. The frost did not affect them, as they were not so forward,, 
and it was surprising how they grew and took the lead. There 
was not a blank in the row, and they were ready to lift the first 
week in July, the crop being heavier, the tubers larger, with fewer 
