480 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November S7, 1884. 
stupid and lazy, the innocent will always continue to suffer with the 
guilty. 
We believe Eose mildew is almost confined in its attacks to Eoses, and 
this makes the pest easier to grapple with. It has, however, been recorded 
from the Meadow Sweet (Spiraea) and Hop. In other instances, if a mildew 
is exterminated from one plant it will immediately settle on another, and 
simply lie in wait until its most approved victim is again open for attack. 
In the case of Hop mildew, when there are no Hops for the pest to prey 
upon, the parasite does equally well on Nettles, the Nettle being a close 
ally of the Hop. 
Eoses are unusually subject to fungus attacks. There is a Peronrspora 
which sets up putrescence in Eoses in the style of the Potato fungus on 
Potatoes ; there is the obnoxious orange fungus, Coleosporium, and there 
is the black fungus of the stems, Dothidea, as well as many others too 
numerous to mention on the present occasion,— WoBTHiNGToN G. Smith. 
CUTTING DOWN CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
Being an advocate of the cutting-down s^’^stem I was pleased to 
read Mr, Pithers’successful experience in reference to the same; others 
no doubt, as he suggests, who may have tried it will also record their 
experience. Plants so treated have a decided advantage over uncut 
jilants—that is, if dwarf well-foliaged specimens are preferred with 
tiowers to be at their best b}"- the end of November. I must admit 
that the flowers are not so large as from uncut plants, there is not the 
substance in them, but the form generally is better. 
To obtain first-class blooms from cut-down plants requires good 
cultivation. Something stronger than clear water must be given 
while the plants are growing as well as after the buds form. The 
main thing to aim at is stout ripe wood ; the flowers will be in pro- 
jiortion to this, and it is ridiculous to expect good results from half- 
starved plants. 
The following varieties were cut down the first week in May— 
Queen of England, Emily Dale, White and Golden Empress of India, 
Prince Alfred, Alfred Salter, and Prince of Wales, The flowers 
from these this year are superior to last year's from plants cut down a 
fortnight later. The past fine season may have had something to do 
’With this. 
The Beverle 5 's, Mr. Bunn, and Refulgence cut down the first week 
in June have flowered well. The following with me are better cut 
down early in April; the first two, however, do not require it, as they 
are naturally dwarf and late enough. Hero of Stoke Newington, 
Princess Teck (valuable for late flowering), Eve, Mrs. Heales, Jardin 
des Plantes, Nil Desperandum, John Salter, and Princess of Wales. 
This last I find most difficult to get good flowers from unless the buds 
form early. 
The only Japanese tried were Elaine, James Salter, Bouquet Fait, 
Soleil Levant, and Peter the Great, flowers from which were far 
ahead of others not so treated. Three plants of James Salter carrying 
a dozen good exhibition flowers each were superior to uncut plants 
with only three. 
If by cutting down such varieties as Comte de Germiny, Mad. 
C. Audiguier, Simon Delaux, M. Moussillac, M. Tarin, and several 
others, we could throw them later it would be an advantage, as 
they come far too early. One thing to guard against is blind centres, 
for many of them if not allowed to flower in tkeir own line have a 
■tendency to this.—C. Wabing. 
BOILING BEETROOT. 
My practice in digging Beet has always been never to injure the 
roots if possible, for fear of their bleeding when boiled; hut from what 
I saw a few days ago in preparing them for the pot this care is not 
necessary. Going into the scullery the maid was busy washing some 
roots, with a knife close by, which was soon put to work in cutting off 
the top and bottom. ‘'Are you going to boil them?” I asked. “Yes,” 
was the reply. But I said “They will bleed.” “Oh! no,” she answered ; 
“ I’ve found a new way to boE them, and you shall see them when 
cooked.” I did see them, and the colour was all that could he desired. 
The only difference in cooking is that the Beet is plunged into ’boiling 
water, and kept boEing till done. 
The kinds I usually grow are Dell’s Crimson, Frisby’s Excelsior, and 
Egyptian Turnip-rooted. The soil here is a sandy loam, and produces 
good roots of aE kinds. But the cook often used to complain of the 
Beet being deficient in colour, so I trust the novel way of boiling will 
rectify this deficiency.—A. A. 
GROS MAROC GRAPE.—PLANTING VINES. 
I WISH to supplement the remarks (see p. 409) respecting this excel¬ 
lent Grape, which, in our case, is on a Black Hamburgh stock, and this 
is the first year of our fruiting it. Both my employer and myself are so 
thoroughly satisfied with the result that we have decided to grow more of 
it—to plant several Vines of it next summer on its own roots, though the 
Hamburgh stock and the treatment are quite congenial to it. But the 
Vines in the second early house being nearly worn out, I am going to 
force them hard with a view to removing them as soon as they have 
ripened their crop next May or June, when the Grapes will be cut and 
bottled in the Grape room, and the Vines removed. 'This done, a section 
of the old border (about 6 feet wide) will be removed down to the drain¬ 
age, the latter re-arranged and covered with turves grassy side down, 
afterwards refilling the space to within 6 inches of the top with a 
compost, in the proportion of five cartloads of calcareous loom, one load 
of wood ashes, one load of lime rubble, one load of horse droppings, and 
about a barrowful of fresh soot, the whole will be turned over a couple of 
times prior to wheeling it on to the border when dry. The Vines, which 
in the meantime will be struck from eyes inserted singly in 3-inch pots 
early in February, together with a like number of eyes of Alnwick Seed¬ 
ling and Madresfield Court, and subsequently shifted and grown in 
larger-sized pots, will then be planted, loosening the soil and roots a little 
round the roots with a pointed stick before planting. The soil having 
been made firm about the roots, and the new border made level with the 
surface of the old one adjoining, will then have sufficient water given to 
settle the soil, and afterwards a surface dressing of decayed manure 
3 inches thick. 
Believing that detailing our future plan of operations in reference 
to the above Grape, and the circumstances connected with its extended 
culture, may not be without interest to a few of the many readers of the 
Journal of Horticulture, and may possibly influence some of them 
in a like direction, must be my apology for digressing from my subject— 
the Gros Maroc Grape. The bunches of this variety are of medium size; 
berries large, oval, full of juice, pleasant flavour, and carrying a very 
heavy bloom. I may state that at the present time we have in our Grape- 
room a bunch of Gros Maroc Grape that was cut and bottled with others 
in August last, nice and plump in the berry, and which promises to con¬ 
tinue so to the end of the year. This hunch has been left with the special 
object of testing the keeping quality of this Grape. 
The Gros Colman we have on its own roots, and also on the Black 
Hamburgh stock, and my experience of them thus far is in favour of 
those on their own roots, as the bunches and berries are not only larger, 
but also finish more regularly and better than those on the Black Ham¬ 
burgh stock. Of Alnwick Seedling, like the Gros Maroc, I have no 
experience of it on its own roots, the one we have being on a Lady Downe’s 
stock, and very satisfactory in every respect as a midseason Grape. Grown 
in the same house with Lady Downe’s Seedling, Gros Colman, Mrs. Pince, 
Black Alicante, Abercairney Seedling, and Gros GuElaume, the berries 
were shrivelled early in September. It therefore cannot be looked upon 
as a late Grape, but as an excellent midseason variety. Gros Guillaume 
is a grand late Grape. With me it produces bunches freely and keeps 
well. We have at the present time twelve to eighteen bunches of Gros 
Guillanme ranging from Gibs, to 10lbs. each, which attract a good deal of 
attention from visitors to the Castle and Gardens. However, I need 
scarcely say that bunches ranging from 1^ to 3 lbs. keep far better 
than larger ones, and that well-ripened bunches—bunches that are 
thoroughly ripe by the end of September or the middle of October, keep 
better than badly ripened ones. In short, an adequate supply of hot-water 
pipes and fuel, together with a free circulation of air, are indispensable 
elements in the cultivation of late Grapes as well as early ones.—H. W. 
Wabd, Longford Castle. 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
Observation and experience are two means by which we gain our 
knowledge. “ Thinker ” confesses that he has neither seen evergreen 
Peach trees nor had any experience of their culture, and yet he is con¬ 
vinced that autumn lifting is unnecessary where such trees exist. 
“ Thinker’s ” remarks are very good in reference to root-restriction. We 
can make narrow borders, but we cannot command the sun to shine, 
neither can we compel theraincloud to hold its moisture in suspense nor dry 
the atmosphere. I will mention one case that has come under my notice 
in reference to autumn-lifting Peach trees where it was purely a matter of 
£ s. d., and this shall be my last effort to try and convince “Thinker ” 
that in some cases autumn-lifting is necessary. About fifeeen years ago a 
nobleman in this neighbourhood had occasion to let his garden. A most 
intelligent gardener took it, who had previously been foreman in the same 
garden, after which he filled a good situation as head gardener. On 
taking possession he at once commenced to remove every Peach tree from 
the open walls to every available corner in the numerous little plant 
houses where he could place a few barrowloads of soil to<30ver their 
roots, having learned from experience that upon the open garden walls 
they were of no use. Fuel being very expensive, no fires were used, and 
after a few years he found that even under glass with restricted root 
room they failed to give good returns for his labour. He then resorted to 
autumn-lifting, with the result that he had fine crops of Peaches for the 
Dublin market. 
For many years I have been reading your valuable Journal with the 
chief object of gaining information. For several weeks I have been 
reading what “Non-Believer” and “Thinker” have to say about 
watering with liquid manure, and I fear that there are many of your 
readers, with myself, who are as much in the dark about its proper appli¬ 
cation now as when your correspondents commenced to discuss the 
matter; for the reason that both “Thinker” and “Non-Believer” have 
been going to extremes. I would recommend them to neither give liquid 
manure when the soil is saturated with moisture nor when it is 
dust-dry, for the reason that there may be waste in both cases. 
Your correspondent “ S.” complains of the bad colouring of Mrs. 
Pince Grape. Here it colours admirably in a late vinery. Necessity 
compels us to employ heat rather early in the season, our house being 
