26 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 13, 1882, 
absence many new comers have deserved well of their country. 
Mr. Whitwell, that plucky rosarian from Darlington, has come 
from the far north and defeated us all, carrying home in triumph 
the valuable epergne which formed the challenge trophy for 
thirty-six. “ It will probably be seen no more,” said, with a 
sigh, a well-known witty nurseryman ; “ it will most likely go 
down some coal pit and remain there.” It strikes me that 
when we go over to Darlington we shall have to look out if we 
are to maintain in the absence of the two gentlemen before 
named the prestige of the south. 
The writer of the article on the Show in the Standard seems 
to be under the impression that the “ young Society,” as he calls 
it, has always been connected with the Crystal Palace, and 
deplores the severance. Will he be surprised to hear that we 
are by no means so young, and that nearly a quarter of a 
century ago we held exhibitions at St. James’s Hall, at South 
Kensington for many years, and only twice held our Show at 
the Crystal Palace ? For a really good and accurate account of 
a Rose Show let me recommend your readers to peruse that 
paper. The reporter’s opinion of Marie Baumann, and his 
description of Marie Van Houtte, are really so good, and 
will doubtless commend themselves so much to Mr. Hinton, 
that I trust that gentleman will at the next election of Roses 
send a polling paper to the reporter of the Standard. 
Yes, I have seen Allamanda Hendersoni, Ixoras, Dipladenias, 
Hibiscus, growing like weeds in Ceylon ; I have seen the most 
glorious tropical flowers and foliage, but sweetest of all and 
loveliest of all in my eyes are the Roses of Old England. Long 
may the queen of flowers flourish ! —Wyld Savage. 
VINES AT LONGLEAT. 
(Concluded from page 4S5, last volume.) 
DISBUDDING AND STOPPING. 
As soon as the Vines have fairly started into growth 
in the spring some of the shoots will require removal. 
This will cause them to bleed a little, and I used to 
wait till some of the leaves were full grown before 
commencing this operation, when some of the shoots 
could be removed without any bleeding taking place ; 
but on the whole I find there is more lost than gained 
by deferring it, and I recommend it to be done as early 
as possible after growth has started. With vigorous 
Vines the shoots should be 15 to 18 inches apart on 
each side, and w T here more than one starts from the 
same spur the choice should be given to the one 
nearest the main rod if it is healthy. 
The next operation is to remove some of the bunches 
as soon as they are visible. Two or three will generally 
show on each shoot by the time it is an inch or two 
in length, and one of these only should be left, prefer¬ 
ably the one nearest the rod if it is a good one. 
A few days later stopping the shoots becomes neces¬ 
sary, the strongest first, leaving the weak ones to grow 
unchecked for the present. But it must be the merest 
point that is taken out, altogether not larger than the 
smallest pea, and this requires considerable experience 
to do it nicely. The leaves, excepting those at the 
base, at this time are scarcely large enough to be 
called leaves, but the experienced eye can count their 
number, and they should be left according to the 
amount of space between the rods. Not less than two 
beyond the bunch is sufficient, and four is better if 
experience has taught there is room for that number 
to develope without any crowding. Small shoots (sub¬ 
laterals) will start from the axils of these bearing 
shoots, and they should be stopped and kept to one 
leaf; some of them indeed near the upper end of the 
shoot may be removed altogether if the foliage is likely 
to become too much crowded, but two or three nearest 
the mam rod must be taken care of, or the eyes will 
start which are required to remain dormant till another 
year. 
The next thing to be decided is the number of 
bunches to be left on each rod. At present there is 
one on each bearing shoot or lateral, and if the Vines 
are in tolerably good health, and there is no prospect 
of the fruit reaching a large size, say not more than 
an average of three-quarters of a pound to the bunch, 
this number will not be too great; on the other hand, 
if there is a likelihood that the bunches may be made 
to average 2 R)s., one bunch to every other lateral will be 
sufficient, but a great deal depends on the quality of 
growth the Vines make, also on the space there is for 
the foliage to develope, and something too on the 
varieties. Mrs. Pince, which has comparatively thin 
foliage, requires a greater area of it in proportion to 
the fruit, while Alicante, which has leathery-like 
foliage, is the reverse of this. Most of the surplus 
bunches should be removed before the flowers com¬ 
mence to open. 
THINNING THE FRUIT. 
From ten days to a fortnight after the first flowers 
open on the Hamburghs thinning may be commenced. 
All the smaller berries and unfertilised flowers are re¬ 
moved first from a bunch; next the remaining berries, 
if they are so close that the thick end of a pencil can¬ 
not be pushed in between them, are thinned out suffi¬ 
cient for that, and the whole crop is examined in this 
way, by which time it can be seen which are likely to 
be the best berries, and the regular thinning is com¬ 
menced in earnest. Preference is always given to the 
upper berries on a branchlet, and of those on the top 
of the bunch nearly all are left; others are thinned so 
that they average about half an inch from berry to 
berry. It is not a good plan, however, to insist on 
their being all at regular distances apart. The best 
berries should be chosen, and if sometimes there should 
be an inch of space and then two or three berries closer 
together, they will as they grow generally push one 
another into their proper places. I find that with 
young hands there is a great anxiety to have the berries 
regularly placed on every bunch, and to secure this 
many berries are left which are not likely to swell to 
the largest size. The bunches I thin myself often look 
very imperfect at first, but they alter before the season 
is over. The thinning of the late Grapes comes next 
to the Hamburghs, that of the Muscats being left to 
the last, and I do not think there is any advantage in 
thinning them till they reach the size of a pea. Large 
bunches of all varieties are tied out in preference to 
cutting them down to half their size. 
After all have been gone over once they will require 
looking over again, and nothing but practice will teach 
exactly how much to thin them, as some Vines will 
make much longer berry-stalks or larger shoulders 
than others, and of course the longer the footstalks the 
less need of thinning. Late Grapes which have to be 
kept till the following spring are thinned considerably 
more than those which are to be used in autumn, but 
no bunch should ever be so much thinned that when it 
is cut and laid on one side the berries will roll out of 
their places. 
SHANKING AND ITS PREVENTION. 
Shanking is caused by an imperfect or insufficient 
assimilation of food by the leaves. It may happen 
