472 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 23, 1882. 
ing stones, and to pack them round with pieces of old mortar or 
broken stone so as to prevent the leaves touching the soil. We 
know that many of them ought to winter beneath a covering of 
snow ; the best substitute for it is fine clean gravel composed of 
pebbles the size of wheat, or of stone broken to the same size. 
If the soil round the stem of a plant is covered with this it pre¬ 
vents the growth of lichen, keeps the ground from caking, and 
seems to promote the well-being of nearly any alpine. 
For other plants, especially the deciduous Primroses, Anemones, 
Hepaticas, Phloxes, a dressing of sifted peat or fine leaf soil 
in autumn is a great benefit where slugs abound. A little soot 
and coal ashes should be placed round the crown of delicate 
plants before the soil is applied. It is surprising what vigour 
many alpines derive from a dressing of this kind, and even a little 
very well-decayed stable manure may be mixed with benefit to 
the plants; but the soil should not be thrown indiscriminately 
over the rockery, each plant being treated according to its habit. 
Such delicate plants as Dianthus glacialis or alpinus would suffer 
by being buried in soil.—C. Wolley Dod, 
ALNWICK SEEDLING- GRAPE. 
This variety has been fruited here for two seasons. Each year 
we have had an abundant “ set,” having on the lowest com¬ 
putation to thin out more than two-thirds of the berries during 
that process. The Alnwick Seedling is planted in two vineries, 
one of which (with this exception) is devoted to Muscat of Alex¬ 
andria, the other being for late black Grapes only. Last season 
I had no difficulty in getting it to set in the Muscat house with¬ 
out artificial fertilisation, merely examining the bunches once 
every day while they were in bloom and slightly agitating them. 
The night temperature of this house at that time was kept from 
65° to 70°. In the late vinery the Alnwick was in bloom that 
year at the same time as the Lady Downe’s Seedling. We there¬ 
fore used some spare bunches of the latter kind to fertilise 
the former, the temperature by night not being so high—often¬ 
times below C0° in the morning and hardly ever over 65° when 
darkness set in. Under this treatment I likewise had a most 
abundant set. Two of the bunches from one Vine were ex¬ 
hibited at the November meeting of the Fruit Committee that 
autumn (vide report of the same in the Journal of that week). 
This season I used the pollen from the Muscat bunches for the 
Vjne amongst them, again having a perfect set. In the late 
house the Alicante was in bloom at the same time as the Alnwick, 
and was therefore resorted to for the same purpose with most 
satisfactory results. One bunch of the Alnwick, happening to be 
in a backward condition, was by chance overlooked, the result 
being a large per-centage of small berries—so much so, in fact, 
that the bunch was worthless. 
After two seasons’ success with this Vine I have arrived at the 
conclusion that no danger need be apprehended if artificial ferti¬ 
lisation is resorted to in securing an abundant set. 
Whether Alnwick Seedling will eventually supersede the Alicante 
still remains to be proved. It has two decided advantages, in my 
opinion, over that variety—viz., first, in bringing its fruit to matu¬ 
rity at least three weeks sooner when growing in the same house ; 
and again in the nature of its foliage, which, being more smooth 
and glossy, will more readily throw off any superfluous moisture that 
may accumulate on the same in the early morn and often remain 
there longer than is desirable. With me the Alicante is trouble¬ 
some in this respect, the downy foliage holding so much moisture 
on dull days that the leaves frequently get “ damp ” spots on them. 
This would not happen, perhaps, could we keep our late vinery 
as we would wish. Having to use every available space at that 
season, and a deficiency of heating power, often causes a moisture 
to condense on the foliage of the Vines that could be obviated 
were the means at my command. The Alicante, on the other 
hand, is always a sure setter without any extra attention, and 
with us does not shrivel after hanging when ripe on the Vine, 
whereas we find the Alnwick does this. If I were going to plant 
another vinery I should grow the Alnwick with the Black Ham¬ 
burgh, believing from observation that it would make a good 
succession to that old and excellent variety, requiring about the 
same time to bring its fruit to maturity, but hanging somewhat 
later.— James Hudson, Gunnerslury House Gardens. 
I am glad to see that the remarks of Mr. Wright relative to the 
merits of this Grape have brought out the experience of many who 
have grown it since it was first distributed. The unfavourable re¬ 
ports that were made against Alnwick Seedling up to this year un¬ 
doubtedly either prevented its cultivation on anything approaching 
a large scale. I know more than one who shortened the cane they 
purchased the first season, and raised a number of young Vines 
from the eyes and planted them, but owing to the reports in ques¬ 
tion these young Vines were removed, and those that they were in¬ 
tended to supplant retained. This I did amongst others, and kept 
only the original Vine, which is growing amongst Alicantes and 
Lady Downe’s, and this spring showed quantities of moderate¬ 
sized bunches—in fact, I had not a Vine of any other variety that 
produced bunches in such profusion, each shoot showing three or 
four. I cut all off but four before they came into bloom, the same 
as I generally do with all free-setting kinds, and leave those only 
required for the crop. This I did for the purpose of testing its 
setting properties and with the intention of removing it if it set 
badly. It was the first Vine to come into growth and flower, and 
consequently no pollen could be used from any of the other Vines, 
and the result was the four bunches set as well as any Foster’s 
Seedling I ever saw, or any of the Alicantes in the same house. 
After they were set the berries swelled slowly at first, and I 
had grave doubts about their going on satisfactorily. Every 
berry, however, ultimately swelled, and they were well coloured 
several weeks before the other Grapes in the house. The 
berries did not swell quite so large on my Vine as on the 
Alicantes, but they carried a better and heavier bloom, and the 
flavour is slightly superior. I have formed a very good opinion of 
this Grape this season, and quite agree with Mr. Wright’s defini¬ 
tion of it being an improved Alicante. I am sorry now that I 
pulled out the young canes I had planted, but intend to make 
another start towards extending its cultivation. The Vines to 
■which I have alluded were started moderately early in the season 
and assisted with fire heat, the temperature ranging while in 
bloom from 60° to 70° at night, according to the weather.— 
Wh. Baednet. 
OF HUMUS. 
Sharon Turner tells us in his delightful “ Sacred History of 
the World” that “the vegetable classes have been created upon a 
system of progressive improvability, and also of an indefinite 
productiveness, which can be increased to the utmost extent of 
any probable human demands upon it.” So gratifying a truth as 
this must be very dear to all who are engaged in agriculture and 
gardening ; and it is, as he observes, most consolatory to reflect 
that these beneficial results will always follow the application of 
human skill and diligence to this interesting order of beings. I 
make no apology, therefore, for asking you to open your pages to 
some discussion on the value of humus as a manurial agent. 
Liebig, in one of the last, if not the last, of his works, writes : 
“ It is to the united efforts of the chemists of all countries that we 
may confidently look for a solution of these great questions, and 
by the aid of enlightened agriculturists we shall arrive at a 
rational system of horticulture and agriculture , applicable to 
every country and to all kinds of soil, and which will be based 
upon the immutable foundation of observed facts and philo- 
soj)Ideal induction .” Now, without arrogating to ourselves to 
be either chemists or enlightened agriculturists, we may perhaps, 
without vain glory, think that we may have the common sense to 
judge between the opposite teachings of chemists at different 
times ; and you certainly have, sir, amongst your contributors 
experienced and careful observers such as are not often met with. 
We have, however to be careful that we do not theorise before 
we know, nor allow ourselves to be the slaves of prepossessions 
before we have collected and compared a sufficient range of facts 
and just inferences from them. Closer attention multiplying our 
knowledge and making our reasoning correct, our later opinions 
will become nearer the actual truth. “ Succeeding criticism 
always disperses chimerical fancies, and we may leave the fallacies 
to their natural mortality.” 
We all know that a few years s'nee humus was looked upon as 
a substance capable of contributing directly to the nourishment of 
plants, and, in fact, the proportion of it existing in a soil was 
regarded as the truest indication of its fertility. Then, when 
Liebig had demonstrated the utter impossibility of humus supply¬ 
ing the amount of carbon assimilated over a given area, and had 
shown that since humus itself was the product of previous vege¬ 
table growth it could not be an original source of carbon, the 
pendulum of men’s thoughts took another swing, and the theory 
was taught by Petzholt and others that the beneficial action of 
humus depended solely upon the salts and earths contained in it. 
All the other useful functions of humus were to a great extent 
lost sight of, and, as it is stated, even Liebig “maintained that so 
far as humus was beneficial to vegetation at all, it was only by its 
oxydation and a consequent supply of carbonic acid within the 
soil—a source which he considered only of importance in the 
early stages of the life of a plant, before it had developed and 
exposed a sufficient amount of green surface to the atmosphere to 
