498 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November so, 1882 . 
Petzholdt admit, seeing that it so materially increases the absorp¬ 
tive property ot soils for vapour of water, and thereby (when a 
sufficiency of plant food is present at least) greatly ameliorates 
their condition ?— Inquirer. 
(To be continued.) 
AZALEA NARCISSIFLORA. 
Those who possess well-appointed plant houses have no diffi¬ 
culty in maintaining a supply of white flowers through the late 
autumn and winter months ; but in the case of those who have 
only one or two, possibly only one, it may be of some use to say 
that Azalea narcissi flora, when well treated, will yield blooms 
from November till March, and thus place the amateur very nearly 
on a level with the possessor of many houses and a skilled garden 
staff. Finer and handsomer Azaleas there are, but not another 
that is so thoroughly useful; indeed I hardly know any other 
plant that will continue yielding supplies of blooms month after 
month in an ordinary greenhouse temperature in winter time.— 
S. H. 
WHITE GRAPES. 
If I were going to grow Grapes for pleasure the first that I 
should plant of white Grapes would be the Duke of Buccleuch, 
which is undoubtedly the grandest Grape grown, and only re¬ 
quires simple treatment. With a border ill-drained, soured by 
unnatural heavy liquid manuring, or mulched to a degree that 
the hottest sun fails to warm it, then under these conditions 
this Vine will probably refuse to grow, but with reasonable treat¬ 
ment its growth may possibly be rather too luxuriant. Last year 
I had this Grape very fine, this year it has been partly a failure ; 
but the reason was not far to seek. The Vine grew too vigorously 
last year, and the heat that would have been sufficient to ripen 
less luxuriant growth failed to mature it sufficiently, and the con- 
’ sequence was many stoneless berries. Both this Grape and the 
Golden Champion rebels against high feeding. With the wood 
well ripened you may prune it as you do other Vines, but failing 
this it is well to select the eyes that are most promising. Of the 
Muscat Grapes it perhaps is not necessary to speak, save that I 
consider the Tyninghame is distinct from the Muscat of Alex¬ 
andria : it sets much better. The Bowood too, I think, is a distinct 
Grape. 
When grown under the same conditions that suit the Duke the 
Buckland Sweetwater is in appearance the next Grape to the 
Duke—that is, as a rule. I do not mean to contend that it is 
superior in that respect to a few of those very fine Muscats we 
saw at Edinburgh. With me it keeps better than the Duke, but 
when fully ripe the flavour of the latter is superior. Next to the 
Duke I would plant it for a summer Grape. 
Foster’s Seedling has a much longer season than any of the 
above—in fact, I have for long had the opinion that its good keep¬ 
ing properties were not half known. Ripened in September the 
chances are it will keep better than Lady Downe’s. For certain, 
unless the latter be exceedingly well ripened, it will do so. 
For comparison I would couple the Buckland with the Hamburgh, 
and Foster’s Seedling with the Alicante. It has this advantage 
over these named in requiring less heat to ripen the wood. The 
flavour, too, is good, and it is a Vine that will stand rougher treat¬ 
ment generally and more liquid manure. 
For a companion to Gros Colman Golden Queen is most suit¬ 
able, as it, too, requires a long season, and the two varieties will 
make as fine a dessert for Christmas as any two Grapes that I 
know. I have seen it stated that Golden Queen does best in a 
dry border ; here it fares equally with the others, and does equally 
well. The bunches average from 1 to 2 lbs., but the berries are 
so fine in size, golden in colour, and of such a brisk desirable 
flavour that it is quite a favourite. For a sick person I consider 
it the best of all the white Grapes. Waltham Cross if grown 
with Muscats is a showy Grape, but it is of poor flavour, and 
unless the wood be ripe it is the worst setter I know of. It keeps 
well and exhibits well, but it must have strong heat. 
White Lady Downe’s is a Grape with a somewhat sickly sweet 
flavour. It keeps well, but otherwise has no very great com¬ 
mendation, though to plant one Vine in a house of Lady Downe’s 
might be desirable, as it is quite the natural companion of its 
black namesake. 
Of the White Frontignans I have only had experience with Dr. 
Hogg, a Vine with a robust constitution and fruit of delicious 
flavour. I have had bunches upwards of 18 inches long, but if 
the wood is not quite ripe two-thirds of the stalks of the bunch 
will dry up, the berries refuse to finish and turn sour. It requires 
as much heat as a Syrian. 
In regard to the class to which the Syrian belongs, if they are 
large call them Syrian, otherwise call them Calabrian Raisin or 
Trebbiano. I am stubbing them all up. This family of 
Grapes are best just to look at whilst hanging on the Vine. If 
really well grown and well ripened, as we see them finished at 
such places as Lambton and Hutton Hall by Mr. Hunter and 
Mr. Maclndoe, they look magnificent, and if I were in their place 
I should continue growing them ; but they are not at all suitable 
either for market or small gardens. With myself the growth 
is so gross that I cannot possibly ripen the wood sufficiently to 
prevent shanking. In this way at least a half of the bunch goes, 
and then in damp weather those huge bunches are difficult to 
keep. I have nothing to say against the flavour, which is fairly 
good. It will be seen that I place great value on well-ripened 
wood. I repeat it, First see to the wood being well ripened, and 
then Grape-growing is not the difficult task many find it to be 
under other conditions.— Joseph Witherspoon. 
ALLAMANDAS. 
There are many who do not grow these, thinking that they 
require a great heat and extra attention, but these ideas are not 
quite correct. One plant of A. nobilis which is growing here in a 
10-inch pot came into flower in July last. Since then we have cut 
many scores of blooms from it, and now there are many dozens 
of buds to open. In August and September it was fairly well oil 
for heat, but during October and November the day temperature 
in the house where it is growing has never exceeded 70°, and the 
night temperature ranges from 55° to 60°, which certainly cannot 
be regarded as great heat, or more than could be given in many 
temperate houses. We would advise all who can command the 
heat we have named to introduce the Allamandas, as none of our 
choicest flowering plants can equal them in supplying a constant 
succession of blooms, and these are most valuable in all kinds of 
superior floral decorations. Every shoot terminates in a large 
cluster of buds, and as the rich massive flowers open it is easy to 
detach them without injuring the unopened ones. Probably if 
grown in a stronger heat the blooms would be forced out more 
quickly, and the period of blooming would be diminished, and in 
this way the cooler system of growing them has one decided 
advantage. A mixture of loam, peat, and sand without any 
manure is the best compost we have tried for them, and from the 
time the first bloom opens until the last one is cut guano water 
is given weekly with good resuhg, —M. M. 
THE NOMENCLATURE OF GARDEN PLANTS. 
Your correspondent “ Justitia” takes exception to my state¬ 
ment that “ we do not want the collections of weeds we see in 
botanic gardens but speaking from a horticultural point of view, 
which is the only point I pretend to know anything about, and 
without any disparagement of botanical collections in their proper 
places, I have to repeat that we want selections more than col¬ 
lections. There is such a host of really beautiful plants for deco¬ 
rative purposes amongst the hardy perennials, and there is on the 
other hand a much larger host of those which are of no use as 
decorative plants, which may, I think, be honestly referred to as 
weeds by the gardener, though doubtless I did make a mistake in 
speaking of weeds in a botanic garden ; for inasmuch as dirt has 
been defined as “ matter in the wrong place,” so a weed is a 
plant in the wrong place— e.g , a Sunflower amongst the Potato 
crop, or a Cabbage in a bed of Pelargoniums. A botanic garden is 
certainly not a likely place to make enthusiastic cultivators of 
hardy decorative plants, for the gems are scattered about so widely 
that there is every probability of their being overlooked ; but it 
is surprising what a number of really beautiful plants may be 
found to come in at any desired season if one has the patience to 
look after them and keep a definite object in view. The plants 
I grow are all autumn-flowering, and there are some two hundred 
of them, without reckoning Phloxes, Pentstemons, and the like, 
which are worth including in any collection. But it takes several 
years as things are at present to make even such a limited collec¬ 
tion as mine, and I have had to throw away many sorts that did not 
possess sufficient merit, although unusual care had been exercised 
in the selection. 
After all the trouble taken to obtain the plants and grow them 
it is a great drawback to their enjoyment that I do not know 
their names, or that in the course of twelve months I should refer 
to the same plant under three different names, as has lately 
happened in the case of what is perhaps the most beautiful 
autumn flower we have. When asked the name of this plant two 
months ago I gave it in writing as Budbeckia Newmani, but was 
told I had given with the same plant the year before a name 
