586 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ Decemb.r 28,1882. 
the great landocrasy should show signs of any decay, but I am 
not certain whether the multiplication of the smaller gardens that 
has gone on so rapidly the last twenty years is not more desirable 
than the increase of the larger. It is at least a sign that the 
lore for gardens and gardening is getting a deeper hold on the 
masses, and that, instead of its being confined to a few giant 
gardens, is developing into what may be termed the graceful twigs 
of the good old horticultural tree. 
Market gardening, especially that branch of it which supplies 
choice fruits and flowers to the great centres of commerce and 
wealth, has of late years developed into wonderfully increased 
proportions, and these exotic commodities are now made use of to 
an extent never dreamed of in the memory of past generations. 
We need only go to Bexley Heath, the Tweed Vineyard, and simi¬ 
lar establishments to see the immense factories that exist and have 
come into existence within the last ten or twelve years for turning 
out plants, Grapes, <fcc. ; but we can also witness the vast multi¬ 
plication of smaller concerns for the same purpose in various parts 
of the country. Nor can we fail to observe the marvellous exten¬ 
sion and increasing richness of nurseries with the gigantic seed 
establishments that had no counterparts a generation ago, the 
tendency in these being to further extension rather than restric¬ 
tion—active life, not decay, being the manifest signs here. 
If we take a glance at horticultural literature, progress there 
also is very apparent. The number of weekly papers almost 
exclusively devoted to horticulture has more than doubled, and 
their circulation more than quadrupled during the past generation, 
while their present character must also be regarded as improved. 
At all events the press is much more expensively conducted than 
formerly. It is not very long since a woodcut was a rarity in a 
gardening paper; now they teem every week with illustrations, 
though it may be doubted if they effect an amount of good in 
proportion to the expense they entail in production. But there is 
another branch of gardeniug literature that cannot be overlooked 
—the wonderful trade mediums that have come into existence 
during the past few years. Many of these are works of art, and 
are only produced at an expenditure of money, skill, and labour 
that is absolutely incompatible with a declining industry. 
The character and capabilities of gardeners have been touched 
upon by correspondents. This is rather a difficult and invidious 
point to handle or illustrate by comparison. I do not believe in 
the progression of man individually. Solomon and his con¬ 
temporaries were probably of as great intellectual grasp as any in 
these times, and there are not very many Homers, Platos, and 
Shakespeares now. Still civilisation has progressed, and so have 
the arts and sciences, and by what process of reasoning or com¬ 
parison can we exclude the gardener from some share in the 
progress of that same civilisation ? Probably the remuneration of 
gardeners has not advanced at the same rate as that of other 
classes, and so the tendency may be towards an inferior class 
only being enlisted in its ranks. As to character, from my own 
knowledge, conduct and behaviour in all ranks of gardeners were 
tolerated forty years since that certainly would not now be allowed. 
And it is generally admitted that the sphere of the gardener’s care 
and anxiety has widened considerably, while many of the branches 
of the profession have improved, though perhaps some of them 
have been neglected. Gardeners of the past might be greatly 
puzzled to meet the requirements of families at the present day. 
Surely all the literature, the improved appliances, and the stimulus 
of competition has not been in vain, but must, as I think they 
have, result in the general improvement and spread of horticulture. 
It might perhaps be difficult at this time of day to be the 
pioneer of any marked improvement in cultural matters. There 
are so many ardent workers in, and lovers of, gardening that 
surely the time has not yet come for writing retrogression on its 
path. No 1 unless the country recedes from its present position 
of wealth and greatness it would be rash to prophesy evil things 
of gardening. 
I am of opinion that any marked improvement in practice 
must now arise, and be stimulated by widening the basis of what 
may be termed the science of the garden, such as its chemistry 
and physiology, and the horticultural press would do well to 
whistle for this wind to speed on the good old craft of horticulture. 
—Dom Spiro Spero. 
Those are not the hastily written words of a youthful 
enthusiast, but are the well-considered expressions of one who 
has grown grey in advancing the work in which we are all 
interested, and which well and widely practised is fraught 
with benefit to all classes of the community. In what has 
been done in the past we rejoice in having had some share ; 
and as to the future, with a widening field and ever-accumu¬ 
lating materials, we more than rest in the hope indicated in 
the three closing words of our correspondent’s letter, and look 
forward with confidence to the coming year. May it be 
prosperous to all. 
DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH GRAPE. 
I have watched with considerable interest the controversy that 
has recently taken place both in the Journal and its contempo¬ 
raries respecting the Duke of Buccleuch Grape. Some of the 
articles devoted to this subject have savoured too much of a 
passage at arms with quills, but what growers and intending 
planters really require is a thorough exposition of facts and prac¬ 
tice which may enable them to form a correct estimate of the 
Vine under notice. Mere word-twisting and pulling to pieces of 
sentences that a writer might have used in perfect good faith will 
not give us the required information. Having had a fair share 
of success in growing and fruiting the Duke I venture to state my 
experience. 
Some seven years ago I purchased the Duke with a number of 
other varieties for planting a new vinery, the price of the cane 
being half a guinea. The whole consignment was much knocked 
about in transit, but none received any permanent injury except the 
unfortunate Duke, which (and a fine cane it was) broke off close 
to the pot. However, I planted it along with the others, spreading 
the roots carefully. It made a vigorous growth during the fol¬ 
lowing summer, even outstripping some of its companions which 
had been cut back in the orthodox plan to the first wire. 
The second season I allowed four bunches on the Vine. The 
set was all that could be desired. The berries swelled to a great 
size, but became slightly spotted. It at once established itself as 
a favourite at dessert both from its noble appearance and brisk 
sweet flavour : the skin also is so thin it may be eaten with the 
fruit. This induced me to place a graft on a Muscat of Alexandria 
in the same house, which I had planted as a stock for any 
variety that might be specially approved of : but further of this 
graft anon. 
The winter pruning consisted of cutting to spurs in the usual 
way and leaving about 5 feet of leading cane. Eight bunches 
showed, and—mark that—all on the leading cane, not one on the 
spurs. The set this year was not quite so good as the previous 
season, more stoneless berries having to be left at the thinning 
than I liked to see. This was also the case with some Muscats 
in an adjoining vinery planted at the same time. 
The soil of the border—fibreless light black material, to which 
had been added about three cartloads of clay—had been dug from 
off the lime and ironstone ; hence a sufficiency of the first-named 
mineral was considered certain, but the indifferent stoning of the 
berries gave me to understand that I was wroDg in my calcula¬ 
tion. I therefore applied half a chaldron of lime fresh from the 
furnace to a border 70 feet long by 14 wide. The lime was first 
of all placed in small heaps all over the border, then covered with 
the surrounding soil to the depth of a foot. Water was then 
poured on the soil ; this was done to prevent any of the valuable 
properties of the lime escaping. The heaps were then spread 
over the border and forked in, so as not to injure any of the roots 
close to the surface. This application had the desired effect, for 
since that not a stoneless berry has been seen in our bunches. It 
sets as freely as its neighbour Foster’s White. The spot also 
disappeared the following season. This latter malady I attribute 
to an excess of humus in the soil. 
The barren aspect of the side branches consequent upon spur- 
pruning induced me the following winter to use my knife less 
freely. Several of the best side growths were left a foot to 
18 inches in length ; the others were cut-in to spurs just to watch 
their behaviour for another year. Result: Spurs barren, exten¬ 
sion wood, a capital show of fruit. I had thus the Grapes evenly 
distributed all over the Vine. 
Ever since I have experienced no difficulty in getting a good 
crop of Grapes every year with perfect setting and no spotting. 
The Grape, as most readers are aware, has a noble appearance : 
bunches 8 to 12 inches in length with proportionate width ; 
berries 3| to 4 inches in circumference. 
Respecting the graft on the Muscat of Alexandria, I have only 
to say that the bunches and berries are even finer than on its own 
roots, and the flavour is also slightly improved ; the growth is 
more vigorous, with less pith and more prominent eyes. High 
feeding is in my opinion detrimental to its well doing, and as our 
borders are considerably above the surrounding ground level the 
roots have the full benefit of the sun. My Dukes are growing in 
a house planted chiefly with Black Hamburghs. They take about 
ten days longer to ripen, and I have up to this season succeeded 
in keeping the Grapes perfect as late as desired, but during the 
past summer many berries decayed before half the crop was cut. 
