JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 19, 1880. ] 
157 
unusually healthy, I find it 2^ feet high, and clothed almost 
throughout. It is almost hardy—certainly as hardy as Salvia 
patens, and merely requires some protection in winter. The bulbs 
are, I believe, very cheap.”—W. J. M. Clonmel. 
STOCKS FOR SPRING FLOWERING. 
While fully agreeing with “R. P. B.,” on page 138, as to the 
value of East Lothian Stocks for an early spring, and also a late 
summer display, I cannot think that plants raised from seed sown 
now will make satisfactory flowering plants next spring. I have 
grown these Stocks for many years, and have succeeded best with 
them when the seed has been sown in rich soil in the open ground 
about the last week in May or first in June. Plants from this 
sowing commence flowering in October, and continue improving 
throughout the winter, attaining the zenith of their beauty about 
March or April. Dense bushes 2 feet high and as much in di¬ 
ameter, covered with large double pure white flowers during the 
winter and early spring months, cannot easily be surpassed for 
decorative purposes. The scarlets are equally fine, but the whites 
are more appreciated. I have sown seed early in July, and had 
small attractive plants the following April; but when it has been 
sown later than this the plants have not been strong and flowered 
well until the summer. 
Your correspondent fails to convey to my mind what he had in 
his own when writing. He says, “ Young plants to flower next 
spring are now in 4-inch pots, but it may not be too late to sow 
the seed in the south of England.” This clearly implies that they 
may not be too late for spring flowering ; but he then goes on to 
say that having been transplanted at the foot of a wall “ they 
may remain there to flower or be transplanted in March.” This 
implies that they are intended for summer flowering. “ R. P. B.” 
is usually commendably explicit, but in this case his remarks 
appear to require a little explanation to render them intelligible. 
I can grow the Stocks very well, but cannot understand the in¬ 
structions referred to, and if they are puzzling to one it is con¬ 
ceivable that they will be to others of possibly less experience. 
If I were asked how to proceed now to have Stocks for flower¬ 
ing next spring I should reply—Sow at once, without a day’s un¬ 
necessary delay, seeds of the London Intermediate variety. It is 
not so fine perhaps, and certainly not so continuous and long-last¬ 
ing as the Easjf Lothian ; but it is quicker, and when well grown 
beautiful and sweet. Plants for early blooming are ready for 
pricking off, and when sowing thus rather late there is no time to 
lose by checks in transplanting. A few seeds should therefore be 
sown very thinly in small well-drained pots of rich turfy soil. 
The seedlings can be thinned, leaving about three in each pot, and 
as soon as the plants are fairly growing, with the roots just coil¬ 
ing round the pots, shift them into pots a size or two larger, 
making the soil very firm. The small pots must be very clean 
inside, well washed and dried before they are used, or the roots 
will adhere to them, and the plants cannot be shifted without 
injury. The seed pots should be plunged in ashes in a frame, but 
the lights should be drawn off during all favourable weather both 
by day and night. For many purposes one plant in each pot is 
preferable to three, but in that case the seed should be sown 
earlier, and a greater number of pots must be provided, for it can¬ 
not be expected that every plant will produce double flowers ; but 
there are sure to be one or two doubles in every pot of three 
plants. Well-grown plants of these Stocks, even if small, are ex¬ 
tremely valuable for various decorative purposes early in the 
season. They can be wintered in pits or near the glass in a light 
greenhouse. 
Brompton Stocks are fine for pots or beds ; indeed, grand when 
they produce spikes 2 feet long and flowers 3 inches in diameter. 
There is just time for sowing the seed. Sow it thinly, and treat 
the plants as recommended by “ R. P. B.” for East Lothians. 
—A Southerner. 
SCALDED GRAPES. 
Without entering into any controversy with your corre¬ 
spondents regarding their respective opinions of scalding or 
other of the difficulties that surround Grape-growing, I shall just 
give a little of my experience that may be as useful to your 
readers, and I may state that this experience is with nearly two 
hundred Vines and with over twenty varieties. Last season, from 
a young cane that I had brought up in order to cut out the old 
one that had broken badly, I had several promising bunches up to 
the scalding period, when they were scalded so very much more than 
the others in the house that my attention was especially drawn 
towards them, and when, as usual with all such difficulties, I at 
once attempted to ascertain the cause. Air being the remedy 
frequently recommended I was the more interested, seeing that 
the Vine was growing close to a spout that brought the water into 
the cistern, and this hole being constantly open these particular 
bunches secured more air than any others in the house. The 
nights being cold the temperature occasionally with them would 
be from a little over 50° to close up to 90°. This end of my 
vinery, by the aid of a flue, being about a fortnight earlier than 
the other end, and where the principal of my Lady Downe’s 
were, I decided to shut up close at nights, also aiding by fire, 
and the res sit was very few scalded Grapes. My conclusion then 
was, with old Vines (with young canes the difficulty is greater! 
by keeping the temperature at night at 70°, and by day not 
exceeding 85°, during this period of the Grapes’ growth, damage 
from scalding could be avoided. During this period it is not 
desirable that any Grape should be subject to extreme tempera¬ 
tures, but, undoubtedly, Lady Downe’s stands extremes the worst. 
This year I purposely allowed the air from the hole to act on the 
bunches as the year previously, but with more attention, as I had 
no idea of sacrificing my Grapes ; but in spite of my closer obser¬ 
vations, the scalding stole a march, and the result again is fully 
two-thirds of the berries are gone. 
The result of well-ripened wood is similar in result to breeding 
from healthy stock—good results; and in badly ripened wood I 
am thoroughly convinced we have the forerunner of shy-setting, 
stoneless berries, shanked berries, and also scalded berries. From 
ill-ripened wood we secure ill-constitutioned Grapes, and such 
Grapes are much more than usually subject to all the ills that 
Grapes are subject to. Ripen the wood, and you may set Muscats 
at 50° and afterwards grow them to perfection ; but if the wood be 
ill-ripened, then you may bring an army to your aid and all the 
aid will fail. Showing that ripeness of wood has to do with 
scalding, or chilling if you like, those with Lady Downe’s at 
stages before their canes have reached the top of the house will 
have noticed that the scalding is worst in the bunches from last 
year’s wood, and especially so over cisterns, or in any other situa¬ 
tion where the wood had the least chance of ripening.— Joseph 
Witherspoon, Red Rose Vineries, Chester-le-Street. 
P.S.—Some of your readers may be interested to know the 
state of my vineries this year. If so, I am glad to inform them 
that 1 am proud of them. I have 1600 bunches of fine Grapes. 
NEW ROSES AT CIIESHUNT. 
Seeing is believing, and something more. Seeing Roses in the 
row growing is a very different thing from seeing them in the box. 
Impressed with this persuasion I have been glad of an opportunity 
to pay another visit to Cheshunt ; and though not fortunate 
enough to find there my friend Mr. George Paul, yet I fared 
well under the guidance of the experienced foreman Mr. Gater. 
August 12th is a little late under ordinary circumstances, but 
circumstances of late years have not been ordinary, and the Roses 
seem hardly to know when to begin blooming and when to stop. 
The three or four harvest days which are cheering the country 
had woke up the Roses also, so that I saw still some very excellent 
blooms, especially of the Marquis of Salisbury, with which 1 was 
perfectly astonished. Such size and substance and yet perfect 
shape I have rarely known together. Several might be described 
as three Senateur Vaisse rolled into one, having all the excellence 
of that old favourite with a vast advance upon it in magnitude. 
I saw many plants of Mrs. Laxton, evidently a first-class Rose, 
and Charles Darwin also in great perfection. This latter, how¬ 
ever, seems strangely susceptible to mildew. 
Among the ladies, or rather gentlemen, not yet out a very 
striking Rose is in preparation, after the manner of Dupuy Jamain, 
but larger and very robust, and which I hear is to bear the name 
of the justly popular President of the Reigate Rose Association. 
Messrs. Paul & Son have already a very excellent R. N. G. Baker. 
The George Baker that is to come will certainly not be less 
acceptable in the Surrey Rose gardens. I saw a single bloom of 
a Rose of very great promise, if all worked are like the seedling. 
It is not yet named, but is of strong growth and of a much paler 
pink than the generality of the deep dark Roses of Cheshuut. 
I also saw a large pure white Rose, several rows of it, apparently 
even whiter and of more substance than Mabel Morrison which 
was growing near to it. This latter is a Cheshunt sport from 
Baronne de Rothschild. 
The Bennett Roses were also very interesting. For the first 
time I looked upon rows of them. There were also many in pots. 
These Hybrid Teas have sprung this year at a bound into an 
important class. They have evidently great substance—almost too 
much for a wet season, and great beauty of bud. Pearl, Viscountess 
Falmouth, Beauty of Stapleford, and Michael Saunders were those 
I most admired. Duchess of Connaught is very beautiful, but too 
like La France. Except for the wood I hardly see how they are 
