274 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ April &) isss. 
Eupatorium riparium is another useful plant, but it blooms rather 
later.—A. Young. 
TYING VINE LATERALS. 
Tying down the growing laterals of Vines is an operation 
in the execution of which but few young men in their earliest 
experience escape coming to grief. Their enthusiasm very 
often leads them to tie too tightly, and if the shoots do not 
break at the time they often do so when the Vine becomes 
full of sap during the succeeding night, and are found sus¬ 
pended the next morning. To old Vines the loss of a few 
laterals is not of very great consequence, as other shoots will 
generally spring from the old spurs ; but it is a serious matter 
when the laterals are thus broken off a young leading rod, as 
on these depend the formation of the future spurs. The 
laterals from young rods are generally very apt to break, 
more so than those from old spurs, and therefore extra care 
should be taken that they are not pulled down too far at first, 
for if once broken no spur can at any future time be produced 
at that point of the rod. 
If Vines were all trained about 2 feet from the glass very 
little tying would be found necessary till the shoots were in a 
more hardened condition, and I believe they would do better 
too, preventing the possibility of the leaves coming into 
contact with the glass, and, as pointed out by a recent writer 
on the Vine, they are in a more equable temperature. The 
great majority of Vines are trained about 15 inches from the 
glass, and consequently tying at an early stage of their growth 
is absolutely necessary to prevent the tips of the shoots coming 
into contact with the roof. The Vines should be examined 
as soon as the shoots are a couple of inches long, and all but 
one at each spur rubbed off, leaving those shoots growing out 
sideways. These should be stopped as soon as the bunches 
are visible, leaving two leaves in front of the bunch. When 
they are getting too close to the glass take a fine strip of 
raffia or other tying material, and tie one end of it loosely to 
the lateral as near to its extremity as its strength will permit, 
pull it just so far as clear the glass a few inches, and fix the 
other end of the raffia to the wires at a convenient point. 
In about a fortnight, if it is found necessary, it may be pulled 
down a little further, and this is done by cutting the raffia 
close to the lateral, placing it another joint out towards the 
end, and tied without disturbing the end fixed to the wires 
At a third tying in the same way the shoots may be finally 
brought down to the wires and secured by the same piece of 
material, which operation can generally be done about the 
time the Vines are in bloom. There is some saving of material 
by this mode of tying, it is quickly done and looks neat. 
Those who are building vineries would do well to place the 
wires at least 20 inches from the glass, so that no tying 
would be needed till root-action has commenced, and the base 
of the lateral sufficiently hard to stand the strain of tying.— 
R. Inglis. 
MOISTURE-LOVING PLANTS. 
In my last notes (page 311, vol. v.), through a printer’s error I 
was made to represent the American Mayflower (Epigaea repens) 
as belonging to the natural order Liliaceas. Chrysobactron Hookeri 
was what I intended my remarks to apply to as regards natural 
affinity. 
Resuming the subject, the genus Gentiana comes next in alpha¬ 
betical order. Taken collectively, all Gentians may he said to he 
moisture-loving—that is to say, more so than ordinary border plants. 
None can endure even slight periods of drought without suffering 
often beyond recovery. 
Gentiana acaulis .-—The Gentianella is no exception to the rule. 
It always enjoys a retentive soil. Generally it may be said to 
require a pure air for success. Near large towns we seldom see 
it satisfactory. It has another peculiarity. Where it chooses to 
flourish it is as easy to manage as common Daisies, growing in 
any odd places, often margining kitchen garden walks. If there 
be a secret it is in keeping its roots cool and not disturbing it 
above once in two or three years. A noted grower told me that 
in districts where the subsoil is dry a good plan is to place a 
common tile under each patch when planting. 
I lately had the pleasure of seeing the new variety of the Gen¬ 
tianella, G. acaulis v. albus, in flower in the Birmingham Botanic 
Garden. Mr. Latham told me a friend of his sent it from the Alps, 
having gathered it himself, and says it is abundant. It seems to 
be a good white, though not pure, and is larger in habit and size 
of flower than the type. In the various gardening journals I have 
as yet seen no record of its blooming; and although I know it is in 
a few gardens, yet I believe in no case except this can it be in 
sufficient strength for blooming, judging from the condition the 
plants were in, coming from the continental nurserymen who 
supply them. 
G. asclepiadea .—The finest specimen I have seen of this was 
growing in a partially shaded peat border in Mr. Rawson’s garden 
at Bromley Common, Kent. It is a profuse-blooming species of 
very good habit, growing about 1 to 1J foot high. Flowers of a 
brilliant dark blue, in bunches of two to six, near the apex of each 
stem, of the same shape as in G. acaulis, but not so large nor of 
such texture. Of this species I would only add that Mr. Rawson 
had the generosity to divide his plant, giving me nearly half of it, 
but I never succeeded in establishing it, though I endeavoured to 
give the same treatment as Mr. Rawson’s. I attribute my failure 
with this, as with several other imported Gentians, to want of care 
in removal. Every available piece of root should be had, if it be 
necessary to dig 3 feet for it. 
G. bavarica , (fig. 68), the gem of all the higher alpine species, is 
not so difficult to manage as is generally imagined. It may at 
Fig. 68.—Gentiana bavarica: 
once be described as a swamp species. Daily in spring and summer 
it requires water to the extent of flooding. I should imagine from 
the conditions under which it flourishes that it would make a very 
good companion for the Sundew (Drosera rot undifolia), as I have 
seen the latter growing on Keston Common, Kent. The Bavarian 
Gentian is much in the way of our lovely vernal species, but is 
generally smaller in habit of growth, though having flowers 
equally large of a more brilliant hue. The leaves of the vernal 
species are wedge-shaped and acuminate, those of the Bavarian 
oblong and obtuse. The latter has not the purplish tinge on the 
aged leaves that our species has. 
The giant G. lutea, and its allies G. punctata and G. Burseri, 
enjoy a good deep moist border where they can root to the depth 
of 3 feet. In such cases a well-grown plant of G. lutea will some¬ 
times attain 3J to 4 feet, flowering up quite 2 feet of the stem for 
upwards of two months. It is the officinal species. A plant was 
shown me by Mr. Ellacombe, of Bitton Vicarage, with broad, 
Plantain-like leaves, not in flower, but in good health, having in 
general appearance some affinity with the G. lutea section, which 
he informed me he had sent him from Kew as the true G. affinis. 
