402 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 17, 1883. 
means that young canes are trained to the roof their full length, 
or as the cultivator wills, and the crop is produced from the buds 
on this young, or last year’s growth, and not from spurs of older 
wood, the rods that have borne the crop being cut away. Or to 
put it in another and simpler way, the Vines are pruned the same 
as Raspberry canes, the older being cut away and the young 
retained. This is information for the young gardener and inex¬ 
perienced amateur, and given because it has been sought for. The 
Duke at Clovenfords is not worked on this plan in its inte¬ 
grity, but it partakes more closely of it than any other, as the 
skilled cultivator exercises his judgment, deviating more or less 
from strict rule, and the crop testifies to the soundness of the 
practice. Instead of thick closely-spurred rods several years old 
trained at intervals of 3 feet, the roof was covered with young 
canes, like so many stout young Vines, at intervals of a foot or 
more, and finer wood of any variety of Grape it would be difficult 
to find. These canes are pruned at different lengths according to 
the character of the buds, and in this way Mr. Thomson has no 
difficulty in covering a roof as thickly as he pleases with fine 
bunches of this splendid Grape. 
Because many persons have failed in growing the Duke it has 
been denounced as worthless. That is an unjust verdict. Nor 
is it fair to brand any man with incapacity who has failed to 
succeed with it. I have known some gardeners fail utterly who 
have grown other Grapes admirably, and then after a lapse of 
years they have “had another try ” with the Duke and succeeded. 
At Chiswick, for instance, it has failed to flourish ; but I recently 
saw some Vines planted this season growing there in the most 
satisfactory manner. Why this change ? 
THE ENERVATION AND RESTORATION OP VINES. 
I remember a new Grape being certificated, and the following 
year observed the propagation of the variety in a nursery. There 
was a demand for Vines, and that demand had to be met. Not 
only was every eye that could be obtained inserted, however 
weak and unripe the wood, but immediately a Vine had grown 
3 or 4 inches the top was taken off and struck as a cutting, this 
young plant again being topped in turn and struck, and so on as 
fast and as often as cuttings could be had. So small were some 
of these that a dozen of them were dibbed in sand in a 5-inch 
pot and struck in a hot propagating case, and hundreds of the 
Vines when potted off were no thicker than knitting-needles. 
What Vine could endure that without having its constitution 
impaired, if not ruined ? I would not plant Vines thus raised if 
they were given to me, and ten certificates had been awarded 
for the Grapes borne by the parent Vine. Has the Duke of 
Buccleuch Grape ever been subjected to this high pressure and 
unnatural system of propagation ? I do not mean by its raiser, 
but by those who have purchased canes when they were at a 
necessarily high price, and endeavoured to “ make the most of 
them.” If so, the marvel to my mind would be that persons 
should succeed in its culture, not that they should fail. 
Some years ago the press sounded the praises of that really 
valuable Grape, Mrs. Pince’s Black Muscat, and extolled the 
wonderful productiveness of the Vine, the fine fruit and its superior 
quality. The demand for Mrs. Pince was enormous and propaga¬ 
tion excessive. What has been the result ? This—not one Vine 
out of a hundred that was so raised and planted has in any sense 
equalled those originally raised from matured wood. I was for¬ 
tunate in procuring one of these, which was planted with others 
in a mixed house with Lady Downe’s, Muscat of Alexandria, 
Alicante, and Black Hamburgh, and Mrs. Pince took the lead of 
them all in growth, and produced more fine bunches than it could 
carry. Other persons saw this Vine, ordered others, planted them, 
gave them the best possible treatment, but they refused to thrive, 
and after long waiting they were eventually removed. Not one 
of these later-purchased Vines, so far as I know, exists now. Mr. 
Taylor of Longleat, the grower of Mr. Meredith’s Grapes, which 
my gentle critic praises so highly, bad, I believe, this Grape in 
prime condition at Garston. What more natural than that he 
should plant it at Longleat ? It did not satisfy him for a long 
time, but with the knowledge of the intrinsic excellence of the 
Grape, and his patience and perseverance, to which he owes so 
much, he has at last, he thinks, after years of watching and tend¬ 
ing, restored the pristine vigour of the Vine, and the fruit last 
year has probably never been excelled. There are also now 
plenty of other good examples in the country, and there is reason to 
hope that the restoration period has succeeded the epoch of enerva¬ 
tion with this Vine. Let us hope it is the same with the Duke of 
Buccleuch. One fact I can vouch for, that Vines of Mrs. Pince, 
and others of the Duke raised from the matured wood of strong 
fruiting Vines, are now growing as well as anyone could desire. 
It is not wise hastily to condemn either a Vine or those culti¬ 
vators who are not successful in growing it. The variety may in 
itself be good and the cultivators not at fault at all, but simply 
the victims of circumstances over which they have had no control. 
This has presumably been so in the case of the varieties referred 
to, and I hope to live to see many such gratifying examples of the 
Duke as at Clovenfords and Drumlanrig, and of Mrs. Pince’s 
Muscat as it is produced at Longleat. 
EXPRESS GRAPE-GRCWING. 
Muscats are grown at Clovenfords in two lean-to ranges 
1000 feet long each. These were originally devoted to market 
plants, and there is only convenience for very shallow borders. 
Considering this the crops were wonderfully fine, but less striking 
to a stranger than Gros Colman, Lady Downe’s, and the Duke. 
As an instance of good culture and quick returns in Grape¬ 
growing it is highly worthy of record that when the work was 
commenced here eyes were inserted in 1870, and Grapes to the 
value of £500 were sold in 1S71 from supernumeraries. I should 
like to say something about the borders, but can only say now 
that they are not composed of rich turfy loam. No, the roots 
are bristling through the surface in a thin layer of material rich 
in Vine food ; below the soil is “ clung,” fibreless, exhausted, and 
is being renewed by degrees. 
HEATING. 
It has been stated that five miles of piping are employed for 
heating the structures in the Tweed Vineyard. In the large 
vineries there are twelve rows of 4-inch pipes. Formerly there 
were only eight rows ; but the proprietor, finding that the crops 
were not only the heaviest at the warm ends of the houses but 
the Grapes were so much better as to realise decidedly better 
prices, he felt warranted in incurring the expense of adding other 
four rows, or a length of at least 800 feet in each house. The 
results have proved the wisdom of the step. Apart from the 
question of temperatures as indicated by degrees, it may be 
observed that a liberal provision of piping effects a direct saving 
of fuel, and that the temperature of a house produced from a 
moderately heated surface is more conducive to the health of 
Vines or any other plants than that from a highly heated surface, 
as the fewer the pipes the hotter they must be made and the 
fiercer must be the fire to maintain the requisite amount of heat 
in a house. I am not able to say what precise temperatures are 
maintained at Clovenfords during the setting and swelling 
periods ; but being a commercial establishment the idea cannot 
be for a moment entertained that fuel is burned needlessly. The 
conflicting views on high versus low night temperatures for 
Grapes are a little perplexing to many ; but the differences are 
reconcilable, and when I have the requisite data I will undertake 
to solve the problem, unless someone else saves me the trouble of 
doing so. 
PACKING GRAPES. 
The Grapes are packed in wickerwork baskets, like ladies’ 
work-baskets, these being both light and cheap. Each basket 
holds about 8 lbs., and eight baskets are placed in a box and 
sent on their 400 miles journey, arriving, as I have seen, fit for 
the exhibition table. The material employed in packing is paper 
shavings specially prepared, at a cost of about one-twentieth of a 
farthing per pound. This is found to be the best material. 
ORCHIDS. 
Orchids, now grown in what were once Pine pits, demand 
more than a passing glance. The collection is most extensive, 
and the vigour of the plants remarkable. Of Cattleyas—Trianse, 
Mendelli, and others—there are hundreds, also of Cypripediums, 
C. Boxalli and other strong growers being treated with Vine 
manure, having leaves like Imantophyllums. Masdevallias are 
similarly healthy, also Odontoglossums, O. Alexandra having 
spikes with eight branches, O. Andersonianum also branched, 
with many others, and a fine stock of Vandas. Cut flowers from 
this collection have recently been honoured at South Kensington, 
and those who saw them will not question the accuracy of these 
remarks, any more than competent gardeners who saw the 
Grapes will suggest that my notes relative to them are not fully 
warranted. 
The Tweed Vineyard is an establishment of which not only the 
owner has reason to be proud, but the country. I know of no 
place more worthy of a visit in September than this, nor of one 
where a horticulturist will meet with a more pleasant reception. 
To Mr. Thomson and his family my thanks are due, and are 
hereby most earnestly if insufficiently recorded.—J. Wright. 
Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury Strawberry.— Relative to 
my statement as to the weight of the fruit of this Strawberry (If oz.), 
I did not infer that that was the average weight of the berries ; but 
