November 4, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
405 
the style of house also to be given. If permitted, I could give one note¬ 
worthy instance of complete failure, though for obviou9 reasons I cannot 
without permission publish the names of those trying the experiment. I 
might add, however, that they broke down even before we did. Mr. 
Bardney infers that the plants must have suffered by want of water at 
the roots and also that the shading was too heavy, but in both cases I can 
truthfully state he is altogether wrong. In reality there was too much 
water given. Our soil being naturally of a heavy nature, much judgment 
has to be exercised in the watering, or it soon becomes saturated and 
uncongenial to the roots ; but even if the best of turfy loam was available, 
I still have my doubts about the success of the system of non-ventilating 
for Cucumber growing in private gardens. Mr. Bardney repeatedly 
alludes to the heavy shading we are supposed to use, but I think those 
who have used the ordinary cheap scrim canvas, as supplied by all drapers 
and much used by paperhangers, will agree with me that it is by no means 
a heavy shading, yet that is all we use during the hottest part of the day. 
Crotons we have not grown so extensively this season as heretofore ; but 
those we have, including Warreni, Williamsi, picturatus, Prince of Wales, 
princeps, Queen Victoria, nobilis, and magnificus, are, as far as colour is 
concerned, perfectly satisfactory. 
With all due deference I maintain that it was not our method of 
procedure that was at fault, but we failed owing to our house being 
unsuitable for the experiment. When it is understood that the Prescot 
houses are totally different in design and construction to anything we see 
in private places, it will be seen I am not so far out in my judgment. 
According to my information the principal house at Prescot is a series of 
connected hou es on the ridge-and-furrow system, only they have no 
dividing or supporting walls, these being superseded by iron supports. 
It will be thus apparent that in such a building the risk of burning from 
excessive heat or a too rarified atmosphere is reduced to a minimum. 
Contrast this with the hot little houses usually devoted to Cucumber 
culture in private gardens, and the conclusion must be that the different 
construction of the latter necessarily entails a different method of pro¬ 
cedure. During a hot sunny day the walls, flooring, and staging, all are 
liable to become hot and dry, and these naturally absorb the moisture 
from the house. The consequence is, it soon becomes drier than the ex¬ 
ternal air ; therefore, unless the latter is admitted in small quantities, or 
abundance of water is almost constantly being distributed about the 
house and over the foliage, thereby staying the “ enormous evaporation ” 
going on, burning of the foliage must ensue. A little air and shading is 
safe, no air and thin shading is not. 
Mr. Bardney rashly asserts that the “ chink of air ” is a thing of the 
past, but that has yet to be proved. I shall not attempt to quote what 
Messrs. Thomson, Barron, Taylor, and other noteworthy Grape growers 
have recommended with regard to the proper ventilation of vineries, 
preferring rather to express my own views. I am not at all surprised to 
hear that Mr. Bardney gave no air to his early vinery until the Grapes 
commenced ripening, but if he had given no air before they were ripe 
we might have expressed some wonderment. If he had ripened them 
satisfactorily without air there might be facts to explain away, but if I 
understand the paragraph rightly, he too admits the chink of air, this 
being essential tc flavour and colour ; if not, what does he mean ? Saving 
the coal is of moment to all of us, and if anyone can suggest any plan 
for reducing the outlay in that direction he will have done good service, 
but I fail to see that Mr. Bardney eaves much fuel with his method of 
forcing unless he is satisfied with low night temperatures as a set-off f ;r 
the other extreme in the daytime. Very little air is admitted in early 
vineries generally, at all events till the sun heat has raised the tem¬ 
perature considerably, and the mere fact that no air at all is given will 
not save the coal bill much, unless it has the effect of materially hastening 
the crops. Then if we are not careful there is the danger of forcing the 
Vines “ off their logs,” or to be plain, the top growth may be much too 
far in advance of the root-action. With Mr. Bardney’s snug little early 
vinery and comparatively new inside border there may be no risks run, 
but what about those outside, and which far outnumber inside borders? 
Then, again, much depends upon the weight of Grapes each Vine is 
allowed to perfect. A light crop will colour and be of fairly good quality 
without the assistance of the proverbial chink of night air, but try the 
same plan with a heavy crop, such as we in the West of England are in 
the habit of taking off the Vines, and the colour of the black sorts, 
especially, would be very far from perfect, that I say we Grape growers in 
this neighbourhood have nothing to learn from the Liverpudlians gene¬ 
rally, and it is very certain we shall not attempt to finish our Grapes early 
or late without a chink of air at the right time. 
The Peach trees at Norris Green are certainly in a highly creditable 
state, but 1 had no idea their good health and vigour was mainly or 
partially due to the adoption of the non-ventilating system. I thought 
it was principally due to the practice pursued of annually lifting all of 
them, plentiful supplies of water, and moderately heavy cropping. 
I repeat the trees are noteworthy examples of good all-round treat¬ 
ment, but at Knowsley the trees are the best I have ever seen, 
and Mr. Harrison attributed much of his success to periodical liftings. 
After all that has been said it would appear that Mr. Bardney is not eo 
nearly converted to the non-ventilating system as I am, or why does he 
give air during the summer and early autumn months to the plant houses 
under his charge ? If the plan is such an economic one why adopt any 
other? I am quite prepared to join issue with him on the subject of 
plunging plants.—W. Iggulden. 
In support of Mr. Bardney’s remarks on the above (see page 370) I 
may relate a striking instance that has recently come under my notice. 
Five weeks ago I called at Cuerden Hall Gardens, where Cucumbers 
and Melons are grown in the same houses, and while the latter a e ripen¬ 
ing the former invariably become more or less infested with re 1 spider, 
and this was their condition when 1 saw them ; bat as so in as the Melons 
were all cut the house was closed, the interior of which, as well as the 
plants, being frequently syringed when rapid growth sets in, and the 
plants soon recover. For having occasion to call this week I found those 
I am speaking of quite free from spider, and the trellis covered with 
healthy foliage and studded with scores of young fruit nicely set, anl 
this on plants that were planted last February, and having been bearing 
heavy crops of fruit throughout the summer. 
In another house one plant remains of a batch planted out last 
November. Mr. Roberts informs me that it is seventeen years since 
when growing for market he first practised the non-ventilating system of 
growing Cucumbers, hut he always applied a thin shading ot whitening 
to the glass with the syringe during the hottest of weather, which wa9 
partly washed off by the first heavy rain, and another application given 
f necessary.— Constant Reader. 
NEW VIOLAS. 
In the Journal of Horticulture of September 16th, in your 
report of the Exhibition of the Glasgow and West of Scotland 
Horticultural Society, Mr. Baxter of Daldowie was reported to 
have received a first-class certificate for his seedling Viola York 
and Lancaster, and that he was also “ placed easily first for 
twelve bunches of Violas, and that his stand was most tastefully 
arranged.” As I have long made the Viola a pet plant, and grow 
an immense number, I felt a desire to write to Mr. Baxter 
asking him to let me see a bloom of York and Lancaster, and I 
received blooms of this variety and several others which are 
quite new and valuable acquisitions, and of which I send notes. 
Further correspondence has brought hints on culture, &c., which 
I also append, and it would be truly a boon to our spring and 
summer bedding folks if this could read, How the Viola should 
be managed, and see what glorious results arise from their being 
properly planted and treated. At the flower Show in the Abbey 
Park, Leicester, last July, thousands who never saw before what 
can be done with the Viola must hive been st'uck with the ex¬ 
tensive and rich display of Violas there, especially in four lirge 
circular beds of mixed Countess of Kintore Viola and silver-leaf 
Geranium, their soft colours harmonising so delightfully, and 
calling forth universal admiration. 
We are comparatively behind the times in the application of 
Violas for bedding purposes, especially for mixing with Tulips, 
Hyacinths, and other bulbs, and prolonging this spring disp'ay; 
and they are equally valuable for mixing for a summer display, 
the shades of blue and violet working in so well with yellow 
Calceolarias and other colours, white Violas with crimson and 
other colours, and so on. If Violas wanted no other recom¬ 
mendation, their early blooming charms alone should be a 
sufficient reason for their general adoption, but the starving 
process has been ruinous to their adoption. Mr. Baxter, in a 
letter just received, says, “ The public parks seem to starve Violas 
and call it disease,” and it is so. I looked in at Chiswick some 
three summers since hoping to see a fine collection of Violas 
there, and of course grown tolerably well, but I was grieved to 
find them “ starved,” and out of all charac er, although varieties 
were being grown there then which I would not tolerate 
Mr. Jenkins, in the Journal of October 21st, forcibly insists 
on liberal cultivation and the use of cow manure, and his ex¬ 
perience is fully corroborated by Mr. Baxter, as will be seen 
further on. In a .conversation with Mr. Gough of Hamfield 
Green Gardens not long since, I was looking with astonishment 
on two very long rows of True Blue Viola, our best blue, in 
capital condition. When his crops were suffering greatly from 
excessive heat and want of rain, he told me that a spit of soil 
was taken out along the rows and rich rotten manure worked in, 
and the top soil put back again. Here was the secret of their 
success, and he had always adopted that plan with Violas. There 
may be some who may fancy that Mr. Jenkins and myself suffer 
from Viola on the brain from our persistent advocacy of this 
lovely bedding plant, but when we meet with so much lament¬ 
able ignorance as to culture, and persistent ignoring of the Viola 
as a valuable bedding plant, it is time to speak out pretty plainly 
and do the plant justice. No one knows better than I do how it 
has failed in the south under great summer heat and drought, 
but Mr. Jenkins, at Messrs. Collins Brothers & Gabriel’s nursery 
at New Hampton, last summer clearly demonstrated that the 
Viola is a grand plant in one of the worst positions possible 
for it, when thought and generous cultivation are brought to 
bear upon it. I saw their display in August in the midst of 
broiling weather, and I shall remember it for life. Next year 
I think"Mr. Jenkins will show the southerners what he can do. 
Mr. Baxter has made Violas a speciality for thirty yeais, so, 
