492 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
[ December 2, 1883. 
these is very similar, a rich purple, excepting the Darlingtonia, in 
which the colour is of a rich crimson when the plant is in active 
growth. 
The Drosera is the most widely distributed of all the Fly¬ 
catchers. Species are found in every quarter of the globe, Australia 
and the Cape of Good Hope being their head-quarters. Some of 
the exotic species are very beautiful, but most difficult to obtain, 
and are therefore seldom seen in cultivation, and seeds do not 
germinate after they have been kept any length of time. We 
have some good represen'atives of the genus in our British Flora, 
and where is there a more lovely little plant than Drosera rotun- 
difolia found in nearly all our boggy districts P 1 well remember 
the delight I experienced one sunny morning when first seeing 
this plant growing in its native habitat. Some of the Australian 
and Cape species are very beautiful plants, having those singu¬ 
lar red-coloured glandulous hairs as in our own native species, 
and discharging from the ends globules of viscid acrid juice. 
These hairs are said by some to be irritable and contract when 
touched. There is no doubt about their catching insects, for 
hundreds of gnats may be found in any of the species during the 
growing season. These hair-like glands of Drosera contain 
spiral vessels, and are admirably adapted to the work these 
glands have to perform, and cause the irritability of these hairs. 
An insect when it gets entangled amongst these viscid glands 
struggles to obtain its liberty, and in doing so draws the glands 
in close contact to it, and is in fact caught very much like a fly 
in a spider’s web, without the least chance of escape. The 
Drosera rotundifolia will catch a common house fly in its trap 
and close on it in the same way as the Dionsea, and after 
securing its prey will turn over its leaf or trap, the underside 
portion thus becoming the uppermost, evidently for the purpose 
of a thorough cleansing from insect matter by rain. The late 
Mr. Charles Darwin, in his book on insectivorous plants, pub¬ 
lished in 1875, after devoting 261 pages to his investigations of 
Drosera rotundifolia and twenty-two pages to his “ Recapitula¬ 
tion of the Chief Observations of Drosera rotundifolia,” in 
speaking of the capture of insects, writes : —“ This is effected by 
drops of extremely viscid fluid surrounding the glands and by 
the inward movement of the tentacles. As the plants gain most 
of their nutriment by this means their roots are very poorly de¬ 
veloped, and they often grow in places where hardly any other 
plants but Mosses can exist.” 
(To be continued.) 
ON MUSCAT GRAPES SHRIVELLING. 
In reference to Mr. Williamson’s communication at page 470 of your 
-Journal, I should much like to ascertain the true cause of shanking and 
shrivelling. The successful treatment in one locality does not answer in 
another. I have Muscat of Alexandria, Madresfield Court (the prince of 
Grapes), Lady Downe’s, Gros Colman, and Foster’s Seedling in one house, 
which faces south, for about seven seasons. The Muscat only shanks or 
shrivels, the others never. This year only a few bunches have been 
affected. I attribute my improvement to giving more water, air at the 
top and in front, heat always on. I allow the shoots to grow from four to 
six leaves beyond the bunch before stopping, like Mr. Hunter of Lambton 
Castle used to do. My wood is always well ripened. I cut the last of my 
Muscats February 1st, 1886. I never gather leaves to expose fruit to the 
sun. Madresfield Court are truly delicious, never crack, but do not colour 
as I could wish ; why or wherefore I cannot make out.— Lankhills, 
Winchester. 
THE NON-VENTILATING SYSTEM. 
Perhaps I am wrong in too often alluding to the nature of the soil 
we have to deal with, hut I may reasonably retort on Mr. Bardney that he, 
like myself, is not famous for brevity, however practical he may be. I 
hold that in all cases and in all practices so much does or should depend 
upon circumstances, and the more I travel in other districts the more con¬ 
vinced am I that it is impossible to lay down any hard and last lines, 
such, for instance, as Mr. Bardney is trying to do in the matter of non¬ 
ventilation for Cucumber and fruit culture. Speaking of the relative 
quality of the Cucumbers grown without air and those grown with, may I 
ask w’nat is the difference in their respective growing periods, say from 
the time the flowers are open ? and also if the gain in favour of the former 
has such a marked effect upon the quality ? I made no “ admissions ” in 
favour of the “ express system,” and re-assert that those grown quickly 
with a little air are fully equal in quality to those grown without, and it is 
very certain the plants will much longer remain in full bearing when not 
tubjected to such very high temperatures. Has Mr. Bardney tried the 
non-ventilating system for Cucumbers one whole season ? and will other 
private growers who have succeeded or failed give their experience? 
Mere generalisations are not admitted as arguments (I have tried them, 
but they will not do when our “ thinking ” friends take the matter up), 
and we want all the facts of the case even down to the nature of the soil. 
W hat “ A Constant Reader ” (page 405) states is only very slightly cor¬ 
roborative of Mr. Bardney’s theories, and what I ask for are bona fide 
cases of private growers having kept Cucumbers in healthy growth and 
full bearing from April till late in September, no air being admitted at 
any time during that period. If these are forthcoming, with details, brief 
or otherwise, they will do more to convince me I am wrong than all Mr. 
Bardney’s pages of argument. 
Mr. Bardney laboriously demonstrates that non-ventilated houses are 
naturally most highly charged with moisture, a state of affairs conducive 
to vigour and fertility in Cucumbers, but altogether unsuited to the proper 
development of various flowering plants. The chink of air “ arrests 
growth,” “preventsa soft growth,” and in various other ways benefits the 
flowering and other decorative plants. Here he is on firm ground, and he 
appears equally anxious to recover himself with regard to the chink of 
air for fruit trees. He defies all the “ authorities ” in very good style, 
but after all it is only during February, March, and April that he appears 
to think it advisable to dispense with ventilation. None of the “ authori¬ 
ties ” will take the trouble to argue upon the matter, for the very simple 
reason that none of them open their houses to any material extent much 
before Mr. Bardney does. I shall not yet admit that we have to thank 
him for a practical suggestion in the matter of saving fuel. 
Mr. Bardney at the outset proves too much. If he had stopped 
short at Cucumber culture it would have been more difficult to controvert 
his arguments, but according to his own showing it is necessary to admit 
air to check softness of growth, and the merest tyro in Grape culture must 
know that soft or pithy badly ripened growth in Vines or any other fruit 
tree is altogether a misfortune. Everv experienced fruitgrower prides 
himself on having stout healthy foliage and wood as “ hard as Oak,” andjl 
ask how in how many instances would this most desirable result be achieved 
without a good circulation of air from the time the leaves commence to 
fulfil their proper functions ? Mr. Bardney may colour his Grapes suffi¬ 
ciently for market purposes if it were necessary in his case to sell them ; 
bat appearance is everything with market produce, whereas for a private 
table good quality is also usually essential. Air, not necessarily in large 
quantities, is necessary both to ripen the growth and the fruit, and unless 
the wood is firm in its earlier stages and well ripened at the finish it will 
not be long that the Viues will last in a profitable state. The exclusion 
of cold air may have prevented mildew, but it is not to this but 
rather to the annual lifting and generally good treatment of the trees I 
attribute Mr. Bardney’s comparative immunity from that sometimes very 
troublesome pest. 
With regard to the shading we employ, I should term it extremely 
light in comparison with the shading of wood strips Mr. Bardney is in love 
with. According to his description “ practically only half the roof is 
shaded, the shadow from each piece of wood proving sufficient for the 
space between each space.” Exactly so, and with a vengeance, or I am 
no judge either of Mr. Bardney’s logic or ef a heavy shading when 
I pass under it. Does he mean to infer that any thing in the shape of 
clear light or sunshine passes through to the house beneath ? and if not 
what becomes of his arguments in favour of admitting plenty of light ? I 
maintain that those wood blinds afford a more dense shade, and no other 
construction can be put upon his description of them, We are perfectly 
satisfied with ihe’result of our summer treatment of various stove plant’, 
but must let that portion of my subject alone at present,—W. iGGUJTiDEN. 
BOILERS v. WATER—PRACTICAL, NOT THEORETICAL. 
Under the head of “ Boilers v. Water ” I detailed in your pages of 
September 29th, 1881, my experience of a boiler here as to cleansing, 
patching, &o. This gave rise to a certain amount of discussion in the 
following numbers, also comment by the Editors. Among the critics was 
one who came forward under the nom de plume, “ Practical, not Theore¬ 
tical ” (see November 10th, 1881), This correspondent ventured to say, 
“ We had better not just now say much about Mr, Ollerhead’s boiler with 
the patch upon its side. Let the invalid work through the winter, and 
then—but we must not anticipate, but be—Practical, not Theoretical.” 
Now, Mr. Editor, will you kindly allow me the opportunity of inform¬ 
ing that individual in particular and your readers in general that the 
invalid has been daily at work ever since and never shed a tear until this 
autumn, when I considered it wise to remove the old patches and refix 
them, and it is now again doing duty as well as ever. I think I may 
say with all fairness the test of five years’ work ought to convince the 
greatest sceptic of the wisdom of cleansing and patching a boiler in a 
common-sense way. Were this a small boiler doing a little work there 
would be every reason to question the wisdom of patching it, but as it 
and the other alongside of it heats over two miles of piping whenever 
called upon, I think your readers will agree with me it has now stood a 
good test. I should be exceedingly pleased if Mr. “ Practical ” will 
honour us with a visit, so that he may see for himself, but I hope he will 
not bring Mr. “ Theoretical ” with him, as I do not believe in him. He 
is a kid-gloved man, and does not like work. —J. Ollerhead, The 
Gardens, Wimbledon House, S. W. 
TRENCHED v. UNTRENCHED SOIL. 
Having under another heading occupied considerable space in ex¬ 
pressing my views upon the subject of the necessity for much judgment 
being required in the matter ot trenching, I ought to be content. As a 
favour, however, I must ask to make a few brief replies to my friendly 
opponent, “ A Kentish Gardener.” He is really altogether premature in 
the conclusion he has arrived at—viz., that I have “ worked myself into 
a corner.” I am far from being cornered, but, on the contrary, am daily 
gaining ground—trenched and otherwise—or in other words, am receiving 
