December 16, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
541 
I will endeavour to point out as briefly as possible the beneficial 
action of the vapour as aiding combustion. It is well known the dross 
in its intensely heated state seeks to escape between the bars. In the 
case of vapour acting upon this the change is very conspicuous ; instead of 
its remaining in one mass from above, the action causes a continual 
gathering into small particles in various forms, principally, to my mind, 
through the agency of the soft ash before mentioned is partially dis¬ 
solved in the vapour and immediately becomes detached, falling into the 
water, the consequence of this being that the mass of clinker as it forms 
becomes perforated, thus admitting the oxygen, and combustion is con¬ 
tinuous by day and night, the comparative small amount of attention 
adding considerably to economy. 
As to cold versus hot air in combustion, so far back as 1829, 3 tons of 
coke was found to do as much work by the cold-air blast as 6 tons 13 cwt. 
of coal. While, again, by hot blast at 450° Fahr. 1 ton 18 cwt. of coke 
was found equal to 4 tons G cwt. of coal. It will thus be seen that by 
hot air combustion was increased. Combustion is or should be the 
primary aim in all firing. Mr. Taylor, I think it was, remarked that less 
draught in the chimney was needed with the assistance of vapour. This 
is our experience.— E. Bukton. 
GROS COL MAN GRAPES AT CHISWICK. 
A FEW weeks since I began to think my Gros C dman Grapes were not 
going to colour so well as usual, and in response to my inquiry you, Mr. 
Editor, referred me to the Gros Colman growing at Chiswick, and the re¬ 
port you sent I found on my visit to be accurate. A crop of Gros Colman is 
always worth looking at. Mr. Barron received me courteously, and it 
afforded me some satisfaction to find we so much agreed, not only in the 
treatment of this grand all-round Grape, but also on the merits of several 
other varieties. I did not expect to find the Gros Colman growing and 
doing so well in such “ a case ” as I call the house ; farther north I am 
sure it would not do, even at Chiswick I can see, good as the crop has 
been, a more modern structure would make them!more at home. All 
Grapes are cut from the upright portion of the Vine, about 5 feet in 
height, nearest the gla=s, as they do not keep so well as the bunches 
suspended overhead. Looking from either end, with the half crop cut, 
was a very interesting sight. I have never seen more uniform bunches 
for size, no shoulders —just such bunches as would keep and be valuable 
in spring. Their berries were good without being extraordinary, and 
colour very good for Gro3 Colman. I do not suppose I shall ever see a 
bouse of established bearing Vines all as black, say, for instance, 
Alicante. Those at Chiswick I should call a good colour for the variety, 
yet there was a certain portion with the tinge of redness so common. I 
noticed this more particularly at the warmer end of the house, but it was 
the heaviest cropped. This speaks for itself—light cropping for colour. 
I must not omit to remark the healthy appearance of the Vines, also 
the clean appearance of the Grapes. I should expect these Vines will do 
even better another year, as now the old Alicantes are being cut out, so 
that Gros Colman will have it to themselves. Seeing this house with the 
sun shining sideways gave a very imposing appearance to the Grapes. I did 
not fail to note that in every case where the best finished bunches were 
hanging Ihey were the smallest. The smallness of the foliage rather 
surprised me. The laterals were moderately strong, stronger in proportion 
than the leaves, yet, as I have said before, the Vines were pictures of 
health, and the Grapes good. I find Mr. Barron, even at this season of 
the year, a strong believer in fire heat. No Grapes will stand more now to 
advantage than this variety. This, again, is another reason why it should 
not be planted in a mixed house, where it is never satisfactory. I have 
lately seen some growing. The Vines appear all right, but the less said 
about the Grapes the better.— Stephen Castle, West Lynn. 
THE PAST SEASON’S GARDENING AND SEED LIST. 
I was pleased to see Mr. Chisho’m’s note on the above subject. 
It is one I like to see brought forward at this time of the year, as it gives 
an opportunity of comparing our own selections with others, more espe¬ 
cially when the nature of the soil and the county is given, as I find that 
some of the most prolific on some soils are not so good as others on a 
different soil and situation, and generally causes us to alter our seed list 
and selection when we change into another locality. Our soil here in the 
Midlands is rather light, but a good depth. As I have to keep the price 
of the seed bill down as much as possible, I dare not speculate much in 
novelties, but I generally contrive to have a few each year. 
My best sorts this year are—Broad Beans.—Early Longpod and Broad 
Windsor. D warf French Beans.—Sion House, a very good early one. 
Ne Plus Ultra I have tried this year. It is a good Bean, but I have not 
sufficiently tested it with others, so I shall grow it again. Negro is a 
good standard variety, bearing a quantity of long straight pods. 
Canadian Wonder is a prulific cropper, which comes in when others are 
getting over. Runner Beans.—Girtford Giant has given a few pods a little 
longer than Champion Scarlet, but at present I do not see that it is 
superior to that useful variety. Mont d’Or is very delicate in flavour, and 
I might also say in health, for it requires a warm situation ; but it is 
worth it where its colour is not objected to. 
Beetroot.—Egyptian is an indispensable for an early supply. Nut¬ 
ting’s Dwarf Red is a good standard sort, and was quite eq«al to Prag- 
nell’s Exhibition last year with me. Broccoli.—Sutton’s Michaelmas 
White is quite an acquisition to the autumn Broccoli. Veitch’s Self- 
Protecting is a grand variety for au f utnn and early winter, to be followed 
by Snow’s Winter White, Sutton’s Perfection, Leamington, Catteh’s 
Eclipse, and Sutton’s Late Queen. Brussels Sprouts.—Aigburth. Kale. — 
Scotch for winter and Buda for late spring use. Cabbage.—Myatt’s 
Offenham and Ellam’s Early Dwarf. The first is by far the best, but I 
think Ellam’s comes in a little quicker. Savoy.—Although I have given 
up growing Chou de Burghley my first trial of Gilbert’s Universal Savoy is 
very satisfactory, and I am under the impression it is the very best Savoy. 
Carrots.—We have generally had some splendid autumn tints on our 
Carrots, which we have found very useful for decoration ; but this year 
not one leaf has been coloured. Why is this ? I believe it is because no 
insect pests have injured them. When we lifted them they were by far 
the best we have ever grown. Until last year we had a great difficulty in 
getting even a fair crop of Carrots owing to the grub making such havoc 
among them; but last year, and this too, Iselectel the poorest ground in 
the garden, which had been trenched the autumn previous with an 
ordinary dressing of manure. After being forked over twice in the spring 
the garden roller waB run over twice and the Carrot seed sown the last 
week in March very thinly, so that no thinning should be required, and 
although there were a few places rather thick they were allowed to grow 
undisturbed, as I think thinning make3 holes for the insects to get into 
the roots much more easily than they otherwise would do. After sowing 
they were raked in and rolled again, the result being a fine bed of Carrots 
that has been admired by all who saw them. Carrots have often been 
grown on the same ground, but never had good crops until the last two 
years. I grow Short Horn for early and Long Surrey for main crop. 
Cauliflower.—I have grown several varieties, but find Early London 
as good as any and much cheaper, although Sutton’s King of the Cauli¬ 
flowers is very good. Yeitcb’s Autumn Giant has been exceptionally good 
this autumn. It is a grand autumn variety, and should be grown in every 
garden. 
Celery.—I have fried White Plume for two seasons, both with earthing 
and without, but I shall not grow it again. It is inferior to other varieties 
when earthed up, and good for nothing when not earthed. Sutton’s 
White Gem and Major Clarke’s Red are my present favourites. Celery 
has grown very well with me this year, and have been almost free from 
Celery fly. What is the best prevention and cure for this pest 1 
Cucumber.—All sorts have been discarded for Telegraph. Can anyone 
recommend a better one for frame culture 1 Endive.—Improved Round¬ 
leaved Batavian is the best with me. Lettuce.—Tom Thumb, Paris 
White Cos, Black-seeded Bath Cos for winter. I am trying Sutton’s 
Winter White this winter. Melons.—Green-flesh, High-Cross Hybrid and 
Eastnor Castle ; scarlet-flesh, Hero of Lockinge and Blenheim Orange 
are all good. 
Onions.—The Queen is a very quick grower, and when sown with other 
varieties in autumn will come in before them, and is very useful for con¬ 
necting the spring Onions with the ord'nary autumn sorts, and is indis¬ 
pensable for that purpose. Bedfordshire Champion, Brown Globe, and 
Improved Reading are good. I have tried Rousham Park Hero and Giant 
Zittau. The last 1 like the better of the two. Our autumn-sown Onions 
were all killed during last wint r. Leek.—The Musselburgh. 
Peas.—These have done unusually well with us this year, and this I 
attribute to preparing the trenches during the winter. We never had a 
break from the time they came in until the end of October, and we 
gathered the last dish from that good old variety Scimitar Nov. 10th, 
which had kept pretty free from mildew. I had not grown it for several 
years, but this year it has proved superior to many of the newer varieties. 
We sow American Wonder in a large span-roofed frame, and find it a 
very prolific and good flavoured variety ; for that purpose much better 
than when grown in the open. I have discarded several other earlies for 
William I. I have tried so many sorts it would only take up valuable 
space to give a list of them. Walker’s Perpetual Bearer bears a heavy 
crop of good flavoured Peas, but with me it is in no way a perpetual 
bearer. It very much resembles that good variety Dr. Maclean. Sutton’s 
Giant Emerald Marrow bears a good crop of first-rate flavour, but is soon 
over. Ne Plus Ultra is the sort I rely on for late summer use, as it is a 
more perpetual bearer than Walker’s, 
Parsnips.—The Student. These grow to a good size and are good 
flavoured. Spinach.—New Longstanding does not run to seed as soon as 
the old summer Spinach does, and is equally good. Tomato.—Vick’s 
Criterion is a good early one for indoors, and Hathaway’s Excelsior is a 
good sort for main crop. Dedham Favourite is handsome in appearance 
and good flavour, but is not such a heavy cropper as Hathaway’s. 
Turnip.—Extra Early Milan Strap-leaved has taken the place of Purpletop 
Munich. They are both very quick growers, but poor flavour. Sutt:n’3 
Early Snowball and Veitch’s Red Globe are good sorts. Vegetable 
Marrows.—These have borne excellent crops this year, while last year 
they were a failure. Moore’s Cream is a large free-bearing sort. We 
have grown Pen-y-byd this year. It has been very grolific, but we had 
not the true variety according to the description given. 
Potatoes.—We have had good crops of Potatoes this year, and free 
from disease, but flavour has not been good. We rely chiefly on 
Hammersmith Kidney for earliest, with Ashleaf for second, then Wood- 
stock, Sutton’s Early Regent, Magnum Bonum, Schoolmaster, and Read¬ 
ing Hero. The Schoolmaster is the best flavoured of the late sorts, but 
does not crop heavily. Reading Hero is the next best in flavour, and a 
heavy cropper, but not good in shape. I shall be glad if some others will 
amend my list.—J. L. B. 
ORCHIDS AT SHEFFIELD. 
Although this is not a month when Orchid flowers are expected to 
be met with in abundance, still where large collections are^rown there 
