558 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 23, 1886. 
using a rich compost—good heavy loam three parts and one decayed 
cowdung, with a liberal dash of soot and Thomson’s or Beeson’s 
manure. They should be potted firmly, and be placed in a sunny 
sheltered position, plunged in leaveB or ashes. When they are well 
established in their flowering pots they should receive an occasional 
sprinkling of soot well watered in, and on no account should they 
suffer from the want of water, which often in very hot weather must 
be given two and sometimes three times a day. 
The species I find most useful and liked the best is the common 
Chrysanthemum frutescens, flowering much more freely than the 
larger varieties, and its foliage is the most pleasing of any I have 
seen. The variety Etoile d’Or has not succeeded so well with me— 
always more or less affected by a grub (like the Celery grub) which 
attacks the leaves, and which with us has baffled all attempts at its 
eradication short of denuding the plants of the affected leaves, and 
even this is only a temporary remedy, as they reappear in the course 
„of a little time. If any of your readers can inform me how to effectu¬ 
ally get rid of this pest I shall feel obliged, as it is a disappointment 
,-not to be able to grow this most beautiful yellow variety. 
To grow plants 6 or 7 feet through the old plants must be cut 
back in spring and grown the second year. All flowers must be 
■ picked off during summer.— Owen Thomas, Chatsworth Gardens. 
CHRISTMAS GRAPES. 
At no other season are Grapes eaten so generally by both the upper 
and middle classes of this country as during the ft stive Christmas- 
tide. With many of the former the order of the day is, Grapes to 
breakfast, Grapes to luncheon, and of course Grapes to dinner, clearly 
showing that the demand for this wholesome and delicious fruit has 
become year by year greater and greater. It would be instructive 
and interesting to know something of the difference between the 
quantity of Grapes now consumed annually, compared with that of 
twenty years ago. I venture to predict it will be at least tons against 
hundredweights. 
Notwithstanding this great increase in the consumption and 
ever-restless energy of British pomologists, it is surprising how 
slow we are in producing new varieties superior to those already 
in cultivation. My object in writing this is to mention some 
of the best known varieties, and those that have given most satisfac¬ 
tion. Amongst while varieties stands pre-eminently the grand old 
Muscat of Alexandria. It is a pity that so much difficulty is experi¬ 
enced by many in producing this Grape in first-class condition on 
Christmas day. Some gardeners, myself included, have made great 
mistakes in trying to grow this Grape in late span-roofed vineries 
standing north and south. Especially is this the case in Scotland and 
the noith of England, where the sun's influence is less felt than in the 
south. When properly grown and thoroughly ripened Muscat of 
Alexandria can easily be kept fresh and plump to the end of the 
year, but.unless the Vines are exposed to the full benefit of the sun’s 
rays during summer, the fruit fails to colour to lhat deep bright 
golden yellow we so much like to see ; unless well coloured long 
before Christmas the fruit begins to shrivel. Next in point of merit 
stands the Duke of Buccleuch, but unlike the Muscat of Alexandria I 
find the Duke does better in a span-rcofed house than in a lean-to. 
When this grand Grape is kept into December its flavour becomes 
rich and luscious, and has a honeyed sweetness peculiarly its own. 
It may with safety be placed in the most select dessert without fear of 
fault being found with either its size or quality. 
Trebbiano I consider the next good white Grape we have for this 
season, and this variety is not particular as to whether it is grown in 
a span-roofed or lean-to house ; but like the Muscats the more light 
and room it gets to develope its large leaves (he better coloured and 
flavoured will its fruit prove to be. Its bunches being large and 
-handsome are always attractive both on the Vine and dessert table. 
Of the black varieties there are more to chbose from. West’s St. 
Peter’s has long held a foremost place as a Christmas Grape. Taking 
it all in all perhaps there is no superior black variety ; its juicy, 
sweet, tender flesh is at all times refreshing and pleasant, therefore, 
though somewhat small in bunch and berry, it cannot be ignored in 
collections of winter Grapes be they ever so select. Mrs. Pince’s 
Black Muscat is perhaps the richest flavoured black Grape we have 
at the end of the year, but like all Mu. cats I find (he best results are 
obtained from Vines grown in lean-to houses facing the south. In 
order to have this Grape in first-class condition it is of great 
importance that the previous year’s wood be thoroughly well ripened, 
otherwise it is almost certain to set its berries unevenly, and many 
stoneless. 
Gros Guillaume is a splendid variety, and when properly grown 
its noble bunches and large berries never fail to draw forth admiration ; 
its tender, juicy flesh and refreshing flavour make it pleasant to 
most palates. I cannot understand why some people persist in 
calling this a coarse Grape ; with us it has always given the greatest 
satisfaction. Many other varieties might be mentioned, such as 
Alnwick SeedliDg, Gros Colman, and Gros Maroc, which are said to 
be at their best about Christmas. These, with their magnificent 
berries, always lock well and imposing upon the Vines, exhibition 
stands, or in fruiterers’ shop windows ; but when placed with those 
previously named they at best can only be classed as of second quality. 
Such sorts as Alicante, Lady Downe's Seedling, Raisin de Calabre, 
and White Tokay are not usually at their best until February or 
March. It is meet important in the management of Grapes for 
winter and spring use that tie roof of the house in which they are 
grown be watertight, and in order to produce them in their best 
condition it is abac lutely necessary' that the house be devoted entirely 
to them. Nothing is so detrimental to the keeping and well-being of 
ripe Grapes as moisture, no matter from what cause it arises.— 
J. McIndoe, Hutton Hall Gardens. 
WINTER AND EARLY CUCUMBERS. 
I remember the late Mr. James Small, nurseryman, Colnbrook, 
telling me some twenty-five years ago that once in the early days of 
forcing Cucumbers he took seven to a London fruiterer in the end of 
March or beginning of Apiil, and received for them the almost 
fabulous sum of £7. This was in the good old time, when forcing 
early fruits and vegetables was generally done by means of flues, 
fermenting stable litter, sp.nt tanner’s bark, and leaves from the 
woods, and before the advent of cheap glass and the general appli¬ 
cation of the system of heating plant houses by means of hot-water 
pipes, and before market gardeneis h; d been handicapped by foreign 
competition. There were then no rapid means of communication for 
transporting choice perishable fruits and vegetables from France and 
the Channel Islands, or even from Cornwall and other early English 
counties, to the London market. How very much things have changed 
since then, and how greatly has the cultivation of the Cucumber 
improved since McPhail wrote that “ Dung is the only thing yet 
found out by the heat of which the Cucumb r may be advantageously 
cultivated.” I wonder how our market gardeners could produce the 
enormous quantities of fruit that they do now if they had no other 
means of obtaining heat than that derived from decomposing manure. 
There are many growers in the vicinity of large towns all over the 
country, and Cucumbers are grown by the million in some establish¬ 
ments. It has puzzled me many a time to know where they find a 
market for them all. There are several market gardens in this 
neighbourhood where Cucumbers are produced by tens of thousands 
yearly from span-roofed structures 1 uilt specially for the purpose. 
They are 12 feet wide, 9 feet high, and many of them as much as 
300 feet in length. The variety principally grown in this district is 
Cardiff Castle. They are r ot grown on what is termed the “ express 
or non-ventilation system,” as practised by some of our modern 
cultivators, but air is admitted in the usual way when it is neces¬ 
sary. With proper attention Cucumbers and plants may be grown 
satisfactorily together, but in the case of market gardeners where 
great quantities are produced for sale they should be grown by 
themselves. 
Here there is no Cucumber house, and I grow Cucumbers, Melons, 
and Pine Apples together. The house, which runs north and south, 
is thoroughly heated top and bottom, is span-roofed, 22 feet wide, 
13 feet high, and 60 feet in length, with a bed in the centre for Pine 
Apples, and a bed or border, 2 feet wide and 18 inches deep, round 
the sides for growing Cucumbers and Melons. The roof is trellised 
rather more than half its length. When training the plants we use 
two light trestles, placed opposite each other on the side paths, and 
these support a strong board resting on them over the tops of the 
Pines. By this means the Cucumbers and Melons can be tied, 
stopped, and trained at anytime without doing injury to the Pine 
Apple plants, and the foliage of the latter is very little drawn by the 
Cucumbers and Melons glowing over them. The crops obtained from 
all three are as good as could be wished, flhe seeds of the winter 
Cucumbers are sown the first week in August in 48-sized pots filled 
with leaf mould. They are then watered, and a piece of glass placed 
over the top of the pot until they germinate. As soon as the plants 
are large enough to handle they are transferred into 4-inch pots in a 
compost of half leaf mould and half lo: m, are kept in a close frame 
for a few days, and shaded irom strong sunshine till the roots have 
taken hold of the soil, when air is admitted. 
After the plants have grown to the height of 6 or 7 inches they 
are placed out in their permanent quarters, the compost of which 
consists of three parts good rich loam and one of leaf mould, with a 
little soot; nd wood ashes aided. In preparing it the loam is chopped 
into small pieces, and the leaf mould is passed through a rough sieve, 
all the small pieces of st ick being picked out. After this both loam and 
le.-f mould are roasted separately for a little time in one of the ash 
pits under the toiler furnace bais to kill the eggs of aphides, worms, 
and insects. Before adopting this plan the plants used to get infested 
with green fly every time the bed was top-dressed with leaf mould. 
