176 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 10, 1892. 
wbich can vie with them, and even at the risk of sameness, if such 
a term can be used, I cannot but speak of the exquisite Iris reti¬ 
culata now coming into, or in flower. Very few are, as yet, in 
bloom, but some plants raised from seed a few years ago, and 
which flowered for the first time last year, have been flowering for 
some time. They seem to be identical with the variety known as 
I. reticulata purpurea, which has smaller flowers than the ordinary 
reticulata, deep purple in colour, with falls of yellow, white, and 
deep brown. Varieties of this charming Iris are now rapidly 
increasing in number, and as yet I think none surpass in beauty 
the deep blue. 
A note on the early Saxifrage may redeem this article from 
the character of being one on bulbs alone. Very beautiful are the 
few of these I have now in flower. What I purchased some year 
or so ago as S. Boydi has proved to be the white variety, and 
although I am somewhat disappointed it is so beautiful that the 
disappointment is reduced to a minimum. The true yellow 
S. Boydi is a hybrid between S. Burseriana and S. aretiodes, and 
the white variety closely resembles in its flowers the very beautiful 
S. Burseriana major, now in flower with me also. The foliage is, 
however, much brighter green, and the plant seems a better 
grower than the latter. S. Burseriana is also in flower, while the 
beautiful S, luteo-purpurea, which is late with me, has its pretty 
yellow flowers only half open. 
In every nook Primroses and Primrose-Polyanthuses are 
beginning to shine ; Cyclamen Coum is still in full flower ; Bulbo- 
codium vernum is still, with one or two Scillas and Narcissus 
minimus, in bloom ; and soon N. pallidus prsecox, with its sister 
Daffodils, will be nodding to the wind—“ taking the winds of 
March with beauty,” and making, with other flowers, a little Eden 
of my little garden.—S. Arnott. 
QUICK WORK IN GRAPE GROWING. 
In reference to the note which appeared on page 147 under the 
above heading, together with a good illustration of Mr. Colebrook’s 
heavy crop of Grapes borne by Vines two years after planting, I 
should like to ask whether the Vines which were planted in 
February, 1889, and fruited in 1891, were cut-backs or struck from 
eyes the same year they were planted. In the meantime, I may 
mention an instance of quick work in Vine-growing which beats 
Mr. Colebrook’s excellent record, and illustrates what may be done 
with the Grape Vine when it is given good and generous treatment. 
In 1881 the principal range of vineries here, consisting of four 
houses, was planted with all the leading varieties (about fourteen 
in all), struck from eyes the same year and fruited the following 
year, when Mr. J. Wright of the Journal of Horticulture saw the 
crop, concerning which I need only say that a Vine of Gros Guil¬ 
laume bore three bunches which in the aggregate weighed 30 lbs,, 
and which were of sufficient shape, size, and finish of berry to 
induce that gentleman to recommend me to send them up to the 
Fruit Committee, at that time held in South Kensington, but 
which valued advice pressure of work at the time prevented my 
following. I may add that other varieties of the Grape Vine did 
equally well according to their respective characteristics, and have 
borne heavy crops every year since.— H. W. Ward, Longford 
Castle, Salisbury. 
The engraving on page 147 was taken from a photograph of 
one of our vineries, planted 1889, the photograph being taken in 
August, 1891, and it is with pleasure we comply with your request 
to furnish some details of our practice in raising and growing the 
Vines. 
We are told that the Vine is a native of Persia, that Vines are 
there to be found 400 years old in a flourishing condition, and that 
the natives consider Vines young at 100 years old. At the time we 
planted our Vines we did not trouble about them being considered 
young in 100 years’ time, but our main object was quick returns. 
We wish to impress upon your readers that growing Grapes 
for profit and for pleasure are two distinct things—one means good 
fruit at any price, the other the most good fruit at the least cost. 
For obtaining quick returns we commenced in the following 
manner. In January eyes were selected from well-ripened wood 
cut across about half an inch on each side of the bud and sliced 
longitudinally opposite the eye, making the cut as clean as possible. 
They were placed in 3-inch pots in a mixture of decayed manure. 
light turfy loam, and a little sand, then placed in the vinery, 
which was ready for forcing. There they remained until about 
the second week in February, and were removed into a propa¬ 
gating house having a temperature of 65° to 70° for about two 
or three weeks, then plunged in a bottom heat of 85° to 90° until 
they were fairly in growth. In no case do we allow our young 
Vines to have bottom heat after they are growing freely, as we find 
it injurious to the roots ; if kept in bottom heat too long they make 
thick sappy roots, which often die at the resting period. After 
the pots are moderately filled with roots the Vines are shifted into 
5-inch pots in a mixture of loam, charcoal, and bone dust, and 
grown in a temperature of 65° to 80°. These pots are well filled 
with roots about the second or third week in May, and then they 
are transferred into 10-inch pots and kept in the same house until 
the end of August. After that they are placed outside, secured 
to a south wall, and left there until October. In the growing 
season they are well attended to in watering and syringing. 
We keep them at rest from October to January or February, as 
the case may be. In the vinery figured in your issue of February 
25th the Vines were planted 10th February, 1889, and were at the 
time just starting into growth. The border had been completed 
about a month previously. The house, as was shown, is a span- 
roof, and the Vines are planted on one side only. The rods were 
trained up one side and down the other, and the crop was very 
even, but rather the better on the side down which the Vines are 
trained. Previous to starting, the young Vines were cut down 
to 8 feet. 
The border is an inside one. The first year it was made 2| feet 
wide and 2 feet high, 1 foot of which was drainage, so that the 
soil was 1 foot deep by 2J feet wide. The Vines were planted 
3|^ feet apart, and one rod from each trained up one roof and 
down the other. The drainage was covered with fresh stable 
manure and oyster shells, and the soil was then added. This had 
been prepared six months. It was obtained in preparing founda¬ 
tions for some buildings on a site which had been a kitchen garden 
for over ten years. To two loads of soil we added one load of fish 
heads, &c.—that is to say, about 3 tons of soil to 1 ton of fish, with 
a liberal supply of oyster shells. The Vine roots are wonderfully 
fond of these shells, and in many cases twine around them with 
great tenacity. 
On the 1st of March the Vines received a good watering for 
the first time after planting. In a week or two they were showing 
bunches freely, and we could not find it in our hearts to cut all of 
them off, so we left six bunches on one Vine and three on the 
other. The Grapes finished in a very fair condition, taking into 
consideration that the Vines were allowed to grow at their plea¬ 
sure ; indeed, the first year after planting all the shoots were 
allowed to remain and were carefully trained up the trellis, until 
the whole house was one mass of fine foliage for the strengthening 
of both roots and branches. We must have fine foliage. In the 
meantime the border was kept well supplied with tepid water. 
We never use cold water. The borders were top-dressed with fish 
soil, and in a short time were like a doormat with roots. We spread 
about 3 inches of soil all over the border, and applied tepid water 
copiously. During the second week in August all the side shoots 
were cut back to about 2 feet. This was the first time they had 
been pruned, and it seemed to check them, but we were looking 
after our back buds for producing the crop shown in the engraving. 
In January last year the border was made as large again, in the same 
way as before, and the roots soon took possession of the new soil. 
In due time the Vines exceeded our expectations. A finer lot of 
bunches we have never seen. In the thinning process we took off 
174 bunches, and left 400 to satisfy us for our labour and expense 
of two years and a half. The three largest bunches weighed 
respectively 7 lbs. 4 ozs., 6| lbs., and 5 lbs. 6 ozs. 
Our friends told us we should have no Grapes this year, but I 
am pleased to say the Vines look as well as they did last year ; 
indeed, I think better, and they are showing plenty of fruit. We 
planted a house of Gros Colman with thirty-four Vines on the 
Ist February last year, and they are in the most promising con¬ 
dition. We are also preparing a house for Muscat of Alexandria, 
keeping to the following points :—Not making the border too large, 
giving plenty of drainage, fresh soil to be added as the roots require 
it, plenty of tepid water, feed well with liquid manures, give 
them plenty of heat the first three months, do not prune them 
until late in the season, and we shall no doubt have as good success 
in the future as we have had in the past. We shall be glad to give 
any further information that may be desired.— Charles Cole- 
brook & Son, Great Grimsby. 
Mr. Stanley Edwards, Hon. Secretary of the Farningham Rose 
and Horticultural Society, writes to say that the annual Show will be 
held on the 30th of June this year. 
