June 18 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
483 
-Seedsmen, will be interested in the provision that ■will be made for 
ttbose of them who enjoy physical exercise, by the few sharing in 
^and'the many looking on, at a cricket match that will be arranged 
'between the gardeners and seedsmen of the United Kingdom—the 
first contest of the kind that has been seen. It is desired that the 
iplayers will be the best that can be chosen from different parts of 
the country, so that as far as possible the event will be of a national 
character. A member of the Committee, Mr. C. H. Sharman, has 
ikkidly undertaken to marshal the seedsmen, and Mr. E. Molyneux, 
of Chrysanthemum fame, the gardeners, both being experts in the 
national exercise. 
All persons who desire to share in making the Floral Fete and 
-Rose Fair a great success, for the benefit of this charitable object, 
are invited to send offers of what they can contribute in the form 
of produce, or assistance in any other way, to Mr. A. F. Barron, 
Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, the Honorary 
Secretary of the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, and every weU-wisher 
of this Fund is desired to take such steps as he deems best for 
adding to the attendance at the Crystal Palace on the 15th July. 
Owing to the ready publication in your columns of all matters 
connected with charitable institutions, I venture to ask your kind 
insertion of this note on behalf of the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund in 
•connection with the /ete to be held at the Crystal Palace July 15th. 
As already announced in the horticultural press, one of the items 
in the programme is a cricket match—The Seedsmen v. the Gar¬ 
deners of the United Kingdom. Having the honour to be cho=en 
•captain of the latter team, and with a view to create a wide¬ 
spread interest in the project, thereby adding to the success of the 
fete, in the hope that it will assist in swelling the funds for 
-so good an object, I should be glad if players desirous of taking 
part in the match would send in their nominations as early as 
possible respectively to Mr. C. H. Sharman, 69, Houston Road, 
^’•orest Hdl, London, captain of the seedsmen’s team, and to myself 
for the gardeners’ team, so that we can make the necessary arrange- 
-•ments as to the number of players on each side. We hope to 
receive nominations from as wide an area as possible, which would 
add considerably to the interest in the game and benefit the 
fund.— E. Molyneux, Swanmore Park Gardeiis^ Bishop's Waltham, 
Hants. 
GRAPES THAT WILL KEEP. 
Those who are anxious to keep Grapes well through the 
winter, or if need be till late in May, must have this end in view 
from the time the Yines are started, and in fact in advance of that 
period. I do not insinuate a special line of treatment is absolutely 
necessary, but there are a few cultural details that have to be 
observed, or the chances are there will be more failures than 
successes. Much naturally depends upon the selection of varieties, 
some keeping much better than others, though all in the house 
may be clasied as late Grapes. Lady Downe’s is undoubtedly the 
best keeper of all, no difficulty being experienced in keeping well 
prepared bunches till the end of May, and this variety ought, 
therefore, to be most extensively grown, especially seeing that it 
is of superior quality to all of the very la^e varieties other than 
Mrs. Pince’s Black Muscat. The latter, being a somewhat shy setter 
anJ difficult to colour, is not nearly so much grown as it was a 
few years ago, but it ought not to be needlessly cut out. It will 
keep fairly plump till the end of April. Alicant=', though a 
very serviceable late variety, seldom keeps good after March, 
Gros Colman being over at much the same time. No other black 
varieties that are generally cultivated can be rightly termed 
keeping Grapes, but both Mrs. Pearson and Muscat of Alexandria 
frequently keep plump and good till the end of March, and 
Golden Queen also hangs well, seme of ours being very crackling 
and agreeable in flavour last February. Gros Guillaume is more of 
a midwinter than a late variety ; West’s St. Peter’s also being at its 
best in January. 
If any or all of the foregoing are to be kept as late as possible, 
or even fresh and good till the end of January, they must be eir’y 
and thoroughly ripened, it bemg a great mistake to delay starting 
the Yines in the spring under the impression that late lipening 
would be followed by late keeping. Colouring ought to commence 
iu August, and still earlier in the case of Muscat^, and the rioening 
be nearly or quite completed in September. It is not possible to 
effect this without the assistance of a considerable amount of fire 
heat, and this should be applied in the earlier stages of growth, 
during the ripening period, and during what should be the hottest 
part of the year whenever the weather is overcast or cold. If the 
Yines could be rested sufficiently the first week in February is 
none too early to start, Muscats especially, but the majority of 
cultivators close their late vineries about the first week in March, 
and that date suits us well. Supposing inside borders—and these 
are the best for late Giapes—are given a good soaking of farmyard 
liquid manure, or failing this a dressing of special Yine manure or 
guano at the rate of 2 lbs. to the square rod, and duly avashed in 
with soft water, and the house or houses kept close and warm and 
a moist atmosphere maintainel, the break will be strong and pro¬ 
gress rapid. Kept growing at a good rate, without, however, 
resorting to hard forcing, most of the varieties would usually be in 
flower from the middle to the end of May, and in order to effect a 
goad set the temperatures m-ght well be increased to 65° to 70° by 
n’ght, the houses being ventilated early ou bright mornings, and the 
heat kept up to 75° to 80° with air, closing and damping down 
early enough to run up the figures to 90° or thereabouts. A smart 
tip of the rods, th's being done towards midday, helps to distribute 
the pollen, and in the case of shy setters the palm of the hand 
should also be gently drawn over the bunches. Giving the Yines 
good room favours a strong growth of bunch, stout footstalks and 
flowers being followed by the finest berries, and supposing the rods 
are disposed 4 feet apart and the laterals stopped at the second 
leaf beyond the reserved bunch, the requisite light to insure this 
robustness will be admitted. Somewhat high temperatures should 
also be maintained after the flowering period, the bunches of some 
varieties failing to run out sufficiently if much air is admitted and 
comparatively low temperatures are kept, this treatment also 
serving to hasten the ripening pe iod. 
Late keeping being the primary object, it is not advisable to 
select the largest bunches that show, as these do not keep nearly 
so well as do those that may be considei'ed of medium and small 
sizes. It may be very much “ against the grain,”' but there ought 
to be no hesitation about cutting away either extra large bunches 
or the shoulders of those somewhat smaller in size, and as this 
admits of a greater number of bunches being grown on each rod, 
there is no loss of weight, while the prospect of a better “ finish ” 
is improved. Nor must the thinning out of the berries be d'-ne iu 
a half-hearted manner. Yery many of the failures with late Grapes 
are due to faulty thinning, not nearly enough berries being taken 
out before the final swelling commences. Light thinning may be 
excusable in the case of Lady Downe’s, where this variety scalds 
badly, but as a rule this unfortunate occurrence may be prevented 
by putting on a little top air the last thing every night, more being 
admitted before the sun has a chance to suddenly and unduly raise 
the temperature of the hou?e in the morning. In any case the 
bunches of Lady D iwne’s and all the rest must be freely if 
gradually thinned out, according to the s'ze of their berries 
respectively. If when nearly or quite ripe they press against 
each other it is then too late to proceed with the thinning, and 
later on one bursted or decaying berryi may effect the ruin 
of the bunch. Especially should those berries with an inward 
or crossing tendency be removed, and not a particle of rub¬ 
bish in the shape of dead flowers or portions of the same or 
stoneless berries be left about the stems, or otherwise those 
responsible may have good cause to rue this oversight. Some- 
wffiat thin bunches are not much to look at, but it is these which 
keep best. 
During the time the Grapes are colouring plenty of front and 
top air should be admitted, but this ought to be dry and warm, 
and not cold and damp ; hence the necessity for keeping the hot- 
water pipes moderately warm in all but the most summer-like 
weather. A little front and top air should also be left on during 
the nights, this being especially necessary to insux’e perfect colour¬ 
ing of the b’ack varieties. A moderately dry atmosphere is to 
be preferred to a moist one, the latter being prejudicial to the 
bloom on the berries. If these conditions are observed and over¬ 
cropping avoided the lipening will be perfect, the chemical changes 
in the berry brought ab lut by the well sustained heat leaving in 
them a minimum of water and a maximum amount of solid sugary 
matter. It will be found that the quabty and keeping properties 
go hand-in-hand, Gnpes ripened after September being of indif¬ 
ferent flavour, as well as keeping badly. 
Having prepared the Grapes for keeping will not alone insure 
them agairst losses, an! accoi-ding to my experience there must 
be no neglect subsequently, it being possible to mir their s’cins, 
and therefore their keeping properties, in a few hours. It is good 
policy to keep the bulk of tlie bunches on the Yines till late in the 
year, and during that time they must not be subjected to either 
very low or high temperatures, the former being guarded against 
as well as a damp atmosphere by the maintenance of a little heat 
in the hot-water pipes, air being left on both night and day being 
a preventive measure against a sudden and dangerous rise in the 
temperature. This part of my subject might well be returned to 
at a more seasonable date, and I ivlll, thfrefore, conclude with the 
assertion that an unheated disused bedroom for bottling Grapes 
cannot be surpassed for the purpose.—\Y. Igculioen. 
