291 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 28, 1893, 
THE ASHFORD YINERIES, FORDINGBRIDGE. 
Just as the seeing of a place that has a reputation, and yet is 
indifferently cared for, brings the visitor disappointment, so does a visit 
to a place where little is looked for and much that is good found afford 
exceeding satisfaction. I have been into many market-growing estab¬ 
lishments about London, and have usually found that everything about 
them was made very secondary to tidiness and general excellence ; 
consequently when recently I called at the Fordingbridge Vineries 1 
looked for nothing better, but was exceedingly pleased to find a large 
number of houses in perfect condition, the whole place neat and 
clean, and the culture of Vines, Tomatoes, and Chrysanthemums, 
for these are just now the chief objects of culture, of the very best. 
Perhaps some of this is due to the fact that Mr. Stephen Castle, who is 
the Manager, and has had full control for several years, is at once a 
modest man, who boasts nothing, has some garden taste as well as much 
skill, and is certainly a capital cultivator. It may seem odd that what 
is a small town of such excellent houses should be dropped down in so 
remote a part of the country. The vineries are the property of a well 
known Jersey firm, Messrs. A. & J. Quartier, who also have an extensive 
corn business at Fordingbridge. On the other hand, it would seem as if soil 
and situation were in these days of far more consequence than place and 
distance, for the railways render locality of small moment, and it seems 
as easy, as is found in practice, to send products to London, Manchester, 
or Edinburgh, as to Bournemouth, Plymouth, or Exeter. The vineries 
are close to the railway station, and in that respect, whether in 
getting in coal, for Mr. Castle believes only in anthracite, or for sending 
away produce, is most convenient. 
Looked at from the elevated railway a little towards Wimborne the 
entire body of glass is presented in the form of a large triangle, the 
acute angular point being closest to the spectator, whilst in the remote 
background are Mr, Castle’s and some of his assistants’ residences. Just 
by these there is yet space to erect another long, broad span house, 
and then in a meadow below there is reserved space for the addition of 
some ten or twelve more large houses, and these no doubt will be 
erected in a few years. For the purpose of examining the contents of 
these structures we start from the manager’s house, and enter a huge lean- 
to that fronts to the north-east of the other houses. This is 200 feet by 
18 feet, and is in three equal divisions. The first two are planted with 
Gros Colman, the end one of which is the latest. Here at the time of 
my visit the berries were just showing a little colour, whilst in the 
next division the colouring was much more advanced. These represent 
the latest of the five market Grapes grown. The Vines are planted close 
to the front, and at only 2 feet apart. There are twenty-three Vines in 
the first division and thirty in the second, a portion of the first being 
otherwise occupied. Every Vine is carrying a tremendously heavy crop 
of good sized bunches, and the berries when ripe will be fully up to the 
usual dimensions. Each rod is expected to give 40 lbs. of Grapes ; whilst 
those in the first division will be cut in January, those in the other will 
be cleared by Christmas, The third division is planted with Black 
Alicante, and there are twenty-nine rods. Here, too, there is a great 
crop, although not the same weight as in the other divisions. The 
Grapes are, however, nearly finished, and will be excellent in every 
respect, the average weight per rod being rather over 30 lbs. 
It is worth noting that for these Vines, as indeed all over the place, 
no very special preparation has been made. The borders consist of the 
ordinary soil deeply trenched, and it’is naturally drained. It is very 
firm, and seems to have very enduring nature—indeed, it must have 
good natural properties to carry such crops of Grapes year after year. 
There is very little of top-dressing with animal manure, as it does not 
seem to be too accessible ; about 3 feet wide, close to the Vines, alone 
is thinly dressed. The chief reliance seems to be on the patent silicate 
manure, which Mr. Castle largely uses for top-dressing, and which he 
regards as most valuable for Vines. I may mention here that for all 
his Muscat Vines he adds a moderate proportion of sand to the borders, 
and also gives occasional dressings of it, as well as of the manure. 
The next house, running at a slight angle from the one described, is 
a fine span 210 feet long and 30 feet wide. This, too, is in three divisions 
and was planted with Vines so recently as 1891. In the first division 
on the north side twenty-two Alicantes are planted 3 feet apart, each 
one carrying from ten to twelve well-coloured bunches. On the 
south side are the same number of Gros Colman, each one heavily 
fruited. Then on either side of the centre walk, and at 6 teet apart, 
there are planted on the south side Alicantes, and on the other Gros 
Colman, so that some of each sort are on each side of the house. These 
are trained as vertical cordons, each carrying on an average twelve to 
fourteen bunches, and not less than 20 lbs. weight. Tomatoes in pots 
are run up between the Vines. The second division is planted exclu¬ 
sively with Muscats, but the crop had been cut. Into the border four 
loads of sand had been worked. Mr. Castle speaks very highly of the 
Canon Hall Muscat of which there are several Vines, specially liking 
its full berries, stout dark leafage and wood and general productiveness. 
The third and lower division is planted entirely with Gros Colman, 
twenty-four on each side, and twenty-four down the centre for erect 
training, making seventy-two in all. The berries on the north side have 
much the best colour because the sun caught them obliquely through 
the glass above the Vines on the opposite side. This fact shows in 
getting colour into this Grape the importance of ample sunlight. This 
division was planted towards the end of May, 1891, each Vine now 
carrying a heavy crop up some 6 feet of rod. 
tClose to the end of this fine vinery commences the smaller houses of 
the large triangle of glass. Here is a block of three, each 12 feet wide 
respectively, of 30, 40, and 50 feet long. The Vines in the first house 
are Black Hamburghs, planted 3 feet apart, and are two years estab¬ 
lished. They run to the apex on each side, and have given a good 
crop. The borders are 5 feet wide, and only 9 inches deep, as being 
built for Cucumbers, pipes run along beneath. The second house is 
planted partly with Hamburghs, partly Gros Maroc, in the same way, 
but the crop has been cut. The third house is planted with Muscat of 
Alexandria ; the return pipe in the chamber beneath the border being 
found most helpful in finishing the berries. The Vines here are three 
years planted, and carry a fine crop. Then follow three span houses, 
each 18 feet wide, and respectively 70, 80, and 90 feet long. The centre 
gutters of these rest on brick piers, so that the houses are all, so far, 
open one to the other. The plan, however, is productive of cold 
draughts, and is not desirable. One range of pipes is made partly to 
heat two houses. The first house is full of Gros Colman, chiefly planted 
four years, rods about 9 feet long and 3 feet apart, carrying a heavy 
crop. A few Muscats planted by mistake are to be worked with Gros 
Maroc, for a few Vines of that variety do remarkably well here, and in 
all cases the soil seems to impart excellent flavour to the fruit, perhaps 
due to some extent to absence of gross feeding. In the second house 
the Vines are chiefly Alicantes, the rods laden with fine bunches, and 
richly coloured. In the third house Muscat of Alexandria and Gros 
Colman are planted alternately. The greater part of the crop here, also 
a very fine one, has been cut. 
Next comes a block of houses 20 feet wide, ranging in length from 
120 to 160 feet. The first house is planted on the west side with Muscat 
of Alexandria and Gros Colman alternately, all the other side being 
the latter sort only. The Vines are four years old, and the crop is indeed 
a splendid one, presenting a grand sight. The Grapes are cut during 
November and December. The next house is planted entirely with Gros 
Colman, two years old, fruiting about 7 feet lengths, each rod having 
from nine to eleven bunches. There are in this house 100 Vines at 
3 feet apart. In the third house of this group Black Hamburgh Vines 
have been planted recently for early forcing. Tomatoes otherwise fill 
the house, these being planted crosswise in rows 3 feet apart and are 
vertically trained. The crop has been a heavy one, and fruit will be fur¬ 
nished if desired till the end of October. The chief varieties are Hack- 
wood Park, Sutton’s Perfection, Challenger, and Webb’s Regina, one of 
the larger Apple-shaned sorts, of which Mr. Castle speaks in the highest 
terms. The fourth house is also recently planted with Black Hamburghs, 
and in it immense numbers of Tomato plants have been grown. 
Lastly is a huge house, 34 feet wide by 160 feet, the first division 
of which was planted last spring with Peach and Nectarine trees. The 
second and third divisions were planted with Gros Maroc last April, 
and will soon be in a productive condition. This house, too, has been 
planted with Tomatoes, and amongst them are Conference, Ham Green 
Favourite, and Vick’s Criterion. This completes the record of the glass 
houses at the Ashford Vineries, and presents a total length of 1530 feet— 
a goodly area of glass to be met with so far from London. Mr. Castle 
has long been known by his writings, and very often by the fine 
examples he has shown, as an authority on Grape culture, and this 
unbiassed record of what I have seen of his work will, I am sure, carry 
conviction that he is fully entitled to all the honour of such a position. 
—A. D. 
LONDON TREES. 
The following correspondence regarding London trees appeared 
recently in The Times ;— _ 
Before parting with the memorable summertide of 1893, it may not 
be profitless to observe its effect upon trees, so essential to the beauty 
and health of the metropolis. They afford the one redeeming feature to 
an otherwise ugly town. Some years ago I brought upon myself a good 
deal of adverse criticism by quoting Leigh Hunt’s saying that it was 
hard to find a single street in London from some part of which a tree 
was not visible. I only know of two—viz., Savile Row and a street 
parallel with Berners Street. 
London trees have two adverse influences to resist—coal smoke and 
heat reflected from miles of brick and stonework. The effect of the 
latter is so clearly marked upon several species at the present moment 
that the lesson ought not to be neglected by the Office of Works and by 
those in charge of squares and gardens, for, although the heat has been 
greatly excessive this year, trees in a town are always exposed to greater 
summer heat than those in the country. 
The trees which have suffered most are one native species—-the Wych 
Elm, and two exotic species—the Horse Chestnut and the Lime. The 
condition in which these are now and have been for some weeks past 
ought to convince us of their unsuitability for urban planting. Many 
of them are entirely leafless; others retain but a sere remnant of summer 
clothing. 
The Plane, for which we shall soon have to borrow the title of a 
humbler green thing and call it “ London Pride,” has stood the trial 
fairly well, for, although it has shed half its leaves, the other half 
remain and are still fresh and verdant. By a popular mistake this tree 
is called the Western or Occidental Plane. It is not so, but an Eastern 
European and Asiatic species (Platanus acerifolius), and may be dis¬ 
tinguished from the American P. occidentalis by bearing two or more 
s.ed vessels on the fruitstalk instead of one. 
Aspens and Poplars have suffered not at all, and should be more 
