94 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 4, 1892. 
bearing the crop. Before thinning commenced in early summer 
about 2000 bunches were removed, upwards of 800 being left to 
ripen. The Grapes are now colouring, and in a fortnight’s time 
will be ripe. They hang with great regularity, and are better at 
the point farthest from the stem than near it. This Yine was 
raised from a cutting by Mr. Davis twenty-nine years ago and 
is in the best of health, having stout clean foliage and excellent 
fruit. The crop sold last year for £100. In this Yine we have 
something altogether out of the common, something that shows 
what Yines can do when they have freedom guided by the culti¬ 
vator’s art. 
When admiring this extraordinary example of unremitting care 
during a generation on the part of the raiser of the Vine, I thought 
surely here is a case worthy of public recognition, and could not 
repress a feeling of regret that the Royal Horticultural Society 
has no medals to grant to men who have achieved really great 
results outside the exhibition hall. Over and over again must 
medals have been granted for plants, flowers and fruit, which as 
representing cultural merit—the work of a season or two—sink 
into insignificance as compared with this truly wonderful Yine 
which an able man has spent the best part of his life in producing. 
I know not the terms on which the Yeitch Memorial medals are 
granted, but if for triumphs in culture by British cultivators may 
not this great work of Mr. Davis—for a great work it is, and 
indeed in its way unparalleled—be considered ? 
There are other Vines at Manresa House on which I should 
like to dwell but cannot. They may be called substantial novelties, 
for four of them must have an aggregate length of rod of much 
more than half a mile, all bearing useful fruit from end to end. 
Then there are the Peaches. These even without the Vines would 
have satisfied me, one tree covering a space of 45 by 15 feet of 
trellis, closely studded with fruit, and dozens of other trees similarly 
cropped. In one season the fruit from two of the trees was sold 
to the late Mr. Morgan for £42. That is something to remember ; 
so are the Apple trees thirteen years planted, and grown on the 
extension system ; but the Yine eclipses all. Let those who 
suspect any exaggeration ip this description go and see for them¬ 
selves. Manresa House is within two miles of either Putney or 
Barnes station on the London and South-Western Railway. 
I have yet Monday to fill in, the real Bank Holiday, though 
it will be seen I commenced on Saturday. I decided to visit 
Carshalton Park and see what Surrey cottagers could do, and 
hear what their mentors had to say at the meeting called a 
conference. The Show surprised me. The vegetables were 
remarkable, the fruit good; gardeners and nurserymen adding 
attractive features. A great multitude attended, and all seemed 
happy. At the Conference Mr. Cosmo Bonsor, M.P., presided. 
The Surrey County Council was represented by Mr. E. J. Halsey, 
Chairman, and Mr. H. Macan, Secretary of the Technical Education 
Committee. Mr. E. Luckhurst, in a lucid address, said Surrey 
was leading the way in teaching sound gardening among the 
masses, and he described how gardens could be made attractive 
as well as productive. Mr. A. Dean waxed eloquent on the 
beauty of vegetables as well as flowers, and pointed out examples 
of excellence in specimens before him. Mr. George Gordon took 
as his text the gardens he had judged in the district, and com¬ 
mented usefully upon them ; while another Judge, Mr. J. Wright, 
laid down the law on hardy fruit culture. The sides of the tent 
were taken down, and the people flocked round to hear the 
speakers, some let us hope taking useful hints away. 
Mr. Smee, C.C., appeared to be everywhere and looking after 
everybody, his 'gardener (Mr. Cummins) a fixture in his tent, 
writing out cards and taking in money ; while young ladies in a 
well furnished marquee were selling all the flowers they could for 
the benefit of the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. Thus did I spend 
pleasurably and profitably my last Bank Holiday, and I trust this 
narrative may not be wholly without interest to those readers who 
were similarly or differently engaged.—A Countryman. 
NOTES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF VINE 
LATERALS. 
Vines in late houses, when they are in a satisfactory condition, 
will now be making growth freely, and the way in which the 
laterals are manipulated will have a marked effect on the finish 
of this year s crop, and also on the character of the wood produced, 
upon which we must depend for next year’s supply. It too 
often happens that the removal of lateral growth in the sum¬ 
mer months is conducted on principles antagonistic to the well 
being of the Vines, and therefore conducive to their early enfeeble- 
ment. Yine borders may be well made, carefully attended to in 
the matter of watering and feeding, other details of culture be 
correctly carried out, and yet the good results which should ensue 
be to a great extent nullified by faulty management of lateral 
growth. 
If, however, every cultivator considers the two extremes to be 
avoided the right course to pursue should not be difficult to deter¬ 
mine. On the one hand we should avoid allowing Yines to make a 
large amount of lateral growth, which unduly shades the main 
shoots, and consequently prevents their becoming well ripened ; 
whilst on the other hand the more healthy foliage which is well 
exposed to the light each Yine carries, the more numerous and 
active will its roots be. If through want of attention at the right 
time Yine shoots are allowed to grow unchecked till they fol’m 
quite a thicket the worst possible course to pursue is to suddenly 
remove all superfluous growth at one time, and yet in very many 
instances this is just what is done. When through pressure of 
other work this state of things exists the reduction of shoots should 
be gradually done, or shanking of the fruit and ultimate weakness 
of the Vines will assuredly follow. Commence by shortening to 
about half their length a few of the strongest shoots, removing 
the points from others and allowing the weakest laterals to go 
untouched for a time. This will admit quite as much light as is 
desirable under the circumstances. A fortnight after about half 
the weak shoots may be cut back to within a couple of eyes of the 
main laterals, and the others be allowed to grow for a time till 
young shoots make their appearance from those laterals which have 
already been shortened. Ia some cases, especially where the Yines 
are a good distance from the glass, it is far better to leave a lateral 
here and there till the end of the growing season, as less harm will 
be done to the Yines by the little shade thus given than would 
be the case if all young shoots were cleared off in a wholesale 
manner after having once been allowed to develop too much 
growth. When shoots are left in that way merely take out the 
points, and with a piece of tying material draw it down towards 
the trellis so as to have the bent portion of the shoot forming a 
little arch above the main laterals. In this way a greater amount 
of well exposed leafage is secured and the general health of the 
Yines is benefited by it. 
I fully believe that many Yines are seriously crippled by too 
close stopping during the time the fruit is swelling and stoning. 
In the early stages of a Vine’s growth the stopping of shoots 
generally receives careful attention, as it is absolutely neces¬ 
sary to go over them regularly to keep the shoots from 
touching the glass ; but when once the main laterals are tied 
in their final positions the attention given to lateral growth 
is often of a spasmodic character. I am thoroughly convinced 
that to keep Yines permanently healthy, strong, and fruitful, 
a little growth should be continually going on till the fruit is 
ripe. At the same time there must be no allowing a thicket 
of lateral growth to shut out the light and air from those shoots 
to which we look for next season’s crop. Perhaps many are mis¬ 
guided in their treatment of lateral growth because black Grapes, 
especially Hamburghs, will colour splendidly under a perfect 
thicket of growth ; but under this treatment the shoots get weaker, 
and the bunches smaller each year. The aim should be, and the 
difficulty is, to have sufficient shade to enable them to colour per¬ 
fectly while the growth is being gradually ripened, and it is for 
this reason that a thin shade is of great benefit to Black Ham¬ 
burghs which are perfecting the colouring process during bright 
weather.—H. Dunkin. 
VIOLAS AT CHISWICK. 
Visitors to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens at 
Chiswick will find an interesting collection of Violas raised by 
Dr. Stuart of Chirnside, N.B. They are grown in beds on the 
lawn, and are very attractive. They are quite distinct from other 
Violas in commerce, and in my opinion very far ahead of any¬ 
thing yet introduced in Violas. Comparison with other varieties 
will convince anyone that the type is distinct, and is the result of 
many years’ careful and thoughtful work, and the Doctor is to be 
congratulated on the charming results of his interesting labours. 
