Octoter 20, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
845 
colour. I think the heavy clay soil has some influence upon them 
in regard to this. For this district I can confidently recommend 
the varieties named to planters, and if the trees are planted on the 
level ground, and moulded over instead of being put deep down 
into water pits where clay soils have to be dealt with, canker will 
not be so troublesome.—G. Garner, Amberwood , Christchurch. 
Cellini. 
This variety is a case in point of how some sorts vary in 
different localities. Mr. Brotherston in his interesting notes, 
p. 287, says “ Stirling Castle and Cellini for heavy soils only.” Now 
with me in a heavy soil this variety is quite the worst we have ; 
both a standard and bush tree of it have never given U3 a quarter 
of a crop during the last twelve years they have been planted, 
although this season there is more fruit than at any time previous. 
I have heard it said that this Apple will not succeed in the ex- 
treme south, it is more of a cooler district sort. How far this may 
be true I cannot say, but hereabouts I have not seen a tree which 
carried a full crop, while in Yorkshire it used to bear abundantly. 
Certainly where it does succeed id is an excellent variety. Not only 
are the trees shy in bearing, but they canker very badly in spite of 
repeated liftings and the addition of new soil about the roots.—E. M. 
Potts’ Seedling. 
I find this variety does not succeed here in our soil; the fruit 
is plentifully borne, but the skin is much specked and spotted, 
the foliage is too pale in colour. Perhaps by replanting this 
variety on a mound I shall succeed better with it. At Benham 
Park, Newbury, there is a very fine half - standard tree of it 
growing in the frame ground, apparently without any particular 
attention to its roots, and it crops plentifully, the fruit being of 
excellent quality.—E. M. 
Baumann’s Red Reinette. 
From the appearance of the fruit of this variety I should say 
this is likely to make a splendid market Apple for the winter 
supply. The colour of the fruit quite equals Worcester Pearmain, 
and that is greatly in its favour, this being by far the most 
important point to study in market Apples. The size of the fruit 
appears to be what market people require ; it is not the largest 
that are the most in demand, but those which are the most hand¬ 
some. The habit of growth is upright, another point in its favour. 
Presumably this Apple crops freely in ordinary seasons.—E. M. 
Golden Spire. 
This is a capital kitchen Apple to grow where space is some¬ 
what limited, or in any garden where a full crop of fruit is needed 
about the middle of September. This Apple is much longer than 
it is wide, hence its name. The colour is an intense golden colour, 
more so than any other early variety I know. The growth of the 
tree is rather weak, necessitating supports being placed to the 
branches when carrying a heavy crop of fruit.—E. M. 
FUNCTIONS (AND WEIGHT) OF VINE LEAVES, 
Most assuredly a smile, amounting very probably to a broad 
grin, overspread my countenance on reading what Mr. John Swan 
had to say on the question of stopping the lateral growths of 
Yines. Mr. Dunkin will have to search far and wide to find any¬ 
thing half so effective in the shape of an instance of what has 
been done by an advocate of the practice of leaving several leaves 
beyond the bunches. It is my firm belief that a few extra well- 
developed leaves are of more importance to the well-doing of the 
Yines, both above and below ground, than three times the quantity 
of crowded, thin, and otherwise imperfectly formed, or even 
moderately strong foliage. Sub-lateral growths I value but little, 
as they can never do the work of the thick, leathery, primary 
leaves, such as Mr. Swan appears to have on his remarkably heavy 
cropped Yines. There need be no apprehensions of failure in the 
case of the latter, at any rate not till a distinct warning in the 
form of weakly foliage is given. 
Mr. Dunkin derives the grounds for his arguments from various 
sources, and he is quite welcome to adopt all and sundry that he 
can so find, a roving commission being accorded him. He quotes 
what has come under his notice in a few cases, but directly I turn 
the tables on him I am told that my reference is exceptional and 
inglorious. To a certain extent it is inglorious to make a point at 
other people’s expense, and I should not have said so much as I did 
had there been the slightest possibility of my remarks hurting 
the feelings of or doing an injury to the individual most concerned. 
My contention was that a comparatively unrestricted lateral growth 
did not prevent a great falling off in the weight and value 
of the crops, but I knew too much about the whole matter to even 
insinuate that it was wholly to blame for the failure. At th<» 
same time references to failures had for obvious reasons better be 
left out of this discussion, and for the future I will confine my 
remarks wholly to what is taking or has taken place under my own 
management. 
What should be adopted in the case of Yines in perfect health 
need not nor ought to be the same as when they require renovation; 
but Mr. Dunkin is confounding the one with the other. When I 
first undertook the charge of the old vineries here the Yines were 
in a wretched plight, and one of the renovating measures practised 
with a fair amount of success was the laying in of a number of 
young rods, a few of these being laid in every summer for years 
past. Mr. Dunkin remembers seeing some of these, and jumps at 
the conclusion that my practice is very different to what I advocate. 
What little success I have met with in horticulture has been largely 
due to the avoidance of any hard and fast lines, and also because I 
have profited by many blunders made by myself and others. This 
season I stopped some laterals at several leaves beyond the bunches, 
very many more at the second leaf, and sufficient to test the sound¬ 
ness of previously formed views as to the effect of close stopping or 
otherwise. Not till Mr. Dunkin has done the same is he fully com¬ 
petent to prove that what I have previously stated is altogether 
wrong, and no amount of “ beating about the bush ” will meet the 
case. The house of late Grapes I referred to on page 304 as being 
in extra good condition at the end of ten years has teen of an 
experimental character from beginning to end, and chapters might, 
in fact, have been written on what has been done. Never once were 
the Yines allowed to form any superfluous growth, and never once 
have they failed to do well. This season the crops are heavy, the 
bunches fairly large, and the colour has been termed “ perfect ” by 
several good judges. As yet very few bunches have been cut, and 
I shall be only too pleased to show the rest to Mr. Dunkin or any 
other reader of the Journal of Horticidture. All the rods are 
clothed with lateral growths down to the ground, and what is not 
often seen bunches are hanging within 6 inches of the border. In 
all probability the bunch of Gros Colman on a hard-stopped lateral, 
mentioned on page 304, will be the best in the house, and I hope it 
will find its way to Mr. Dunkin’s county next month. It may be 
thought that the border in which those Yines to which I point with 
so much boastful pride was exceptionally well made ; but I can 
safely say that it was extremely cheap, the material consisting of 
clayey loam cut from a bank in a poor meadow and the top spit of 
our garden soil in equal quantities, mortar rubbish and the residue 
of a garden “ smother” being freely added. Bone manure has since 
been used with the top-dressing material, but none was mixed with 
the original compost. To all appearances those Vines are improving 
in health and vigour, and a very great change will have to come 
over them also in my ideas before any superfluous growths or leaves 
will be left. 
There is no good reason, that I can see, why my old friend 
Mr. Bardney should not fully state his views on the subject under 
discussion, whether these be in accordance with mine or not ; and 
now the evenings are longer, and gardeners have more leisure time, 
it is to be hoped more of them will give their experience. It is not 
to be expected that we shall all agree in the matter, but a good- 
tempered well-conducted discussion not unfrequently brings out 
instructive comments, that otherwise would not appear in print. 
Why I did not state the “ something else ” necessary to ensure 
perfect colouring of Grapes is because I have already frequently 
done so in these pages, and I will now merely add that my practice 
corresponds closely, as far as free ventilation is concerned, with that 
very lucidly described on page 305. Mr. Bardney has well pointed 
out the secret of success in colouring black Grapes at any rate, 
and that too whether the Yines are hard or only lightly stopped. 
—W. Iggulden. _ 
It is not a pleasant task to demolish the cause that brings a 
“ happy smile,” but I am afraid Mr. Iggulden’s newly found cause 
for happiness will be as fleeting as it has been beaming ; at any 
rate, I think there is no difficulty in showing that his would-be 
supporter from across the border has in reality weakened the cause 
he intended to support. I thoroughly agree with Mr. Swan that 
“ good leafage is of primary importance, and that the higher the 
development of foliage the more perfect will be the elaboration of 
the sap and its assimilation by the Vine.” But when it comes to 
the question of how to produce the type of foliage we both believe 
in, I will have the temerity to show him how such powerful 
elaborators of sap can be grown by another and a better way than 
that which he points out on page 326, a way by which similar leaves 
to those which he forwarded to the Editor can be grown, not for a 
few years only, but for ten, twenty—nay, thirty years. 
On the day that I received the Journal containing Mr. Swan ’3 
note I forwarded to 171, Fleet Street, a few leaves taken from 
Yines growing in the gardens here, the heaviest leaf weighing 
1^ oz. and each of the others exceeded in weight those sent from 
