488 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 21, 189<. 
them. He was reminded that they were young in comparison 
with the Hampton Court "Vine, and with one growing against an 
outside wall, and which bore plenty of Crapes on some parts, but 
they did not ripen. The “ some parts ” of the outdoor Vine were 
young parts that had issued after cutting back dying branches, not 
the sign of a bunch being visible on old spurred branches ; yet the 
long thin laterals extended fast enough and far enough in the 
autumn, much in the same way as did those of the old Vines under 
glass. Here was a suggestive lesson. Nothing whatever was done 
to the roots of the under-glass Vines, at least that season, but a 
change of pruning was decided upon. Yet some caution was 
exercised. If it did not answer, the new gardener, by cutting the 
Vines differently, might cut short his own career, so he pruned one- 
third of them in the orthodox way, and two-thirds in an heterodox 
manner. He was regarded as a sort of heretic and quack by 
“friends’’who called on him, and gave a grin such as critics can 
when they do not want to say anything uncivil. As may be 
expected, they called in the summer to see the “muddle,” for 
that was the local designation of the departure, and scarcely 
knew what to say when they had to see next to no Grapes 
cn the Vines “properly” pruned, and at least five times as 
many on those which had been “muddled.” But the owner 
knew what to say and to do when the Grapes from his old 
Vines defeated all comers at the local show, for ho raised the 
gardener’s wages. 
The young gardener then, as modestly as he could, ventured to 
record his experience in the Press for the benefit of others, and was 
pretty well “ roasted.” His narration was somewhat in this form ;— 
“ Half or more of the old spurs—the worst—were sawn off and the 
cuts pared, the rest of the laterals thinned, the worst removed, the 
best retained, and these trained up the old rods, and shortened 
where the wood was the firmest and the bud the roundest, taking 
care that it pointed in the direction where there was room for the 
growth to extend. The rest was a question of disbudding to 
prevent crowding, an important matter, and the change proved a 
great success.” 
The following year the Grapes were better than ever, new 
roots were then induced to push from the old, also from the 
collars of the Vines, young rods trained in where there was room, 
and by following out the system of pruning to the best buds, spurs 
or no spurs, full crops of fine Grapes were borne by the old and 
once “ worn out” Vines for twenty years. The young practitioner 
thought in his zeal at the time the method he practised was new, 
but he lived long enough to find it was very old (much older than 
the spur system), and was delighted when he found it was sub¬ 
stantially adopted by the famous grower of Grapes—and winner 
of prizes for them—the late Mr. Henderson of Cole Orton. 
J^early twenty years ago the same once young gardener alluded 
to found the roof of a friend’s vinei’y covered with tho growths 
of an ancient Vine. It was closely spurred yearly, and bore a 
dozen or two of 2 oz. bunches. The pruning was changed on 
the lines suggested, more and better Grapes following the next 
three seasons than had been produced during the previous ten 
years all put together, nothing whatever being done to the roots 
of the old Vine. The change was described at the time, and 
the narrator was “roasted” again, but he did not mind, 
especially as some of the roasters learned by experience, and 
happily lived to advise similar methods in making the best of 
old Vines that could not be removed, and the roots of which 
were practically beyond the control of the cultivator. 
A year ago the same watchful “ young ’ man read of some such 
departure as above indicated being successfully made, not for the 
first time we may be sure, by a gardener whom no man living 
who is himself competent, dare whisper a word as against his 
genuineness. He has won his way by sound knowledge, high 
attainments, and excellent work to his present commanding 
position Mr. Owen Thomas of Frogmore. Even in such a 
garden houses of old Vines cannot be cleared till young ones are 
established for meeting the demand of from 20 lbs. to 80 lbs. 
or more of Grapes for one dessert. A number of Vines, mixed 
varieties, in a large house had done their duty well for many 
years on the close spur system, but gradually waned. They 
were retained to do what they could. At the 1892 pruning 
the system was changed : the best and not the worst parts of 
the wood chosen for bearing. In 1893 the crop was quadrupled. 
Yes, but what of next year ? ” might be naturally asked by the 
spur adherents. If they could see the house at this moment 
they would find it full of Grapes from base to summit—such 
a crop as it would have been absolutely impossible for either 
Mr. Thomas or anyone else to have produced if the Vines had 
continued to be worked on the close spurring system. The 
increase in yield through the change is tenfold, and, in truth, a 
great deal more—a splendid reward for the departure from 
hackneyed methods, as dictated by sound judgment based 
on true scientific principles as applied to these particular 
Vines. 
When the visitor who knows good work in gardening passes 
through the long fruit range at Frogmore he will see a good deal 
to admire, but will have to make a long pause when be enters the 
Foster’s Seedling house, put on his considering cap, and wonder 
why and how it is that such a grand crop of Grapes can be 
produced by such a Vine. It is said to be thirty years old, and is 
planted close to the back wall in what seems to be a foot wide 
border. On reaching the top of the wall the Vine branches right 
and left, and from the horizontal rods others are trained down the 
roof at 4 feet intervals. The house is GO feet long. The bunches, 
from top to bottom and end to end, are uniformly good, and the 
berries remarkably fine, dozens of the handsome clusters being of 
exhibition quality. That the Vine is rationally pruned and has the 
best of attention goes without saying, but no one seems to know 
where the roots have wandered. It is doubtful if another 
Foster’s Seedling Vine and its crop can be found to equal this 
in the Queen’s dominions. 
There is also another Vine within reach—the monarch of all in 
Her Majesty’s possession—the grand old centenarian at Cumberland 
Lodge. A drive thereto through the famous “ Long Walk,” thence 
down the Rhododendron avenue, and past beautiful Virginia Water, 
is very delightful. 1 he old Vine seems as if it were being made 
younger, as it is certainly stronger than it was last year. This is 
due in part to the rational pruning on the lines suggested, and 
partly to a successful attempt of drawing a new layer of roots from 
the gigantic stem. Some of the extension growths from the old 
veteran are like those from young Vines, and if it should come to 
pass that an additional roof be provided for the famous Vine to 
cover, then would the Queen undoubtedly possess the finest Vine 
in Britain, and Her Majesty’s loyal subjects in the domain of 
horticulture would rejoice in the Royal acquisition. 
In the foregoing remarks let no one jump to the conclusion 
that the close-spur method of pruning Vines is condemned as a 
system. It is just as rational as any other for Vines to which it is 
appropriate, and which prove its soundness by the splendid results 
that are seen over the length and breadth of the land ; but when 
Vines through age or local circumstances are no longer amenable to 
the orthodox method of pruning to force it on them is irrational if 
the object in view is the production of fruit. That the same 
method of pruning is not equally applicable to all varieties of 
Grapes and all kinds of Vines is certain. The change of methods 
with the results at Frogmore and other places prove the point to 
demonstration, and the facts may be usefully recorded. — 
Experientia Docet. 
P.S.—Mr. Thomas merits congratulation on his work at 
Frogmore, though he would be slow to admit it, and if he could 
be said to be open to the charge of being proud about anything, it 
would perhaps be on a night’s activity in dodging the frost. On 
a memorable occasion not long ago—a night of serious loss to 
many—he was on the alert, watching the indications of the 
