380 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
[ November S, 1887. 
where he conceives I am wrong, and trust he will not find the exercise 
uncongenial. 
The early Grapes were cut, the Vines being in the same excellent 
condition as to sturdiness and firmness of laterals as those bearing so 
heavily. In a lean-to range vigorous young Vines are covering the roof, 
some of the Gros Colmans bearing medium bunches of splendid berries 
beautifully finished. The borders v ere bedded down with clean straw 
to prevent the moisture rising, too much of it not being good for late 
Grapes ; for the principle of osmosis is a great fact, its existence and 
action only being denied by persons who do not understand it. Under 
these Vines were some very fine Ferns, chiefly Adiantum farleyense, and 
the moisture from them w as sufficient for the Vines in that stage without 
evaporation from the border. It may be said that all the inside Vine 
borders were thickly covered with littery manure, dry on the top where 
the Grapes were ripe or the crop removed, but damp below. The borders 
are as firm as Mushroom beds, and sixteen-stone men like Mr. Pettigrew 
and his visitor could jump on them without making any marked im¬ 
pression. On “ poking” through the mulching, the soil was found distinctly 
moist, and permeated with a bristling mass of active fibrous roots. 
Here, then, was the secret of the short-jointed wood and well finished, 
though, at the first glance, too heavy crop of Alicantes. Those roots are 
the finishers of Grapes and the supporters of foliage, but they could not 
have been in anything approaching such numbers in a light, loose, dry¬ 
surfaced border. Each Vine carries several rods, some more than others, 
and if there is any difference, the greater the number of rods from a 
stem the better the crop. It were easy to say the rods were too close, 
from 2 to 3 feet apart, but the great crop of fine bunches and berries 
enforced silence. Spur-pruning is adopted, and Vines in the condition 
of these will endure it to any extent, and to depart from the method 
would not be a change in the right direction. 
It is the back wall of one of the lean-to vineries that is covered with 
Lemons, three trees furnishing in the most complete and satisfactory 
manner a wall 30 feet by 10 feet. Only once have I seen the wall of a 
vinery covered so satisfactorily, and that was with white Camellias, the 
value of the blooms equalling that of a good crop of Grapes under the 
roof. But Lemons cover a wall much more quickly, the bright green 
leaves are attractive always, the blossoms must emit delicious perfume 
yi their season, and the large juicy fruit succeeding are highly orna¬ 
mental and at the same time useful, those on the wall in question being 
quite above the average of imported “shop fruit.” It is of little use 
visiting gardens without picking up hints that may be useful or sug¬ 
gestive, and the method of Lemon culture at Cardiff is recorded as 
showing how the back walls of vineries may be covered effectively. 
To the best of my recollection three span-roofed houses are devoted 
to plants, two of them 60 feet long, about 22 feet wide, and perhaps 
20 feet high to the ridge, the other house being larger. One of them 
was mainly occupied with Fuchsias—decorative plants for the Castle 
—huge bushes in 10-inch pots, not plants pinched and tnht-laced, and 
made artificially prim, but represented in their natural freedom and 
gracefulness. They must have been very handsome when in their prime. 
Not many varieties are grown, but several plants of a few that are most 
suitable for the purpose for which they are required. Mr. Pettigrew 
does not waste much time in pinching and restricting either plants or 
trees and moulding them into fanciful shapes, but allows them as far as 
is practicable to assume their natural habits. Aralia Veitchi is grown 
10 feet high, the leaflets usually slender, being inch or more in 
diameter—trees rather than plants. In one of the stoves Eucharises 
luxuriate, and suspended from the roof is a noticeable plant of .<Eschy- 
nanthus Lobbianus. It is in a basket, its healthy growths hanging down 
about 4 feet, and when covered with orange scarlet flowers must be a 
beautiful object. Prominent in the larger stove is one of the best 
specimens in the kingdom of the yellow-stemmed Palm Areca lutescens, 
a splendid example of Encephalartos villosus, many large freely grown 
and brilliant Crotons, with other kinds that need not be enumerated, 
and as regards their quality it is enough to say that Mr. Cypher’s had 
to stand second to them when placed in competition. Plants are, how¬ 
ever, not grown for exhibition at Cardiff, but local shows are encouraged 
with what “ happ ens to be worth taking ” at the time of their 
occurrence ; and it is very certain they would have to “ happen ” at a 
peculiar time when something could not be found for enriching them. 
Outside we found a few hundri ds of Chrysanthemums, large, well-grown 
bushes that would yield a wealth of blooms ; but plants of various 
kinds must be left for jotting down a remembrance of fruit trees. 
Whatever may be forgotten, no one who visits the walled garden of 
about four acres, and another splendid kitchen garden, apparently a 
good deal larger, will be likely to forget the pyramid Pears at Cardiff. 
Apples and other fruits are grown as well as we could desire to see them, 
but the Pears are magnificent. No such mistake has been made as 
planting a tree each of all the varieties to be found in a catalogue, and 
pinching and root-pruning them into a lot of pomological dolls, but 
the sides of the different quarters have been each occupied with half a 
dozen trees of a sort. They were planted as maidens, and for years 
pruning has been limited to the thinning out of a few branches to pre¬ 
vent overcrowding. More perfect and handsome trees could with diffi¬ 
culty be found, and in all my travels I have not seen any of their age 
to equal them. Several are 25 feet high, forming grand avenues, and 
must bear tons of fruit of the first size and quality, for the ground was 
trenched for them and made good to the depth of 2 or 3 feet. The 
thinly disposed branches that grow as much as they like or can, and 
not being shortened, form natural spurs their entire length, are “ roped” 
with fruit, and roped, too, to prevent it breaking down the branches, for 
long poles are inserted round, and the trees of Pitmaston Duchess par¬ 
ticularly, laced with wagon ropes. These rows of such Pears as the 
one just named, Jargonelle, Beurrd d’Amanlis, Beurrd Diel, Marie 
Louise, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Bergamotte Esperen, and others of 
sterling usefulness, were worth going to Wales to see. The first and 
last mentioned were, perhaps, the more striking, and will dwell in the 
memory as triumphs of high culture, and as witnesses of the usefulness 
of the Pear stock that will bear all the examination and cross examina¬ 
tion that can be levelled against them and it. Quince stocks and Paradise 
stocks have been tried at Cardiff, and answer well enough for a time, but 
eventually trees on free stocks assert their supremacy in prolonged 
vigour and productiveness. 
The walls are covered with trees, well trained, healthy, and fruitful, 
the Pears there also on the free stock, and in greater variety than in the 
open ; the walls are covered with stone copings, projecting about 9 inches, 
and the ground is not cropped nearer than 4 feet from the stems, but 
there mulched. The borders are probably n- arer 30 than 25 wide, so 
there is plenty of room for vegetables, which are grown in abundance, 
without cropping close to the walls. Young Peach trees of the best 
sorts have been planted where they are likely to prosper, and the 
Tomatoes between them would bear the inspection of the author of the 
useful treatise on this popular fruit. How far a fine round local variety 
is distinct from existing sorts I will leave him to determine ; another, a 
chance seedling, was remarkable for its huge clusters, but, on reflection 
I do not think is sufficiently distinct from King Humbert or Chiswick 
Bed, and Mr. Pettigrew will have to try again, and perhaps wait a long 
time before he produces something as worthy of the place as the Cardiff 
Castle Cucumber. The mention of the town and the Castle reminds me 
I have said nothing about either of them ; but I had two days to look 
round, and have only jotted down a few memories of one of them ; 
those of the other must wait.—A Tourist. 
P.S.—Two misprints occurred in my article on page 361, last week. 
The word “ impression ” in the fourth paragraph ought to have been 
impressing, and the word “anything” in the fifth was written every¬ 
thing.—A. T. 
GLADIOLUS NOTES. 
Tiie present has been the best season for Gladiolus that we have 
experienced for many years. The plants made a strong growth,, 
the spikes of blooms being correspondingly large, and the earliest 
ripened sorts which we have just been lifting have fine corms. As 
exhibiting the difference of seasons, it may be stated that in 1886- 
our principal blooms were not out until the middle and end of 
September, whereas in the present year we had a continuous show 
from about the 10th of August until the end of September, the 
earlier spikes opening in July, and there are still a few late ones to> 
open. Owing to the very unsatisfactory flowering last year, an old- 
fashioned plan was resorted to in spring in order if possible to- 
secure a better and an earlier season. In order to err on the safe 
side, we have also further grown many more of the earlier varieties, 
which, if not so rich in bright colours as the late flowering sorts,, 
have the advantage in yielding spikes in a cold season, whereas the 
late varieties do not. 
The plan referred to was one that was very common when the. 
Gladiolus first began to be grown as a popular flower, and that was. 
to start the corms well into growth before planting them out. As 
we had a very large number to prepare and not much room for the. 
purpose, the corms were simply set out closely together in boxes on 
a layer of leaf mould, the coims covered with moss and then set on> 
the inside border of a vinery. Tim was done about the end of 
March. The growths started immediately, roots being freely formed 1 
at the same time. When the top growth was 2 inches long the 
boxes were removed out of doors, sheltered from sun and cold for a 
few days and nights by means of mats thrown on the top of the 
moss. They were planted out about the 10th of April, the roots at 
that time being 3 inches in length, and were lifted out of the leaf 
soil without any breakages. The tops were not longer than 3 inches- 
andwere covered in planting. A little leaf soil was placed under and 
over the roots. During the summer drought the plants were 
watered and had three or four surface dressings of manure, which 
helped them greatly. The best of our spikes for the last few 3 - ears 
have been produced by imported French corms. Next year, if the 
season is anything like as warm as that just ended, our home-growni 
corms will be quite as good as the French ones. We have also 
secured some well-ripened seeds from a few of the best kinds, a 
thing that has been impossible here for several years back. 
As catalogues give no indication of the earliness or lateness of 
the varieties, I append a list of good early sorts, as well as those 
which are later in flowering. Early varieties.—Ambroise Verschaf- 
felt, deep rose, sometimes fine ; Amitie, a mixture of carnation, 
soft yellow, and purple, very beautiful, new in 1884 ; Andre Leroy r 
cherry and white ; Antiope, orange cerise, long spike ; Archduchesse 
Marie Christine, flowers very large, fleshy white, with marks of 
rose ; Bicolore, very distinctly marked salmon, the two under lateral 
sepals pure white ; Carnation, fleshy white and carmine, fine ; Cre- 
