386 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 3, 1887. 
before I do so. I did try my corms of “ Shakespeare,” one of the 
earliest blooming varieties we have, and found the corms large and 
clean, and if they were a fair sample of what I might expect I 
shall be very well satisfied. 
Pansies. —These have done very well with me this year. I 
grew my small collection in pots, and afterwards turned them out 
in a cool part of the garden, the coolest I could find. I adopted 
the somewhat lazy plan of dividing the roots, keeping the young 
root-shoots for potting up. They are looking well, being now in 
small pots, where they will remain until the spring placed in a cold 
frame and kept from damp and frost. I have now none but Fancy 
varieties, so completely have they jostled out the more refined 
Show class, their greater hardiness and rich and varied colours 
making them most desirable. 
Dahlias. —The early October frost has made sad havoc with 
these very susceptible plants, and I fear seed savers, both of the 
double and single kinds, will be grievously disappointed. It will 
be now time to lift the tubers. They will be probably pretty ripe 
owing to the dry weather, and should be placed where they can be 
gently dried without fear of frost ; damp being also in their case 
to be specially guarded against, as it causes rot in the roots. 
Ranunculus. —The earlier or Turban varieties may be planted 
as soon as the soil is in good order, but these are not florists’ flowers. 
This honour is reserved only for the later or Persian varieties, 
and with these nothing can very well be done at present. They may 
be looked over, just to see that they are free from damp, and are in 
some place clear of frost. 
Tulips. —Years and years ago I used to grow these, and have 
made many.a pilgrimage to see collections of them in flower. I am 
old enough to remember journeying to Walworth to see Mr. Henry 
Groom’s collection, in which bulbs were priced at fifty or a hundred 
guineas, but which did not at the sale fetch as many pence. I have 
also reminiscences of visits to private growers in the neighbourhood 
of London, but all these are matters of ancient history. Mr. Turner 
grew a fine collection for years, invited people to see them, but no 
one came, and at last in despair he gave them up. Will the taste 
ever revive ? They are surely a most stately flower. They have, 
too, a histoiy, as Mr. Polman Mooy, in his paper read before the 
Horticultural Club last year, and published in the Journal, clearly 
showed. The difficulty of growing them has been exaggerated. But 
if anyone did commence, where are they to get bulbs ? Whether 
they are advertised in the north I know not, but one never sees an 
advertisement of them in the gardening papers. I believe that they 
are a most unsaleable commodity, and perhaps this is one reason 
why they are not put forward. We used to consider the 20th of 
November about the best time for planting, and very particular are 
Tulip growers as to the way they should be planted ; what flowers 
ought to be in each row arranged according to height, &c. It seems 
absurd to say anything about planting when there are none perhaps 
to plant; but it may be as well to say that they require a rich soil, 
and when the bulbs are put in, a little silver sand should be placed 
round them. Here in the south I do not think the old plan of 
covering the beds is needed.—D., Deal. 
. VINES IN POTS. 
For an early crop of Grapes, or in cases where old Vines have 
been removed, and until the young Vines come into bearing, pot 
Vines are most useful for securing a crop without causing a break in 
the supply. Vines that are forced early decline in vigour much 
sooner than those that are not started until the turn of the new year, 
and in these cases it is preferable to grow the early supply from pot 
Vines. Planting out young Vines in brick pits in small houses has 
been advocated in the Journal, and an excellent plan it is, as we can 
testify fr6m temporary Vines in later houses; but in the majority 
of cases these small houses are not at command, or are required 
for growing other plants later on after the pot Vines are cleared out. 
In our case a crop or two of Melons, or a good crop of Tomatoes can 
be grown, allowing ample time for the house being properly 
cleaned before the pot Vines are introduced. Last season we were 
fairly successful in their production. Bunches of Black Hamburghs 
turned the scale at 2 lbs., and in some cases 3 lbs., and Muscat of 
Alexandria 4 lbs. ; but in the case of the Black Hamburghs we give 
preference to bunches which weigh about 2 lbs., as they are invari¬ 
ably better finished. I am under the impression that many pot Vines 
are ruined through receiving too much water in the early stages of 
growth, for if freely watered before the roots become active the 
latter will perish. Very little water is required until fresh roots and 
active feeders form, but by the time the Vines are in free growth 
liberal supplies should be afforded. Attention in watering and 
feeding is the secret of success in the cultivation of pot Vines, for if 
allowed to become dry or flag failure is certain. 
The principal pot Vines here are grown in a lean-to Melon house ; 
brick pedestals are built up for standing the pots on, but previous to 
the pots being placed in position a layer of good fibry turves is 
placed on the top ; the crock holes are also enlarged to permit the 
egress of the roots. The old surface soil down to the roots is re¬ 
moved and top-dressed firmly with good loam, and a sprinkling of 
fine bone meal or Thomson’s Vine manure. After all the pots are 
placed in position water is given to settle the surface soil, and 
the pit filled firmly with Oak or Beech leaves so as to generate a 
bottom heat of 70° to 75°. It is the usual practice to remove the 
lower buds up to the trellis after they have started, but last season 
we allowed the lower buds to extend to five or six leaves, and which 
helped to swell up the stem to a large size ; in fact they were 
treated in this respect as recommended by Mr. W. Taylor for build¬ 
ing up the stems of permanent Vines. The Vines being short- 
jointed, all shoots for which there was not room for laying in as 
laterals were pinched to two leaves; this helped the upper part of 
the rods to swell considerably, and had a great influence on the crop. 
From the time the Vines were started water was only applied when 
really necessary, the leaves helping them in this respect. The 
after treatment as regards temperature, stopping, &c., was of the 
usual kind. After the Grapes were thinned care was taken that the 
Vines did not suffer by the want of moisture at the roots. Liquid 
manure (made of cow manure and soil) was freely applied, and sur¬ 
face dressing once a week of Standen’s manure, and occasionally of 
Thomson’s Vine manure. As the roots^ came to the surface a 
layer of loam, wood ashes, and pulverised cow manure in equal 
parts was placed on as required, this causing a plentiful supply 
of active surface feeders, ready to take up whatever was applied. 
These repeated surface dressings made it necessary to place a ring of 
turf around the rims of the pots to hold water.—A. Young. 
BULB BEDS. 
In preparing borders for mixed bulbs nothing further is needed 
than good soil 18 inches to 2 feet deep, enriched and stirred. If 
manure is added it should be short and fresh. There is very little 
virtue in manure reduced to a soapy mass. It, at best, is not more 
valuable than leaf soil, if, indeed, so good. The soil being a heavy 
loam overlying clay, it was mixed with leaf soil and the debris of the 
rubbish heap, the woody portions being charred, in about equal parts, 
and put on a foot thick, mixing it with the soil below, and stirred 
about a foot deeper, but not bringing the stubborn material to the 
surface. Drains with proper fall and outlet may be provided in some 
cases, 3-inch pipes laid 3 feet deep or more. In one case, the soil 
varying considerably, gravel was found within a foot of the surface. 
About 18 inches depth of the gravel was taken out, and a mixture 
put in of strong loam, leaf soil, and the rubbish heap in equal parts, 
with a fourth of sand, the whole thoroughly incorporated. In all 
instances the beds are raised about a foot in the centre. There are 
three beds, two have a background of evergreen shrubs to the north. 
The idea in one bed, a round one, is to have white and sweet flowers 
only. Crinum capense disposed 3 feet apart, the outside ones about 
18 inches from the sides of the bed. They are planted so that the 
bulbs are buried 4 to 6 inches deep. These are simply magnificent 
in foliage. At 18 inches apart areLilium longiflorum Harrisi planted 
4 inches deep. They have been lovely, and alternately with the 
Lilium is Anthericum Liliago in the centre and A. liliastrum near the 
margin —i e , 9 inches from it; and at 9 inches all over, excepting, 
of course, where the other plants are placed, there are Belladonna 
Lilies, which are planted 4 inches over the bulbs. It ought to be 
stated that the bulbs in all cases have a little sand placed under, 
around, and over them. I have only one suggestion to make, and 
that is an edging 6 inches from the grass of Zephyranthes Candida 
and var. minor. 
Another idea was to have a mixture of bulbs in an irregular¬ 
shaped bed, and it is a decided success. Tritoma uvaria nobilis was 
planted 6 feet apart, the whole surface being then set out at 2 feet 
apart, and in those places are planted in about equal proportions 
Lilium speciosum album, L. speciosum roseum, L. tigrinum var. 
splendens, Gladiolus gandavensis var. brenchleyensis, and Galtonia 
(Hyacinthus) candicans. At a foot distance apart, excepting where 
preoccupied, about equal proportions of German Iris, Iris Kusiana, 
Lilium Thunbergianum, L. candidum, L. croceum, and Crown 
Imperials (Fritillaria imperialis), and on the margin there are Nar¬ 
cissi of the bicolor and incomparabilis class, which are also dispersed 
through the bed along with Gladiolus of the blandus, byzantinus, 
and cardinalis type. In this bed there is a display of Narcissus and 
Crown Imperials, then of Irises, followed by the Liliums Thunberg¬ 
ianum and candidum with the early Gladioli, afterwards with Orange 
Lily with the Galtonia, and Gladiolus brenchleyensis, the white of 
the Galtonia and scarlet of the Gladiolus being in combination unique 
with the Tiger Lilies ; later come the second stems of the Galtonias 
with the Lilium speciosum vars., and the Tritomas bring up the rear, 
