534 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 22, 1887. 
quite so well “berried ” as they are in some years, and the price for 
good specimens is proportionately high. The evergreens employed 
in decoration include Cherry Laurel, Laurustinus, Aucuba, Ivy, 
Yew, and branches of miscellaneous Conifers, while the young trees 
of Abies, mostly cut off and inserted in pots, supply the “ Christmas 
Trees ” that afford so much delight to the juveniles. Numberless 
waggons loaded with these trees packed closely like dense miniature 
forests have made their way to the London markets this week, but 
Covent Garden has had the lion’s share. 
My visit was made early in the present week, and perhaps in 
another letter something may be told of another journey still 
nearer to the time of festivity ; meanwhile this note may be con¬ 
cluded with the compliments of the season to all readers of the 
“ Good Old Journal.”— Townsman. 
MIGNONETTE IN POTS. 
The variety of Mignonette is often condemned as a poor 
weakly one when the fault has been due to the system of manage¬ 
ment practised. If the greatest care is not exercised during the dull 
sunless weather these plants are almost certain to continue growth, 
which will destroy the prospect of large spikes of bloom. These 
are not the result of weakly growth, but of the opposite ; a close 
atmosphere or too high a temperature will start them into growth if 
they are now practically at a standstill. Growth during the dark 
days of winter should be so slow that it can scarcely be perceived. 
The plants should be arranged as near to the glass as possible, the 
pots standing upon some material that contains moisture, and 
placing them on dry shelves should be avoided. Sufficient water 
must be given, and at the same time excess must be carefully 
avoided, or the roots will perish. If the soil is allowed to become 
dust dry the foliage assumes a brownish yellow appearance and the 
shoots become woody. Free growth and large spikes need not be 
expected from plants in this condition. They will certainly pro¬ 
duce short small spikes in profusion. Abundance of air must be 
admitted to them on all favourable occasions, and no more artificial 
heat than will insure their being safe from frost. At night, if the 
temperature can be prevented falling below 35° they will be per¬ 
fectly safe. When admitting air avoid cold cutting winds, for it is 
better to keep the house closed. If severe frost sets in, and is 
likely to last long, more fire heat may be employed to keep the 
glass from being frosted and the plants in semi-darkness for two or 
three weeks. This would prove even more injurious than the use 
of fire heat early in the morning. 
Plants subjected to this treatment will commence growing 
strongly in February, and if judiciously watered will have large 
dark foliage and large spikes of bloom. Mignonette in pots for de¬ 
coration is by no means effective when the foliage has been browned 
by carelessness in watering during the stage of vigorous growth, 
but when they have been well cared for and have bold healthy 
foliage they are attractive amongst other plants in the spring. 
Plants from which bloom must be had should be kept in a tempera¬ 
ture at night of 50° with a rise of 5° by day. If air is admitted 
daily when favourable they will grow slowly and continue pro¬ 
ducing small spikes that are serviceable for cutting. If they are 
kept too warm they will continue growing instead of lengthening 
their flower spikes. To have a constant supply during the winter a 
good number of plants must be sacrificed for the purpose—that is, 
as far as the production of large spikes are concerned. Plants that 
flower during the next two months will, if cared for, give abund¬ 
ance of small spikes suitable for cutting until this favourite flower 
can be had from frames in which seed has been sown early to 
precede that sown outside without protection.—W. D. 
FACTS ABOUT GRAPES. 
MADRESFIELD COURT. 
For the first time since the introduction of this now very 
popular variety no complaints of its cracking badly have reached 
me either privately or through the Press. This would rather 
appear to favour the theory that cracking is really the result of ex¬ 
cessive moisture in the atmosphere, which penetrates the skins and 
fills the berries ; but I am not yet convinced on that point. It 
would perhaps serve no good purpose to go over the old ground 
again, the controversy on the subject being yet fresh in the minds 
of many of the readers of the Journal, and I have no wish to revive 
it. For many seasons we have not had such a long spell of com¬ 
paratively cloudless summer weather, and abundance of air had to 
be given early and late in some instances in order to prevent both 
the loss of foliage and berries by scalding. This evidently just 
suited Madresfield Court, few or no berries cracking, and plainly 
suggests one good remedy in less favourable seasons. Unfor¬ 
tunately in mixed vineries it is not often wise to unduly favour 
any one particular variety at the expense of the rest. For instance, 
our best Vine of Madresfield Court is in a house principally de¬ 
voted to Muscats, and being much earlier in ripening it would be 
unwise to admit air in quantity in order to prevent cracking' 
during the ripening perioff, as this would be most prejudicial to the- 
Muscats. Much as the Madresfield Court is liked for its table- 
quality, it being a really good companion for white Muscats, our 
Vine would have had to be sacrificed had we not heard of a fresh- 
remedy for cracking. In the neighbourhood of Dorchester crack¬ 
ing is prevented, not by drying off at the roots aud the admission- 
of more air than is good for the rest of the occupants of the house, 
but as far as the drying off or starvation treatment is concerned, by’ 
totally opposite measures. This came as a revelation to me, and I 
am in hopes will in the future prove as successful as it has done- 
this season. Not merely Madresfield Court, but all solid-berried 
Grapes, including Muscat of Alexandria, Mrs. Pince, Lady Downe’s, 
Gros Colman, and Golden Queen require more liberal treatment 
than those with berries largely composed of sugar and water. We 
gave our Madresfield Court abundance of water with surfacings of 
Jensen’s fish-bone manure whenever the border (an outside one)- 
gave signs of approaching dryness, and the berries were larger and 
better finished than we have ever had them previously. Unfor¬ 
tunately it ripened at least six weeks too early for the shows, andr 
this spoilt our chance for a good place in the prize list. Some of 
the best examples of Madresfield Court I have seen this year were 
shown at Trowbridge by Mr. John Bailey (Mr. B. Hopkins,, 
gardener), Frome, and were rightly awarded the first prize in a good 
class for any black Grape of Muscat flavour. These bunches were 
grown in a mixed house, containing both Alicante and Black 
Hamburgh, and were part of a heavy crop. All the Vines in the 
house received liberal surfacings of loam, manure, and bones, as 
well as a summer mulching of strawy manure and abundance of 
water. Let me, therefore, advise any of my readers who have not- 
yet done well the variety under notice to try what a more generous- 
diet and plenty of moisture at the roots at all times will do. Many 
succeed well with it up to a certain point, but fail to colour the 
berries properly, the result of a great anxiety to prevent cracking. 
BLACK HAMBURGH. 
I have already alluded to this old favourite (see page 399), but- 
have not exhausted my facts about it. At the risk of being 
thought egotistical, I may mention having been fairly successful, 
with the Black Hamburgh, and could give a list of prizes won 
several years in succession, in good company too. Incredible as it 
may at first appear, much the best bunches have been grown in a, 
flue-heated Muscat house, the only other black variety being the 
Madresfield Court just alluded to. It is a well-known fact that is- 
an utter impossibility to properly colour the Black Hamburgh in 
a Muscat temperature. It ought to be equally as well known that 
the lower or front portion is from 5° to 10° cooler than the rest of 
the house, notably near the roof, this being the natural result of the 
circulation of the air, the coldest being the heaviest, finding its way 
to the lowest portion of the house, this in spite of the flues or hot- 
water pipes. Our Vine of Black Hamburgh was introduced from 
the next division and trained along the front of the house, the 
extra extension also greatly increasing the size of the stem. Being 
naturally earlier in starting than the Muscats, it is retarded by- 
giving plenty of front air, while the top ventilators being kept close 
favours an early start of the latter, all of which are planted in an 
inside pit. Directly colouring has commenced front air is given, 
some being left on all night, and the hottest part of the flue is also 
covered with old sacking. This treatment, coupled with judicious- 
cropping, results in a good finish, without any injury to the 
Muscats. Moreover, the wood always ripens well, the bunches are 
larger, and the berries set better than is the case in a house devoted 
to Black Hamburgh. It is a good method of utilising the front of 
a house, and is a “ wrinkle ” for would-be prizewinners. I prefer it 
to the old-fashioned plan adopted by Mr. A. Crossman, gardene ■ to- 
Mr. J. Brunton, Yeovil. On one occasion that I visited this, 
garden two rods in a mixed house of Vines appeared to have been 
filled, all the rest being once stopped. They had been kept outside 
of the house, and thus retarded, and were introduced when the 
slower ripening varieties had presumably got a good start, all then 
being ripened and given as much air as needed at about the same 
time. It was one of the many schemes tried by a gardener anxious 
to figure conspicuously in the show tent, and was attended with 
fairly good results. 
GROS GUILLAUME. 
This will never become popular among Grape growers for 
several reasons, but at the same time I consider its merits as a late 
variety much undei rated. Well grown it keeps well, and is a most 
refreshing Grape, superior in fact to all but Lady Downe’s, though 
not so rich as Muscat of Alexandria and Mrs. Pince. With some it 
is very shy fruiting, and in other cases it is quite the reverse, this I 
am fully persuaded being due to the fact that there js more than 
