536 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 22, 1687. 
to have double flowers again every year of its own growing or 
sowing.” 
Referring to Messrs. H. Cannell & Son’s “ Floral Guide ” for 
1887 they offer a “ grand old double Pansy,” and I wonder if this 
is a descendant in a direct line from the double mentioned by 
Parkinson. Mr. Hall of Truro and others cultivate an old double 
Pansy which is no doubt identical with Messrs. Cannell’s “ Old 
Double.” Whilst writing on Pansies, I will just refer to the fuss 
made about the Trimardeau and other foreign Pansies, offered as 
beating everything in Pansies. This is misleading, for they cannot 
compare in beauty of colours and form, and in size do not excel 
the grand Fancy Pansies of the Scotch and English cultivators, 
and packets of seed can be bought readily at from Is. to 2s. Gd. per 
packet. 
Hepaticas. —In “ Paradisus Terrestris,” already mentioned, 
the following list of Hepaticas is to be found—viz., 
No. 1, Flore cceruleo simplici major (the great single blue). 
„ 2, Minor flore pallido cceruleo (the small blue). 
„ 3, Flore purpureo (purple). 
„ 4, Flore albo minor (the lesser white). 
„ 5, Albo magnifico (the great white). 
„ 6, Albo fini argenteo (ash coloured or argentine) of a bluish 
ash colour changing to white. 
„ 7, Albo flore straminibus rubro (white Hepatica with red 
threads). 
„ 8, Flore rubro (red Hepatica). 
„ 9, Flore purpureo multiplici fine pleno (the double purple). 
„ 10, Flore coeruleo pleno (double blue). 
No. 3 is described thus—“ This is in all things like unto the 
first (No. 1), but the flowers are of a deeper blue, tending to a 
violet purple.” 
""Parkinson adds the following note on Hepaticas : “ They have 
obtained divers names, some calling them Hepatica, Hepatica 
nobilis, Hepaticum tvifolium, Trifolium nobile, Trifolium aureum, 
and some Trionitas and Herba trinitas. In English you may call 
them either Hepatica, after the Latin name, or Noble Liverwort.” 
How many of these varieties exist now ? Any information by 
growers of the Hepatica would be acceptable to many of your 
readers.—W. D. 
THE SETTING, STONING, AND SWELLING OF 
GRAPES. 
The thanks of the Grape-growing world are due to Mr. Stephen 
Castle for recording so honestly his experiences and difficulties. 
With your permission I will make a few remarks on the subject 
which seems most to perplex him. 
There may be exceptional climatal conditions to be studied and 
overcome in his case, as I have found more than once in my career, 
but it appears to me that the principal thing wanting is for Mr. 
Castle to have a lesson on moderation. 
Mr. Castle understands that potash is good for Yines, he directly 
goe3 and applies as much of that salt to them as I should have 
thought sufficient to pickle them. He makes up his mind from 
what he thinks conclusive experiments (which as he records them 
point, in my opinion, in another direction) that front air causes 
shrivelling, and he decides on giving little or no front air. He 
knows that lime is essential to the production of good Grapes, and 
he applies at least six times too much lime. 
I wish I was sufficiently near him to look into the facts of the 
case myself, for I have no doubt I should learn something from 
what I saw ; but as Mr. Castle is a close observer, I have no doubt 
he will be able to furnish me with the principal information I 
require to form a better opinion than I am now able to do. 
Does all the wood ripen thoroughly, or do some of the growths 
remain green through their entire length ? Is there a deficiency of 
pollen at flowering time ? I like the pollen to fall on to the leaves 
in such quantities that they have the appearance of having been 
dusted with sulphur. Lastly, and most important, Is it possible for 
a common earth worm to live in Mr. Castle’s border ? 
I do not recommend having a large quantity of worms there. I 
am not aware that they would do any particular good, but I do not 
think a border which is incapable of supporting a worm is fit to 
support a Vine. In other words, you may have quite a sufficiency 
of lime, potash, and phosphoric acid, and yet your Yines may starve. 
I believe, notwithstanding what has been added by “ Proprietor,” 
that this is the case with the Vines at West Lynn. 
There has been, on Mr. Castle’s own showing, sufficient lime 
(viz., 14 lbs. to the square yard) added to destroy everything in the 
shape of nitrogenous food that has ever been applied. As if one 
good dose was not sufficient it has been applied “three times a year, 
never top-dressing or mulching without using it.” Then I say the 
top-dressing or mulching did little or no good as far as feeding the 
Yines. Caustic lime should never be applied with manure, nor in 
any large quantity with rich soil. I should strongly advise that 
there be no more lime applied to the West Lynn Vines for at least 
two years.— Wm. Taylor. 
Mr. A. Young, on page 442, contributes a few lines on this, 
to me, rather important subject. The question is how to get 
berries with the proper quantity of seeds. Mr. Young would help 
further if he could ascertain if the berries that set without trouble- 
are any better seeded. Alicante is doing precisely with Mr. Youngs 
as myself ; truly the peculiarities of varieties are astonishing. 
In reply to “ Proprietor.” For seven years before coming to 
West Lynn stoning did not trouble me. Early Hamburghs I had 
in at the end of March or beginning of April. What few Grapes I 
kept were mostly on the Yines up to the end of February. With 
gently tapping the rods and probably a better climate (Worthing) 1 
the berries set well. I should not, however, like to say the propor¬ 
tion of four-seeded berries ware large compared with those having 
three or two stones. The use of lime has improved the Grape at 
West Lynn both in colour, flavour, and good keeping qualities. 
Fertilising and stoning may be two very different things, yet with¬ 
out fertilisation I have seedless berries, and these are the first to 
shrivel ; therefore without doubt high cultivation is to be aimed at- 
I believe I have gained immensely by using less front ventilation 
this autumn since the Grapes were coloured. Do not suppose by 
this I advise no front air. What I mean is we ought to be very 
careful in admitting the cold air. More top air, more fire, and less 
moisture at flowering time will be my routine in future. 
“ Proprietor” appears to overlook the fact that a too heavily 
cropped Vine is always the worst to both set and stone its crop the 
following year. Is there a gleam of light here ?—weakness, and 
hence sterile flowers. Some Alicantes produced flowers in abund¬ 
ance, but small, with prominent anthers, and much pollen. L 
marked these. What do I find to-day? Berries rather smaller 
than in the bunches above or below, and wood only ripe to the 
fruit stalk, green beyond ; berries with not more than two stones,, 
mostly one. This must be weakness. One lateral is often very 
strong, the next weak ; and this irregularity has not been ex¬ 
plained. 
As a rule, the number and character of the seeds or stones are 
in proportion to the size of the berries, yet in some instances the 
larger berry on a bunch has only two stones, this berry being- 
rounder than the next berry with four seeds ; but suppose the 
seeds weigh the same in each case, are not the two equal to the 
four ? I have often found when one seed is imperfect the other 
is of unusual size. It has been my pleasure to dissect several 
berries growing at other places recently, and find the same defect 
and results as in my own, and a friend writing from Herefordshire^ 
says his experience is exactly the same as my own. Muscats run 
from one to three stones each, rarely four ; Alicante and Gros 
Colman average three stones each. “ There can be no seeds 
without fertilisation.” This is true, though in some instances 
self-fertilising suffices, though it does not in my case. I used no 
potash this season, as I had reason to believe I used it too freely 
the previous year. I have not seen a case stated of evil arising" 
from the use of lime. As to defective fertilisation, I send you a 
Muscat bunch on which I was requested to try an experiment in 
the spring. To the upper portion, the shoulders, pollen was applied 
with a brush, which was also drawn down one side of the bunch 
and round its tip at the bottom, the other side not being touched. 
What do you think of this ? —Stephen Castle, Manager, West 
Lynn Vineyard. 
[We think the necessity for artificial fertilisation was absolute- 
in this case. On the side of the bunch “ not touched ” the berries 
are of the size of peas, and not one stone to be found in any of them. 
On the other parts of the bunch the berries are good, yet somewhat 
variable, and as a rule, with scarcely an exception, their size is in 
proportion to the weight of the seeds ; and, further, the berries 
with no seeds, or imperfect seeds, are the most shrivelled, the foot 
stalks of the former being dried up. Only the berries with good 
seeds are large and firm. Though “Proprietor” communicated a. 
good letter on page 442, we doubt if he fully comprehended the 
importance of the loss of nitrogen from his Vine borders through- 
the too free use of lime as affecting the size of his Grapes. Liquid 
manure is known to increase the size of Grapes materially, and the- 
immediate effect of such applications depends almost entirely on 
the nitrogen they contain in the form of nitrates or ammonia, and 
these, as “ Proprietor ” is well aware, will not remain in soil that 
contains lime in abundance. Since writing this note Mr. Taylor’s 
letter has come to hand and is worthy of attention. The worm 
test is as good as it is simple.] 
