162 
[ August 23, 1888 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
the clay in its original state. The most that should be sought by 
burning is that the clay may readily crumble. In that state 
100 cartloads per acre is a fair dressing, applying it to the surface, 
and it will render a good account of the ammonia within reach, 
absorbing it from the atmosphere and from manures or by whatever 
means supplied. In the case of very stubborn clays it is ad¬ 
vantageous to mix some of the harder burned particles with the 
stubborn material at the bottom of the trenches, by which means 
the permeability of the soil to air, rain and roots is made more 
durable, acting alike as a storehouse of moisture and food, from 
which the crops can draw supplies in times of drought, the roots 
being attracted downwards by the moisture they inadequately re¬ 
ceive at the surface, and as they must in due course decay they tend 
to open the soil to a greater depth and supply organic matter for its 
enrichment. In that way soils which have only a thin layer of 
ameliorated soil can, no matter how stubborn the subsoil, be 
deepened, and in the course of a few years so much so that the 
ground can be trenched two or three spits deep, blending the whole 
mass with very great benefit to the crops. What most land # needs 
is new soil brought to the surface to be ameliorated and enriched 
by the action of light, air, and rain, pulverised and made workable 
by frost or sun, in which state the soil derives the greatest 
benefit from the solid manures applied, and the whole staple is 
permanently improved. — G. Abbey. 
GRAPES SCALDING. 
When theories become firmly established it is very difficult to 
eradicate them. If we could obliterate the notion that scalding is 
constitutional then I am convinced we should hear considerably 
less of this evil than we are in the habit of doing. My object is 
to show that scalding is not a defect in the constitution of any 
variety of Grapes, and one is no more liable to be attacked than 
another ; but that it is due to the system of culture pursued, and 
can by care and forethought be prevented or mitigated. If we 
■were to conclude that scalding is constitutional with Lady Downe’s 
we should be compelled to place other kinds in the same category. 
It is no more difficult to scald the berries of Black Hamburgh and 
Madresfield Court than those of Lady Downe’s, a variety perhaps 
more subject to this evil than others. There is no doubt whatever 
that the constitutional theory has come into existence because 
scalding has been more prevalent in late than early and second 
early houses, but this is explainable. 
It may be well perhaps to give the reason why late Grapes suffer 
more from this evil than those forced to ripen early in the season. 
It is because the sun, when the former are passing through the 
stoning period, has considerably more power over a longer period of 
the day, and there is generally much greater extremes between the 
day and night temperature than is the case when Black Hamburgh 
and others are passing the most critical stage of their growth several 
weeks sooner—in spring instead of summer. 
It must not be concluded that the sun alone is to be blamed in 
the matter. My proposition is that it is the source from which the 
mischief springs when cultural requirements are defective. Irregu¬ 
larity in the temperature, such as extremes between the day and 
night, or even extremes during the day, will play a very large part 
in bringing the evil in question into existence, or aggravate it when 
it exists. Scalding is liable to take place just as the stones are 
becoming hard—in a word, when they are in the last stage of per¬ 
fecting themselves. Over-forcing, whether due to an increased 
temperature by sun heat or the anxiety of the cultivator to push 
the crop forward when Nature requires to move slowly, will 
certainly end in scalding, to a greater or less extent, according to 
the amount of forcing to which the Vines may be subjected. The 
hottest sun during the day will do no harm provided liberal ventila¬ 
tion is given, and I would much sooner have a continuance of hot 
bright weather to deal with during the stoning period than such 
weather as we have had this year. 
I have suggested that scalding is brought about by the cultivator, 
and hence may be to a large degree prevented. In nearly every 
case, in the majority of seasons, this evil is due to defective ven¬ 
tilation early in the morning or after the routine closing time in 
the afternoon. Scalding nearly always occurs where the morning 
or afternoon sun strikes directly upon the house when it is closed. 
Suppose the east end of a hou°e has one fixed light, or the top 
ventilators do not open to the end, I venture to assert that unless 
the necessary precautions are taken the berries will scald badly 
whether the Grapes are Black Hamburghs or Lady Downe’s. Even 
when the ventilators open to the end of the house the bunches 
exposed to the sun are not generally safe from this evil. The same 
will take place at the west end of the structure when it is exposed 
to the sun in a like manner. It is possible that the berries will scald in 
these two places when there will not be the slightest trace in any other 
portion of the structure. The midday sun does no harm provided 
the house is freely ventilated, but subject the Grapes at this critical 
period to the same conditions as the east and west portions of the 
structure, and scalding will be "the result. If I may use a homely 
illustration, the Grapes in the east and west portions of the house 
are practically in a stew-pan, and when the temperature of the whole 
house is allowed to run up to 80° or 90° before it is ventilated, 
the Grapes throughout the greater portion of the structure are sub¬ 
jected to the same trying ordeal. Those nearer the base have the 
best chance, and often escape without serious injury, while those in 
the highest position are certain to fare worst. Who can expect 
Grapes to come out of a stew pan in the same condition as they 
were before they were placed in ? It is impossible, and in like 
manner those who neglect to ventilate until the moisture in the 
structure become overheated must expect scalding, while those who 
allow the escape of moisture early in the morning or leave air on 
those critical positions all night need not fear being troubled with 
the evil I am writing about. 
Air at the base only is not sufficient to guard against this evil- 
A “ chink,” however small, should be on the top as well—that is, 
in the east corner, while the light, or ventilator of the west end. 
should not be closed before the sun is sufficiently low to be harm¬ 
less. If this is done the Grapes in these two positions will be safe 
from scalding, as will also the remaining portion, if air is admitted 
at the top at 6 a.m., instead of one, two, or three hours later, as the 
case may be. Even the admission of air is not always ample, for I 
have known the berries scald in the bunches exposed to either the 
morning or afternoon sun through the ends of the house. These 
can be protected by shading them with whitewash, which can be 
removed after the Grapes are fairly well coloured, or if left on 
until they are ripe it will do no harm. There are plenty of old 
houses still in existence where the top portion of the lights slide- 
down, and in many instances I have noticed a light at each end are 
fixtures. The admission of air at the light adjoining the fixed one 
is not ample to protect the Grapes under the fixed one. I have 
proved this to be the case, but if the exact position where the sun 
strikes early and late is lightly whitewashed not a berry will be 
lost. 
This has been a trying and peculiar season, and has consider¬ 
ably taxed the experienced grower. It has been most difficult to 
know how to ventilate to prevent great extremes in temperature 
even in the short space of an hour. Grapes during the day have 
not been subjected to such irregularity from natural causes perhaps- 
for very many years, and this is the reason that scalding is so pre¬ 
valent. When Grapes reach the stoning period the safe course is 
not to hurry them, but give them time and strive to maintain a 
regular temperature. This is best accomplished by slightly raising 
the night temperature and ventilating on the most liberal principles 
during the day, so as to bring about a nearer approach to uniformity 
between day and night. When the evil makes its appearance the 
only chance of mitigating it is to be careful that the conditions 
that brought it about are not repeated. The night temperature 
should be raised to 70° or even 75°, according to the weather, and 
the house ventilated early and late, while during the day it should 
be ventilated on the same principle as a greenhouse. 
Those who have scalded Grapes this season are largely excus¬ 
able, but in good and average seasons there is but little excuse for 
those who fail from this cause, because it is mainly due to 
negligence in ventilating the structures in which they are grown.— 
Wm. Bardney. 
RUBBISH HEAPS. 
An “old hand”.of the gardening fraternity once said, “ Show 
me the rubbish yard and stokehole of any gardener, and 111 tell 
you within a little what sort of a gardener he really is ; ” yet however 
good his judgment may be where such conveniences exist, he would 
have to found his opinion upon some other basis in endeavouring 
to sum up the abilities of the man who has “ no rubbish heap. 
Most gardeners are in a favour of a rubbish heap, or a fire, as the 
refuse from the latter is of considerable value from a manurial 
point of view, while in the case of heavy holding soils the free use 
of such refuse is of the greatest possible help in bringing the soil 
into proper working order- Some time since I observed an instance 
of the “ no rubbish heap ” principle, and it may be worth recording. 
The accumulation of rubbish in large and small gardens goes on 
at an alarming rate, and, if not methodically dealt with, soon 
becomes an offensive pile. It was with a view to avoiding the 
I disastrous consequences arising out of the latter that the rubbish 
