40 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 16, 1835. 
D. densiflorum, that when on liis death bed he expressed a desire 
to see a plant I had then in bloom. The plant was in a 7-inch 
pot and had fifteen fine racemes of fully expanded blooms on it. 
Some people are of opinion that it is essential that the old 
growths should be left on the plants. This may be so in their 
native country when they are for weeks together without water ; 
the old growths might then store up some supply of moisture 
for the green leaves to feed on, but this is only theory on my 
part. Most plants are improved by cultivation, and why should 
not Orchids be improved if assisted in their native country like 
we assist plants in our garden ? I pass over your correspondent 
Mr. B. D. Knox’s remarks as not being worthy of notice, ex¬ 
cept to observe there is a wide difference between a man exhibiting 
a scientific instrument for an advertisement, and exhibiting a 
plant to prove that it could be grown under different treatment 
to the orthodox rule.—H. C. P. 
YOUNG VINES FOR EARLY FORCING. 
(Continued from page 52S, last vol.) 
Two years ago a few young Vines were planted with those 
that had previously been in 14-inch pots. These young Vines were 
allowed to grow to the centre of the house, which is a low span-roofed 
structure, and at pruning time were only shortened back 1 or 2 feet, the 
canes being left sufiici ntly long for the extreme eye of the cane to reach 
the root of another on the same side. These canes directly they com¬ 
menced breaking were pegged upon the surface of the border as near the 
front of possible, thus forming a row from end to end of the border. When 
the shoots had grown a few inches in length the most promising were 
selected and the remainder removed, the shoots left being about 18 inches 
or a little more apart. When the shoots were from 6 to 9 inches in length, 
the canes from which they sprung were covered with a few inches of 
light soil for the purpose of inducing the formation of roots from every 
joint where the shoot issued. All shoots that took the lead were pinched 
when about 18 inches long to give the weaker and later ones a chance of 
gaining strength, so that the whole would grow evenly'. The shoots near 
the extremity of the canes and close to the root were at first the most 
vigorous but the pinching had the desired effect. When they were 
18 inches or a little more in length, root-action commenced, and the 
young canes soon gained strength and grew vigorously. They were allowed 
to extend about half way up the roof, when they were again pinched and 
the lateral growths removed to induce the main eye to again lead away. 
The old fruiting canes were removed, as the crop was cut, which had chiefly 
been towards the centre of the house. The young canes were then 
allowed to extend to the ridge of the house on either side, and were again 
stopped. By this time they had a good number of roots, they were very 
vigorous, and by the end of the season perfected strong fruiting canes with 
bold prominent buds towards the ridge of the house. The stopping and 
pinching of the lateral growths were the same as has been recommended 
frequently for young Vines in pots. The canes were ripe, and allowed of 
pruning being done towards the end of September or early in the following 
month. They were shortened very little, on an average 1 foot each. By 
this simple process we were in pissession of a house full of fruiting canes 
much stronger and earlier ripened than could possibly have been the case 
if the Vines had been raised from eyes and grown in the usual way. The 
labour in production was not one-tenth of what would have been required to 
produce this number of Vines of the same size and strength from 
eyes. 
It may be interesting to note the effect stopping the leaders had upon 
the Vines. Those pinched at the eave of the house are decidedly the 
strongest canes at their ba=e. It may be said these were the strongest to 
commence with, some of the weaker ones being stopped as well as those 
that started first into growth. The stopped canes in every instance are 
showing bunches over a much greater length of their canes than those 
that were not stopped. Those that were stopped commenced the forma¬ 
tion of roots, and then grew a r terwards with greater strength and vigour 
than the unstopped canes. The marked superiority of the stopped canes 
is so apparent that all will be stopped in the future, and again before they 
are half way up the roof. 
The crop of fruit will be taken from the centre of the house, as near 
the top of the Vines as possible, which will allow of a strong young cane 
being brought up from the base and trained to the old stem, the whole of 
the lower lateral shoots being gradually removed from the old cane as the 
young one advances in growth. When the fruit has been cut the old 
canes will be removed and the house will again be full of young canes for 
the following season’s crop. 
• The Vines certainly will require renewing under this system, but I do 
not doubt they will continue to bear good crops of fruit for at least five or 
six years at the very least, and this in a border from 18 to 20 inches in 
width, and about the former in depth. When young canes are run up 
annually the entire length of the roof they have a good chance of recruit¬ 
ing themselves for the following year’s werk. When they require re¬ 
newing, however, if the border will allow of an addition to its width all 
the better, then young rods can again be pegged down, and a stock of 
year-old Vines established in the place of those that had been fruiting, 
A crop need not be lost, for the canes run up from the old stools can be 
fruiting towards their tops as usual, while the young canes can be trained 
to them instead of taking them from the base of the old stool. Un- 
doubtedly'the best system of maintaining an early supply of Grapes is to 
fruit one side of the house annually while the other is being grown for 
the following season. By this system of fruiting and resting the Vines 
alternately as heavy a crop of fruit could be produced from one side of the 
house annually as if both sides were allowed to carry fruit. The Vines 
should n >t be overcropped when they are to go on fruiting for five or six 
years, but when fruited and then allowed freedom from fruit-bearing the 
following season they would be capable of carrying nearly double the 
weight of Grapes. Under this system the Vices would be trained up the 
roof about 18 inches apart, which would allow ample room for the develop¬ 
ment of foliage on the close-pinching principle that should be followed. 
Every alternate cane should be allowed to extend to the ridge of the 
house, while the remainder should be stopped at about 18 inches below 
the ridge, which would allow more room for the foliage of the lateral 
shoots bearing the bunches. The foliage of these Vines must be preserved 
in good condition until the end of the season, and at pruning time the 
whole of the rods can be cut close back to the base, and young canes 
trained up again the following season while the opposite side was bearing 
fruit. Under this system the Vines, as well as the soil, could easily be 
renewed either by retaining a few canes free from fruiting, lifting out the 
soil from amongst them and supplying fresh compost, or by raising suffi¬ 
cient Vines in pots for pegging on the surface of a new border the whole 
length of one side of the house. This is preferable, no doubt, after a 
number of years, hut under this system of fruitiDg the canes every alter¬ 
nate year they would remain healthy, retaining their former vigour for 
many years without being renewed. 
I have such faith in this pegging-down plan, that had I a house to 
plant with permanent Vines I should in future obtain or grow sufficient 
canes of the sorts required—to save time I should purchase them—and 
would either plant out the Vines or plunge the pots in the newly made 
border, pegging down the Vines, then taking up from them temporary 
as well as permanent canes. This effects a considerable saving of labour, 
and no Vines raised from eyes would make in one season the same pro¬ 
gress, or attain the same strength. 
I lay no claim to originality for the system detailed; it may be new. 
and it may not, but I have never seen it practised elsewhere, nor detailed 
in any gardening periodical. Those who have Vines in pots that have 
failed to show fruit this season will be amply repaid, if they require early 
Grapes another season, if they prepare at once a small border and peg 
upon the surface the Vines that would otherwi-e be conveyed to the 
rubbish heap. They will have by autumn a stock of fruiting canes that 
will be in good condition for early forcing, and upon which they may 
rely for a good crop if well and thoroughly ripened with considerably 
less c.are and labour than growing Vines from eyes.—W m. Bardney, 
OLD-FASHIONED ROSE PRUNING. 
About two or three weeks since I observed a cottage garden, 
the high cultivation of which had been once approvingly recorded 
in the pages of the Journal, all aglow with such ablaze of Rose 
blooms as one does not often see, about a dozen trees (dwarfs), 
dark and light, of the best varieties of Hybrid Perpetual. On 
inquiry I found those trees had been pruned late in autumn by 
shortening the shoots by 3 or 4 inches and then leaving them to 
Nature. The winter was mild, the spring was late; the little 
garden has a favourable exposure and. the most careful 
attention, and certainly the results up to this moment are most 
satisfactory. 
But I am by no means dissatisfied with my own practice, 
based upon the experience of known authorities and followed for 
years by myself—viz., merely shortening long shoots in autumn, 
and then as soon after March 1st as may be pruning according 
to habit and constitution of each individual variety, and in 
spite of some wet weather in May and ungenial days in June, 
what a display (July 10th) one has now! Not yet here at its 
height—later perhaps than others, but enough to repay any 
labour, any anxjety. Gorgeous blooms of Duke of Teck, rich 
trusses of General Jacqueminot, the velvet clusters of Due de 
Rohan and La Rosiere, the dusky Sultan of Zanzibar and 
Reynolds Hole, and then the delicate beauty of the paler Roses 
in every shade of rose, blush, and white. Teas here have done 
extremely well, and wall Roses carried grand sheets of bloom, 
Reine Marie Henriette being specially fine in size and shape, 
charming for her clear violet cerise rose or colouring. Reve 
d’Or has been very fine and of a deeper tint of yellow than 
usual. Again I say, How one is repaid! In our northern 
climate (Mid Lincoln) Roses sometimes may take longer to 
establish themselves, but patience and perseverance —only wait 
and work, and success is certain ; and the Rose is sweet, and the 
Rose when she is understood is incomparable.—A. M. B. 
LETTUCES ON CELERY RIDGES. 
I AM very pleased that your able correspondent, Mr. J. Muir, has 
drawn attention to the above subject, because I feel that it is well worth 
attending to. In my present situation we grow all our Lettuces on Celery 
ridges, and have done so for a number of years. We grow a large quan¬ 
tity for the borne, for we cut on an average five dozen every morning all 
the summer and until Celery comes in the autumn. I am quite sure there 
