296 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARBLE ER. 
[ October 1, 1885. 
limited area in Europe, and especially is the character of the weather 
widely different in different and not far distant parts of our sea-girt isle ; 
still we are so accustomed to them, and to act accordingly, as not to 
seriously complain of the “ management.” 
The gardening press and London newspapers have given the world to 
understand how exceptionally hot and dry the season has been this year 
in England, and how difficult has been the task of farmers and gardeners 
in keeping their crops alive. “ Scarcity of vegetation ” has been the 
stereotyped cry. It has indeed been scarce enough in the south, but the 
“cry” must have had a peculiar sound to some northerners who have 
often had more rain than they wanted, and instead of being roasted by 
heat, they could tell of luxuriant, yet tender crops, being cut by frost in 
summer, and this within a radius of 200 miles. 
A short time ago I had the opportunity of observing the great dif¬ 
ference in the appearance of fields and gardens in the south with those 
in the north-midland part of the country. The change was very striking. 
In consequence of the extreme heat and protracted drought lawns and 
pastures were brown for miles in the south. Fruits could not swell in 
any satisfactory manner, vegetables could not be planted for weeks, 
flowers faded rapidly, trees were defoliated prematurely, and water 
vanished from streams and wells. It has truly been a trying and 
exhausting season to all engaged in the cultivation of the soil in the 
south of England ; but a few hours’ journey northwards and a change 
welcome and refreshing was experienced. Trees clothed with rich foliage, 
fields green, fruit fine as well as plentiful, vegetables abundant, flower 
beds fall, water flowing freely in the streams, and—how different this 
from the south—Potatoes, Kidney Beans, Heliotropes, and Vegetable 
Marrows killed by frost in August. 
I was not on a gardening tour, hut rather kept out of gardens as much 
as possible, and left my note-book at home; but being in Bath at the time 
f the flower show the opportunity of visiting two “ good men and true ” 
—Mr. William Taylor and Mr. William Iggulden—was too great to he 
resisted, pouring rain preventing a call at Longleat by the way, and the 
kind invitation of Mr. Pratt could not be accepted. 
Mr. Taylor’s work in the gardens of Mr. Alderman Chaffin has been 
recently alluded to by “ W. I.,” and criticised by “ J. S. W.” Both those 
correspondents had justification for their remarks, for Mr. Taylor’s new 
6tart in Vine culture is strikingly satisfactory, but cutting down Vines to 
within 14 inches of the ground is not the “extension” system, and an 
explanation was needed and given. The Vines so cut down were propa¬ 
gated and planted late and had not time to ripen, hence they were cut 
down to where the wood was firm. They have now made splendid canes 
and developed foliage of great persistency, with bold brown buds in the 
axils of the leaves. The Vines appear to have been stopped when they 
attained a length of some 10 feet, and the laterals pinched to one or two 
leaves as in the preparation of Vines grown in pots. That length of cane 
is ripened throughout, and only a foot or less will be cut off in pruning— 
just the portion where the main buds have elongated by the pressure of 
the sap. Many persons would cut more than half the growth away in the 
belief that a length of “ 4 feet is enough to leave for one year.” Some 
others would “fetch them down” much lower, with the object of pro¬ 
ducing canes of startling dimensions next year, and in the hope of having 
“ grand Grapes ” the year after. Mr. Taylor is one of those gardeners 
who aim at producing sturdy canes well stored with nutrient matter, 
not to be cut away, but utilised; his method is not limitless, but wbat 
may be termed a modified form of the so-called extension system, and he 
is satisfied with the results, and well he may be, as the Longleat Vines 
were grown on that principle, and Mr. Pratt has had a triumphant season 
this year. His predecessor has also done excellently in his present 
charge, for he, too, has achieved a triumph in growing Muscats in pots, 
and on exactly the same method of pruning he is growing the permanent 
Vines planted out. 
A word as to these splendid Muscats. I have had the advantage of 
seeing the best fruiting Vines in pots at the metropolitan and many pro¬ 
vincial shows, but never saw any to equal Mr. Chaffin’s examples. Mr. 
Bardney will be glad to hear that they have been grown in the manner 
that he has practised so successfully, and which a few years ago he first 
advocated so strongly in this Journal. They were raised from eyes in 
March, 1884, grown well during the season, and shifted into 18-inch puts last 
spring, when the growths were an inch or two long. With sound 
judgment in watering, that being of vital import, much finer Grapes are 
produced on Vines so repotted than if left to fruit in the pots in which 
they were grown, no matter how they may be top-dressed and supported 
with liquid manure. Repotted and well attended to, the bunches and 
berries are as fine as on Vines in borders, at least that was so in the case 
of the Black Hamburghs grown by Mr. Bardney at Norris Green, while 
finer Muscats than those cut from the Vines under notice have seldom 
been seen. I should scarcely venture to say so much in the absence of 
corroboratory evidence. This was afforded by Mr. Coleman of Eastnor 
Castle, who was one of the fruit judges at Bath, for he publicly stated at 
the luncheon that the best Muscats in the show were undoubtedly those in 
Mr. Chaffin’s collection of Grapes, and if they had been placed in theMusoat 
class they would have defeated the fine examples from Longleat, which 
the second best pair from the pot Vines pressed closely. The best bunches 
were about 4 lbs. in weight, of perfect shape, full, and the berries superbly 
finished, “ looking,” as a critical examiner remarked, “ as if a light was 
shining through them.” They were not so large as the Longleat berries, 
but their superior quality was apparent, and good judges like Messrs. 
C-ileman and Cballis are not carried away by bulk, but give, as all judges 
ought, due weight to quality and “ finish.” 
Nor were the Vines exhausted by the crop ; on thj con'rary, it would 
be difficult to find any Vines that have made stronger and better growth 
than these wonderful potted examples, and they will be fruited again next 
year. This year’s wood of the extension cane I have no doubt is 3 inches 
in circumference at the present time, and the lower portion of the rod 
finches. “ Rooted through the pots perhaps,” some may imagine. No, 
that is impossible, for the pots were stood over the hot-water pipes all the 
season. But how do I know that the exhibited Grapes that won such a 
high encomium as that referred to were produced by the Vines under 
notice ? Doubts were expressed at the Bath Show as to their having been 
cut from pot Vines, and I may therefore as well set the matter at rest. 
As each bunch was cut by Mr. Taylor it was handed to me and passed over 
to Mr. Chaffin, who affixed them on the stands, and the manner in which 
they were staged showed that he was an expeit at this work, as not a 
speck of bloom was removed in the process. I hope to see similarly fine 
bunches and well-finished fruit on the same Vines next year, but with 
larger berries, and then they will “ take some bsatiug.” 
As was stated in the report of the Bath Show, all the other Grapes 
exhibited from the same garden were cut from Vines from which all the 
roots had been chopped off to within 6 feet of the stems two years ago 
for the production of fresh fibres in fresh soil. The crop on these Vines 
is an excellent one, and the great number of bunches of Madresfield Court 
must be searched in vain for a cracked berry, yet all the roots are outside, 
but there is no damp air inside, and the grower is evidently of opinion 
that moisture in the atmosphere will cause tender-skinned Grapes to 
split. • 
Mr. Chaffin’s patented system of glazing is eminently worthy of note. 
It is thoroughly distinct—durable, efficient, good in appearance, and, in 
the end, economical, as it obviates the necessity of painting. Strips of 
felt are attached to the bars on which the glass rests ; others are attached 
to stout strips of galvanised iron an inch wide, which are screwed down 
on the glass, making it perfectly secure. The squares are 3 feet by 
13 inches, and so arranged that the glass does not quite touch at the laps, 
so that there is a filtering of air through the roof, condensed moisture can 
find its way outside, averting “ drip,” and if a square is accidentally 
broken it can be removed by drawing two screws and another square 
put in in a minute. The plan is extremely simple, and its durability has 
been tested in the structures that have been erected for years ; indeed, if 
the system had not been thoroughly good it would not have been adopted 
in ihe noble structure last erected, the owner of which is very practical 
and very earnest in promoting high-class Grape culture. He has been a 
leading public man in Bath for years, having been, thrice mayor of the city, 
and the esteem in which he is held is embodied in valuable presentations, 
including a splendid oil painting of himself in his robes of office. His 
garden is bis delight ; his desire to see his skilful assistant prosper. The 
readers of the Journal will be glad to hear that there is good prospect of 
his doing so, and that he has so far nothing to regret in relinquishing his 
charge at Longleat. 
Now for a few moments’ reflection on a few pleasant hours spent with 
Mr. Iggulden at Marston. As has been previou ly stated, Lord Cork’s 
residence is beautifully situated. The trees are grand, which means the 
soil is good, so good that the garden will grow anything without trenching, 
and better without it than with it on its substratum of clay, for the crops c » 
a part that had been trenched were inferior to those on land that had been 
dug a spade deep. The manager of this garden has been taken to task for 
his denunciations of trenching, but so far from his practice beiDg wrong, 
it would not be easy to find a better supply of excellent vegetables. 
There was, as he stated some time ago, “ plenty of everything,” and there 
is no fear that the abundance will not be maintained. A hot summer 
exactly suits such land, as the sun is continually drawing up moisture 
from the earth stores for the benefit of the crops ; but on a dry subsoil 
there is nothing to draw, and the moisture from a foot of cultivated soil 
is necessarily sooner exhausted than from a bulk twice that depth, so that 
the peculiar character of the land must be taken into consideration in 
determining whether it can be beneficially trenched or not. There is 
danger in overtrenching some soils, whereas in others deep cultivation 
is essential for productive crops. Mr. Taylor found trenching worse than 
useless at Longleat, and it is precisely the same at Marston. 
This garden has been wonderfully improved during the past four 
years. The Vines at the commencement of that period were what many 
persons would have regarded as beyond renovation, but by chopping oil 
old roots and filling new soil with new, reducing the spurs on the old and 
training in new rods, Grapes are now produced fit for any nobleman’s 
table, and some of the bunches, though not large, have secured many 
prizes in the best competition, the size, finish, and superior quality of the 
berries having, as they deserved, received the recognition of competent 
judges. The Muscats were “ too far gone ” to yield to the same treatment, 
and new Vines will have to be planted before first-class fruit is produced. 
Peach trees that I saw on a previous visit almost dead with the “yellows” 
have been restored, and now yield fine fruit abundantly. The evil was at 
the roots, and fresh roots in fresh soil have effected the cure. As the 
present is the best time for action in the renovation of exhausted Vines 
and enfeebled trees, an allusion to what has been accomplished is not 
unseasonable. 
There is a fine wall of cordon Pears at Marston. These had a very 
worn-out appearance a few years ago, the leaves being yellow and fruit 
small. By removing some of the old soil from the base of the wall, adding 
fresh and mulching heavily with manure, the trees have been invigorated, 
the foliage is green and fruit good. It is diy exhausted surface soil that 
drives the roots of trees downwards into wet, cold, and unfertile subsoil, and 
the degeneration of the trees follows. The crop of Apples was good on 
bush tree*, yet sr large that ladders are needed for gathering the fruit. 
