452 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Jane 6, 1869. 
some recognition, though they may not be exhibitors. Some have 
contributed to the literature of horticulture most usefully and 
commendably, such as Messrs. Nicholson, Thomson, and several 
others, in addition to their practice in gardens. Some have worked 
for years in conducting ably and well horticultural associations for 
general and special objects : others labour assiduously in establish¬ 
ing and maintaining gardeners’ improvement societies in various 
parts of the country ; and if a proportion of the meda's were 
placed at the disposal of the Committees for them to bestow on 
persons who might be considered to have “ done the most good 
for the advancement of horticulture,” we think they would not 
all be awarded to the winners of prizes. Have not such workers 
as Mr. Bruce Findlay at Manchester, for example, done more for 
gardening than some of the prizewinners at the shows ? 
We would let exhibitors have their full share of these honours 
subject to the condition that their products be distinctly meritorious, 
because if they are not the awards inevitably f ill in public esti¬ 
mation ; but we would permit others besides exhibitors to be 
eligible as recipients of the medals that bear such an honourable 
name. We do not forget that one of them has been rightly granted 
to Mr. Seden, but for work so special (Orchid hybridisation) that 
it is outside, and totally distinct from, all-round practical garden¬ 
ing, and this has for the first time, coupled with literary work, 
been recognised as worthy of what ought to be a highly cherished 
prize—The Yeitch Memorial medal. 
SATURATED VINE BORDERS. 
If what has happened in this neighbourhood is any criterion 
there will be a considerable number of partial or complete failures 
with Grapes this season. Vines broke very satisfactorily, and the 
bunches, if comparatively small, were quite plentiful enough ; but 
unfortunately these have largely disappeared—that is to say, have 
changed to tendrils. This is no new thing as far as hard-forced 
Grapes are concerned, but the worst instances that have come under 
my notice this spring were not forced, an ordinary greenhouse 
temperature being maintained. The only preventive in the case of 
forced Vines is to at once lower the temperature, but this would 
not answer for the cool vineries about which I was consulted 
recently, and the only remedy that could be applied was to turn on 
a little fire heat and give air rather more freely. This has been 
done, and apparently has had the desired effect, a light crop being 
saved. The question arises, What are the causes which lead to this 
much-to-be-deplored occurrence ? Cold outside borders have very 
much to do with it, but these alone are not always responsible for 
the tendency to form tendrils rather than bunches, as those with 
their Vines wholly or principally confined to inside borders do not 
always escape it. I never remember noticing so much sappy growth 
as there has been this season, and this both in the case of early and 
late Vines. Some of this may be due to the character both of top 
and root growth formed last season, but more likely to the absence 
of sunshine this spring, dullness and a moist atmosphere favouring 
sappy rather than a firm woody growth. 
How far this will affect the crops remains to be seen, and I will 
therefore turn from a speculative to a more practical phase of my 
subject. It is no new thing for me to “fall foul” of stock ideas 
and phrases, and I have repeatedly combated the assertion that it is 
hardly possible to keep Vine borders too moist. No greater fallacy 
can well be preached, more evil being wrought from an over supply 
than from too little moisture, and of the two extremes give me the 
latter. Were the Grapes better for all the moisture they received 
last season, or were they worse than usual ? The question is easily 
answered ; they were, as a rule, not so good as usual, and much of 
the blame was attributed to the dullness of the season. How far 
this may have been the cause is a moot point, and I for one am not 
disposed to admit that it was the primary cause, want of colour 
just as often being connected with a dry and hot season. This 
part of my subject again I must leave, or my article will not be 
within reasonable limits. 
A few years ago it was no uncommon thing to see a Vine border 
utilised for the production of early vegetables and flowers by way 
of succession, and in some instances was a favourite position for 
growing ornamental grasses. Latterly it has been thought the 
correct practice to make them little better than manure heaps, a 
heavy mulching of solid manure almost constantly applied effectu¬ 
ally excluding all warmth and air from the borders. As a conse¬ 
quence what should be in a fresh wholesome state soon becomes a 
sour and cold mass of soil in which only the strongest roots survive, 
fibres being conspicuous by their absence. Nor do I admit that 
this sweeping assertion applies to outside borders only, as I know 
there are only too many inside borders in nearly as bad a plight at 
the present time. A heavy mulching of half-decayed strawy 
manure, and a firm belief in the theory that too much water can¬ 
not be given to Vines, is all that is necessary to quickly ruin the 
border. Having made somewhat similar blunders with Peach tree* 
as well as Grape Vines, I know all the symptoms of a saturated 
border, the appearance and “feel” of the leaves as well as the 
quality of the crops plainly denoting what is wrong. Warmth and 
air are what the roots stand more in need of than so much moisture- 
either conserved or frequently applied, but if all can be afforded 
in moderate quantities there is an easy possibility of perfection of 
crops being reached. We are sometimes told that no fresh fibres 
are formed till the foliage of a Vine is well advanced, and in some 
instances no appreciable root growth has been made till near the 
autumn. When, however, the Vines are in pots or a raised warm 
border, these receiving the benefit of nearly as much heat as the 
top growth, root fibres are formed before the leaves are half grown, 
and strong roots are abundant by the time the crops are set. If 
this were not so it would not be possible for quite small canes to 
perfect such exceptionally good and heavy crops as are frequently 
seen on them. When extra strong fruiting canes are bought or 
grown, and planted in a cold outside border, they more often than 
not fail completely, tendrils instead of bunches rewarding the cul¬ 
tivator. Warmth then is most generally needed, but moisture also 
mu«t accompany it, and unless mulching is resorted to the latter is 
not very easily maintained without prejudice to the former, fre¬ 
quent heavy drenchings of water being calculated to lower rather 
than increase the temperature of a border. It follows that if the 
heavy late autumn and winter rains especially could be excluded 
and extra severe frosts warded off the borders without actually 
excluding air and sunshine, the borders would not get nearly so 
cold, and saturation would be avoided. When, however, a heavy 
mass of leaves or manure are applied in the autumn they not 
unfrequently do more harm than good, and of late years rather 
than use them I prefer to run all risks from severe frosts and rain. 
When these winter surfacings are removed they leave the border in 
a very moist state, and surface cracking soon results, whereas frosts 
pulverise and do not injure unless the Vines are in active growth. 
When the winter mulchings are cleared off it is the custom to 
fork in a heavy dressing of solid manure, or a surfacing of some 
kind of special manure, and this only aggravates the evil. This 
spring especially the rains in April were very cold, and we had 
several hailstorms, these thoroughly soaking the already moist 
borders, and either the loss of bunches, or shanking later on, is or 
will be the result. The very best form of mulching, either for 
winter or summer, is good leaf soil, and failing this the finest 
portions of a mixed and well decayed heap of vegetable rubbish, to 
this being added other charred, rubbishy material. Supposing the 
surface of the border is not loosened when a thickness of about 
4 inches is applied in the autumn much of the rainfall passes away 
by a natural system of drainage, while the mulching encloses warmth 
without unduly excluding either more of that or air. It is surprising 
what an affinity Vine and all other roots have for partially decayed 
good leaf soil. They are quickly attracted to the surface by it, 
whereas that worst of all mulchings, cow or mixed farmyard 
manure, literally drives them downwards. There is no necessity 
for any digging or forking where leaf soil is used, nor need the 
winter applications be removed in the spring. If the roots have 
taken possession leave it alone, only add a thin surfacing of fresh 
turfy loam, wood ashes, and some of Thomson’s Vine manure, or 
other good substitutes for it, on this being placed the summer 
mulching of half-decayed leaves. Inside borders should be treated 
similarly, with this difference, that no winter mulching is necessary. 
When the borders, whether inside or outside, are approaching 
dryness is the time to water, a very little comparatively sufficing 
for them, whereas if left till they are quite dry so many thousand 
gallons will be needed where one-quarter given a week or two 
earlier would have done much more good. Our outside borders 
were treated exactly as I described, or mulched with half-decayed 
leaves only. Not a bunch has been lost, and there are plenty of 
active roots that can be forked out with the finger.—W. Iggulden. 
I have come to the same conclusion as Mr. Dunkin, that I have 
never known a season in which Vines required less water than the 
present or past twelve months. Gardeners appear to have got a 
notion into their heads that Vines must be deluged with water about 
every ten days or a fortnight, but that is entirely a fallacy. The 
borders must either be very small indeed and the compost very 
porous, or their idea of a good watering is quite different from mine. 
The nature of a Vine root tells us it is not an aquatic. A mulch- 
