606 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 19, 1890. 
1 lb. The proprietor informed me that in 1888 he cut eleven tons from 
that house, which sold at an average of 4s. per lb. The next was a 
Tomato house 800 feet by 45 feet with about 4000 plants, a sight not to 
be forgotten. Another Gros Colman house (a lean-to) facing north is 
200 feet long with a grand crop of very late fruit. We were shown 
another span-roofed house 500 feet by 45 feet, and then came the finest 
sight of Muscat of Alexandria I have ever seen, a span-roofed house 
800 feet by 33 feet with splendid bunches of Grapes. This was 
the first year fruited. Mr. Bashford told me that the first year the 
Vines were planted he cut sixteen tons of Tomatoes from that house as 
well as a crop of early Potatoes. 
Having mentioned some of the principal houses which we passed 
through, I will give a few particulars of the place as furnished by Mr. 
Bashford. The total length of glass houses is about 2J miles, with 
15 miles of piping, but since my visit he has put up another house 
1100 feet long. There were twenty-one boilers of various makes ; one of 
Boot’s patent heats 10,000 feet of piping. Mr. Bashford prefers the 
horizontal tubular boilers for economy and work. Pipes and hose for 
watering is attached to all the houses, which is supplied from a water- 
tower 90 feet high, and pumped up from a stream which runs through 
the grounds by a small steam engine, and when all houses are m full 
“ swing ” about GOO tons of water is used per day. The principal 
Grapes grown are Black Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria, and Gros 
Colman. Mr. Bashford informed me that some time ago he was talking 
to a fruit salesman, who showed him a sample of Grapes he had arranged 
to purchase at 3s. Cd. per lb. Mr. Bashford offered to send him some 
with berries as large again ; the salesman offered to give him 5s. per lb. 
for all he could send, and the salesman was astonished when he told 
him he would send him G tons as a first consignment. Mr. Bashford 
has the soil necessary for growing good Grapes on the spot. Com¬ 
mencing in August he sends off 2 tons of Grapes daily, and 80 tons of 
Tomatoes yearly. 
His best Tomato is a cross between Trophy and Conqueror. I inquired 
if the plants were troubled with the Tomato disease. He said “No,” 
and certainly I saw none. Owing to most of his Tomatoes being some 
distance from the glass he gets the spot or mildew on the foliage, bub 
that he soon cures by having pots with a small lump of hot lime in each, 
which is sprinkled now and again with flowers of sulphur and carried 
round and amongst the plants. His Grapes and Tomatoes are mostly 
packed in baskets 18 inches by 12, with strong bow handles. A little 
hay is put in the bottom, and paper on the sides for Grapes, and the 
same for Tomatoes, with a sheet of paper between the layers. In loading 
in ship a layer of baskets is put in and then a layer of wood hurdles on 
the top of the handles, and so on. At the time of my visit thirty-five 
men and boys were employed, but at Grape thinning time seventy are 
engaged. I saw nothing grown outdoors requiring special mention, 
only Potatoes for seed for planting in the houses. Everything was in 
good order, and showed me that the place was governed by a master 
hand. 
Baising Vines. 
The process of raising young Vines in Jersey is far different from 
what it is in England. The common practice is to raise the young 
Vines from cuttings, and with one exception I have not seen them 
raised in any other way. Mr. Bashford, who is by far the largest Grape 
grower either in Jersey or England, raises his Vines from eyes in the 
following way :—Early in the year numbers of large pots are well 
drained and filled to within 4 or 5 inches of the rim with good sound 
loam, then the eyes are laid on the soil closely, and 2 or 3 inches of soil 
is sifted over them, well pressed down, and well watered if the weather 
be dry. The pots are placed out of doors, and during the summer are 
well looked after in regard to watering, &c. By the end of the summer 
they have made growths of from 18 to 30 inches, and the pots are full of 
roots. In the spring of the following year they are turned out of the 
pots, the roots disentangled, and they are then planted out in the 
ground and cut hard back. By the end of the summer they make good 
canes, and are ready for planting in the houses, and they do quite as 
well as Vines that are grown in pots under glass in England. In raising 
young Vines from cuttings a different method is pursued. In the 
month of February a piece of ground is trenched 2 feet deep, and well- 
ripened cuttings with three or four eyes are inserted in rows 2 feet 
apart. The first year they sometimes make growths of 3 to 4 feet long. 
At the end of the first year they are cut hard back, and the following 
year they are trained on wires or stakes, and make good canes ready for 
planting in the houses. All sorts are grown this way. No exception is 
made, not even with Muscat of Alexandria. The price they sell at is 
from ISs. to 24s. per dozen. 
Manuees foe Vines. 
Chemical manures are not much used in Jersey for Vines, for the 
simple reason that on the best deep rich soil they are not required. 
Many growers simply give the border a good mulching with farmyard 
manure or seaweed each year, with a little lime every few years ; this 
keeps the Vines well supplied with all that is needed to keep them in 
health and vigour. Many Grape growers are also farmers, and have 
always a good supply of liquid manure from the cowsheds, &c. This is 
one of the best manures for Vines ; they use it freely when the fruit is 
swelling, and this accounts for the heavy crop of Grapes that is taken 
from a given space of glass. It is really surprising what Vines will do 
in Jersey if they are well fed at the roots at the time when the greatest 
strain is on them. But many growers are not so well circumstanced as 
the farmers either for soil or manure, so they resort to chemical 
manures. Mr. Bashford makes great use of the following, with good 
results :—1 cwt. nitrate of potash to ^ cwt. of superphosphate, at the 
rate of 1 lb. to the square yard of border during the season, but given at 
two or three different times. Another grower of high repute gives his 
Vines two or three light dressings of fine bonedust and sulphate of 
ammonia, at the rate of 4 cwt. of the former to 1 cwt. of the latter. The 
following mixture is also used by others 10 cwt. dissolved bones, 
4 cwt. nitrate of potash, and 5 cwt. sulphate of lime, giving 1 lb. to the 
square yard two or three times during the growing season. Another 
very good manure is sometimes used on ground that is poor in potash, 
with good results is kainit, given at the rate of 1 lb. to the square yard 
every third or fourth week, and well watered in. This is only used 
one season in four. 
Tomatoes. 
The bulk of the Tomato crop is grown in unheated houses ; very few 
are grown out of doors, and very few are grown for early in the year— 
say from February to April—on account of the great cost for fuel. It 
does not pay to grow the plants all through the winter, as they do not 
set well during the short days from November to March, and 1 find that 
plants that have been grown with fire heat all through the winter do 
not crop so well as plants raised from seed early in the year. I do not 
attempt to force the plants hard under lire heat, even when sown in 
February, as I find it better to grow the plants on steadily, so as to get 
them into bloom by the first week in March. At that time they set 
their fruit freely if well cared for, and a little fire heat is given to 
keep the houses up to G0° at night. I may here say that we often have 
very hot days in March, the thermometer going up to 90° and 100° with 
all air on ; but the nights are cool, therefore a little fire heat is useful 
at night. We pot all our plants from the seed pans into 3^ inch pots, 
and keep them near the glass. By so doing we have fine strong plants 
that come quickly into bloom and fruit. By the end of April all fire 
heat is turned off and air given night and day. Good strong soil is far 
better than sandy soil for the Tomato. It is also a decided advantage 
to give them fresh soil every year, but here in Jersey it is not always 
necessary to take the soil out of the houses to do so, for unless 
manure is dug deeply into the ground the Tomato seldom rcols 
more than 12 inches deep ; therefore by trenching 2 feet deep one yea", 
and 3 the next, the plants always get a given amount of fresh soil, and 
do well if otherwise properly treated. On the strong soil no manure is 
put into the ground before planting, but simply parings from the 
roads, &c., feeding the plants when in full bearing with liquid manure 
from the cowsheds, &c. On the sand it is necessary to apply stable 
manure, and mulch the plants as well, to keep them in bearing from 
May to December, but on the strong soil they are in bearing until 
February with liquid manure only. Before giving the prices that made 
during the past season, I may say that it pays far better to have 
strong plants with a heavy crop of fruit that begin to ripen in May 
than it does to have plants with a light crop earlier in the year that 
have cost much in fuel, and want renewing in July. Prices for 1889 
May, Is. Gd. per lb. ; June 10th, Is. 4d. ; June 15th, Is. 2J. ; June 29th, 
lOd.; July, 8d. to lOd. ; August, 5d. to Gd. ; September, 5d. to Gd. ; 
October, Gd. to 7d. ; November, Gd. to 8d.; December, 8d. 
These are the prices realised in the various English markets during 
the past season, but Id. per lb. must be deducted for freight and com¬ 
mission. 
Jeesey Specialties. 
We left Mr. Bashford highly delighted with our visit, and started for 
a circular drive round the island. Everything looked at its best; the 
roads were in splendid condition, but very narrow, and at this time 
everyone seemed busy cutting their hedges and trimming the sides of 
the roads. It is a law on the island that all hedges along the public 
roads must be clipped twice a year and a clear headway made for 
traffic. Twice a year officials go round all roads with a pole or rod of 
