8 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 6,1887 
broad, white at the margin, and regularly streaked with purple. The lip 
is small and neat, purplish, the petals greenish at the base, with a few 
scattered tufts of black hairs on the upper margin, and purplish at the 
tips. The leaves are marbled, somewhat like C. Lawrencianum, but not 
quite so distinctly. 
AUSTRALIAN DENDROBIUMS. 
Some prejudice has existed against the Australian Dendrobiums 
amongst ceitain growers, possibly because most of the species have 
hitheito been found rather difficult to cultivate satisfactorily, but their 
requirements are now better understood, and with greater success will 
come an increased popular favour. Several species from the great 
southern land are very beautiful when in their right condition, and the 
flowers last for a great length of time either on the plant or cut and 
placed in water. D. bigibbum is very useful in this respect, and is now 
frequently seen in robust health, Mr. Cypher of Cheltenham being very 
successful in its cultivation. The flowers will keep fresh in water for 
over a month. We have spikes now that were placed in a vase more than 
three weeks ago, and only one flower, the lowest on the spike, has faded, 
and that was slightly injured ; the others are quite as fresh and bright in 
colour as the day they were cut. The rosy tint is a very pleasing one, 
and is suitable for arranging with many other flowers. D. superbiens is 
another handsome species, and is well grown by Mr. Cowley, gardener to 
F. G. Tautz, Esq., Hammersmith, in a stove. A plant there has made a 
pseudo-bulb feet long and proportionately stout, the old imported 
pseudo-bnlb not exceeding a foot in length. This plant has borne two 
racemes of eleven flowers each, and when shown at South Kensington 
recently a cultural commendation was awarded for it. Mr. Cowley seems 
to find no difficulty in growing this Dendrobium. It is in the same house 
as the Phalsenopsis, evidently enjoying plenty of heat and moisture, with 
free exposure to sun. Some idea of the capabilities of this plant can be 
formed from the fact that a specimen has been grown in Australia that 
was in flower for thirteen months, bearing twelve racemes at one time of 
fifteen flowers each, which lasted three months. The handsome but 
scarcer D. Phalaenopsis does not seem to be so free, but it is a charming 
species, and another recently brought into notice—viz., D. MacFarlanei, 
is rather attractive.—L. Castle. 
GRAPES WITHOUT HEAT FOR THE MILLION. 
(Continued from ■page 582, last vol.) 
Furnishing.— The back wall is of great importance in the 
lean-to house, in the case, and under the coping or projecting eaves. 
In flat-roofed vineries the back wall is no good, through the Vines 
on the roof overshadowing it. It is, therefore, a question of light, 
so we must not cover the roof if the back wall is to be utilised, 
then w'e get all the sun in front and all the warmth the wall absorbs 
to give out in cold weather and at night. To furnish the wall, 
plant Chasselas Vibert, round large berries, golden amber when 
ripe, flesh tender, juicy, and well flavoured, capital grower, and 
earlier than Royal Muscadine ; Esperione, round large berries, 
purple or black, flesh very juicy and rich in flavour, free grower, and 
great bearer ; Early Smyrna Frontignan, round, medium sized, 
amber, juicy and rich, not nearly so strong in growth as the other 
two, and is not advised for any but lovers of the Frontignan flavour, 
as they are not profitable from a sale point of view. 
In the case the best varieties are Foster’s Seedling, berries not 
large, but above medium size, oval or roundish, sweet, and nicely 
flavoured ; Black Hamburgh, roundish berries, large, juicy, and 
red ; Buckland Sweetwater, round large berries, pale amber, juicy 
and sweet ; Trentham Black, oval berries juicy and rich. Chasselas 
Vibert and Esperione can be added—half-a-dozen of the very best 
Grapes for our purpose. Foster’s Seedling and Trentham Black 
will keep some time. 
For the house grow all the preceding, with Madresfield Court, 
large berries, rich, superb, with slight Muscat flavour ; Black Muscat 
(Muscat Hamburgh) medium-sized, oval berries, juicy and rich ; 
Black Prince, oval, juicy, and good ; Gros Maroc grafted on the 
Black Hamburgh is superb in appearance, and wants no more heat 
than a Hamburgh ; Golden Queen, oval, amber, flesh firm and richly 
flavoured ; Golden Champion, very large berries, pale yellow, flesh 
firm and very juicy; General della Marmora, round large berries, 
flesh tender, sweet, and good, very like Buckland Sweetwater; 
Ferdinand de Lesseps, medium-sized berries, deep amber, flesh juicy 
and peculiar flavour ; Chaptal, large round berries, white, juicy and 
sweet. Frontignans : — Early Smyrna, Early Auvergne, Early 
Sauaiur, Primavis Frontignan, and Tokay Frontignan ; Early 
Silver Frontignan has large berries, and though it, like White 
Frontignan, will ripen in a oool house, it is the better of heat. The 
Frontignans are to connoisseurs the choicest of Grapes, and should 
be grown on a part of the wall, or have a division of the case or 
house to themselves, as they do not grow so strongly, and require a 
more calcareous soil than the freer growing varieties. Madresfield 
Court and Golden Champion are given to speck and spot respectively, 
but that can be overcome by keeping the house freely ventilated 
when ripening. 
Soil. —Any siliceous or calcareous loam will grow Vines. A 
good bodied loam, interspersed with gravel and sand, is better for 
the freer-growing sorts, in fact all but Frontignans than a very 
light soil. If there is a bed of gravel or rock under, so that water 
never lodges within 3 feet of the surface, it is all that could be 
desired. Trench it 2 or 3 feet deep as the soil admits, adding about 
a fifth of short stable or farmyard manure. If there is a deficiency 
of sand and lime add a sixth of old mortar rubbish freed of pieces 
of lath or other wood, and about a twentieth of crushed bones, the 
whole well incorporated. Nothing further is wanted except to 
loosen the soil or “ brash ” at the bottom of the trench, so that 
the water can pass away freely. Soils that have not natural drain¬ 
age should have 3-inch drain tiles put in at 3 to 4 feet depth, with 
proper fall and outlet to carry off the superfluous water. Nine out 
of ten soils in their natural state would grow much better Grapes 
than the costly borders that are made for them. If the soil is light 
and shallow deepen it by bringing in fresh loam so as to get a depth 
of 24 to 30 inches ; if medium textured add some lime rubbish, 
and where inclined to be stiff a free admixture of lime rubbish, 
brickbats, &c., will make it open. A Vine soil needs to be well 
drained, open or porous, so that water can pass into and through 
it freely, and then it can be freely supplied with surface dressings 
and liquid manure. Never seek to make a Vine border if the soil 
is suited to it naturally, or by slight additions can be made available. 
With a stiff wet soil on a cold subsoil the case is different. On 
such instead of excavating raise the border. There may be equal 
reasons for keeping up some soils that are not unsuitable only 
through water lying near the surface, and the difficulty of seeming 
an outlet for drains. The whole of the border, drainage as well, 
may be above the surface, forming a terrace a yard high. Place 
drain tiles to carry off the superfluous water, a foot of rubble on a 
bottom sloping to the drain, the roughest of the rubble at the bottom 
and finest at the top. Thirty inches depth of soil, the top 3 or 4 inches 
thickness of a pasture where the soil is a light or medium textured 
loam, chopped up rather roughly, adding a sixth of old mortar 
rubbish and a twentieth of crushed bones, the whole well incor¬ 
porated, and placed together firmly when in good working order. 
No manure need be added, as it will be rich enough through the 
decay of the fibre of the loam. The width of the border need not 
exceed 4 feet for a wall or case ; for a house it may be the width of it 
if Vines are planted in front as well as against the wall of a lean-to, 
or on both sides of a span, confining the roots to the inside, and 
when that is occupied with roots the border can be extended out¬ 
side. Wide deep borders only become sodden and sour. If the 
border is raised its slope may be grassed over, or it may be 
made gay with rock plants. The outside border need not exceed 
the inside, or in a span half the width on each side. 
Planting. —Spring is unquestionably the best time to plant. 
The Vines should be in pots kept cool and dry, the pots protected 
from frost. The canes can be cut back to the length required. 
For walls, say 9 to 12 inches, the former preferably, as the shoots 
are wanted at a foot distance from the soil, and they must be 
originated lower, so as to get them with a nice bend instead of an 
abrupt one. When the Vines are on the move turn them out of 
the pots, disentangle the roots, spread them out evenly, cover with 
fine soil, and avoid, as is a common practice, burying the cane or 
planting low, just covering the roots with soil, and the generality 
of the roots being 3 inches beneath the surface they are deep 
enough. Follow with a watering of tepid water, and mulch with a 
couple of inches thickness of short manure. If the canes are 
wanted to reach to a certain height before bearing growths are 
needed, they may be left the requisite length at pruning. The 
Vines in the case of houses should be planted inside, and so that 
the rods and growths can be trained to the under side of the trellis 
In the case of entrances or corridors which preclude a border inside 
the Vines will need to be planted outside and taken through an 
aperture in the wall or side, which should be large enough to admit 
of a stuffing of hay, and the cane outside must be wrapped in soft 
hay bands. Keep the Vines in planting about 4 inches clear of the 
wall. In respect of distance apart at planting, that depends upon 
the space. A Vine will cover the largest wall or fill the largest 
house in time. It is, however, so tractable that it may be fruited in 
a 6-inch pot. A Vine will cover a house end in perhaps a dozen 
years. More Vines will do it in less, and so on as regards the house 
front, the wall, and house. Pigmies and monsters have their advo¬ 
cates ; a medium is, perhaps, best.—G. Abbey. 
(To be continued.) 
FUCHSIAS IN WINTER. 
The Fuchsia is still a favourite flower in the majority of gardens 
especially with amateurs, and when liberally grown it makes a good 
display throughout all the longest days, but it is not a good winter- 
