Febraarj 3,18S7. ] 
JOURNAL OF HO ”"’ICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
91 
While the Cypripedium in question is making its growth in April 
and May it delights in rather a strong heat and abundance of water. 
From 65° to 75° is very suitable for it, and as these temperatures generally 
occur in Cucumber and Melon pits or vineries at this season it is an easy 
matter to place it in growing quarters, while later on in the summer it 
will grow anywhere under glass, and it does not require more heat until 
the end of September, when the flower buds appear, and require a heat 
of 65° or so to bring them out freely. When in flower it should be kept 
in a temperature of 55° or thereabouts, and the atmosphere should be 
rather dry, as the flowers remain much longer perfect in a dry at¬ 
mosphere than where there is much damp. It is admirably adapted 
for placing in rooms or on staircases, and in such positions it will retain 
all its attractions for many weeks. After flowering it should be kept in 
a cool house and almost dry at the root, that it may have a thorough 
rest, and when placed in heat again it will develope crowns and leaves in 
a most satisfactory manner. We have found April the best time to repot 
it.— J. Muir. 
GROS COLMAN GRAPES. 
I AM sorry to trouble you again upon this subject, yet I crave your 
indulgence this time. On page 64 of Journal of January 27th my 
worthy opponent began his brief note with the following noble senti- 
moment think that the position I have taken up in this discussion is 
actuated by any motives of disparagement to the fruit he so ably grows. 
Far from it. Though I had not the honour of seeing Mr. Goodacre’s 
Gros Colmans last season, what I have heard of them indicates they must 
have been very fine, probably as good as any ever grown in this or any 
other country ; but at the same time I think they could have been so 
without approaching the weight reported. I should have thought that 
the honour attached to growing and exhibiting such fruit would be 
sufficient in itself to satisfy the most ambitious amongst us without 
attempting to “ cap ” the achievement with so weighty and staggering 
an assertion that sixty-eight berries weighed 7 lbs. 
I feel not a little flattered at the evident anxiety of Mr. Goodacre to 
know my name, especially when such anxiety is associated with so 
charitable an object as the relief of the unemployed. I compliment 
him on the interest he takes in so worthy an object, and beg to inform 
him that he may depend, not only upon my support and sympathy, but 
the desired information will be forthcoming when I know a little more 
of his “ rules of procedure,” and of course the present controversy 
is settled. In the meantime, however, I cannot see how it could assist 
him in his present difficulty to satisfy his curiosity on this point, but 1 
may be wrong. If I thought for a moment that the information would 
in any way assist him to give a straight answer to a straight question I 
would not only gladly give him my name and address, but full particu- 
Fig. 11 .—Cypkipedium Boissiekiaxum. 
ment :—“ Discussions are beneficial so long as they remain reasonable 
and do not drift away from the original subject.” I endorse every word 
of this sentence, but “ why not practise what you preach ?” If Mr. Good- 
acre had done this he would have saved trouble, and certainly have 
given satisfaction to more persons than myself. I always thought that 
'• beating about the bush ” would be a tiresome and laborious under¬ 
taking, and the admission of my friend has confirmed my opinion. 
What is the original subject and point in dispute of discussion ? I 
will state it again for the information of my opponent. A bunch of Gros 
Colman Grapes was reported 7 lbs. in weight and having only sixty-eight 
lierries. I questioned the accuracy of this report, and asked Mr. Good- 
acre to state if it was correct. He has since replied to my inquiries, 
carefully avoiding each time the point questioned for reasons best 
known to himself. I now give him another opportunity, and for the 
third time ask him to state if 7 lbs. was the weight of his sixty-eight- 
terried bunch or not. This is the root of the whole matter. Surely it 
does not require an elaborate exposition of the sizes of different 
varieties of Grapes to answer so simple a question ; though from Mr. 
Goodacre’s latest contribution to the subject one would think it did, or 
that it was the size of the terries that was disputed and not their 
weight, upon which, by-the-by, he had nothing to say. What a pity he 
did not weigh them as accurately as he measured them. 
I am asked to state where finer Gros Colmans than Mr. Goodacre’s 
are to be found. I never said I had seen finer. I said I had seen 
bunches with berries as large, and if Mr. Goodacre turns to the first con¬ 
tribution I sent to this discussion he will get all the information I can 
give him on that point. I trust my worthy opponent does not for a 
laps of my history from the hour of my birth to the present day. How¬ 
ever, it may allay his feaijs to know that it is not a “ big gun,” but a 
very humble individual that has him in a corner this time. 
I now take leave of the subject, and leave Mr. Goodacre and his 
wonderful bunch in the hstnds of your readers. With every good wish 
for the success and prosperity of my opponent, and may he long con¬ 
tinue one of or* foremost Grape-growers, and may the year we have just 
enteral upon prove more prosperous to him as an exhibitor than the one 
we have just left behind. These are still the feelings and the wish 
of—D. B. 
Having cut several bunches of Gros Coknan the first week in 
December and weighed them, I tried a few bunches again to-day, with 
the result that in three cases out of five I find no loss. Then, 
again, bunches cut later on account of foliage being on, show the 
same result, I contend that unless the berries shrivel their 
weight is as well in March as December. When decayed berries occur 
this is a loss, but Grapes in good condition do not lose by keeping- 
Why should they, I should like to know ? A very large grower once 
tried to persuade me they lost considerably, but I found this loss was 
due to bad berries, and he eventually admitted it was so. Sixty-eight 
berries 7 lbs., weight of single berry 1 eleven-seventeenths ounce. My 
berry at 1 fdiameter 3f in circumference weighs half an ounce. This 
weight, compared with a terry If diameter 5 three-sixteenths circum¬ 
ference, would make the large terry 1 *37 ounce, or rather more than 
1 one-third ounce. Now, to make 7 lbs. I must have eighty-four 
terries at lone-third ounce ; ten berries at i one-tMrd ounce would 
