358 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 18,1891. 
capital crop colouring, but i8 not a good market Grape all the same ; 
Muscat of Alexandria, each rod carrying thirty good bunches, but not 
yet ripe when I called. Still it is remarkable to see Muscat of Alexandria 
doing so well here. Then the Colmans have an immense crop, berries 
fine, and colouring well. These are to hang as long as possible, and 
then be cut and bottled. Finally the centre section is all Gros Colman. 
There are twenty-nine Vines, one rod each, at about 2 feet apart. Each 
rod has on the average twenty-five bunches, and again an average of 
2 lbs. each. This gives a produce of 50 lbs. per Vine, and 700 bunches, 
or in all 1400 lbs. of Grapes in this one compartment. Putting the 
crop just by way of remark at 2s. per lb., here is a return of £140 from 
this one section, but even after all deductions are made the return be 
£100, is it not a huge sum for the small area of ground and the moderate 
original outlay 1 These Vines have been planted seven years, and have 
carried good crops for five years, the present, one of the heaviest crops 
on such an area I have ever seen, is perhaps the greatest. The berries 
are fine, and no doubt will colour very well for the variety. Still 
farther, by his system of culture Mr. Castle secures both in Gros Colman 
and Alicante remarkably good flavour. The illustration (fig. 65, page 357), 
from Wright’s “ Fruit Grower’s Guide,” used by favour of Messrs. J. S. 
Virtue & Co., Limited, accurately represents the house of Gros Colman. 
It is not possible to refer here in detail to all the houses of Grapes, 
they are so numerous, but Hamburghs, Muscats, Gros Maroc, Gros 
Colman, and Alicante are the chief sorts. I give one other house, a 
span of 25 feet wide and 100 feet long, having fifty Vines on each side, 
all Gros Colman, from which it is expected a ton weight of Grapes will 
be taken. These are earlier and finely colouring. The Vines were 
planted in 1891. In one house of 120 feet Gros Maroc, black as sloes, 
are alternated with Muscat of Alexandria, giving at once a splendid 
crop and a very handsome appearance. Cannon Hall Muscat here is 
very fine ; indeed, are fruiting freely. It is very distinct from Muscat 
of Alexandria, and obtains a much better price in the market. In 
the new ranges this splendid Grape will be largely planted. It is not 
easy, however, to obtain it true, for it is not found possible to propagate 
at home. When the new range of houses is complete there will be here 
some 24,000 feet run of glass at least, all large, broad houses, almost 
entirely planted with Vines. 
Tomatoes also, Webb’s Kegina and Conference being the best, 
are grown very largely. In one house, for fruiting up to Christmas, are 
800 plants, all vertical, but the entire number must run into thousands, 
and the earlier ones will be replaced by Chrysanthemums presently. 
French Beans are also well grown during the winter and spring, the 
floors of the new houses will be covered with them in due course. The 
natural soil is of a very fair loam some 2 feet in depth, the site of the 
vineries being a meadow sloping southwards, excavated, and some fresh 
loam from near by is added to the natural soil, and that is trenched. 
Very little animal manure is added, indeed this year there was not a 
bit of it to be seen as top-dressing on any of the borders. These are 
very firm, literally to walk upon as hard as a road, yet are thoroughly 
porous. The only dressings are of patent silicate manure, in the merits 
of which for Vines Mr. Castle has great faith. He gives a liberal 
dressing to the borders in the early spring, and that is just pointed in, 
for it is not possible, so matted are the roots, to get the points of the 
forks in more than an inch. Then as colouring comes on another moderate 
top-dressing is given, and that is well washed in, as water is liberally 
given. Lime rubbish and sand form invariable dressings for Muscat 
borders,—D. 
RIPENED WOOD. 
In response to “ A Sceptic’s ” appeal (page 336) for a definition 
of “ ripened wood,” I venture to supplement previous notes on the 
subject, in the hope that I may in some measure assist in the attain¬ 
ment of the object in view. Reading between the lines of 
his last and previous articles, I take it that your verdant corre¬ 
spondent is more anxious to arrive at the truth than to wash out 
the subject in a wave of scepticism. Reasoning thus I do not consider 
t’ne task of conversion a hopeless one. I fear that as “ I have com¬ 
mitted myself to nothing,” a clear expression on my part has been 
wanting. This shall be my endeavour to rectify, for I certainly 
feel more solidly placed than “ sitting on a rail.” But a truce to 
raillery. 
Respecting the different phases of culture that have been 
noticed in the discussion, it is obvious that the man who has made 
a special study of any particular subject is better qualified by his 
practical experience than one who in a busy life can confine his 
observation to no one object. Such men should be and are the 
best teachers in each department, and are there any valid reasons 
for supposing they will lead us astray, or pamper us in our “almost 
Chinese conservatism so hide-bound in character ” as to “ terribly 
handicap us with the more intelligent foreigner ? ” 
I need not here go into a defence of my class or my country, 
for I feel that none is required, but regret that “ Sceptic ” should 
have avoided this heavy artillery of practical evidence of what he 
terms “ ripe wood nonsense.” But I will not re-hash those teach¬ 
ings ; no need, there is a fresh dish this week (page 350), “Autumn 
Treatment of Peaches and Nectarines,” also another little entree on 
the succeeding page—“Late Houses,” and more to follow I dare 
affirm, all worthy of digestion. Why this thusness, may I ask ? and 
why can it be so comfortably ignored ? 
Ripened wood is the technical term by which is understood 
the perfect maturation of the wood by the influence of light— 
sunshine. The term “ ripened,” as employed by us, appears to 
me to bear the same relation to the wood that ripeness does to 
fruit, and expresses maturity ; hence has probably arisen that 
confusion of ideas apparently in “ Sceptic’s ” mind when he 
inquires, “Do they smell it or eat it ? ” Well, not exactly ; but we 
do feast on it with our eyes, knowing how good it is, and sniff the 
capabilities of its produce. 
The mineral substances of potash, magnesia, lime, and other 
necessaries of plant life, building up the structural tissues of annual 
growth give the “ hard firm wood ; ” carbonic acid is a powerful 
agent in free growth, but can only be formed into carbon, 
forming a large proportion of the starch element, by the action of 
light—sun, giving the ripened wood. As an illustration to the point, 
I may remark that the Oak grown in the more humid atmosphere of 
Ireland is, as timber, inferior in value to the British Oak grown 
under sunnier conditions. Practical evidence of this I saw on a 
demesne, where the rapid decay of home-grown Oak used on the 
place was remarkable. It is, I believe, an acknowledged fact that 
isolated trees fully exposed to the influence of light form a 
tougher and more durable material than the same species growing 
in dense forests. 
That fellow feeling which exists among Chrysanthemum 
growers brings me to the note thereon. I rejoice to find the 
“Sceptic” is a grower of what my employer terms my children. 
I can only deduce (rightly or wrongly) from his remarks that 
a “ Sceptic” grows by deputy, and so fails to recognise my parental 
anxiety by which I appear to have been guilty of maltreatment in 
robbing luxuriant Nature of some foliage. “ Amazing proposi¬ 
tion” (though, as a matter of fact, it is not mine), and it is with 
diffidence I must add my culture has been successful, and 
substantial proofs could be shown. 
That no undecided opinion on the subject may suggest itself 
this time I must be dogmatic, and say that well ripened wood is 
not only important, but of absolute necessity to the development 
of high-class blooms. The finest specimens of these can only be 
obtained from ripe wood, as unripe wood is deficient in the 
elements which build them up. Damping of blooms has no 
relevance to the subject, only as late plants forced by chemical 
stimulants, which plants after housing are deprived of the light 
essential to digest the food. As for shading, all blooms under 
glass are better preserved by the direct force of the sun’s rays 
being broken, and tiffany does but little more than that. Light is 
essential to development of colour, hence the deprivation of it 
bleaches, as in Seakale, purple Lilac, and so on. This phase of the 
question is capable of extended reasoning, which space precludes. 
Roses—“Do I mean to advocate the substitution of autumn 
pruning for spring pruning ? ” Hardly that, and as “ Sceptic ” has 
been a rosarian for twenty-five years, I fail to see how he could 
misconstrue or jumble up the two, especially as I had previously 
(in a former article) called his attention to a seasonable note by 
“ D., Deal," on the matter. I, however, assert with confidence that 
early autumn thinning, where the growths are crowded, is of 
enormous advantage to those retained in view of future blooms. 
As for the “ Welsh Grape-growing muddle,” I do not see any 
beyond what has arisen from “ Sceptic ” overlooking those two 
eyes the canes were cut back to ; therein is the gist of the matter 
Vines afford the best example that I know of respecting the value 
of ripened wood. To thrash out this subject a dissertation on 
Grape-growing would be necessary. May I venture to ask the 
question if any “ Sceptic,” admittedly searching for light, is quite 
competent to describe the practice of such an experienced and ac¬ 
complished gardener as Mr. Pettigrew is known to be as “ muddling ? ” 
Respecting Strawberries and “Hibernian wit” the laugh was 
premature. “ Sceptic ” ignored the ripened crowns, not wood, but 
occupying the same relative position. If wrong I am open to 
correction. Bash fruits—“Do I consider these are great lovers of 
sunshine ? ” Yes, I think they love all we can or are able to give 
them, if the roots have adequate food in solution—moisture. 
“ And why do they not flourish in Southern Europe?” Perhaps 
because they have little enriched root moisture, or perhaps “ the 
intelligent foreigner” lolls under them whilst tbe “hide-bound 
Britisher” is conveying food and water to his fruit carriers. Old 
Raspberry canes (excuse my speaking dogmatically) are cut away 
to admit light and air to the young canes ; the business of the old 
ones with the roots is over. Dendrobiums, too, do require ripening. 
Repetition is not desirable, but I must hark back to the original 
article, in which the Burmah consignment of Wardianum Lowi 
was mentioned, and the marvellous floriferousness evident on the 
imported bulbs. I believe the plants were found growing in a 
locality exposed to the sun. 
