78 
THE FLORIST. 
Sawbridgeworth in the October number, the writer, in speaking of the 
Grapes, says, “ The Vines are brought in under the glass, and fruit 
freely, not large of course, but well coloured.” I ask any gardener if 
these Grapes come up to his standard of good Grapes. I must confess 
they do not come up to mine. They may satisfy Mr. R. and his family, 
but I hope he will pardon me if I tell him they would not satisfy me. 
I now come to the next point Mr. R. has noticed; he says, “ Still 
allow me to notice one or two other remarks of the same person. My 
glass roofs resting on posts (see former volume), and filled in with Arbor- 
Vitse hedges, are very recent erections, built for a special purpose, i. c?., 
to grow young fruit trees in, and to retard mid-season Peaches, which 
they do most effectually. My houses with shutters, more recently 
erected, according to ‘ Pomona,’, were among the first orchard houses I 
built.” 
If I have fallen into an error in this matter, Mr. R. will find that 
the writer of the “ Notice ” of Sawbridge worth in the October number 
fell into the same error ; and as this was prior to mine, Mr. R. ought to 
have corrected this first, if he really felt so very anxious about setting 
the matter right. 
Again, Mr. R. says, “ In 1855, my Nectarines were nearly all below 
par.” I ask, would they have been so had they had the assistance of 
a little artificial heat ? No, for Mr. R. tells us the Stan wick is the 
finest of Nectarines when grown in houses that are heated. 
I am tempted to make one or two more extracts from Mr. R.’s com¬ 
munication ; he says, “ The success that has attended the culture of 
Plums, Figs, Cherries, Pears, and Apples in pots at Stansted Park is 
very gratifying, and at once puts to flight the cavilling of ‘ Pomona.’ 
More ripe Figs have been eaten in England these last five years than 
were ever seen or thought of before.” I did not say that fruit trees 
could not be successfully grown in pots, very far from it; I have 
seen fruit trees of every kind grown in pots years before there was an 
orchard house at Sawbridgeworth. What I did say is, “ that the 
cultivation of fruit trees in pots is attended by an immense deal of 
labour.^' And we have the evidence of “G. T.”, of Stansted Park, that 
trees planted out in borders bear '■’■finer fruit and in greater abundance." 
The cultivation of fruit trees in pots dates a long way back; there are 
very few forcing establishments of any note where Figs have not been 
grown in pots. Grapes in pots was practised long ere there was an 
orchard house at Sawbridgeworth. It is upwards of 20 years since I 
saw some grown as bushes for table; they were for a special purpose, 
and I have never seen any better than they were since then. The pot 
culture of Grapes is attended with a deal of labour, and again Peaches, 
Nectarines, Cherries, Plums, and Raspberries have been forced in pots 
for years before orchard houses were erected at Sawbridgeworth. Mr. 
R. says, “I have not changed my ideas with regard to the eligibility of 
fruit tree culture in pots,” and again, “ It is indeed a delightful mode.” 
I am willing to admit the mode is delightful enough, but it gives me 
much greater delight to see a good house, with nice well managed trees 
planted in the borders; and to me it is more delightful to see six dozen 
