OCTOBER. 
233 
OUR MONTHLY CHRONICLE. 
Large Cluster of Grapes. —Mr. Fowler, 
gardener to the Earl of Stair, Castle Kennedy, 
produced at a recent show in Glasgow, the most 
extraordinary bunch of Grapes, for size and 
weight, that has been exhibited in modern 
times. It all but rivalled the famous bunch 
of Speechly at Welbeck. It weighed 17 lbs. 
2|ozs., and was of the White Nice variety. 
The same grower had enormous Black 
Alicante, with berries the size of Victoria 
Hamburgh, and bunches compact and pyra¬ 
midal to a fault. Trebbiano, too, was the 
largest and best formed bunch of the kind 
probably ever exhibited. Mr. Fowler also 
produced a bunch of the Duchess of Buecleuch 
variety, much larger both in cluster and 
berry than any of this variety before exhibited. 
The size of bunch which Mr. Fowler in¬ 
duces in all the sorts under his cultural care 
is something wonderful, and if he does not at 
ail times show them quite up to the finishing 
stroke in point of colour, it need not be 
wondered at. 
International Congress. —Mr. It. Warner 
proposes that an International or Universal 
Botanical and Horticultural Association 
should be formed, which shall hold Congresses 
annually in different capital cities, such as 
may offer to receive it, in the same way as our 
Agricultural Society and the British Associa¬ 
tion meet at different towns in Great Britain ; 
and that every member of the xYssociation shall 
pay a certain sum per annum, to pay expenses 
of printing and distributing the Proceedings. 
He suggests that the head-quarters should be 
in England, and adds that the Linnean Society 
should undertake it; but that if the Society 
will not, then it should be an independent 
Association. 
Propagation of Variegated Plants from 
Root-cuttings. —The result of this process is 
very frequently that the plants so raised return 
to their original green-leaved state. Mr. 
Meehan notic ed some few years since, that root- 
cuttings of Cornus mascula variegata produced 
the normal form, while plants raised from 
layers did not show any tendency to re¬ 
vert to their original. Continuing his experi¬ 
ments, he found that this was the case with 
most variegated plants, so that he expected to 
establish it is a general rule ; but in the case of 
Pyrus japonica variegata, the roots were found 
to produce the same variegated form as the 
parent. 
Glaucous Cedar of Goa. —There is a 
glaucous variety of the Cedar of Goa at 
Verrieres, the residence of Madame Vilmorin, 
which for gracefulness is unrivalled. It is one 
of the most exquisite pleasure-ground trees 
in existence, drooping most gracefully, and of 
a lively silvery tone. 
Second Fruiting of Musa. —In tho Oxford 
Botanic Garden a plant of Musa with a stem 
about 12 feet high, which had produced a 
bunch of fruit last year (1866), has produced 
from the same stem a second bunch of fruit this 
summer. The second bunch is 9 or 12 inches 
above the previous one, and is on the opposite 
side of the stem. As it is rare for a plant of 
this genus to fruit a second time, the fact is 
worth recording. 
Grafting. —Dr. Regel describes a new 
method of grafting, as practised by Herr 
Freundlich, one of the Russian court gardeners, 
with remarkable success. Instead of taking 
the scions from the previous year’s wood, with 
the bud just beginning to swell, the still soft 
growing lateral shoots are selected when from 
half to 1£ inch long, and either bark or tongue- 
grafted, care Teing taken not to draw the 
ligature too tight, as they swell much more 
rapidly than hardwood scions. Success, he 
says, is certain, if care be taken that the sap of' 
the stock is in motion at the time the opera¬ 
tion is performed. He recommends this mode 
as superior to all others, especially for hard- 
wooded trees, such as Quercus, Fagus, &c., 
which are usually difficult to propagate from 
the old wood. New Roses and other plants, 
which it is desirable to increase as rapidly as 
possible, may also be advantageously worked 
in the same manner. 
Oleander-growing in France.— Olean¬ 
ders are grown about Paris in sandy soil in 
small pots, say 48s, which they of course soon 
fill with roots. They are plunged all the summer 
in the open air, and grown at all other seasons 
near the glass in those low houses so much in 
vogue in Parisian gardens. They are allowed 
to rise with an undivided stem for about 
3 inches, and then break off into several little 
stems. There should be no difficulty in grow- 
them wherever there is a sunny shelf in the 
greenhouse, by securing a clean, while dis¬ 
couraging a soft or luxuriant growth. 
Chasselas Grapes.— A large collection of 
these has been examined this season at Chis¬ 
wick. They were fruited together in pots— 
the only way in which such a large number 
could be brought under comparison. The fol¬ 
lowing are the results :—The earliest variety 
is Chasselas Hdtif de Tonnein, a small, round, 
somewhat pointed, greenish white Grape, 
transparent, sweet, and agreeable. Gelbe 
Muscatellier, resembles this in appearance, 
but is somewhat later. Pitmaston White 
Cluster is very much like Gelbe Muscatellier. 
Early White Malvasia , synonymous with 
Grove End Sweetwater, Keinzheimer blanc 
precoce, and Burchardt’s Amber Cluster, is a 
most excellent early, small, yellowish white 
Grape, juicy, sweet, and very agreeable. 
