100 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ MAY, 
about equal parts, with a free admixture of sand and charcoal, and be kept growing 
in a temperature of 65° to 70°, and freely syringed. A very important point is 
to keep the plants stocky ; and as to root-space, 6-in. or 7-in. pots will be suffi¬ 
ciently large, if they are copiously supplied with liquid manure at each watering, 
as soon as the pots get filled with roots. Cockscombs are gross feeders, and must 
have an abundant and nutritious diet to promote perfect development. 
Inferior strains of Cockscombs are apt to become lanky under any system of 
rnanagement. When such is the case, and average crests are shown, they may 
be cut off and propagated in a close frame, keeping them shaded ; they will root 
in a few days, and must afterwards be inured to the usual treatment, and then 
they may form fair average Combs. Any one having a dung-frame at command 
may grow these interesting plants with the usual attention, and they will stand 
in a window, when gradually hardened off, for a considerable length of time.— 
—Geo, Westland, Witley Court. 
THE LAMBTON CASTLE VINES. 
have on previous occasions referred to the splendid clusters of Black 
Hamburgh Grapes, which have from time to time been exhibited by Mr. 
f Hunter from the gardens at Lambton Castle, those of last year’s crop 
greatly exceedingly anything previously on record, one bunch having 
reached a weight of 21 lb. 12 oz. Naturally enough, some curiosity was excited 
as to the treatment to which Vines yielding such splendid results* had been 
subjected, and this Mr. Hunter has recently met by reading a paper before the 
Gardeners’ Institute at Darlington, on his management of the Vines in the house 
where the monster clusters have been produced. From this paper, which has 
been printed and circulated, we make some extracts. Mr. Hunter states that:— 
u The house was put up in the early spring of 1869 ; it occupied the old 
foundations so far as regards width, but was in length made nearly double, by 
putting two into one. This house stands on piles. While making alterations, I 
found after boring that we stood 31 ft. 9 in. from anything solid to work on. 
However, after getting a cement-and-brick bottom to my satisfaction, some 4 ft. 
in depth, I resolved to have the borders made without further delay. Drainage 
on such a bottom as this must be efficient and thoroughly well carried out. In 
this case our front drain is built with brick, and pipes put inside, so that the 
top of the drain is a little below the cement bottom of the border ; a line of 6-in. 
pipes crosses at every 6 ft. from front to back, and at every 4 ft. from end to end 
of the house, the pipes thus forming a number of oblong squares, 6 ft. by 4 ft. 
This was filled up with brick-bats to a foot in depth, and then with small stones 
and coarse gravel, after which it was turfed over, the grassy side of the sod being 
placed downwards. Soil suitable to make the border was the next important 
item. The park, or a portion of it, had been drained previous to my coming to 
the gardens ; I used the turf which was put aside for gardening purposes, and cut 
fresh turf to make out with. To every six cart-loads of soil, I added one of lime 
debris, one of charcoal, one of burnt clay, 3 cwt. of broken bones, and a good 
dressing of clean cow-manure. The whole was turned over twice in the border, 
and in a few days the Vines were planted. Some of them were from one-year- 
