246 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ November, 
of Raisin de Calabre belongs to Mr. Curror, gardener to G. Douglas, Esq., of 
Eskbank, near Dalkeith; while that of producing the White Nice belongs to 
Mr. Dickson, gardener to John Jardine, Esq., of Arkleton, Langholme, near 
Glasgow, who has been the fortunate exhibitor of very large clusters on some 
previous occasions. 
We have received from a correspondent the following interesting particulars 
respecting the Eskbank Grapes, which we here introduce :— 
44 Finding myself in Edinburgh the day before the International Fruit and 
Flower Show opened, I inquired amongst my gardening friends for the where¬ 
abouts of the monster bunch of Raisin de Calabre Grapes , which it was rumoured 
was about to astonish the whole world of Grape-growers, and soon found myself 
on the road to Eskbank, Dalkeith, the residence of George Douglas, Esq. 
44 Eskbank is a suburb of Dalkeith, on the direct coach-road to 4 Auld Reekie,’ 
and Mr. Douglas’s villa stands in a garden of about one and a half acres in extent, 
the flower and kitchen-gardens and plant-houses being at the rear. The flower- 
garden is small,—the bedding-out neat. The kitchen-garden is small, too, and 
well cropped, considering the soil, which is of a light, gravelly nature. Two 
small houses contain a nice collection of Ferns, another structure contains a small 
but healthy collection of Orchids, amongst which was the shy-flowering Epiden- 
drum prismatocarpum, with three spikes of its beautiful creamy-white black- 
spotted flowers. Another small lean-to does duty as a greenhouse, and contained 
a good show of bloom. 
44 Then came the all-important objects of my visit—the Vineries. These are 
two in number, lean-tos, about 20 ft. each in length, and 14 ft. wide, 11 ft. high 
at the back, and well heated with liot-water. They have been built some seven 
or eight years ; and were planted under the directions of Mr. William Thomson, 
then at Dalkeith, now of Clovenfords. The border consists simply of one-half 
of the light gravelly soil before mentioned, the other half of yellowish clayey- 
loam, with the addition to the whole of a few broken bones, and some manure. 
The border is 4 ft. deep and 13 ft. wide. The Vines are planted inside; and 
every year, both outside and inside, the usual dressings of rich manure are 
applied. 
44 Unfortunately for me I did not get to Eskbank early enough in the day to 
see the large bunch cut, but I saw it shortly after it was fixed on its tray, and also 
the cane from which it was cut. Its weight then was 26 lbs. 4 oz., a decidedly 
handsome bunch for its size, with fairly well-swelled berries, which had been well 
thinned in the first instance—the bunch after cut standing up firm and plump 
on its exhibition-tray. 
44 1 have many times heard it said that ii> the case of these very large bunches, 
all the others are cut off to concentrate the energy of the vine on' the single 
prodigy; but such was certainly not the case here, for on the same cane was 
another bunch which, I should think, would turn the scale at 161b., and two 
others at about. 6 lb. each. In other words, the cane, which is only abou 16 ft 
