60 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
France, whence it is brought to Paris in large quantities in winter, it is also most 
excellent when cooked.” 
This Apple has one fault however—like a deep-eyed Potato, there is much 
waste in peeling off the angular part, especially round the eye or crown of this 
singular-looking Apple. 
J. Wighton. 
HEATING VINE-BORDERS. 
When the new range of vineries was erected here, a very large house 
(106 feet in length by 20 feet in breadth) intended for growing principally 
Muscats, was heated in the borders by applying two rows of four-inch pipes on 
the outside. Mr. Meredith, who heated the hothouses here, agreed with me that 
an excellent chance now occurred of heating the borders of the house by making 
drains below the borders from the outside pipes to the chamber at the back, which 
contained the main flow and return, where there was always a great store of heat. 
The drains communicate with the outside air above the pipes, and can be shut off or 
turned on with valves at pleasure. When this vinery was planted with Muscats, 
Grizzly, White, and Purple Frontignans, and Golden Hamburghs, many of the 
Tines were twelve and fourteen years old, and bore an excellent crop the second 
year of planting, and a full crop every year since. It is impossible for Muscats 
to colour better than they do in this house; and the berries are large, and the 
bunches fair in size, for Vines short-spurred in the pruning. The Frontignans, 
and Golden Hamburghs likewise, do better in this house than in any of the other 
vineries where the borders are unlieated. It will be seen that the borders of this 
vinery are simply aerated below with heated air, and the borders being pretty 
deep, with plenty of brick rubbish for drainage above the drains, too much drying 
of the soil or overheating is an impossibility. I am convinced heating Vine- 
borders too much by bottom heat is a mistake, and can only be of use to very 
early forced Grapes, or in the way used here. 
The late Mr. Mearns, when gardener at Welbeck, heated some of his Vine- 
borders with very indifferent success. He had the borders chambered and made 
very shallow, and used fresh turf from a magnesian limestone rock without any 
other mixture. This soil soon got too dry and too hard for Vine roots to work in, 
owing to the bottom heat and the nature of the soil. I had, therefore, these 
borders to renew and to do away with the heating. On taking out the soil it came 
out in lumps as big as horses’ heads, and by its cracking the Vine roots had nearly 
all perished, especially the fibres. 
Another gardener in the neighbourhood, not to be behind Mr. Mearns in 
Vine-border heating, had a brick flue made below his border, just where his young 
Vines entered the house from the outside. This flue soon settled their preten¬ 
sions, for it had to be taken up, a new border made, and another lot of young 
Vines planted. William Tillery. 
OUR MONTIIIA CHRONICLE. 
Royal Horticultural Society.— Between 
forty and fifty of the principal exhibitors 
have addressed a memorial to the Council to 
induce that body to reconsider the objection¬ 
able arrangements for the Exhibitions of 1865, 
and stating that, if not altered, they must 
decline to exhibit. The reply of the Council 
was that they felt themselves bound to adhere 
to the programme which has been made public, 
but that they will not consider themselves 
precluded from introducing any modification 
or alteration that experience may prove de¬ 
sirable. So much dissatisfaction, however, 
has been expressed on all sides, at the Shows 
being held on Saturdays, that it is probable 
the Council may yet change the day to another 
more generally convenient. ¥e may here 
remark that already have the 0ouncil been 
under the necessity of making a change in 
the days of two of the Spring Shows, in con¬ 
sequence of these falling on phe same dates 
as those fixed on by the Royal Botanic Society. 
