124 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. May 27. 
Derby, 'Aug. 4. 
Durham, June 10, Sept. 8. 
Forfarshire (Eastern), June 9 (Forfar) ; July 21 (Bre¬ 
chin) ; Sept. 15 (Arbroath). 
Guildford, June 10 (Millmead House). 
Hampshire, July 1 (Winchester), Sept. 0 (Southampton), 
Nov. 18 (Winchester). (See. Rev. F. Wickham, Win¬ 
chester.) 
Hampton Wick, July 1. (Sec. Mr. B. Regester.) 
Hexham, Sept. 15,10. 
Hull, May 27, June 24, Aug. 4, Sept. 10. 
Kirkcaldy (Fifeshire), June 24, Sept. 9. 
Lewes Grand National, July 14 and 15. 
Lincoln, July 27, Sept. 14. 
Liverpool, May 20, June 24, Sept. 2 (Botanic Garden). 
London Floricultural (Exeter Hall, Strand), Juno 8+, 
22, July 13+, 27, Aug. 10f, 24, Sept. Ilf, 28, Oct. 12f, 
Nov. 9f, 23, Dec. 14f. 
Maidstone. Fete. June 24. In-door Show. Sept. 8. 
(Sec. Mr. J. G. Smith, Week-street.) 
Mid Calder (Parish school-room), July 9, Sept. 10. 
National Tulip Society, May 27 (Birmingham). 
Newbury, June 18, Sept. 3. 
North London, Sept. 14; Nov. 23, Chrysanthemum. 
Northampton, June 29, Rose and Pink; July 27, Car¬ 
nation; Sept. 27, Dahlia. 
Oxfordshire (Royal), June23; July29; Sept.23. (Sees., 
C. Tawney, and W. Undershell, Esqrs.) 
Scottish Pansy (Glasgow), June 9. 
South Devon Botanical and Horticultural, July 13; 
Sept. 7. (Sec. J. Cree Hancock, Esq., Stonehouse.) 
South London (Royal), June 17f, 23, July 15f, 21, 
Aug. 19f, Sept. 2f, 8, Oct. 14), Nov. Ilf, Dec. 9f, 10. 
Shacklewell, Sept. 1. 
Staines, June 9. 
Surrey Amateur (George Canning, Grove Lane, Camber¬ 
well), Sept. 15, Dahlia. 
Trowbridge (Grand Exhibition), Aug. 25. 
Turriff, June 11, Aug. 0, Sept. 17. 
Whitehaven, July 9, Pinks ; Sept. 17, Dahlias. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Agricultural Society (Royal), Lewes, July 12. 
Bath and West of England (Taunton), June 9, 10, 
and 11. 
Bury and Radcliffe (Lancashire), Sept. 3 (Radcliffe). 
Cheltenham Monster Show, June 3. (Secretaries, 
Messrs. Jessop, Cheltenham.) 
t For seedlings only. 
MANAGEMENT OE YOUNG VINES. 
We have met with numerous amateurs, within the 
last two or three years, who seemed more puzzled with 
the management of young vines than old ones; lot us, 
therefore, look into this subject. 
First, as to Modes of Training. Some twenty years ago, 
when the training of fruit-trees in general received more 
attention than root-culture, many fanciful modes were 
suggested. Since then, however, what is termed the spur 
system has been gradually gaining ground, and it is diffi¬ 
cult to meet with any other mode in modern gardens of 
any pretensions. As, therefore, we feel bound to advocate 
sucli practice, a reason must be given. In the first place, 
it requires no labour to prove that it is by far more sys¬ 
tematic than most other modes. It is, also, more certain; 
that is to say, there is greater probability of a house, 
well established on this system, producing uniform 
crops, than by any other mode. It renders the subse¬ 
quent cultural practice by far more simple; so much so, 
that all the linger or knife work requisite afterwards 
might be described in less than a score of such lines as 
these. And to add more weight still, no other mode 
can produce equal crops with so little shade. This 
latter argument highly concerns the amateur, who gene¬ 
rally has plants beneath the vinery roof; and if such he 
not the case, it is worthy notice, that vines thus trained 
do not smother themselves so much as by most other 
plans ; there is less confusion ; a definite reason exists 
for every shoot. This mode, therefore, we beg at once 
to recommend to all the readers of The Cottage Gar¬ 
dener. 
To be fair in the argument, we must show “ the other 
side of the hooks,” and see if there he anything of weight 
against the spur system. With the most rigid scrutiny, 
one thing only appears, and its validity is not absolutely 
certain. The size of the hunch is here alluded to; some 
think that it is not so large as by the rod or cane system. 
Under some circumstances this may he true; hut as a 
set-off it may he affirmed, that the individual berries arc 
equally large, we should say larger. Those who aim at 
enormous hunches for exhibition purposes should re¬ 
member, that generally gain in size of hunch is loss in 
size of berry; as, indeed, it may well he, for who can 
expect one shoot to mature one-liundred-and-fifty berries 
equally fine with another carrying only fifty; that is to 
say, allowing each the same area of light overhead? 
But this is not all; who can possibly expect equal 
flavour? All over-cropping is assuredly averse to the 
highest amount of flavour; no experienced gardener 
will dispute this. Thus, then, stands the question as 
to modes of training; hut as some queries recently come 
to baud desire information on both practices, we must 
say something also about rod culture, especially as we 
know full well that the gentleman who plays the first 
fiddle, as Mr. Beaton facetiously observes, is exceedingly 
desirous that all opinions or practices of any weight 
should be duly represented in these pages. 
To begin with the season of planting, say the end of 
March, the young vine just emerging from a rest state, 
must, if not previously done, he pruned back to three 
or four buds. If, however, the cane be strong, and the 
roots in fine condition, a yard in length, or even more, 
may be left. 
In planting, care must he taken to dislodge every 
root, for if from a pot the roots will be found coiled up 
and entangled. They must, therefore, he liberated with 
care, and the hall of earth should he quite dry, to 
facilitate the proceeding. The roots must, of course, ho 
spread out as carefully as the branches of a tree are 
trained, and a little superior soil strewed over them, 
three inches in depth. Equal parts, old sandy turf, and 
old hotbed manure, thoroughly incorporated, will cause 
them to root speedily. 
When the buds have grown two or three inches, train¬ 
ing must commence ; a selection must he made, a leader 
must he determined on. The others may now he pro¬ 
gressively pinched, simply removing the points, hut not 
all at once, say one each week, until only a leader is 
left. As the leader extends it must be carefully trained 
up the roof. We are now advising as to the spur system. 
As soon as the shoot acquires a tolerable amount of 
luxuriance it will begin to hurst forth into laterals or 
side-shoots, and these must be pinched hack in a pro- i 
gressive way, leaving one eye with its leaf carefully pre¬ 
served. We would pinch these laterals at but a slow 
rate, say one every four or five days, if they develope 
freely, and not doing so until they were nearly a foot in 
length. Thus may matters proceed until the cane lias 
reached three-parts way up the roof, when, if luxuriant, 
we would pinch away the point, although the ordinary 
practice is to let them ramble to the back of the bouse 
first. By thus pinching, those principal buds below, 
destined to become a permanent nucleus for spurs, 
become exceeding plump, and of course sprout strongly 
in the succeeding spring. By this time the earlier- 
pinched laterals will have extended considerably, and 
may he pinched hack in the same progressive way to an 
eye or two, until the end of August, when it is good 
practice to stop all late growths as they appear. Some 
make a point of blinding all the eyes on the laterals 
