May 18 . 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
117 
specimens of both exhibiting first-rate excellence. The 
proprietor becomes more refined; he buys, or gets, his 
vegetables elsewhere; he turns the space that produced 
them into a neat flower-garden; any litter on the Vine- 
border becomes henceforth an eyesore; he never dreams 
that enrichment on the surface can bo given without 
either litter or anything untidy being seen. The manure- 
water counteracts the delicious fragrance of the flowers, 
and that is dispensed with; nay, more; the very space of 
the border, empty, fallen, and desolate, looks out of place 
beside these gay and rich mossy beds, and forthwith that 
border, too, must be cropped and made beautiful and 
gay like the rest. And what is the consequence? The 
roots of the Vines, prompted formerly to keep near the 
surface, within reach of an oxygenated air, nearness to 
which is a prime source of fertility in vegetation, in 
quest of the moisture and the nourishment they require, 
have found their way downward, very likely even beyond 
the drains, and have gorged themselves with watery 
juices, which the heat and light afforded have been 
unable to dissipate from the foliage and wood; and 
the consequence is just what is every day likely to be 
evinced in every tree and shrub, as well as the Vine, 
namely, that the extreme of mere wood-growth, and the 
extreme of fertility in fruits and seeds, are completely 
antagonistic. If we wish a Rear-tree to become lorest 
timber as quickly as possible, with a sure crop ot Pears 
some generations hence, we would manure and trench 
the soil to as much depth as possible. Did I want fruit 
in a few years, I would take Mr. Erring ton as my guide, 
and plant shallowly, and not prune, and, if necessary at 
all, give surface-manuring. Mere luxuriance and fecun¬ 
dity will ever be opposites. Moisture at the surface, 
by mulching or otherwise, manurial agencies there, if 
required, because in close contact with sun and air, will 
never oppose fecundity, unless carried to an extreme. 
Plants with roots in moisture, deeply removed from 
atmospheric influences, will produce the opposite effect. 
If the plant is at all tender, the luxuriance will not be 
healthy. 
What, then, is to be done in such a case of un¬ 
fruitfulness? I do not allude to worn-out Vines, or 
sodden border’s, or want of strength from a deficiency 
of soil and fertilisers, because these latter may be 
readily given. I will merely glance at a few remedial 
measures, when the cause is attributable to unripened 
buds, and that, principally, from deep roots and too 
moderate firing. I must merely mention these measures. 
1. Endeavour to coax the roots to the surface, by re¬ 
moving some of the old soil, especially near the stem, 
and by mulching all over there, even should you cover 
it over with fine soil on the surface, make up your 
mind to cultivate nothing, or next to nothing on your 
Vine-border. 
2. You cannot think of giving up the spur-system, 
though you think the deep roots are the cause ot the 
evil. Well, keep only as many short shoots from the 
spurs as you can expose freely to the light. Whatever 
laterals you allow to grow at first, remove them all 
gradually, and before they are all removed, pick out 
every bud on the axils of their leaves. After Mid¬ 
summer, take out a few buds from the end of the shoots, 
and when you see there is no fear of starting the lower 
buds, go on removing these upper buds gradually with 
the point of a penknife, until, by the time the wood is 
ripened, you have only two or three buds left at the 
base of each shoot. During all this process no leaf 
on these shoots is touched. The fine, healthy leaves 
keep up reciprocal action between roots and tops; the 
removing oi the buds from the part of the shoots 
farthest from the main stem, has a tendency to con¬ 
centre more orgauisable material at the base of the 
shoot. Some may say, and with truth—Why make ado 
about increasing the size or force of these small buds, 
when many leave no buds, at least, perceptible ones, at 
all, but prune all as close as if they were cutting a 
walking-stick ? With plants in proper condition, I do 
not think it matters how you grow, fertile shoots will 
break out in plenty, but if the Vines are such that 
fertile shoots will not come from spurs with buds, I 
should despair of their coming where there were no 
perceptible buds at all. It will be wise, also, to give 
the plan a fair trial, to give a little more fire-heat than 
usual early in autumn. In fact, in proportion to the 
depth of roots, however grown, pruned, and trained, 
will, in ^general, be the quantity of fuel necessary to 
consolidate the wood. 
3. Resort to rod-growing and pruning, either short, ! 
long, or mixed. Thus, the buds will have a tendency 1 
to be better swelled, and all, except the terminal part of 
such shoots, if duly exposed, and unshaded by barren 
lateral shoots, will bo better ripened. Do not be 
deceived, however, in one thing. Shows of fruit from 
such rods, in general, are finer than those from spurs; 
but those from spurs often beat them at last, by doing 
their work better in the end. I have, however, fre¬ 
quently obtained good Grapes from rods of Vines that | 
I know were deep in the earth, when I could not get a 
bunch on the spurring system. Moderately shallow 
borders I consider an essential for successful spurring. 
Even in this case of roildiwj , in these unfavourable i 
circumstances, much will depend upon a sunny autumn, 1 
assisted by a dry fire-heat. 
4. The last remedy, and what would enable the 
grower to prune as lie liked, at least in a second season, 1 
would be carefully to raise the roots within six or nine j 
inches of the surface—-just when the Grapes are nearly 
cut, and the leaves showing the first tinge of brownness 
—and covering the border with warm litter. Roots j 
would be produced before winter in the new soil in 
contact with air, and so long as kept there, and at all 
well managed, there will be no deficiency of bunches. 
R. Fisii. 
JOTTINGS BY THE WAY. 
NUNEIJAM, NEAR OXFORD, TnE SEAT OF TIIE LATE 
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK. 
Ix the course of my journey on business I had to 
visit Oxford. I called at the Botanic Gardens there; 
but Mr. Beaton has anticipated me in describing them, 
and so I shall pass on at once to describe Nunebam, a 
place celebrated in gardening, under the excellent 
management of Mr. Bailey. 
Nuneham is situated about six miles from Oxford. 
There is a railway that brings you within two miles of 
the house, at a station called Abingdon Road. The 
morning was lowering, but cleared up in the afternoon, j 
and the atmosphere had that soft, breezy appearance ' 
which gives the landscape the most agreeable effect. In ! 
passing through the well wooded park, I was much ; 
pleased with the grouping of the trees. I believe the 
late ill - . Gilpin had the planting of many of them, or at : 
least he thinned them-out into groups. Here you might ! 
notice a cluster of some tweuty or thirty ancient-looking j 
Scotch Firs; there a lesser group of Beech trees, with j 
their elegant drooping forms; then, in another direction, j 
you may see a single sturdy Oak, breaking away from 
the mass, and softening the abrupt termination oi a 
clump, belt, or group, with large breadths of bright 
green open spaces between. Indeed, the shadow of the 
trees on the velvet turf, the peculiar light yellowish tint 
of the foliage, a colour peculiar to spring, rendered the 
park scenery quite a study either for the painter or the 
landscape gardener. 
The mansion is a plain, substantial buiiding, with 
broad terraces in front, and many beautiful views in 
