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1 38 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
OOTOEER 16. 
once the abodes of civilised existence. We may often 
gratify such curiosity, though not to such an extent, 
nearer home. Eor the comfort in visiting such a ruin, 
the public are indebted to the noble family at Ashridge. 
R. Fish. 
MILDEW ON VINES. 
WiFEN speaking of IMiklew on Vines, it is almost needless 
to say it is a new thing of late yetir.s ; and tliougli much has 
been written and said on tlie subject, still the disease goes 
on; consequently, any hints on the subject are worthy of 
notice. tVhat is commonly called mildew, aiFpeavs, moi'e or 
less, during summer, and some sorts of plants ai’e seldom 
free from it; but the iirst time I saw the ]iest o?i A’ines was 
in ISbl, at Hampton Court, both in hothouses and open 
walls; since then, it is spreading broadcast everywhere. If 
I mistake not, what is called the Vine disease abroad is 
mildew, or, rather, the evil effects of it. Roth the learned 
and unlearned on the subject of mildew agree that the at¬ 
mosphere has much to do in irroducing the plague. Any 
mist, or haze, somewhat denser than usual is commonly 
called a mildew; but the learned tell us that the pest is a 
parasite fungus previously established, and that such wea¬ 
ther only hastens its development. This I believe to bo the 
correct view, and if Fiiildew only appear or spread in cold 
weather, we might fall in at once with the “ Poet of the 
Seasons,” who says “ a brush from the Russian winds brings 
on the clammy mildew.” But poetry and facts are not 
seldom at vai'iance; in summer, the fungus nourishes in 
hothouses, in moist or dry heat, of 80° or as well as in 
40° or 50° during winter. I have already said that some 
sort of plants are seldom free from mildew : rarely will you 
tind the little annual, the Shepherd’s Purse, entirely free 
from it; even the common Groundsel is at times laden 
with the mealy post. 1 do not exactly say that such is the 
same sort which attacks Vines, hut I can see no difference 
between that so common on our climbing Roses and the 
disease in question; be this as it may, they are related, at 
least; and, for want of better information, I call all such 
the storekeepers of mildew, from whose inexhaustible stores 
their neighbours are innoculated. Sudden changes of the 
weather may cause plants to throw out some excrescence tit 
to receive the dust or spores of the fungus. 
This may have led to the belief that plants generated 
the disease in themselves, without being previously out- 
wai'dly impregnated. Such was a strong opinion about 
forty years back; and I recollect, when a boy, a discus¬ 
sion between Mr. Hay, the able hothouse planner, and 
iny father, on this very subject. Mr. Hay advised him to 
insert quicksilver into his mildewed peach-trees, but his 
reply was, “Houtman! may as well spit upon them;” 
and began to rub the mildewed spots with his wet lingers, 
observing that they might turn rusty, “But it wanna gang 
farther.” This may seem a silly story, but I have often 
known the pest thus checked. I am persuaded there is 
much analogy between mildew in plants and itch and other 
cutaneous diseases in animals. Sulphiir was tried as a cure 
at the time referred to, and, like the doctor’s bread pills, did 
neither good nor harm; but vapour from it will destroy 
mildew, which I shall notice as 1 proceed. If mildew is 
not a vegetable itch, it is like that disease, catching, as just 
hmte4, and the puzzling question is, why it did not attack 
the \ iue until late years ? If they were only affected by it 
in houses where all sorts of plants are grown subject to 
mildew, one might say the lines could not escape, but the 
reverse is often the case, under the best management. In 
short, the thing is so perplexing, that, like the potato blight, 
It remains an unsolved problem. This being the case, it 
is hard to state a real cure, with safety to the crop. 
Of late years it has appeared on the Vines under my care as 
early as lebruary. I have checked it by merely nibbing the 
spots, which generally appear first on the upper sides of the 
leaves, with my wet lingers ; using a soft shaving-brush and 
clean water for the bunches, giving them a good syringing. 
Thus I get pretty good grapes ; but I need not tell the prac- 
tical gardener that all bloom will be lost, and the berries 
shine like Morello cherries. Hay observes, that mildew will 
not attack the berries when in that state, though it certainly 
does the young foliage and late bunches which may hajipen 
to be on the lateral shoots, and sojstrongly, that the green 
berries soon become v.diite with powder, if I may so express 
it. Being tired of this sort of thing, 1 wrote to one of our 
best Grape-growers on the subject, and the following are 
his words :—“ I write to you with some information respect¬ 
ing mildew on Vines. First, after the sun is off the houses, 
close them up, light your fires, and get the houses up to 100^^ 
then take some flowers of sulphur, and lumps of new lime, 
mixing tliem together in water about as thick as whitewash, 
putting it on the top of tlie flues or pipes with a brusli, 
keeping the same heat for about three hours, and you will 
find that vegetation will not in the least be injured. If you 
find that the white spots do not turn brown, repeat it two or 
three nights succe.ssively. Be sure not to let fire touch it.” 
Here is the pith of my reply. “ I knew your cure, in paid, 
liefore, but was afraid to aiipily it, having a groat di.slike to 
the strong vapour i’rora sulphur, knowing the evil effects of 
it on tender Vines. However, I gave your plan a fair trial, 
and am glad to say with some success.” But I do not con¬ 
sider the plan safe before the Vines bloom, fori found some 
of the young shoots were injured, and, what was worse, the 
Grapes themselves turned brown, or a sort of n/sf, being the 
roots of the destroyed fungus, fixed fh-m upon them. In 
adopting this cure, one thing is to be observed; without the 
sun’s aid, it is not an easy matter to got a Vinery to 100° 
without the flues or pipes getting very hot, and the sulphur 
vapour from such will certainly scorch the Vines and 
bunches. Consequently, for safety, I advise the washing 
plan above mentioned, until the crop is cut, and then to 
apply the sulphur and lime vapour to kill the pest before 
it takes to winter’s quarters, if I may so express it. 
This brings me to another plan of cure, viz., after the 
Vines are pruned, paint them over with a thick mixture of 
lime and soft-soap, sulphur, and other poisonous stuff; from 
such I have found no good; nor, as regards mildew, from 
having the houses re-glazed, painted, whitewashed ; in fact, 
no parts escaped the brush, except the inside of the Vines, 
yet the pest appears again in spring, as if the seed of it 
liad been inhaled into them somehow or other the pre¬ 
vious season—a thing hard to believe.—J. Wiguton, Cosscy 
Gardens. 
HANDSTYLE HOUSE. 
The Resixience of G. C. Schwabe, Esq., eear 
j Liverpool. 
The readers of The Cottage Gardener have now 
, an opportunity of judging for themselves of the beauty 
of this gentleman’s conservatory. 1 have had occasion, 
when writing on suspending plants, often to refer to it; 
and, in consequence, I have no doubt some curiosity 
has been excited to ascertain wbat sort of a building it 
is. I should long since have done my utmost to describe 
it, only I hoped to prevail on our Editor to publish an 
engraving. .He has now done so; and, therefore, I need 
not enter so minutely into the subject. I think every 
one that sees the engraving will say, that I wrote 
but the truth, when I asserted, that it was the most ele¬ 
gant building of the kind in Great Britain. I have 
watched its progress, from the foundation stone being 
laid, up to the last touch of the painter’s brush. 1 had 
the pleasure of placing the climbers to the pillars, and 
the first plants on the stages, and I saw it when it was 
first lighted up with gas, after the plants were placed, 
and I can say, with confidence, that I never saw, alto- 
gethei', a finer elfect with plants in aJConservatory. 
'The view from the drawing-room, after the plants were 
staged, was beautiful,—whether seen by daylight or gas¬ 
light. With these few preliminary remarks, 1 shall now 
proceed to give a description of the place, the conserva¬ 
tory, and the houses used to grow plants in, to furnish a 
succession of plants in flower to keep the conservatory 
constantly supplied. 
Handstyle House is above five miles from Liverpool, 
situated in a pleasant part of tlie country, thickly 
