160 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. June 5. 
unstopped, one at the base, the other near the middle of 
the rafter. As these grew on the other unfruitful side- 
shoots were gradually removed. Nothing but these two 
shoots, thus together forming the length of the rafter, 
were left at the winter’s pruning. A little more firing 
than usual was given in September, alike to ripen the 
fruit and harden and mature the wood; a similar plan 
has been pursued since, and there has been no lack of 
Grapes. When this amateur wishes to be thoroughly 
successful on the close, or spur system of pruning, my 
candid opinion is, that he must raise his Vine roots near 
the surface, or remove them and plant others, the roots 
of which shall be prevented going down, or encouraged, 
by heat, and moisture, to keep near the surface. 
I feel the more inclined to believe that the depth of 
the roots, and in a moist medium, has something to do 
with our Subscriber’s disappointment, inasmuch, as when 
the Vines were neglected, and allowed to ramble at will, 
a powerful root-action would be demanded to supply 
such a large evaporating surface, and as, if the inside of 
the house was neglected, it is not likely the border 
would be attended to in the way of waterings, the roots 
would be inclined to go downwards in the search for 
moisture, and. like all downward roads, when once the 
habit is acquired, it will be found more easy to progress 
onwards, than to resolve upon, and follow out, a more 
upright and upward course. 
If it be any satisfaction to our Subscriber, I would 
cheerfully add, that it does not appear that his practice 
and treatment have been at all at fault. From what I 
have stated, he will now be enabled to judge whether 
his circumstances are such, so far as the condition of 
his Vines is concerned, as to warrant him in hoping 
to gain a benefit by any slight change of practice, so as 
to suit these circumstances. 
If I have not been able to meet his case, perhaps a 
more fortunate person may be induced to do so. I can, 
at least, fully sympathise with him, as at one time I was 
no stranger to the evil of which he complains, and had 
the pleasure, if pleasure it could be, to run the gauntlet 
of much merriment and sarcasm at my expense, because 
I had the temerity to recommend a palliative for the 
evil in one of the gardening newspapers. This palliative, 
which I found very successful, was, suspending a small 
weight to the end of the whirligig bunch, averaging 
from the quarter-of-an-ounce to more than an ounce in 
weight, in proportion to the size of the bunch and the 
obstinacy of the case,—the weight as much as saying to 
the refractory bunch, “ you shall keep down instead of 
mounting aloft there.” In many cases, bunches as 
beautifully twisted round as a corkscrew, only the 
circles as closely packed together as the wire in a Jack-in- 
the-box, with which pawky boys delight to astonish and 
affright their affected or really nervous sisters of 
humanity, such bunches have been made to untwist 
with the weight attached to them, to set their fruit, and 
finally to make their appearance at the dessert; when 
bunches in every respect apparently similar, and left 
alone, assumed and retained the tendril shape. If any¬ 
one with late Vines should be so unfortunate as to have 
reason to try the experiment, he need not be at all 
particular about it. I used to collect a good handful or 
pocketful of small, rough stones, bits of potsherds, &c., 
whip a piece of mat-string round the stone, or whatever 
it was, and then fasten the other end of the string to the 
end of the bunch. In obstinate cases, when screwed 
very much, a second or a third weight would be clapped 
on. I did not succeed in every case, but as a general 
rule, if the bunch retained the traces of flower-buds, the 
scheme was generally successful. 
I had long before applied the same treatment to 
Melons that were grown upon a trellis, and to Cu¬ 
cumbers 1 wished to grow as long and as straight as a 
gun-barrel; in each case fastening the one end of the 
string to the blossom at the end of the fruit, and the 
other end to the weight. 
1 have, in each of these cases, as well as in that of the 
Vine, been frequently asked to explain the rationale of 
the operation, but I fear I could make no headway in 
doing so. I can only imagine that the strain upon 
such a part has a tendency to draw an extra amount of 
nourishment to that part, just as the muscles of the 
leg are very differently developed in a sedentary person 
and one continuously walking; or just as the strength 
and vigour of age are very different in the case of a man 
who merely uses his hands at the writing-desk, and 
another man who vigorously plies the sledge-hammer for 
years. Let it be borne in mind, that this mechanical 
scheme must only be considered a palliative in unfa¬ 
vourable circumstances. Years have elapsed since I 
have had a weight to a tendril bunch. The remedies 
applied, were sinking a deep drain in front of the border, 
and lifting the roots for a part of their length. I could 
not afford to go all the way, because I could not lose a 
crop. There was little or no more tendrilling of bunches, 
though the rodding, or short system was still necessary. 
The border was so placed, that it was possible to put a 
new one gradually on the top of the old one. In 
this were planted young Vines, which have gradually 
superseded the old ones, and these may be cut and 
pruned in any way desirable, as the roots being near 
the surface, there is no lack, but rather an excess, of 
fruitfulness. I should be glad to know if any of these 
remarks meet the case. 
R. Fish. 
PLANTS FOR BASKETS. 
“ Variety is pleasing,” is an old adage, and, like 
many other old sayings, expresses a truth universally 
acknowledged. It is recorded, that the learned and 
polite Athenians had set times when they met together 
to hear and relate something new, or, in other words, in 
search of variety, to give a fillip to greater enjoyment 
of life, and thereby increase the amount of innocent 
amusement. I have lately visited many gardens in 
search after such novelties, and have observed in many 
of them a variation in cultivating plants adopted with 
the most pleasing effect. I allude to the growing of 
plants of a drooping habit in baskets. 
The greatest and most successful example of this 
variety in culture is in the Crystal Palace, at Sydenham. 
Thousands, and, I may say, tens of thousands, have 
seen and admired those elegant baskets suspended in 
the air, giving a most pleasing variety to even the 
grand architecture of that most splendid of all buildings 
ever erected by man. I am, I confess, rather proud of 
them, for I had the pleasure, and, I may venture to say, 
the honour, of furnishing the greater number of the 
plants in them. 1 am glad they have done well so long, 
and I was much gratified with Mr. Beaton’s laudatory 
remarks on them, when he gave his excellent description 
of the visit of our gracious Queen and her imperial 
guests. 
I saw the plants myself about a fortnight ago, and 
was pleased to observe that they are looking remark¬ 
ably healthy, hangiug down several feet below the 
baskets. This proves that they not only were planted 
in good soil, but that they have been duly attended to 
with water, all decaying branches pruned away, and 
every dead or yellow leaf nipped off. 
The next best example of this nfode of culture, I 
noticed in the hothouses belonging to G. C. Schwabe, 
Esq., of Haudstyle House, near Liverpool. I have also 
seen good examples at Trentham and Knowesly Park. 
Messrs. Arthur Henderson and Co., of Pine-Apple 
Place, amongst nurserymen, are adopting this method 
