312 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 31 
them and form a most pleasing spectacle. They were 
kept their whole length, and many of them reach nearly 
all tho way across the houses. The early Vinery is 
trained in the same way, and, consequently, is also span- 
roofed. 
Two of the Peach-houses are placed against a south 
wall, and are, therefore, the old-fashion lean-to’s. They 
adjoin each other, with a glass division between them. 
When I saw them in June, there was in the first an 
excellent crop of ripe fruit, of a good size and colour. 
The trees (two only in each house) were planted inside, 
close to tiie front glass, and extended over the whole 
house. I never saw, in all my travels, finer, healthier 
trees, nor a better crop of fruit. It had been severely 
thinned, and the result was, the Peaches and Nectarines 
were of a large size, and well-coloured. Another Peach- 
house was a span-roof, seventy feet long by sixteen 
wide. This house was originally put up as an Orchard- 
house, on Mr. Rivers’s plan ; but the trees, though they 
grew well enough, and bore fruit, did not come up to 
what was expected from them. Mr. Constantine, there¬ 
fore, had them all taken up, and an arched trellis of 
wire-work thrown over the whole house. Peach and 
Nectarine-trees, and one or two Apricots, of a good, 
bearing size were taken up, in November, two years ago, 
very carefully from the open walls, and immediately 
planted. They bore some fruit the succeeding season, 
and this year they have a full crop on them, excepting 
the Apricots, which kind of fruit does not seem to bear 
well under a glass. There are in this house two trees 
of the far-famed Stanwick Nectarine, with a fair crop of 
fruit on them. It appears to be a very late kind. In 
the early Peach-house there were two trees in pots, 
started at the same time as the Peaches ; but they had 
not even commenced to swell after stoning, though the 
fruit on the other trees was ripe. I fear this kind will 
not prove so good as was expected. 
The remaining Peach-house is a very large, span- 
roofed one, and was only fiuished last summer. It is 
not heated at all artificially ; the intention being merely 
to protect the trees by the glass covering from the late 
frost, and to ripen the wood thoroughly in the autumn. 
Here, again, the trees were, when planted last autumn, 
of a considerable size, and so well where they taken up 
and planted, that they are growing freely, and many of 
them bearing this summer a full crop of fruit. 
Mr. Constantine has been for years a successful 
cultivator of Vines in pots, and has frequently exhibited 
them, and won first-class prizes with them at Chiswick 
and the Regent’s Park. Two or three years ago, he, 
finding the growing of them on the single-rod system 
rather cumbersome, resolved to try the bush system. 
He first raised some very early from eyes, and kept 
them very severely stopped. The second year they were 
cut back to three buds. These were all allowed to 
break, and a stick placed to each shoot, spreading them 
j out widely. They were again severely stopped, and 
i thereby kept low and bushy, something like a young 
Currant-tree. In the autumn, these were again pruned 
low, and about three buds left to each shoot. When 
they broke every bud showed fruit, some one and others 
two bunches to each bud. These were the Vines in 
pots that were exhibited at the Regent’s Park, and so 
highly praised by Mr. Beaton in his report of that 
exhibition. 
The long pits are occupied with various useful things, 
some with fruit, and others with plants. One, a foot or 
so wider than the rest, is planted with Eigs, and heated 
by a single row of pipes, and well they answer. The 
first crop was ripe, and a most abundant second crop 
was advancing fast towards their full size. The trees 
lilied the pit completely. They were trained, but 
allowed to form natural bushes. They were supplied 
with manure-water when growing, and were in a most 
j luxuriant, healthy state. This appears to me to be the 
very best mode of cultivating this luscious fruit. 
Two pits are used for forcing Strawberries. They are 
placed on stages, corresponding to the span-roof, and 
very well they answer. Finer British Queen never were 
produced in pots. The mode of giving air to those pits, 
is, I think, admirable. Every light is hung to the centre 
beam with strong hinges. A flat rod outside the wall 
has holes in it; in the centre of each light there is an 
iron button. When air is required, the iron rod is lifted 
up and slipped on to the button, which turns to keep it 
in the desired position, so that air can be given in any 
degree, from two-inch apertures to four inches, and so 
on, till the lights are lifted up to an horizontal position. 
It is evident the Figs, Strawberries, and other plants in 
those pits, are then receiving the greatest possible amount 
of air, short of actual exposure, that they could have. 
The circulation of air is thoroughly complete, for the 
lights are opened on each side. 
I find I have not space for all my notes on this highly 
interesting place, and, therefore, I will conclude by 
stating, that I never visited a place where so many 
interesting points of the gardening art met with my 
attention. The place is well worthy of a visit, especially 
to a gardener that can appreciate horticultural skill and 
success. T. Appleby. 
GARDENING FOR THE MANY.—AUGUST. 
KITCHEN- GARDEN. 
General Remarks. — I believe the fine weather of 
the latter part of June and early part of July was pretty 
general throughout England; consequently, a great 
advance has taken place in vegetation of all kinds. At 
the same time, the hot, dry weather has not continued 
so long as to occasion a premature ripeness, for the fine 
rain we had on the 11th lust, seems to have been widely 
enjoyed, and it is needless to say that everything has 
benefited by it, for in dry places the various crops were 
suffering very much from the unclouded sunshine of the 
preceding week or two, while some showers since the llth 
indicate that we may not suffer again; but as my pur¬ 
pose is to report the past rather than predict the future, 
I may here add the gratifying intelligence that 1 have 
not seen the least symptom of Potato disease; neither 
have I heard of it amongst my neighbours, up to the 
time I write (the 20th inst.), and as the crop has 
j already got farther advanced than is usual when it is 
; attacked, there is hope that the losses that way will be 
trilling this season as compared with others. Peas have 
been tolerably good, also, as have Cauliflowers and 
j Cabbages, both being more free from Caterpillars than 
J usual, which is of no small importance. Lettuces have 
also been good, as have spring Turnips, and many 
minor crops ; and where Carrots have succeeded they 
look well; as also do Onions, although, in one or two 
instances, I have seen the effects of “ the grub ” amongst 
them; in general, however, they are promising; and 
Dwarf Kidney Beans and Scarlet Runners have both made 
good progress during the hot weather, which was just 
what they wanted; while the seedling beds of Brocoli, 
Brussels Sprouts, and similar things began to suffer 
very much until relieved by rain; in fact, the.whole 
Cabbage tribe were looking very blue before the rain 
set in. 
Fruits are, however, more uncertain. In some dis¬ 
tricts, the caterpillar has been very busy amongst the 
Gooseberries, while a sort of blight has affected whole 
orchards in a wholesale manner. There is, I am 
aware, nothing definite expressed in the word blight, 
and it would be well if we could discover a more correct 
name of tho evil which it is meant to represent; 
