THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION, September 22, 1857. 391 
Snow against the walls wero remaining, though they 
secured all the appliances of suitable soil and his 
well-known superior management. The young trees 
are looking beautiful, but nothing could have exceeded 
the robust health and fertility of the others for many 
years. With this exception, and that of some Morello 
Cherries that gave way somewhat strangely several years 
ago, I believe all other fruit trees planted or removed to 
this garden have maintained a state of healthy fertility. 
Edgings to Walks. —I believe the whole of the walks 
in the kitchen garden are now edged with slate, which, 
in connection with a fine binding surfacing, gives them 
a very neat, finished appearance, and the slate affords 
no harbour for slugs or other vermin, and, if not 
wilfully broken, will require no attention for many 
years. 
Most gardeners have tested Snow’s Winter Broccoli, 
and know the disappointment when a seedsman sends 
anything but the real Simon Pure. It is far better to 
say at once, as several establishments now do, that they 
either have not or cannot get the article ordered. The 
putting the desired name on a packet, whatever may be 
inside, just as it used to be anything but uncommon to 
send more than half a dozen kinds of Peas out of one 
bag, is a mode of business that will make short tricks 
for no business at all. Two Lettuces are equally worthy 
of attention. Snow’s Compact, which stands the winter 
better than any white Lettuce I know, and hearts and 
is fit for use in the spring sooner than any other of any 
kind I have met with. This, how r ever, be it observed, is 
its great valuable quality. With me it is one of the 
first to bolt in summer. Snow's Matchless is seemingly 
a fine, large, crisp white Cos that stands well in summer. 
I have not yet tried it. The best with me at present is 
the Paris Cos. 
Dwarf China Aster. —I believe this was first found 
from a sowing made by my neighbour, Mr. Busby. He 
and Mr. Snow have had it for some years, and, as the 
latter has large borders of it now, it may ere long find 
its way into general use. The flowers are double, 
medium-sized, lilac rose in colour, and produced in 
great profusion on plants seldom exceeding six inches 
in height; at least, they are very dwarf, and well fitted 
for the front row of a border. 
Importance of Front Light in Houses. —In a low, 
rather flat-roofed house, appropriated to Peaches and 
Figs, the roof resting on a wall at back, and on another 
some three feet or more in height in front, Mr. Snow 
found there was not light enough to harden and mature 
the wood. The pitch of the roof has been left the same. 
The front wall has merely been lowered, and sashes 
swinging on pivots substituted in its place. The wood 
of the Peaches was in excellent order trained on a 
trellis. The Fig division had trees against the back 
wall, and the front was supplied with fine compact 
bushes in pots, beginning to ripen their second crop. 
The wood on them was particularly stubby and short 
jointed. That on the wall was rather more vigorous, 
but laid in thinnish, and, to secure a sufficiency of light, 
many of the leaves had been cut in two. One well- 
ripened shoot is better than several that are unripened, 
and which cannot get light enough from being so close 
together. 
Raising and Replanting Vines. —What used to bo 
the early house in the range has this year been made 
the latest. From the great size of the foliage, and the 
colouring of the berries not being exactly what Mr. 
Snow wished, he came to the conclusion that the roots 
had got down into some very rich material. The Vines 
are planted near the front wall inside the house, then- 
stems being fully as thick as a man’s wrist. The roots 
were taken up from the extreme of the border right up 
to the front wall, in the beginning of November were 
replanted about six inches from the surface, and re¬ 
ceived nothiug in the way of covering during the winter, j 
There is a good crop in the house, though, no doubt, , 
the extra luxuriance has been checked. Though these 
have succeeded so well it has not altered views previously 
expressed respecting performing such an operation at 
an earlier period. 
New Hamburgh Muscat. — Though Mr. Snow pointed 
out this Grape to mo some years ago, and though there 
could be no question of the peculiar richness of its 
Muscat flavour, yet, from seeing it at too late a period, 
I had formed the idea for myself that the bunches were j 
apt to be straggling, and not produced over freely. 
These preconceptions were so far dissipated the other- 
week that I passed the Grape twice in going through the ' 
houses without recognising it as an old acquaintance. i 
The bunches seemed to be produced pretty freely, and 
individually they were compact, well set, and well 
shouldered. Some of the specimens to be shown at 
the Pomological Society will, I understood, be taken 
from the above house, where the roots were lifted in 
November.* These were just barely ripe, but quite as 
ripe as some Muscadines and Blach Hamburghs in their ! 
vicinity. The Muscat of Alexandria was just beginning 
to change its green colour. There were several nice 
bunches of this Hamburgh Muscat on a Vine trained to 
a column in the early Peach house, from which the 
fruit was all gone. Fruit from this house took the first 
prizes at London Exhibitions. We all know that to 
secure such good Peaches they must have a lower 
temperature and more air than would suit the common 
Muscat. I leave these facts to speak as to the com¬ 
parative earliness and hardiness of this high-flavoured 
Grape. 
Improving Grapes by Grafting and Inarching.— 
Mr. Snow has been making experiments in this direction 
for years. One year he has been cheered with the hopes 
of a decided improvement; but a following year has left 
matters much as they were. The reciprocal influence 
of stock and scion is a matter demanding greater in¬ 
vestigation. Several singular things with Vines havo, 
happened in my own practice. I will mention one. I 
grafted a Muscadine with the Muscat, which succeeded 
admirably. Two years afterwards a strong shoot broke 
from the stock about two feet below the scion, and, having 1 
an opening in the house, I allowed it to grow, resolving i 
to have some Muscadines for a year or two again. To 
my surprise this rod produced leaves very like Muscats, 
and the following year gave me a crop the same as that 
produced from the scion grafted on four years before. I 
will allude to Mr. Snow’s experiments no farther than 
as intended to affect Muscats. Every gardener knows 
what a fine fruit the Cannon Hall Muscat is when it 
sets well. I havo seen it very fine at Wrest, and seen 
it also with berries as scattered as even envy could wish. 
By grafting it on the Muscat of Alexandria Mr. Snow 
hoped to improve it by inducing it to set more freely. 
His hopes last year were fully realised; but this year it 
has been found the improvement has not been per¬ 
manent. Again, the Muscat has been inarched on the 
Cannon Hall to get greater size of bunch and berry in 
unison with its free-setting property. Present appearances 
would denote that Mr. Snow has succeeded, but time must 
tell. The berries on that Vine are certainly larger than 
usual, and the bunches of a large size—one of them I 
should say fully 3^ lbs. in weight. My present im¬ 
pression is that Mr. Snow has here gained a point; but, 
on the other hand, it must not be concealed that the Vine j 
is strong and luxuriant, and the number of bunches 
limited for its strength—the great secret, along with 
ample thinning, for securing fine berries. Many who will 
havo seen these Muscats before this appears will be better 
* They gained the highest prize at the Pomological Society on the 
|2th inst.— Ed. C, G. 
