219 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 5, 1858. 
heathery turf is so plentiful, the rubble could be covered 
over with such turf, and the top spit of any soil, which is 
considered good for growing Melons with anything like suc¬ 
cess, above the heathery turf, previous to putting on the 
compost for the Tines. A vinery so constructed, at a proper 
height above the “cold, damp subsoil,” would obviate all 
necessity for having recourse to an unnatural process of 
imitating a tropical climate. 
If a gardener were compelled to erect a vinery, or a peach- 
house, on the margin pf a lake—the floor line of the vinery to 
be on a level with the surface of the lake—the ground might be 
excavated four feet deep, and obtuse angles of some durable 
substance built across the bottom of the vinery floor and 
border, and plastered over with Portland cement, and a water¬ 
tight wall built around the foundations of the vinery and the 
outside border. Were a water-tight tank sunk to a sufficient 
depth, as a receptacle for the water which falls on the outside 
border, and the superfluous water used in vineries, and no 
other water allowed to enter the tank, very little water would 
require to be pumped out of the tank by a hand-pump. 
Allow me to state, through the medium of your paper, that 
is the only way a gardener, whatever his practice, experience, 
reputation, and position may be, can be justified in having 
recourse to concrete as a useful auxiliary to gardeners as a 
substitute for efficient under-ground drainage. 
One of my late masters had the superintendence of remo¬ 
delling a garden, erecting houses, &c. The site of the garden 
was a little above the sea level. The bottom of the vinery 
floors and borders was drained to a sufficient depth. All the 
surface soil was excavated nearly as low as the top of the 
drain-pipes, and a foot of rubble laid over the peach and 
vinery borders. Air-drains were made by fitting perpen¬ 
dicular pipes into the main drain, and those which crossed the 
border. 
The Peach trees were prematurely excited, and afterwards 
received a check by frost. As an experiment, a few were 
covered with glass. Those that were covered with glass soon 
recovered themselves ; but the tops of those that were unpro¬ 
tected soon died off. The gardener,- knowing that the roots 
of the dead trees were still in a healthy, vigorous state, got a gar¬ 
dener, whose opinions on anything connected with gardening 
few would attempt to dispute, to assign the cause of the 
Peach trees dying off at the tops. The referee at once 
said, “This ‘damp, low situation’ is the cause of it.” The 
gardener, being confident that atmospheric influences over 
which he had no control were the cause of it, got men to dig 
down amongst the roots, to show that they were still healthy. 
The referee acknowledged that the roots were healthy; they 
being planted on the same border, and the same day, that 
those which, by glass protection, had recovered themselves, 
and were then bearing abundant crops of fruit. So much for 
the diversity of opinions, and the different modes of practice 
among practical gardeners.— An Under-Gardener. 
THE QUALITY AND RIPENING OE 
PEARS. 
We need hardly observe, that the peculiar quality of 
different kinds of Pears, as well as of Apples, varies much 
with the season : but it may be less known, that some kinds 
which are generally good in some parts, are often bad in others. 
Hence arise complaints against the best lists of Pears, though 
they are got up by men of good judgment. Some sorts are 
marked excellent, that are only so in some districts; varying 
much in quality according to situation, and the seasons. For 
instance, Mrs. Loudon states, that the Winter or Blach Achan , 
is an excellent Scotch variety ; and we know it to be so in that 
country, but it is really worthless in this. The same may be 
3aid of the Crawford and Green Yare , which are both good 
early Pears in Scotland. 
Newer kinds also may be named, such as the Buwmore , and 
Bon Chretien Fondante; the former is apt to be mealy, and 
is only at best a second-rate Pear that ripens with superior 
sorts : the latter is always bad with us, both in cold and hot 
seasons. Last autumn we gathered some fruit of this sort, 
produced from grafts from Jersey,'about two weeks before it 
ivas ripe, which was equally bad and mealy as the rest of the 
crop that hung the full time. We mention this more par¬ 
ticularly, for the name shows it to be a good Pear in Jersey : 
and how comes it to be bad in this country P We mean 
mealy, and regret having no better term for it, which is the 
fault with the Scotch kinds mentioned above. 
In a former paper we may have said it was caused by 
the fruit losing its acidity by heat; but, as Jersey is a better 
climate than this, the fact that some kinds of Pears from that 
country are apt to bo mealy and flavourless when grown 
here, only tends to confirm our further remark, that the real 
cause was hard to explain. We should here note, that the 
Bon Chretien Fondante Pears were on a wall of south-west 
aspect, and might be more affected by the hot sun, than 
standard Pears in Jersey. Also, that Chaumontelles on the 
same tree last season, were nearly equal to those of Jersey. 
The former is a smooth, greenish Pear, and ripens earlier than 
the latter; which, we need hardly say, is of a russet brown. 
This leads us to think, that the sun has more or less power on 
both Pears and Apples, as they ripen earlier or later; and 
with reference to their colour and the thickness of their skins. 
Be that as it may, we trust enough has been said to show that 
the quality of Pears differs much with the climate, and that, 
strictly speaking, the fault is not in the lists. As a remedy 
however, it would be well if advertisers were to state the good 
kinds in their range of districts, instead of copying from fists 
wrongly made to suit all parts of Britain, which is a sort of 
quackery in the matter of fruit. They should also state more 
correctly the time when Pears come to maturity. The fists 
are again much in fault in this respect, owing to the same 
causes. But we may observe, that as some of our best Pears 
vary much in keeping, it is rather difficult to state their exact 
time of maturity. Amongst them are the Beurre Ilance, and 
Knight's Monarch , both of which will keep till March ; while 
some of them often ripen in December, and continue to do so 
during winter. But that peculiar quality is greatly in favour 
of both ; and it only requires more of them to be grown in 
order to keep up the supply.—J. Wight on. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
VINES IN POTS—TINES IN A PIT. 
(To a Correspondent .) 
The whole subject has frequently engaged our 
attention, and the culture of Vines in pots lias been 
given, from the insertion of the cutting to the gather¬ 
ing of the fruit. The difficulty of advising you arises 
from the fact of not knowing exactly what you want 
with your pit, chiefly in summer. There can be no 
difficulty in growing from two to six Vines in pots in 
your space. With two, there would be but little 
shade to the plants you might grow beneath them; 
with six, the roof of the pit would be covered. One 
thing is certain, that if you merely keep plants in 
winter, and forward bedding plants in spring, you 
could do nothing in the way of forcing Grapes ; and, 
therefore, could not expect ripe produce until the end 
of August to the middle of September ; though a few 
days might be gained from having the plants in pots. 
Eor your purpose, the Dutch Sweetwater would be the 
earliest ; but inexperienced persons have a difficulty 
in setting the blossom ; and, therefore, we would re¬ 
commend the Boy at Muscadine and the Black Ham¬ 
burgh as most suitable. If you resolved upon trying, 
you could not get the plants too soon. Perhaps, like 
another correspondent, you would like to know the 
price, and this we are unable to give for strong, young 
fruiting plants; though such plants as those spoken 
of at Slirublands would be cheaper at 25,?., than 
common young fair plants at 5s. These plants, tc 
fruit next summer, should be in pots from fourteen to 
sixteen inches in diameter, and must not be repotted, 
but merely top-dressed, and kept in a medium state 
as to moisture, and from frost in winter, and be 
placed in your pit by the beginning of March, or 
thereabouts. If such plants bear a heavy crop, it 
will thoroughly exhaust their energies; and they 
