THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 6, 1859. 
constituent, as I explained in a letter you did me tlie favour to 
print in your number of February 8th, is sulphur. 
Tour correspondent speaks of his Grapes becoming spotted 
after an application of the Gishurst. I had, some time back, a 
similar complaint from a large Grape grower, accompanied by 
some spotted Grapes. On showing them to my father’s gardener, 
he said it was a disease known as “ rust,” which had attacked 
our Grapes before Gishurst w r as horn. At first I thought he 
was right; but on examining a house which had been attacked 
with virulent mildew checked by Gishurst, I found berries with 
spots on those parts on which the solution would have hung 
longest, and had dried. I scraped off some of the brown 
coating, which, on being tested in our laboratory, showed a trace 
of sxdphur; and, therefore, though I had often applied a stronger 
solution without any discoloration, I could not but suppose that 
the spots had been laid at the right door. 
A short time back I visited an old and most scientific garden¬ 
ing authority. After showing all his own wonders,—and great, 
indeed, some of them were,—he said, “ Now you shall see what 
your Gishurst has done for me.” First, we came to an immense 
bed of dwarf Cherry trees, which he said had had their young 
wood saved after a most severe attack of black aphides. Then 
we proceeded to his vineries, some of which, without any re¬ 
medies having been applied, had never had a symptom of 
mildew. Others had had a slight attack, which the Gishurst 
had checked. The berries here looked clean and healthy. At 
last we got to what I was told was the triumph of the Gishurst— 
a house in which mildew appeared to have intrenched itself. 
Last year all the Grapes had been utterly destroyed, hi spite of 
sulphur applied in all known ways, of the fullest strength, and 
by most experienced hands. This year the enemy again making 
the attack in as great force as ever, my friend determined to try 
the new arm against it, and gave a strong dose of Gishurst, and 
repeated this several times. The Tines did not seem the worse, 
and the Grapes were full, and swelling well; but there was the 
brown spot at the lowest part of many of the berries. We ex¬ 
amined this brown crust carefully : it could be easily scraped off, 
leaving the skin clear and sound underneath, and did not seem 
at all to interfere with the Grapes swelling; so my friend, in his 
satisfaction at the Grapes living at all, made rather fight of the 
unsightly crust. 
We may assume, then, that under certain circumstances not 
yet understood, Gishurst does cause this objectionable appearance, 
which, probably, arises from the heat evaporating rapidly the 
water of the solution, precipitating ingredients previously dis¬ 
solved on the lowest part of the fruit. 
The way to cause the least amount of precipitate, is to use 
weak solutions, and to be careful to use none but rain water in 
making them ; thereby avoiding the lime thrown down from hard 
water. 
Last autumn, for experiment’s sake, I tried syringing with 
Gishurst almost ripe Nectarines and Plums, the trees of which 
had been attacked by red spider, and ate the fruit a day or two 
afterwards without tasting the slightest trace of Gishurst. But 
on Grapes it is different: the berries hang so closely together that 
the Gishurst once among them does not come out easily, even 
after syringing with clean water. I have to-night (August 25th) 
been eating some Grapes, the Vines of which were syringed all 
over with Gishurst a week ago, and though the Grapes have 
not the brown spot, there is a sign of deposit where the solution 
has dried on some of them, and a twang of sooty taste perceiv¬ 
able, though, I am assured, after a syringing with plain water 
had been applied. 
I fear this long letter may be considered an intrusion, and will, 
therefore, at once conclude it by saying, that all I can be re¬ 
sponsible for in the Gishurst is, that it contains no dangerous 
ingredient, that sulphur is present in the form which should, 
theoretically , be at the same time the most searching, and yet 
most safe, and that the practice of many eminent professional 
and amateur gardeners for many months coincides with this 
theory. In speaking of any gardening trials of a mere smatterer 
like myself, I would attach no weight to my opinions, unless they 
involve the watching results and tracing them to their cause, 
which is, perhaps, better learnt in a laboratory and among chemi¬ 
cal processes than even in a garden. 
It has been suggested that the Gishurst may vary in its com¬ 
position, and thus account for differences in results obtained 
under apparently similar circumstances. This cannot be, as it 
is compounded in that department of our manufactory where 
the slightest error can, must be, and is, guarded against. For 
example, our glycerine, the prescription of which, for internal 
use, depends on the confidence of medical men in the care taken 
in its preparation. 
It would be easy to lower the proportion of the most active 
agent in Gishurst, so as to do away with the possibility of injury 
to any plant or fruit. Indeed, I have this evening (August 25th) 
been syringing some mildewed Rose trees with a solution made 
with Gishurst of only half power, as an experiment ; but as so 
many gardeners have now accustomed themselves to the standard 
strength, and as, I believe, a little care and experience will make 
amateurs as easy and confident in its use as I now feel myself, we 
do not propose any reduction of strength, unless there be a 
decided call for it.—G eo. Wilson. 
QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 
CONSTRUCTING A VINERY 
“ After reading The Cottage Gardener for some years, and 
remembering what a very old gardener told me— that it is as 
easy to grow Grapes as Gooseberries, I am going to try. I send 
you a sketch of a building I intend to turn to a cool vinery, the 
object being to get Grapes of some kind and at some time. The 
red-ink lines are meant to show where I intend to put my drain. 
I intend to brick and cement the bottom of the Vine-border. 
The three feet of glass in front I shall be able to open for air; 
and I intend to put wooden air-doors in the hack wall, four of 
them, two feet long and one foot deep, to swing on the centre of 
each, and open with a weight and wire. The top will be fast, 
and glazed with rough plate glass, if it will do. 
“ I intend to put a flue made of firebrick, as marked on the 
sketch, with fire-clay cover. Coals are no object in heating, 
being only 2f d. per cwt. I have some four-inch iron pipe. If it 
is not very difficult to manage a warm-water boiler, I could use 
them for heating, but think I could manage a flue better. I will 
put the pipes in, if you advise me to do so. You must tell me 
what length it -will take—I have a great quantity. 
“ If you think my plan will answer, please say what kind of 
Vines you think will grow in our part of Lancashire (Bolton-le- 
rnoors). I do not care what sort, shape, size, or colour the 
berries are, so that I can grow them. 
“ You ask for answers about chickens. I am sure I should 
have lost all mine if it had not been for your receipt of beer and 
bread. I have never lost one since I saw it in your paper.” — 
William. 
[The proposed arrangements will do. The airing will be 
sufficient. Supposing all the Vine-borders to be inside, is there 
any reason that the roots shoidd not go beneath the path, or 
even below the stage ? Well managed, the width of two feet and 
a half will grow Vines successfully; but only on a free use of 
rich top dressing and manure waterings. We approve, under 
such circumstances, of making the bottom of the border root- 
proof and water-proof: but your drain must be lower than the 
Bottom of the border, and there should be some open rubble 
above the bottom before the soil is laid on, so that there he no 
stagnation of water at the bottom. It is economical to make the 
roof fast. You may have rough Hartley’s glass, if you prefer it ; 
but, in your case, we should prefer good British plate : and our 
reasons are that you will have more light for Vines in summer, 
and more light in winter for plants. There can be no objection 
to a stage in the house. You will thus be enabled to keep many 
things, and flowering plants, in winter at a temperature by fire 
heat under 45°, until the Vines start. When the Grapes ripen, 
the fewer plants there are in the houso the better before they are 
all cut. In summer, with four Vines established, plants will do 
little good unless a few half-hardy and tender annuals. The 
object aimed at will be to get all the principal plants out before 
the Vine-leaves make the shade too dense. 
We have no objection to a flue of firebrick : except for the 
fireplace wc should judge firebricks too expensive for such a 
purpose. Next to firebrick, rather soft brick stands heat best ; 
but, if very soft, they are apt to crumble from the alternations of 
the house from heat to cold, and from moisture to dryness. If 
you had bricks of any kind to purchase, we would decidedly use 
the four-inch pipe you have got. You will not heat the house 
cheaper; but then there will be no trouble in flue-cleaning, unless 
that round the boiler. A small boiler of Roger’s conical, or a 
small amateur’s retort of Thompson’s, would suit you, costing 
