THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— October 28.1856. 65 
short-jointed, and well-ripened and rested after fruiting. 
For resting, the pots should he plunged behind a north wall, 
and kept dryish after October. 
The success in growing Vines in the same houses after 
July will greatly depend upon letting them come almost 
naturally in the Vinery, and making sure that they have plenty 
of air and light there. Do not suppose that you will please 
yourself if the Vines from which you expect so much 
are to be shaded until July. Treated in this manner the 
Vines may he said to have little forcing. Vines in pots, 
more so than Peaches or Figs, delight in having a higher 
average heat at the roots than at the branches. If you 
forced your Vines much in the Vinery, and there were good 
open spaces, you might fruit your Vines in pots there, and 
ripen them too, or bring them out with care when nearly 
ripe, or, at all events, to have the wood ripened thoroughly 
for another year. 
There is no doubt that even without often repotting, 
merely depending on securing good drainage and rich 
nourishment by top-dressings, you may fruit Vines in pots 
year after year, but only if you are satisfied to take a few 
good bunches from each pot. As generally practised, there 
is no great economy in growing Vines in pots one year, and 
fruiting them the next; but so long as it is the custom to 
take a number of bunches from such a young plant, so long 
must the practice of this constant succession of growing 
and fruiting be adhered to. The whole strength of the 
Vine is thrown into the fruit, and treat it how you will, it 
has been so exhausted that it will do little good next year. 
Begin with Vines in pots as you would do with a Vine on a 
rafter; take only a very few bunches at first, and never a 
great many at any time, and your pot will perfect its fruit- 
buds and fruit every year. Gardeners know all this per¬ 
fectly, but most of them think that when they have the 
means they get more weight of grapes, and the pots pre- 
» sent a better appearance, when fruited only one year, 
Where there is not great convenience for raising and grow¬ 
ing strong young Vines, the taking moderate crops and con¬ 
tinuing the Vines on from year to year would be the most 
economical. On the question of economy alone, we doubt 
whether our correspondent would not have more Grapes, 
and nearly as many Peaches, by forcing his Vinery rather 
early, planting out Vines, and taking them up the roofs 
of these two houses some six feet or so apart; starting them 
. in February and March, and having pots of Peaches, &c., 
below, keeping the temperature under 60° at night until 
the Peaches had set. A few Vines in pots might come from 
the Vinery as the Peaches were removed. However, we 
wish every success to our correspondent, and if lie gives 
more details of his means, how his heating is clone, &c., 
and wishes for definite information upon any point, we shall 
be happy to give it. Not long ago the culture of Vines in 
pots from eyes was given,inserting the buds one spring and 
fruiting them the next, involving considerable care and 
attention. Were we to grow the same Vines in pots year 
after year wo would hardly shift any, but depend on top- 
dressings and mulchings.] 
ROOM PLANTS.—EFFECT OF GAS LIGHTING.— 
HYDRANGEA LEAVES CURLING. 
“ I have formerly grown a great many plants in my 
windows; but having removed lately to a house where I 
have not much sun, and as I should be very sorry to be 
deprived of my plants, I want to know what kinds of plants 
would do best for me, and where I could procure them of 
the best quality. I have got a plant of the Hydrangea; 
the leaves have all curled this summer, and it has not 
flowered this year. I want to know what will prevent the 
leaves from curling, and get it into flower, and also 
whether gas will injure plants?— A Constant Subscriber.” 
[Gas is just as destructive to vegetable as to animal 
life, perhaps more so. We often conjecture what could 
have led to the desertion of splendid cities of antiquity. 
Let but the whole soil of a modern city be saturated with 
gas and animal excrement, and a few centuries may render 
our gorgeous palaces uninhabitable. We have seen Hy¬ 
drangeas curl when they were too dry, and also when 
clogged with wet from insufficient drainage. To get it to 
flower well next year it must have all the sun possible this 
autumn, and be kept rather dry all the winter; then 
almost every bud will bring a flowering-shoot. We think 
we could advise you better as to your plants if you told us ’ 
what plants you formerly grew best, and what is the aspect I 
of your present windows. Geraniums, Fuchsias, Myrtles, | 
&c., would answer as well as anything. A friend of ours 
has most of her windows to the north, or nearly so; but 
she has one to the south, and one to the east, and another 
to the west, and in these she grows her plants until they 
come into bloom, and then removes them to the north, 
where they stand longer in flower. She also keeps there a 
few pots of the hardier Mosses and Ferns, so as to have 
green foliage to look at. You had better give us more 
particulars.] 
VINES FOR A SMALL HOUSE. 
“ W ill you be so kind as to inform me the best four Vines 
to plant in a small house, sixteen feet six inches long, 
against the south end of a house, rafter fifteen feet, so as 
to have one early and one late; and whether it would an¬ 
swer to plant four more, to run up the back wall or wires 
the same as under the glass? Also, the best -way of prepar¬ 
ing the beds to plant the Vines in ; bottom, stiff clay; depth 
and width to be taken out. I can fill up with the top spit of 
good old meadow soil; and whether it would be advisable to 
add any manure?—A Subscriber.” 
[You have not told us whether you mean to force your 
house much or not. Presuming the latter, we would re¬ 
commend one Dutch Sweetwater, one Stockwood Golden 
Hamburgh, one Black Hamburgh, one Barbarossa. The 
Sweetwater is very early and good, but requires heat, and 
artificial dusting with its own or other pollen, to make 
it set well. If you are afraid of that, use Royal Muscadine 
instead. We believe the Golden Hamburgh will be early, but 
want more proofs. It is very superior to the Muscadine; 
and, if you choose to dispense with it, you could have two 
Hamburghs. It will be advisable to plant at least an equal 
number against the back wall. In such a soil as you speak 
of we would take out very little, but have your made border 
chiefly above the surface, and a layer of concrete above the 
clay. You will do well to have tlu border as wide as the 
length of your rafter, and though the half of that would do 
with surface dressings; and if it was any object to you, not to 
make it all at once. We would commence with a width of three 
or four feet, and a depth of twenty to twenty-four inches, 
and use a little leaf-mould near the roots, and a few bushels 
of bones, broken small, mixed with the soil along with some 
lime-rubbish and charcoal, and broken pieces of brick. We 
would recommend planting the back wall in a similar 
manner. Supposing that the fruit-plants go up the rafters, 
the back ones should be placed in the centre of the lights, 
so as to get most light. Were you to force much we would 
recommend one Golden Hamburgh, one Black Hamburgh, 
one Muscat, and one Barbarossa. There has been much 
written on this subject lately.] 
CULTURE OF VAN HOUTTE’S SPLELEA.-CUT- 
TINGS OF LUCULIA GRATISSIMA. 
“ Spiraea Jlore plena alba , Van Houtte’s Spinca. I have 
two good plants in eight-inch pots, which have made this 
summer fine shoots from one to two feet long. My ex¬ 
pectation is that these shoots will flower. I wish to know 
if the shoots should be shortened in the spring before the 
time of flowering. In the woodcut given by Van Houtte some 
years back, in the Gardeners' Chronicle , of this Spiraea, the 
shoots were shown growing erect. The shoots of my plants 
are weeping like a Willow. Can my plants be the true 
Spiraea of Van Houtte ? Will the Spiraea live out as a shrub ? 
“ A fine old plant of that elegant sweet-scented plant, 
Liiculia yratissima, has been in a greenhouse in this neigh¬ 
bourhood for a few years. I have been given cuttings 
several times, and could never strike one, nor could the 
gardener who has the care of it. May I beg the favour of a 
hint to propagate it ?—M. F.” 
[We are not quite positive, but still we believe you have 
got the right Spirma. The shoots, when very strong, grow 
upright at first, and then bend over when long. It is best 
