T1IE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Apbil 13, 1858. 
29 
have an arm right and left, six inches from the ground, and 
many feet long. Then an upright from between the first pair 
of arms, nearly six feet high, and there the whole plant is run 
into a second pair of arms, and the four arms are trained as 
horizontally as the joint of the brickwork. When we prune 
all the last summer shoots, in April, to one or two eyes, no 
one would believe the thing was a Passion Flower at all, but 
the next summer it blooms better than ever.] 
stopping vine Laterals—stock for azalea 
SINENSIS. 
“ Should Vine laterals be pinched off at the first joint, or 
I taken clear out ? Will the Azalea sinensis thrive well on its 
I own roots, or do you think it would succeed well if inarched 
on fthododendroides ? —J. H. II.] 
[You are to stop all the laterals on your Vine just beyond 
the first joint, and if that joint or eye breaks into a shoot you 
are to stop that second “ start” one joint more, and so on 
till your Grapes are full sized. 
The Azalea sinensis will thrive on its own roots, and bloom 
as yellow as a Buttercup. It will also “take” by grafting or 
inarching on any Rhododendron, and do tolerably well, and 
so it will on Azalea ft hod o den dro ides, but Azalea pontica is 
| the best, or one of the best, stocks for it.] 
MANAGEMENT OF A GREENHOUSE VINERY. 
“ I have a greenhouse twenty-one feet by seventeen feet; 
there are seven Vines, Black Hamburgh , and White Siveet- 
water. The late occupier neglected the Vines, for flowers, 
! and they are, consequently, not in good order. I had them 
trimmed in November, and taken out of the house ; they were 
put in again in February. I began heating the 2nd of March, 
temperature 60° by day, and 50° at night. Is that the proper 
temperature to commence with, and when should it be 
j increased ? My object is to grow good Grapes, have a few 
| greenhouse plants, and to preserve my plants for bedding out. 
Will the necessary heat for the Vines injure Geraniums, 
Fuchsias, Calceolarias, Petunias, and Verbenas, intended for 
bedding-out; if so, what would you advise me do, having only 
| one house, and considering the flowers as secondary to the 
Vines ? The Vines are in a border outside the house, I hare 
covered it over with some long dung. Would it injure the 
Vines to dig the border? Would it do them good to water 
them with guano water? If so, what strength should it be? 
Would three Cucumber plants be too many for a box four feet 
long, fifteen inches deep, and twenty-one inches broad, to grow 
in the greenhouse. Apologising for the number of my 
inquiries.”— Amateur. 
[When I was in my first place, the late Joseph Knight, Esq., 
of the Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, after looking round, told me 
“ I was worse than even the nurseryman, for cramming,” and 
he gave me the sage advice to have fewer things in one depart¬ 
ment, if I wished them all to do well. At that time, in a 
narrow steep-roofed house, I recollect that I had French 
| Beans, Strawberries, and Cucumbers, fit to gather. Vines in 
pots, setting and in bloom ; and Figs against the back wall 
growing away vigorously. Melons, in pots, were just showing 
their fruiting flowers ; a few stove plants were growing nicely, 
and beneath the shade of the Cucumbers, that were trained on 
a trellis, numbers of pots were filled with cuttings intended for 
the flower-borders. The first things I found thoroughly out 
of place were the Fig plants against the back wall. Growth I 
I could have in plenty, but the high temperature, and the shade 
j combined, prevented me seeing anything of fruit, and as the 
wood could not be eaten, my employer wisely suggested that 
I had better pull them up. A few Vines planted in a similar 
position ultimately shared the same fate, for as I could spare 
! them no roof space, I could get nothing but leaves against the 
back wall, though, if I had not covered the roof with vegeta¬ 
tion, I could have the back wall well supplied with Grapes. 
I The reason I planted the Figs was, being informed by several 
older gardeners, that Figs would answer very well, with a very 
diminished light. Sinfie that period, I have always stated my 
: belief, that the success of Figs, Vines, Peaches, &c., on the 
, back wall of lean-to houses, would just be in proport ion to the 
open spaces left on the roof for the free transmission of light- 
From that period, though possessing a warm sympathy 
with those who try many and different things in one house, *1 j 
have also advised, that where great perfection in one thing was 
desired, a prominence should be given to that, though other 
things should be somewhat injured. Thus, if flowering plant s 
were the main object in a greenhouse vinery, the Vines must 
not be too thick, nor must the temperature be higher than 
what the plants would require. With such greenhouse treat¬ 
ment, I have often seen splendid show Grapes in September 
and October. If anything like forcing the Vine was attempted, 
say beginning of March, like our correspondent, or earlier, 
not only would greenhouse plants suffer, but bedding plants 1 
that could not be removed would be rendered weak and j 
spindling. The matters touched upon by our correspondent, J 
though most of them have been several times referred to, are so 
generally interesting at this period to many readers, that a few 
remarks may not be out of place. 
1. Taking Vines out of the House. —This I look upon as 
mere useless work, unless where very early forcing is attempted, 
say, when the Vines are started in October or November. In ! 
such a case, taking the stems out induces an earlier ripening, 
and an earlier rest. Taking them out in November could be j 
of no use whatever, in the case of our correspondent. After | 
they were pruned and washed, there would be no danger of the 
Vines starting, unless the average night temperature was above 
45°, and that would be quite high enough for greenhouse 
plants in fine weather, and 5° less would be high enough in 
severe cold weather. The taking the Vines out, therefore, was 
not only superfluous labour, but if the wood was not thoroughly 
ripened, it was also dangerous, unless the stems were protected 
from severe frost. I recollect once seeing a house of Vines j 
cut down to the ground by a severe frost, even when the I 
stems were left in the house with air, or whilst they were safe 
and sound in another house in exactly similar circumstances, 
with the exception that the ventilators were shut. Some | 
people have told me the extreme degree of cold that Vines ! 
will endure uninjured in France, and Germany; but they do 
not take into consideration the drier atmosphere, and the ! 
clearer unclouded sky they enjoy there in the summer months, 
which give a ripeness and hardness to the wood, which I 
Vines do not often acquire in this country. The very keeping j 
them in houses exerts a debilitating influence, and more care, 
therefore, is required to keep them from extreme cold after¬ 
wards. 
2. Temperature in Forcing. —I have no faith in what arc 
called dashes in forcing. Their customary influence is to start 
some buds, which monopolise all the sap they can get hold of; j 
and, consequently, many buds never break, or start at all. More 1 
especially are these dashes objectionable, if from not early 
covering the border, &c., you cannot reckon upon a correspond¬ 
ing action between roots and branches. It is safest when the 
roots are excited a little before the top. I would begin with 
45° at night, especially in such weather as we had at night in 
the beginning of March ; increasing it 5° during the day with¬ 
out sun heat; and 10° or more with sun heat, shutting up 
early, and giving plenty of syringing to the stems. Increase 
the temperature gradually, but never allowing it to get higher, 
at night, than from 50° to 60°, until all the buds are broken 
and lengthening freely. I never like them to be above 60° at 
night, until they come into bloom, and then 65° will be hot 
enough for all, except Muscats , and difficult setters, which 
may have a few degrees more; but I find from 60° to G5° 
generally sufficient for all, if they have a good rise—say, from . 
10° to 20° from sunshine, with but little air, and that given ■ 
early, if not left on at all times. Suppose, then, that the ; 
average temperature at night, when the Vines are in bloom, is { 
from 65° to 70°; it is good practice gradually to lower 5° at 
night, as soon as the fruit is set. This higher temperature, 
when in bloom, in unison with a fair amount of moisture in j 
the atmosphere, not only promotes the free setting, but it 
lengthens the main stem of the bunch, so that after thinning, 
the bunch is longer, and larger than it would be likely to be, if j 
the Vine had no more than greenhouse heat. In a greenhouse, 
if the plants could be removed for a short time, when the ( 
Vines were in bloom, so as to obtain this extra temperature, 
then flie bunches would be all the better for it. The con¬ 
tinuance of this high temperature at night afterwards is more 
prejudicial than otherwise; it lengthens the footstalk of the 
