298 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 10, 1858. 
considerably above the height of the Camellias, would 
soon cover the space. As a sweet-scented plant, the white 
Mandevilla suaveolens might be chosen. To cover very 
quickly, the Cobcea scandens would also do, if well cut in. 
Whatever is used must not be allowed to overhang, or unduly 
shade, the Camellias. The white Hankdci Rose would do well, 
and the scent would be delightful; but it would do best if 
you did not introduce much heat. As was said at first, if 
anything is used, keep it thin, and close to the wall, or the 
Camellias will suffer.] 
GREENHOUSE BLACK HAMBURGH GRAPES 
CRACKING. 
“ I have twelve Black Hamburgh Vines, the berries of 
which are now colouring, and cracking I am sorry to say. 
Can you tell me the reason of the cracking, and whether it 
can be prevented ? 
“ Can you also oblige me with any remedy for the thrips ? ” 
—A Two-Yeaes’ Subsceibee. 
[Many of us will be rather disappointed in the size of the 
berry of late Grapes, such as are grown in greenhouses this 
season, as the excessive heat in June, and some part of July, 
caused the berries to colour prematurely. Plenty of water at 
the root, abundance of air, and a slight shading would have 
prevented that premature colouring, and secured greater size 
of berry. Excess of moisture at the roots, and a hot dry at¬ 
mosphere in the house, would tend to make the berries crack. 
A close, damp, moist atmosphere, syringing, and shutting 
up rather early, and a rather dry state of the roots, would 
also cause this misfortune to take place An airy, dryish, 
atmosphere, is the best remedy for preventing it ; but 
if the roots are at all moist, this dryness in the atmosphere 
must not be carried to excess. Neither must the roots be dry, 
if the berries are swelling freely. The want of reciprocal 
action between root and bunches is the chief cause. We 
have had the Chasselas Mosque Grape, or Josling’s St. Albans , 
much cracked in a house where a fair amount of moisture was 
used for watering plants, &c. In a house kept dry, and a fair 
amount of moisture in the border, and an excess guarded 
against by putting a few sashes over the border, to keep away 
heavy rains, we have had nice bunches without a cracked 
berry. For your Hamburghs, secure moderate moisture at the 
roots, and give abundance of air. The berries will not be so 
large, but they will be sound. Swell the berries out with more 
moisture at the roots, and a moister, closer atmosphere, and, 
in all probability, the cracking, and consequent moulding, and 
decaying, will continue. 
Thrips. —You will lately find much about destroying and 
keeping down thrips. The remedy must greatly depend on the 
nature of the plant affected. If your cracking and coloured 
Grapes are affected, w r e would recommend two or three good 
tobacco-smokings at night. The second smoking to be of 
two or three days interval from the first, and so on. For 
small plants we would use Laurel and size water.] 
BRUGMANSIA ARBOREA TO BLOOM — PAMPAS 
GRASS. 
“ Having two plants of this fine greenhouse shrub, I am 
anxious to get them to flower, and shall be obliged for in¬ 
structions, to obtain this gratification. One plant has two 
branches, the other a single stem, and both are growing freely. 
I wish to know if the tops of the branches should be stopped, 
to force lateral shoots for flowering ? I have also a fine plant 
of Brugmansia Knightii, whose shoots, of this season, are just 
j showing flower-buds, so different from old arborea. 
“ Bampas Grass. —I have a fine plant which is throwing 
up several jointed stalks, and wish to know how many may be 
left for flowering in perfection ; and, if any should be cut out, 
how long should the shoot cut out be left from the root ?”— 
M. F. 
[In late numbers, you will find everything stated with 
respect to the flowering of these fine, soft-wooded shrubs. 
They do not bloom freely until two or three years old. Wo 
would recommend treating your two plants differently, though 
you should have been more explicit as to stating height, or 
length of shoot, and girth of ditto, &c. Imagining that they 
are pretty strong, and keeping in view that they bloom on the 
wood of the current year, we would encourage the shoots, 
on the plant having two shoots, to grow freely, and then, if 
the plant is old enough, and these shoots have come from wood 
tolei’ably well ripened, they will begin to show blossom-buds 
from the points. With respect to the plant with one shoot, 
if your object is flowers, treat it the same. If, however, you 
would sacrifice early blooming, to a well-formed plant, and 
late blooming, train the single stem until it is from five to six, 
or more, feet in height, then nip out its point. When that 
is done early, side-shoots will break from buds on the stem. 
Take away all, with the exception of four, or six, near the top, | 
and allow them to grow freely, and, most probably, these will 
bloom in September or October. If you cannot thus stop 
such a shoot early, say in July or earlier, because not high 
enough to form a good head, then it w'ould be as well to let it 
grow on until autumn, and either stop it then, or in the 
spring. At any rate, when growth commences in spring, rub 
off all the buds along the stem, with the exception of some 
half a dozen or so, to form the future standard head of the 
tree. These branches should be encouraged to grow freely, by 
giving rich compost and plenty of manure watering; and, 
most likely, next season they will produce their large sweet 
flowers in abundance. In winter, the plants should be kept 
from frost, just moist enough to prevent shrivelling; and the 
sooner fresh growth is encouraged in spring, the sooner, other 
things being equal, will the bloom be produced. When once 
a plant is thus formed, the head should be cut in every season, 
keeping in view that the bloom is most abundantly produced 
from strong shoots of the current year, instead of from more 
numerous and weaker shoots. Get such strong shoots to 
start from spurs, or shoots well ripened the previous autumn, 
and abundance of flowers is certain. Let your plants be 
stored away at the end of autumn, in some darkish place for j 
the winter, with the shoots of the season, yet green, soft, and | 
succulent; and we should not like to be at all sanguine on the j 
number of flowers produced the following summer. We 
know of some fine plants of arborea , and also of atrosanguinea 
and lutea , that are planted out in light, but cool conservatories ; 
and these plants, from the abundance of heat and light in 
summer, the cutting well back in spring, and keeping rather 
dry for a few months in winter, are literally loaded every year 
with blossoms. 
Bampas Grass Thinning. —As your fine plant is throwing 
up several jointed stalks merely, and not a great number, we 
would let them all remain, and encourage with a fair supply of 
water in this hot, dry weather. In large stools it would be 
desirable to thin out the smaller stems, but not on a small 
plant having only several stems. We have two strong plants, 
but have been disappointed, as no doubt they are male plants, 
the bloom-spikes of which are much smaller than the female, i 
and of a dull brownish colour. We saw the female flowers 
at the Boles , near Ware, last autumn, and for their elegant, 
silvery appearance, they well deserved the title of argenteum. \ 
We are not aware there is any mode of distinguishing the 
male and female plants until they actually bloom.] 
ROSES FOR STANDARDS. 
“ Is there any objection to the following Roses F—robust- 
growing and well-shaped Roses being the chief qualities j 
desired:— 
“ Bouebons. — Acidalie (standard), Beveil (pillar Rose), 
Bdouard des Bosses (third-rate Pillar Rose), Souchet (best 
on its own roots), Minoux (standard), Queen of Bourbons 
(standard). 
“ Hybeid Peepetuals. — Standard of Marengo , Baul 
Hesprez (best on its own roots), Jules Margottin (would 
make a splendid pillar), Madame Cambeueres (very strong ; 
pillar Rose), Madame Guinoisseau (pillar), Cornet (pillar), 
Caroline de Sansal (strong standard). 
“ Will you kindly give me your opinion as to which are best 
for standards, or dwarf standards, and which for growing on 
their own roots ? and any other suggestions which may ap¬ 
pear to you desirable for one who is rather a novice at Rose¬ 
growing, and to whom a bad-shaped Rose is a terrible eyesore ? 
