260 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Jrr.T 31, 1860. ’ 
double meaning, of Dandy, and only three-quarters of an 
inch in length, have stood out and rooted full in the open 
sun already, and are just planted out in the same row 
with Verbena melindris and Lobelia speciosa on the ribbon- 
border ; and Dandy is destined and detained to supply 
the place of the variegated Alyssum on that row, accord¬ 
ing to the recommendation of Mr. Scott, of the Merriott 
Nurseries, near Yeovil. Mr. Kinghorn’s Christine and 
my Victoria Bose are different under a cloudy and droop¬ 
ing sky, and both hold up against the rain better than the 
Scarlets. 
By a simple trick upon travellers, we have proved that 
all the little blue Lobelias do not all come true from all 
seeds, nor the seed to name, from all the best seed-shops 
in this world, nor from a good many of them—not even 
speciosa, the best of them ; and there is no saying how 
many kinds of Lobelia ramosoides are in this world, or in 
any other, or in London either. But by the stars and 
garters, if one were to tell the truth, and all the truth, 
and nothing but the truth, as witnesses do in Scotland, 
would the weather not clear up at last, and prove which 
kinds stood the tests of purity and truth? The Lgnes- 
cens breed of border Geraniums did better in that kind 
of weather than either the Uniques or the Diadematums. 
Begonias and Farfugiums do out equally well; but 
Gazania splendens has been the prime goer the whole 
season. Wintered, out of pots, on a west border under 
glass, and as cold as coloured charity the whole winter, 
it began to open flowers with me in April, and though 
often half drowned since it was planted out, it has not 
flinched ; but the best place for it, under such weather, 
is up as an edging to hang down from a high pedestal 
vase, or any form of rustic vase or basket, and for such 
high decoration I must needs eat my recent and reason¬ 
able meaning, when I said it was daft to think of keeping 
the old plants of this Gazania over the winter. But we 
must keep some of the old plants till they are a yard 
long, if they come so much, just to hang down so long 
over one’s vases and do so well; but how to do it is still 
to be tried. D. Beaton. 
THE SIE HAEEY STEAWBEEEY. 
I have sent a few fruit of Sir Harry Strawberry as I pro¬ 
mised ; but they are not so large as usual, from the first blooms 
going blind with the constant wet; neither are they ripe 
enough to judge the flavour, as they should be almost black; 
but ripe Strawberries are not worth much after a 150-mile 
journey. I also enclose a few leaves and a sprig of unripe 
fruit gathered at random from more than a dozen on the same 
plant. I may add they have been planted two years, but the 
plants were very small when 'planted, so they did not bear last 
season. 
I have a larger crop on these than any other of about a dozen 
sorts, for although I never saw a firmer blossom on Keens', and 
British Queens these did not set, as we had but two fine days 
for six weeks, and the thermometer down below 40° several 
nights, and at freezing-point on the night of the fourth of July. 
The fruit of Sir Harry gathered from pots through May 
would average those sent for size, and many much larger.— 
J. T., Tedderley Gardens. 
[The specimens sent are very fine.— Eds, C. G.] 
GENEEAL EEMAEKS ON IN-DOOE VINES. 
Within the whole range of gardening, and amidst the mighty 
progress that has taken place during the last twenty years, nothing 
has exceeded the advance in Vine culture. And to what may 
this mainly be attributed ? To the gardening press, doubtless. 
It has brought men and opinions in contact to such a degree, that, 
to use a gardening phrase, every principle- or practice concerning 
Vines has been thoroughly ventilated. The Cottage Gaedenee 
has been anything but an idle spectator during the struggle of 
opinions; and Messrs. Beaton, Fish, and Appleby have each 
contributed much towards a consolidation of the floating opinions 
held by various practitioners. I also claim a share in the matter; 
and the questions of soil and the art of border-making have, abovo 
all, long been with me a favourite subject. I feel now' desirous 
to make a few remarks on the management of the wood and 
foliage during the growing period chiefly. The stopping of Vines 
is a practice well known to be absolutely necessary ; and of the 
Vine it may be affirmed that no fruiting tree we possess will bear, 
and indeed demand, so much stopping and pruning. But stop¬ 
ping is sometimes carried to improper extremes. 
I may here remark that stopping the growing spray of fruiting 
Vines is not necessarily performed in the same way as the stopping 
of young or recently planted V ines. There exists some difference 
in practice as to fruiting Vines. One party will stop at one joint 
beyond the bunch ; a second will frequently stop at the bunch ; 
and a third urges that there is nothing like having plenty of good 
foliage beyond the fruit. Nothing serious may be found in either 
of these practices. That a fine leaf or two beyond the bunch, 
with a due attention to keeping down the superfluous laterals, is of 
benefit, both as to the welfare of the bunch and the future stamina 
of the tree, there can be no doubt: but here the question of light 
assumes influence, and gives indeed, in a great measure, a bias to 
the whole affair. We all know that if Vines are left undressed, 
ordinary vineries would soon be all confusion. We have to stop 
rather short in order to economise space. Like Melons, the free 
exposure to light in our climate of the principal leaves is the prime 
object. The production of subsequent laterals, &c., is simply 
necessary to keep the sap in play; but they do little comparatively 
in preparing that food by which the vinous treasures must be 
made up. As connected with stopping, we have not only to call 
existing roots or fibres to our aid in this process, but we have to 
create new fibres and farther extension of root action in order to 
meet future demands. This I will apply more particularly to 
young Vines for a season or two after planting. In newly-made 
borders our first object should be to obtain a good volume of roots 
in the borders. There are two good reasons why this is desirable. 
In the first place, we want to impart a good store of energies to 
the young plant, so as to be fully prepared for the labour it will 
have to perform ; and secondly, as a sort of defence against too 
much moisture in the border, for abundance of roots will prove 
antagonistic to the over-retention of moisture. Now by very 
prim and close stopping this cannot be accomplished; for since 
the volume of roots of any given tree in health always bears a pro¬ 
portion to the head of the tree and rapidity or freedom of its 
growth, to obtain plenty of roots much liberty must be allowed 
the branches for a while. The time will arrive when close stop¬ 
ping will be necessitated; and until then we may pursue a 
different policy. The stopping of young Vines, therefore, must 
be quite of a progressive character—a few at a time. For instance: 
Supposing Vines planted this spring, under proper circumstances 
they should be halfway up the rafters by the middle of June, 
perhaps higher still. My practice would be to pinch at that 
length the least possible amount of the leader, and leave what 
laterals they possess unmolested until a new growth commences 
at the terminal point. By this time the wood would be getting 
firm, and some enlargement and extra power thrown back on 
those axillary shoots or the foliage at their base, on which the 
strength or fructiferous character of the future spurs will depend. 
I would next suffer a terminal point to ramble, as also the 
laterals, “ stopping ” each alternately, the former at every four or 
five joints, the latter at every second or third. All late growths 
making any effort after the end of September I would stop or 
pinch altogether, in order to secure a thorough concentration in 
the energies—or, in other words, the consolidation or ripening of 
the main stem. The second year rather less liberty may be 
allowed them; for by this time the border should be pretty well 
filled with fibres—at least as far as the roots have extended. 
The renovation of Vines that have been planted some years, and 
the roots of which have become stagnated, is a matter for much 
consideration. A most sensible paper appeared some short time 
since by Mr. Fish bearing on this subject, in which he very ably 
explains the origination and preservation of surface roots, in aid 
of those become torpid below. Ho shows that surface roots, a 
new series, may be decoyed or created by fermenting materials; 
but that if they are, it requires a little management and caution 
to preserve them from extreme fluctuations. These arguments I 
admit; but still the thing is to be accomplished, and has been 
repeatedly. But surface fibres may be induced without the aid 
of fermenting materials. I well know that in many cases it would 
be a wiser course to make a now border and plant anew. But 
then the Grapes ! “ Whilst the grass grows the horse starves 
and what are three-fourths of the matters of life but mere expe- 
