34 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST, 
[ March, 
tense, the plants will grow freely, and pro¬ 
duce as perfectly developed flowers as at mid¬ 
summer. The side-growths continue to push 
up when the centre flowers fade, each growth 
producing flowers at different times—a char¬ 
acteristic which has given to this section the 
name of Perpetual. 
There are a considerable number of varieties 
in cultivation now, and the list is enlarged 
annually. The very large full flowers do not 
open well in winter, and some of them have 
short calices, which split open before the 
flowers open at all. This is a fault which can 
only be overcome by a little attention on the 
part of the cultivator. I slit the calyx down a 
little at the apex of the segments, to allow the 
petals to expand; and further, it is necessary 
to tie the calyx round loosely with a strip 
of matting. This section seems to be of quite 
a distinct type from the ordinary varieties; 
none of them have the bizarres or flakes so 
much esteemed by the florists, with the ex¬ 
ception of Gloire de Ltjon, which is a rose- 
flake, but is as often a self. The varieties 
most useful as cut-flowers are the decided 
colours, and it is better to grow only those 
that flower freely in winter and are good 
growers. One of the best is Miss JolUffe^ flesh- 
colour or pale pink ; the plant is dwarf, and the 
flowers, which are very freely produced, have a 
calyx that does not split. Amiie Williams is a 
very good rose-coloured flower, of taller growth. 
King of the Belgians is a bright rose, with fine 
large flowers. Amongst scarlets, Grenadierinye-cy 
good and free-blooming; but it is surpassed by 
Proserpine^ which has better flowers, and is as 
good in habit. Pure white flowers are perhaps 
the most valuable, and I believe La Belle is 
the most useful, the plant is of such free 
growth, producing well-formed flowers, which 
open well in midwinter. Bride and Vestal may 
also be grown, but I prefer Za Belle for the 
main supply. Of varied colours, striped and 
edged, the following should be grown:— Celestial, 
rose-edged ; Empress of Germany, large, almost 
white, marked with rose ; Mons. Baldwin, mar¬ 
bled ; Souvenir de la Malviaison, an immense 
blush ; and Gloire de Lyon. 
The yellow-ground flowers form a very dis¬ 
tinct and desirable class of varieties. Ascot 
Yellow is good as a flower, but is of such 
poor growth as a plant that it is not to be 
recommended. Prince of Orange is by far 
the best of this class, but it can seldom be ob¬ 
tained in flower until late in the spring, and so 
does not realise the character of the true Per¬ 
petual. I have great hopes of some valuable 
winter-flowering varieties to be obtained from 
the batch of seedlings raised by Mr. Turner, of 
Slough, from Prince of Orange, as some of 
those already exhibited possess projlbrties quite 
new in this class ; the flowers are very large, 
fine in shape, the ground-colour being of that 
clear yellow hue so noticeable in the parent; 
and the scarlet markings with which the 
flowers are edged, barred, and shaded are a 
pleasing characteristic of the whole of them. 
If they can be flowered freely at midwinter, 
it will be a great point in their favour. A. 
Alegatiere is also a new type; the plants are 
very dwarf and compact, bearing bright scarlet 
flowers abundantly in winter.—J. Douglas, 
Loxford Hall, Ilford. 
KEEPING GRAPES ^‘BOTTLED.” 
HAVE long thought that it might be 
worth the trouble to consider, and by 
some scientific as well as practical experi¬ 
ments to test, whether or not the wholesome¬ 
ness of the Grape does not become deteriorated 
by the stems being long immersed in water. If 
the system has any advantage over the method 
I used to practise more than thirty years ago 
in keeping grapes plump and fresh, water must 
pass into the bunch. My method, at the date 
I refer to, was to cut the laterals off the vine 
with the bunch attached, and after allowing the 
end where it was cut to get dry, which happened 
in an hour or so, to sear it with a hot iron and 
seal it over with wax, after which the grapes 
were hung up in a dry but cool fruit-room. 
They were well ripened Muscats, were severed 
from the vines about the second week in 
January, and kept in fine condition till the 
middle of March. 
I am disposed to think that when water 
enters the berries through the wood having its 
end inserted in a bottle of that liquid, it will 
dilute the grape-sugar and other elements they 
contain, and set up, under a slight rise of tem¬ 
perature, a sort of fermentation that must 
change the character of the fruit to some con¬ 
siderable extent, and not for the better. It may 
be replied that if the fruit keeps plumper on 
