188 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[Decembee. 
artificial manure never had been used), simply 
because the feeders were not there. In the 
same garden there were two vines to which my 
attention was specially called. One a Hamburgh 
at one end of a house shanked every year ; the 
other a Muscat at the end of another house 
which always failed, though both did well till 
the “ tug-of-war ” was applied to the roots in 
the shape of a heavy demand at stoning time. 
The Hamburgh roots had forced their way 
under a fig outside, where little or no moisture 
could reach them when the greedy fig was 
maturing its crop, and I (and also my friend, 
who was such a successful cultivator of the 
other vines on the place) was left without a 
doubt as to the cause. The Muscat, instead of 
getting away into the vegetable ground along 
with its neighbours, had its progress arrested 
by gravel, sand, and other almost inert sub¬ 
stances in which it could find nothing after a 
certain time of year when much was required, 
and as a matter of course shanking followed, 
and red spider also. 
Among a great number of cases I will 
confine myself to three more of the most 
prominent which I have a distinct recollection 
of. In a Midland county of England, where 
grapes at a private place had for years been 
grown with astonishing success, and had often 
been referred to in the gardening papers as 
examples which might be imitated, the vines 
in time began to show signs of retrogression 
by producing smaller foliage and more diminu¬ 
tive bunches. The cultivator in charge was 
not to lose the laurels which he had so long 
and deservedly worn without an effort to 
maintain his coveted position; but alas for 
“ schemes of men and mice,” this gentleman’s 
best plans led him quickly on rocks of despair. 
New borders were made on the most approved 
plans—soil, bones, drainage, &c., being all 
done, as one would say, to perfection. Porosity 
of borders was greatly lauded at the time these 
scientific borders were formed, and these had 
it with a vengeance. No grapes after years of 
care, anxiety, and manipulation were cut 
<lood for anything; the wood was strong, the 
foliage of great size and leathery. What then 
was the cause of the wholesale destruction of 
such promising housefuls of grapes by shank¬ 
ing ? Scientific men who were called to the 
rescue pushed their sticks down into the porous 
borders, which were wide and uncropped 
either with flowers, fruits, or vegetables, mois¬ 
ture seemed to have been judiciously supplied, 
soil of the best quality for producing grapes 
provided, in fact everything appeared superior 
to the old borders which had done good 
service. I did not hear that ever the roots 
were examined beyond the very “ porous 
border,” not a word was written about the 
position of the feeders, and I have no doubt 
that if they had had such a border to ramble, in 
as far as they chose to grow, shanking would 
never have been seen. Or had they been 
prevented by bricks and cement from pene¬ 
trating the i)oison beyond the border and 
forced to turn into a backward course, all 
other requirements, water especially, being 
well supplied, the results would have been very 
different. 
In a place near London (a place where 
excellent grapes are now grown) a splendid 
Jarge vinery was added to the glass. I called 
to see the promising vines in this house ; that 
being the first season of cropping only a few 
bunches were retained on each, but they were 
all shanked, the leaves remaining in grand 
condition. The gardener attributed failure to 
his “ having watered the vines once too often,” 
and too late in the season. This was only 
August, and the old vineries on the place, which 
had been deluged out and in were carrying fine 
unshanked crops. The watering appeared to 
me to have been so scanty as not to have got 
to the bottom of the new extra drained border 
nor to the front, the border being formed on 
the good piecemeal system. 
The last case I will refer to is a border 
which I had to renew many years ago. The 
drainage resting on a bottom of sand seemed 
perfect, the roots were matted to the surface 
of the border, and everything seemed perfect. 
But after a vigorous growth for some time— 
large leaves and heavy bunches being formed, 
all a picture of success—at stoning-time a 
miserable sight always appeared, shanking 
such as is seldom seen took place. The roots 
had gone through the drainage deep into the 
sand, where they starved for want of food. 
From these facts readers may draw their own 
conclusions.—M. Temple, Gardens, Canvn 
House, Falkirk. 
