58 
THE GAKDENIN G WORLD. 
September 26, 1885. 
THE TWEED VINEYARD. 
“Thomson” and “Clovenfords” are names so 
familiar to readers of horticultural literature in con¬ 
nection with the marvellous crops of Grapes which are 
annually grown to such perfection in the Tweed Vine¬ 
yard by the Messrs. William Thomson & Sons, that it 
may appear somewhat superfluous on my part to even 
attempt to commit to paper the few mental notes which 
were made on the occasion of a recent visit to this far- 
famed Grape-growing.establishment. Passing through 
the numerous vineries in this wonderful establishment I 
could not help acknowledging the correctness and ap¬ 
propriateness of the words addressed to me a day or two 
before leaving Longford for the Edinburgh show by my 
esteemed friend, Mr. Crump, of Madresfield Court 
Gardens. “Go,” said Mr. Crump, “and see the 
Grapes at Clovenfords, it’s a sight to be remembered !” 
And truly such Grapes are a grand sight, to say nothing 
about the good collection of Orchids which may be seen 
at the same time, and well worth a journey from Wilt¬ 
shire to inspect. No horticultural tour in the north 
that does not include the Clovenfords Grapes can be 
considered otherwise than incomplete. 
Before proceeding further with my narrative, it may 
not be uninteresting to the readers of The Gardening 
World to state that when Mr. Thomson pitched his 
camp, some seventeen years ago, in the not very fertile 
valley of Clovenfords, at the base of what appeared to 
the writer to be a continuation of the Cheviot Hills, and 
close to the branch line of the North British Railway 
from Galashiels to Peebles, there was nothing in the 
way of a dwelling-house—to say nothing of a glass¬ 
house—within a mile of the spot whereon now is 
located a “little town” of glass-houses, three large 
well-built houses of proportionate dimensions, the re¬ 
spective residences of Mr. Thomson and his two sons, 
together with several smaller ones for the accommoda¬ 
tion of his able foreman and others employed in the 
vineyard, as well as several offices, store-houses, &c., 
including a railway station, the erection of which, I 
believe, followed the rapid development in the produce 
of the Messrs. Thomson's vineyard. Thus it will be 
seen what a wonderful metamorphosis has taken place 
in this hitherto obscure locality during the last seven¬ 
teen years. It is now a name well known, as already 
stated, throughout the horticultural world and to the 
lailvay officials at most cities and large provincial 
towns in Gieat Britain and Ireland) whither large con¬ 
signments of Giapes are despatched two or three times 
a week during eight or nine months of the year. 
The glasshouses, some twenty or thirty in number, 
are, for the most part, span-roofed, about 200 ft. long, 
20 ft. to 25 ft. wide, and having an angle of about 50°. 
They are light but substantially built structures, well 
ventilated, and liberally provided with hot-water pipes. 
The principal vineries communicate with a large cor¬ 
ridor 150 ft. long, 25 ft. wide, and 16 ft. high. This 
is also planted with vines, which, like all those in the 
individual houses, are bearing immense crops of excel¬ 
lent fruit. I understand that all the outer walls of all 
the vineries in this block of houses are built on piers, 
so that the roots of the vines in one and all of the 
houses have free access to the borders underneath and 
between each house, with the natural result that the 
collective borders become a complete network of roots. 
The soil in which the vines are growing, though fibrous 
and sweet, is somewhat poor in texture j therefore, 
liberal and frequent top-dressings with some powerful 
fertiliser must necessarily, as is the case, be had re¬ 
course to, together with an abundance of water at the 
roots to swell, ripen, and finish the enormous crops which 
one and all of the vines at Clovenfords are carrying at 
the present time, and as has been their wont for several 
years past. 
Late black Grapes consist of such sorts as Lady 
Downe’s Seedling, Gros Colmar, a few Black Alicantes, 
and Gros Maroc ; the latter variety, if I may hazard an 
opinion, being destined to be grown extensively at 
Clovenfords, as it is a late Grape which, if worked 
on a Black Hamburgh or Muscat stock, has a grand 
future awaiting it. There are also two or three houses 
of Muscats and of the Duke of Buccleuch. The first of 
the many large houses of excellent Grapes which it was 
my privilege to see on the afternoon of the8thinst. was one 
containing the heaviest and finest crop of Lady Downes 
that I had ever before witnessed, and the like of which 
probably I may not see again elsewhere. It contained 
some three or four thousand bunches, symmetrical of 
outline, and consisting of large well-coloured berries, 
and averaging lbs. each, every bunch in point of size, 
form, and perfect finish, being such that any exhibitor 
might reasonably expect to secure first honours with 
at any of the metropolitan fruit shows. Taking up a 
central position at the end of this, or any of the 
numerous other houses which are full of Lady Downes 
and Gros Colmar, and glancing along both sides of the 
span-roof, from which bunches hang within a few inches 
of each other from base to summit, the entire length 
(200 ft.) of the house, where, owing to the great length 
of the structure, the profusion of healthy foliage, and 
the great number of uniformly even and handsomely 
shaped bunches, the width seems to gradually diminish 
until the view becomes perfectly bewildering, and one 
fails to understand how it is that vines are made to 
annually produce and finish such marvellously heavy 
crops of the highest order of merit. 
These remarks are equally applicable to the contents 
of the other vineries, especially so to the Muscats, 
which, notwithstanding the heaviness of the crop, are 
everything that could be desired ; the bunches, con¬ 
sisting of large, well-ripened berries, averaging about 
3 lbs. each, but many of them would possibly turn the 
scales at 3 lbs. The Duke of Buccleuch—whatever its 
shortcomings may be in other hands—is, as grown by 
the raiser (Mr. Thomson) at Clovenfords, a grand¬ 
looking grape ; the bunches and berries being alike 
large, and of a beautiful amber colour and pleasant 
flavour. Making due allowance for Mr. Thomson’s 
skill in grape growing, a great deal of his success in 
getting his vines to annually produce and ripen such 
prodigous crops of grapes, of the quality indicated 
above, must be attributed to the liberal use of his ma- 
nurial preparation for vines, the sale of which is rapidly 
increasing, and for the storage of which, the Messrs. 
Thomson have a large and suitable house adjoining the 
station at Clovenfords, whence large quantities are 
annually despatched to various parts of the United 
Kingdom. In reference to this Vine Manure, I may re¬ 
mark in passing, that it is a material that should not be 
used in infinitesimal quantities, but, on the contrary, a 
good surface-dressing of it should be given to the borders 
sometime before starting the vines, working it below 
the surface with a five-tined fork. 
Orchids, as stated at the beginning of these notes, 
are also grown largely and well at Clovenfords, the 
plants being in pots varying in size from 4-inches to 
10-inches in diameter, and they are in fine condition as 
regards health and growth. While writing of Orchids, 
I may be allowed to say that I saw several excellent 
paintings of some of the choicest varieties of Cattleyas, 
&c., by Mrs. John Thomson, who is an accomplished 
landscape and animal painter, and whose drawing-room 
contains, besides the orchids, several large and cleverly- 
executed paintings of well-cliosen and beautiful land¬ 
scapes. In again referring to the grapes, I need scarcely 
say that the amount of labour involved in the thinning 
of the 70,000 or 80,000 bunches is considerable, and in 
order to render the operation as easy as possible as well 
as to economise time, Mr. Thomson (who was from 
home at the time of my visit) had a step stage capable 
of accommodating several men with sitting room on 
either side, and this, being on wheels, is moved on 
wooden rails as required. 
In concluding these few hastily-written notes on what 
is to be seen at Clovenfords, I may be allowed to record 
my appreciation of the courtesy and hospitality exten¬ 
ded to me by Mr. John Thomson and his amiable wife 
on the occasion of my “flying visit” to Clovenfords— 
the “sight of sights” for gardeners !— H. TF. Ward, 
Longford Castle. 
-- 
HOLLYHOCKS AND THE 
DISEASE. 
In common with many other cultivators of this grand 
old florists’ flower, I am glad to see signs of its being 
once more brought to the front in the schedules of the 
principal horticultural societies, and I trust that every 
encouragement may be given to its cultivation, by 
offering liberal prizes and certificates for good new sorts 
by the Royal Horticultural Society-. Many of the 
superb varieties seen about fifteen or twenty years ago, 
are now quite lost and out of cultivation, owing to the 
ravages of the fungus (Puccinea Malvacearum), which, 
since that time has decimated many a fine collection. 
The question arises to my mind, at what time was this 
fungoid disease first brought to notice ? I ask this, 
because the fungus has been inherent to the HoUyhock 
as long as I have known it, considerably over twenty 
years ago. If I remember rightly, it was about the year 
1876 or 1877, when visiting a nursery- establishment, 
the question of Holly-hock disease was introduced ; the 
manager having mentioned to me, that a large lot had 
been received that day from a well-known grower, but 
entirely- covered with disease. As I fancied I had never 
seen this disease, I naturally- expressed a desire to be 
shown the plants, which were truly- in a bad state with 
it. But it happened only to be an old acquaintance 
with me, some of my plants at home being almost 
covered with it. 
Having some very fine varieties, I did not care to 
follow the general advice given by growers, to at once 
destroy any infected plants, I thought I would try an 
experiment first. The old plants were allowed to 
remain for blooming next season, and a set of young ones 
were planted in another situation. Next y-ear the fungus 
appeared in full force, but every leaf was carefully- cut off 
and burnt, and as much as possible scraped off the stems ; 
some of them were actually stripped of foliage, still, 
and here is the point, the flowers were quite as fine as 
ever I have seen them, and from those same old 
plants, I carried off two first prizes for cut blooms, 
many of them measuring 5 to 6 in. through, below the 
guard. On the common Mallow is cast the blame for 
spreading the disease, but how does it appear when no 
Mallows are in the neighbourhood, and no plants are 
bought in ? As an instance, a batch of seedlings, which 
had not a speck on them last y-ear, were, after blooming, 
planted out on a bed in a rather dry position, and this 
year, the fungus is quite plentiful on them. Many- of 
this y-ear’s spring sown seedlings are in the same condi¬ 
tion, although the two lots are not near each other. 
It is my practice to bloom the seedlings in a poor 
piece of ground, as by so doing the greater part of 
them, if sown after the new year, will bloom the same 
season ; the good ones are then picked out for better 
cultivation. Many growers are in the habit or putting 
their cuttings into heat to strike, this, I never do. 
Cuttings are taken at all times of the year, and struck 
out-of-doors at the foot of a wall in the full sun, only- 
shading them for a few days, to prevent their flagging 
too much. Seeds only are sown, and the plants 
brought forward in heat to plant out in May. From 
my experience and observations, I am led to believe 
that the fungus shows itself in greater activity- in dry 
seasons, and that this, together with coddling the 
young plants, is the cause of much of the weakness aud 
ill effects of which the fungus alone has been given the 
blame. I know that with me, it is only periodically 
to be noticed, as last year there was not a vestige of it 
on the place, and from all I have seen of it, I should 
be very unwilling to destroy a collection of good sorts, 
as it is rarely indeed that many of the older varieties 
can be surpassed.— R. Stevens, Poston, Northumber¬ 
land. [The Hollyhock fungus was first detected in 
Chili, whence it spread to Australia, and subsequently 
to France and Britain. That eminent mycologist, the 
Rev. M. J. Berkeley, was unaware of its existence in 
this country, until the summer of 1873. —Ed.] 
-- 
PRESENTATION AND DINNER 
TO Mr. G. T. MILES. 
On the 14th inst., Mr. G. T. Miles the much 
respected gardener to Lord Carrington at Wycombe 
Abbey, was presented by the committee of manage¬ 
ment of the West Wycombe Horticultural Society with 
a handsome cabinet in the Chippendale style, and of 
local manufacture, in recognition of services rendered 
as judge in connection with the annual show during 
the last fourteen years. The presentation took place 
in the Board School, West Wycombe, and was made 
by Lady Dash wood, who said :—“ I have been requested 
by the committee of the West Wycombe Horticultural 
Society, Mr. Miles, to present you this testimonial as a 
slight proof of gratitude for the valuable services you 
have rendered that society for many years —it gives me 
great pleasure to do so. When first this society was 
talked of, many said it would fail ; on the contrary, it 
has increased in success and value from year to year, 
its fame not only extends in this county, but it has 
reached London ; I hope the next meeting will be as 
successful and harmonious as the one this year. I have 
heard judges are often found fault with, and naturally 
so, but in this case, for fourteen years there has not been 
