October 24, 1885, 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
123 
it. The single unthinking gudgeons of this couutiy, 
however, at once swallowed the bait, and got hooked. 
Now the blunder appears as a fact in many ot our 
text-books ; it is taught in our science classes. The 
idea that blue-mould rests in the condition of a truffle 
is all “moonshine.” 
That the ascus condition of Aspergillus proves any 
alliance with the genus Erysiphe. There is a slight 
resemblance, but the supposed structural identity is 
“ moonshine.” 
Here I shall conclude without venturing upon an 
attack of what is called the Hetercecism of the Ure- 
dines. “Moonshine ” is so prevalent in this subject, 
that many of the writings of hetercecismalists can only 
be classed among the ravings of lunatics. No one who 
has not made a study of the subject can conceive of the 
idiocies that prevail in the teachings of the heterce¬ 
cismalists. Any person who ventures into this realm 
of maddening “moonshine ” without the possession of a 
strong mind, will probably ere long find himself in a 
padded room of a lunatic asylum. There is hardly any 
good botanist at the present time who will venture 
upon treading the foggy labyrinths of this subject, and 
persons having the largest experience with fungi are the 
most horrified' at the absurdities and contradictions 
that pass muster for facts. No one hetercecismalist quite 
agrees with his fellow, each one is pugnacious and has 
ideas of his own ; each one claims to be right and sets 
down the rest as wrong. One authority is repeatedly 
expressing surprise at the blunders of another authority 
and all the set are constantly inventing new names for 
the fungi they study, not only new specific names but 
new generic names and names for new species. One 
teacher (to suit his theory) lumps five or six species 
into one ; another (to suit a different theory) splits one 
of these species into five or six ; many of the names are 
in duplicate, and the supposititious facts that answer in 
one laboratory do not answer in another. In his most 
recent essay on this subject, Mr. Plowright names one 
of his new species of Puccinia, as P. perplexans. Now 
if a master with the massive heteroeeismal intellect of 
Mr. Plowright is perplexed with his own familiar 
Puccinias, how much more must his juniors be per¬ 
plexed. The instructors who originally taught the 
supposititious facts regarding hetercecism,' look on at 
the turmoil from a distance while the minor discoverers 
of “mare’s-nests” and “moonshine” struggle on in a 
hideous delirium of mistakes, and (as Bismarck once 
said) “fry in their own fat.” Heteroecism, or dimor¬ 
phism, is quite possible, or indeed probable, amongst 
parasitic fungi. When we get facts instead of fudge, 
hetercecism will no doubt be accepted. — IV. G. Smith. 
-- 
THE EXTENSION SYSTEM OF 
VINE GROWING. 
I have often been asked by non-practical readers of 
the various horticultural journals what is meant by 
this system, and I have been obliged to confess that I 
was not very certain on the point. The vine at 
Hampton Court may be said to be cultivated on this 
system, so may that at Cumberland Lodge, and Ach- 
more, in Perthshire ; all these vines are greatly ex¬ 
tended. I have shown them vines here with from ten 
to twenty fruiting canes from one root. This may be 
said to be extension, but not so from first planting, in¬ 
asmuch as after the vine had made a year’s growth it 
was cut back to 3 ft. or 4 ft. from the ground, in order 
that three or more fruiting rods might be run up to 
occupy the house, or part of it, as the permanent 
fruiting canes, for unless this cutting back takes place, 
there must be a vine planted for every 3 ft. or 4 ft. of 
the house, which is not always desirable. 
My own opinion, founded on experience, is that two 
or three rods from one root is a very suitable arrange¬ 
ment, unless the house is small and a great variety is 
desired. The first person to my knowledge who planted 
a vine, and from infancy grew it on the extension 
system, was the late Mr. Kay, of Finchley, father of 
the present very excellent Grape grower of that name 
at Finchley. He planted a Black Hamburgh vine on 
one side, and, midway between the ends of a large span- 
roofed vinery, trained it up one side and down the 
other, and ripened it to the length of something like 
16 ft. ; from this single rod he took laterals at proper 
distances towards each end of the house, where they 
may be seen to this day. This vine was planted in 
1854. Mr. Kay said to the writer that he could have 
filled the house much sooner by planting a number of 
vines, and made a greater profit out of the house from 
the Grapes, but as he grew plants for market in the 
house, there was no loss by adopting the system here 
described. 
When I planted the houses here in 1870,1 planted over 
600 vines, one half to form the permanent vines ; they 
were all from eyes struck the same season, and never 
were in pots, but grown on pieces of turf. They all 
ripened about 16 ft. up the side of the span houses. 
One half I cut back to 3 ft. from the bottom, and run 
up three rods from each ; these are now the permanent 
vines, the other half I did not cut back, but allowed 
them to bear fruit for two years, and then removed 
them. I may add that from these vines, struck and 
planted in 1870, we cut more than £500 worth of 
Grapes in 1871, and I am unacquainted with any 
system of extension that would have suited my purpose 
better than this. I think I have made the method I 
adopted plain, and I shall be obliged to the modern 
extensionists if they would teach me a better system, 
and make their meaning as clear. — JVm. Thomson, 
Tweed Vineyard, Oct. Sth, 1885. 
-- 
FRUITS, FLO WERS k V EGETABLES. 
The Tropseolums as Decorative Plants.— 
Your interesting account of the “ Flame Nasturtium,” 
growing on the Harrow School Sanatorium, reminds 
me of the uses I put the Tropsolums to many years 
ago, when I took charge of a newly planted place of 
six acres, designed by the late Mr. Milner, an eminent 
landscape gardener. It often happens where large 
plantations of shrubs are made, however skilfully the 
work may be done, some losses will occur, and the 
result is not seen until what I may call the test month 
(May) comes and goes. I have often seen shrubs, the 
appearance of which has been of a hopeful and promising 
character up to May, when suddenly they began to 
assume a less promising aspect, and in the course of a 
short time, show positive evidence that the sap that 
had been stored in the cells and tissues of the plants 
was exhausted. Amongst the shrubs more particularly 
under notice, were some well-formed specimens, includ¬ 
ing a Thuya orientalis, this was planted in a very con¬ 
spicuous place, at the entrance and on the margin of a 
fine broad gravel drive or road. Seeing that this shrub 
was doomed, and it being bedding out time, instead of 
taking it up, I formed a circular bed around it, making 
up with good soil, and planting three good strong 
plants of Fire-ball Tropseolnm. The bed was also 
planted with white Pelargoniums, edged with blue 
Lobelias, the Tropaeolums soon covered the tree, being 
carefully trained so as to regularly cover the surface, 
and in due time the result was a most brilliant spectacle, 
about 4 feet through and 7 to 8 feet high, thus con¬ 
tinuing until it was destroyed by frost, the plants lay 
hold and cling so tightly that they are scarcely, if at 
all, disturbed by strong winds should they occur. 
There are many fast growing plants that may be 
similarly treated with a corresponding effect, and if 
nicely done, will add to the beauty of garden scenery. 
— G. F., Lewisham. 
Lapageria rosea. — I enclose you some leaves of 
Lapageria rosea, which I consider are very fine. They 
were taken from a specimen planted out twelve months 
last May, in a north house, at Barford Hill, Warwick. 
The plant is flowering very freely, and the strong 
shoots are clothed with splendid foliage.— Alfred Outrarn. 
[Very fine indeed, six inches long and four inches wide, 
of a deep green colour, and of the substance of 
leather. — Ed. ] 
Chou de Burghley. —This appears to me to be 
a vegetable specially suited to certain localities. Here, 
in the moist climate of South Devon, when properly 
cooked it is most delicious. It was sown and planted 
out at the same time as the Broccoli, and is just now 
turning in. The Cook informs me that it requires 
from thirty to forty minutes boiling. I find Enfield 
Market Cabbage and some Nondescripts growing 
amongst it, nevertheless, those that come true—that 
is, like the plants which Mr. Gilbert exhibited a few 
years ago—make an excellent change from the common 
Cabbage. I may remark that all the Broccoli family 
come very good and of superior flavour here— G. Baker, 
S. Devon. 
Callicarpa purpurea.— This grand but much 
neglected old plant was, I see, shown at the Royal Hor¬ 
ticultural Society’s meeting last week by Messrs. Yeiteh 
& Sons. I have before drawn attention to the useful¬ 
ness of this plant, especially as it is so ornamental at 
this season of the year, and continues so for a very long 
time. In the Botanical Gardens, Birmingham, Mr. 
Lathom grows it very successfully ; in one of the inter¬ 
mediate houses there are several specimens, some of 
them standards with stems nearly 4 ft. high, and some 
fo the racemes are the same length, and covered with 
clusters of bright glossy deep violet-coloured berries, 
which literally bear the shoots or branches down with 
their weight, and so render the plant very graceful 
and attractive. The plant is easy of culture, and 
should be more frequently grown for decorative purposes 
than we see it. It is, I believe, a native of the East 
Indies, and requires a little warmer temperature than 
an ordinary greenhouse .—Alfred Oulram. 
Colchicums.— Of the many visitors to the con¬ 
servatory of the Royal Horticultural Society at South 
Kensington, what proportion of them noted the collec¬ 
tion of Colchicums—autumn-flowering Crocuses—which 
Mr. T. S. Ware sent from Tottenham ? They were 
very fine, and as far as we can say it of the Colchicums, 
richly coloured. There was first of all the common 
type, C. autumnale or roseum, with its double rose and 
double white varieties ; these are all very free, and 
on this occasion bulbs were seen producing five and six 
blossoms. The two double varieties are particularly 
good, and they are much more lasting than the single 
forms, and therefore especially worthy of cultivation. 
C. speciosum is a very fine type, with large bright lilac- 
rose flowers of great beauty ; this also is a very desirable 
form to cultivate. But beautiful as this is, it had to 
take the second place in comparison with C. speciosum 
rubruin ; it is impossible to overpraise this beautiful 
form. It produces large rich reddish lilac blossoms, 
deep in colour, and very fine. V ith these were the 
charming Crocus speciosus, with its lustrous bright 
purplish lilac flowers ; a most charming species. Y\ e 
have them flowering in the open air at the present 
time, and have been blooming for some days past. 
Really, these autumn-flowering Crocuses are well worthy 
of being cultivated. They grow well in a good free 
sandy "loam, and they should be planted deeply and 
allowed to be thoroughly established, but in suitable 
spots where they will not be in danger of disturbance. 
II. D. 
Grapes from the Tweed Vineyards.— 
Visitors to the Fear show at Chiswick, will find in the 
tent in which the Scotch fruits are staged, samples of 
two of the varieties of black Grapes grown in quantity 
by Messrs. Thomson & Sons, viz., Gros Colmar and 
Lady Downe’s Seedling, of unusually good quality, 
being large in bunch and berry, and beautifully coloured 
considering their proportions. The same firm also 
exhibits some of the famous vine manure, which has 
done so much to maintain the fertility of the vines at 
Clovenfords* and of the merits of which, many other 
growers seem to be rapidly becoming familiar. 
Aralia papyrifera. —This may be propagated from 
roots. When the plants are taken up in the autumn 
care should be taken to secure all the strong roots, and 
that they are not bruised in taking them up. In pre¬ 
paring the roots for propagating they should be cut in 
lengths of about 2 ins., these should be laid in dry 
sand for a few days, after which they may be taken out 
and put in pans or boxes, which should be.well drained 
and filled nearly to the top with light sandy soil, the 
cuttings may be laid on this, and then well covered 
with sand, very little water should be given : the pans 
may be placed in any position where there is sufficient 
warmth to induce growth.— H. 
Berried Aucubas —Into how few gardens can 
one go and find berried Aucubas ; and yet these plants, 
always of great value as hardy decorative subjects 
because of their handsomely-marked leaves, can be had 
in winter and spring, studded over with handsome 
red berries, by simply growing a male plant among or 
near them. The original Aueuba japonica, introduced 
from Japan in 1783, is diacious, that is, a plant having 
only pistils or stamens, but not both, and requiring the 
intervention of another to become fertile. Thus the 
old blotched-leaved variety is a female plant, and it 
may be remarked that it was at first treated as a green¬ 
house shrub, but it was afterwards found to be very 
hardy, and will stand the shade and drip of trees better 
