December 29, lfcOO. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 279 
about was considered too great. The water com¬ 
panies stepped in and supplied a force of water 
which was just wbat the growers wanted. By means 
of erormous tanks for storing rain water and the 
power to raise and diffuse this water, Mr. Kay avers 
that he has saved £600 per annum which he formerly 
paid to Water Companies for his supply. It must 
be remembered that Mr. Kay owns thirty-four acres 
of glass, used for market purposes. 
Besides this direct saving, the crops are at the 
same time bene fitted by the rain water. But Mr. 
Kay mentioned that the laws of hydro-mechanics 
must be fully understood before any one attempted 
to help himself in this way. Mr. E. Mawley and 
others had something to say on the matter. 
KEEPING GRAPES THROUGH THE 
WINTER. 
While many are able to keep Grapes till late in 
spring with soundness of berries, footstalks green, 
and flavour as good in April and May as they were at 
the end of the year, others, not few either, have 
striven to have fruit fit for their employers’ table 
(and some, we know, as extensive growers for market) 
in first-rate condition late in the season as indicated 
—but have failed utterly. 
It is often remarked that though Grapes are kept 
late and appearances are all that could be desired, 
yet by reason of being kept by the wood placed in 
bottles of water they become flavourless. The cause 
of these failures, I think, is not from the water or 
from the methods in other respects of managing them 
during winter, but from want of proper preparation 
during the ripening period. 
I know some of the most successful Grape growers 
and exhibitors in the north who complain that they 
cannot keep their Grapes in such condition as to 
give satisfaction to anyone, shrivelling of berries, 
withering of footstalks, and loss of flavour always 
being in evidence. The error is by not properly 
ripening the fruit. When black Grapes become finely 
coloured they are then left as finished. If fire-heat 
(especially in such a season as this has been for con¬ 
tinued damp and absence of sun) has not been 
judiciously applied, long after the bloom has been 
put on very nearly perfect, and free admission of air 
allowed night and day to fill the juices in the berries 
with sugar, good keeping need not be looked for. 
Lady'Downes is among the first to suffer from this 
cause, and this variety seems to be the favourite 
above all others for latest work. 
I have seen none, either in possession of fruiterers ( 
on exhibition tables, or in the Grape stores of 
private gardens, keep so perfectly as this old sort. I 
have tasted none to equal it, say during April and 
May. Some are much in favour of Alicante but it is 
tough in the skin, being of soft flesh and an absence 
of the brisk, slightly Muscat flavour, which good 
L3dy Downes always possesses, reduces its value. 
Mrs. Piece is tried as a keeper, but the fine Muscat 
flavour which is so much in evidence in this sort as 
late as February is absent in the late spring months, 
and the skin becomes leathery in substance. An 
old critic, who believed strongly in his superior 
knowledge, once called the attention of the writer in 
terms by no means polite, to what he considered a 
huge blunder by placing Mrs. PiDce second, on an 
exhibition table, and Lady Downes first. I told him 
that I was one of the judges, and he had better 
reserve his epithets on that occasion. Tasting was 
a crowning method of settling the matter. Greenness 
of berries at the footstalk was also against Mrs. 
Pince. Our ancient critic was suddenly struck silent. 
Gros Colman is often tried as a late keeper, but I 
never tasted it in April which could be called even 
passable as to flavour. 
For many years I endeavoured to send in the last 
of our Lady Downes along with new Grapes (Cham¬ 
pion Hamburgh, being the first among earlies), 
some time late in May ; and it was always admitted 
that the rich sugary flavour of the late Grapes sur¬ 
passed that of the Hamburgh. Over thirty years 
ago I tabled Lady Downes along with Black Ham¬ 
burgh at a June show (the latter being first among 
thirteen exhibits), but it was remarked that for 
flavour and colour the late kept bunches were 
superior to the new Grapes. To prove my contention 
as to the usefulness of Lady Downes, I sent some 
years ago an example of the latter to an Editor of a 
leading gardening paper (which by reference I find 
was on July 13th), and the reply was " That for 
colour and flavour, he (the Editor) had seen or tasted 
none which equalled these late kept Grapes during 
that season." Early and thorough ripening are the 
strong points to be kept in view, while Grapes are 
under preparation for late keeping. Some keep their 
Grape rooms too hot and give air in such abundance 
that shrivelling takes place. About 40 9 to 45 0 is 
always safe, and total darkness should be maintained. 
I may mention that I could keep Alicante better in 
England than Lady Downes.— M. Temple, Canon. 
Stirlingshire. 
-► 5 —- 
THE ROYAL NURSERIES, SLOUGH. 
When on a visit to Slough recently, I took the 
opportunity of looking round the houses of this well 
known nursery. The first house we came to was 
filled with Raspail Improved Zonal Pelargoniums. 
Their bright red flowers looking exceedingly gay 
this dull weather, are always acceptable where an 
abundance of cut flowers is required. 
Chrysanthemums. —Several houses are now filled 
with the Autumn Queen. Two large houses are 
arranged with Japanese and incurved, forming very 
pretty groups, containing several hundred plants. 
Though not show blcoms, they are of good colour 
and shape, with well furnished foliage. All the 
leading varieties are grown in this collection. 
Another house was devoted to decorative varieties, 
one side of the house arranged with Souv. de P. 
Amie, being a credit to the grower. They are grown 
in 8-in. pots, with the foliage hanging down to them, 
and one mass of flowers. Ivory and Pink Ivory are 
also two useful sorts for cutting or decorating pur¬ 
poses. Soleil d’Octobre and Harvest Home were 
getting past their best when these notes were taken ; 
for an early yellow the first-named is unequalled. The 
late varieties for Christmas and New Year decora¬ 
tions are grown in large numbers at Slough, all of 
which are in excellent condition, arranged in cool, 
airy houses. 
Carnations are found in all stages; range after 
range of frames are filled with them. Several span- 
roofed houses contain well grown plants in various 
sizes and variety, of which Winter Cheer and Valetta 
are at present flowering freely. 
Many houses are filled with plants of all descrip¬ 
tion for forcing, &c., several being devoted to 
Azaleas and Ericas, in small pots. Araucaria 
excelsa is grown in large quantities; also Solanums, 
which are loaded with their bright scarlet berries. 
One side of a IoDg greenhouse is filled with Plum¬ 
bago capensis aDd its white variety, alba. The blue 
and white together make a pretty display. These 
are chiefly in 32’s and are flowering freely. In one 
of the houses is a collection of well grown Bou- 
vardias which will soon be in full beauty. Cycla¬ 
men are just beginning to show their flower spikes. 
The popular Asparagus Sprengerii is grown in all 
sizes, a vast number being found in this nursery. 
The same may be said about Ferns. The forcing 
houses contained Azaleas, Roman Hyacinths, 
Tuberoses, Liliums and Lilies of the Valley in 
different stages of growth. , 
The stoves are filled with well grown plants in 
small pots of Crotons (chiefly the narrow-leaved 
varieties), Dracaenas, Cocos weddeliana and Palms, 
of various heights. 
Several houses sre filled with sturdy rooted 
cuttings of Pelargoniums for sending out, whilst 
others are arranged with the large trained specimens, 
for which this nursery is so widely noted. 
Primulas, double and single, and Begonia Gloire 
de Lorraine, in a long span-roofed house, are making 
a fine show; whilst in frames outside are some 
hundreds of Violets, in the leading varieties.— J. 
Botley, Blytliewood Gardens. 
Tco often the term flower garden implies only that 
section of it which is represented by the summer 
flower beds—the formal flower garden as it is more 
correctly called. But by the flower garden the 
writer includes the herbaceous borders, rockery and 
permanent hardy beds as well as the formal or 
geometric flower garden. There is nothing to do in 
the latter section of the garden except in touching up 
the beds, or in keeping them generally respectable 
and clean. 
Rock Garden. —Many rockeries are in course of 
alteration or formation at this season, and perhaps 
it will come useful to recall some of the little occu¬ 
pants that should be considered when the time comes 
for planting, which should be left over till March or 
April. The Aubrietias can never be too liberally 
planted. Their violet-blue, rose, or amaranth 
co'ours enrich a whole garden and even whole 
districts. I have eDjoyed the sight of a bank of 
Aubrietias fully half a mile off, the view being across 
a valley on to a pretty garden sloping to the sun. 
The best varieties are A. deltoides, A. d. Hender- 
sonii, A. d. William Ingram, A. d. Leichtlini, A. d. 
olympica, A. d. graeca, A. d. purpurea and A. d. 
violacea. The variety named Campbellii does not 
differ from Hendersonii. Young plants should be 
dibbled into good soil, 4 in. apart, about March. 
Along with the Aubrietias, neighbouring beds or 
clumps or " swatches ” of Alyssum saxatile and its 
sulphury variety, as well as Arabis albida (which is 
such a good bee flower) may be planted. If it can 
be arranged to have sheets of these differently 
coloured plants out of sight of each other, so much 
the better. Their colours seem to be too directly 
opposite to please good taste. And now just one 
sentence of notice to recommend the Bleeding Heart, 
Dicentra eximia. When planting on the north or 
west side of a rockery it flowers for months on end. 
I think it one of the very best of the herbaceous 
alpines. Another pretty little alpine is Waldsteinia 
fragarioides, with foliage like a Strawberry plant and 
flowers like a yellow Potentilla. It is not a handsome 
plant, but happily does not require to be stately to be 
loved and admired. 
Omphalodes verna is a bright little sparkler, with 
blue flowers that look like so many innocent eyes 
that make one ask whether the plant has not a soul 
behind! Uvularia grandiflora, though it passes 
rather speedily from the perfect to the faded state, is 
nevertheless a very gracious plant, whose presence 
toward the base of the rockery lends a great deal of 
extra merit. It should be planted in a big clump, 
and not in a small pocket. 
The dwarf alpine Phloxes are also gems of the 
rockery and can be as liberally planted by owners of 
small gardens as by those with expansive ones. In 
their case the rockery pocket is very suitable, and 
when they are taken good care of, in a year or two 
they form fine spreading plants. 
P. divaricata with its attractive blue flowers is a 
popular member of most first-class rock gardens. P. 
pilosa amoena with bright rosy flowers also finds a 
place ; and so do P. subulata (syn. setacea) and its 
varieties frondosa which is stronger in growth than 
the species. According to strict botanical definition 
those alpine Phloxes respectively named Nelsoni, 
nivalis and aristata are merely varieties from P. 
subulata. They are distinct, of course, and are 
offered in nurserymen’s catalogues, but it is well 
always to keep the parent type in view ; for our 
knowledge of plants is thereby simplified and is, at 
the same time, more reliable and interesting to our¬ 
selves and others. Phlox repens (syns. P. crassifolia, 
P stolonifera) is another cf the best of our early 
flowering little alpines. 
In making a selection of other dwarf members, do 
not overlook the claims that the encrusted Saxifragas 
have for notice. The mossy species, especially S. 
hypnoides which also bears the beautiful names of 
Dovedale Moss or Eve’s Cushion, have a charm 
which one does not find nor expect in the nobler 
flowering plants. In rain or sunshine this and other 
species of Mossy Saxifragas have a refreshing 
variety of changing colour and much attractiveness 
of form. 
Gentiana acaulis and G. verna, the smaller species 
are known to all. Then there are the Epimediums 
of which E. musschianum, E. macranthum and 
others are species with very beautiful foliage, this 
being their chief feature of merit. 
The Edelweiss should certainly not be forgotten ; 
Christmas Roses can find a corner, and a pretty large 
one I would make it. The Heucberas, especially H. 
sanguinea, are all popular rock garden plants, though 
some of them should be planted in the rougher parts 
rather than the more prominent places. 
Houstonia caerulea, various dwarf Irises, Liatris 
pycnostachya, Linarias, Lippia repens, Primulas and 
Pinks, Globe flowers and Ranunculuses, Heleniums 
and Spiraeas, Sea Lavender, Catchflies, Cenlranthus 
ruber, LuDgwort, Lithospermum prostratum, Rock 
and Sun Roses, Meadow Rue, Aquilegias, Foam 
Flower, Wood Lilies, Torch Lilies, Day Lilies and 
other vigorous kinds of Lily are all choice. Do not 
forget to plant a number of shrubs, for these yield 
shelter and are one of the best features of the 
rockery.— J. H. D. 
