September 26, 1903, 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
817 
READERS’ COMPETITION. 
For detail* of this competition and prize offered, please 
see page 815. Please post on Friday night. 
The Hyacinth. 
The Hyacinth, without doubt, could be predicted the universal 
bulb of the people. Its beauty and fragrance have enriched the 
whole universe and cheer and support thousands of our homes, 
puibs are exported from Holland in enormous quantities ; the 
demand is ever increasing for them. The .sandy soil and climate 
of that country are agreeable for the propagation of the 
Hyacinth. Offsets constitute the method of increase, resorting 
to the sowing of seed for new colours and varieties. It would 
be well-nigh impossible for me to expound anything new about 
their culture, but I will assume that the “G.W.” has a good 
percentage of amateurs of the profession, so these few hints may 
be advantageous to some. Pot culture may be continued now 
at intervals of a few weeks, so that we may have a continuance 
of bloom. The Hyacinth is in no way a fastidious subject re¬ 
garding soil, yet you will find that loam, cow-manure, and sand 
are a good compost. Six-inch pots are used for three to four 
bulbs, with a 4-in. pot for a single bulb. Crock the pots well, 
and fill them with the soil, so that your bulb is on a level with 
the rim of the pot. A layer of sand at the base of the bulb is 
beneficial. Fix the Hyacinth firmly in the centre of the pot, 
allowing space for water. Afterwards iflunge in ashes or a like 
material for about six weeks, until the pots are well filled with 
fleshy roots, and the bulbs have half an inch of top> growth. 
Inure gradually to the light, remove to forcing house, or what¬ 
ever receptacle is desired. It is very essential that the pdants 
be well stocked with roots, both for pot and glass culture, before 
we remove from the plunging material. 
Glass Culture.— This is by far the most simple and econo¬ 
mical system for the novice to adopt. Bulbs can be got from 
4d. to 6d. each in various colours, and glass vases for them 
are a trifling cost. Fill your glasses with soft water and use a 
little salt or charcoal for sweetness. Procure bulbs of a suit¬ 
able shape for your'vases. Place it so that the water is almost 
in touch with the Hyacinth. Now remove them to a dark cellar 
or cupboard for several weeks, for that object already remarked 
on. Following that, place them in a good position in the 
house ; the window sill is an ideal spot. Change the water 
monthly, damp the foliage at times. As growth advances insert 
a neat, stake into the bulb, and tie your stem to this in case of 
breakages. 
The novice often asks the question, if his Hyacinth will supply 
him with bloom a second year ? When out of flower you may 
commit it to the rubbish heap. It is no use whatever for either 
glass or pot work. In extensive gardens, where immense num¬ 
bers of bulbs are used, the method of planting in some odd 
border is practised with the old bulbs, but I never observed 
them come to the original flower again. The process of filling 
the glasses with sand in place of water is experimented presently. 
One advantage is, you have not to change it. The planting of 
the popular flower outdoors is much in evidence in spring. Plant 
in beds or borders, 3 in. deep and 9 in. apart, with contrasts of 
colour to have any effect. Through the winter a top-dressing 
of litter will withhold frost and retard the growths. 
A. V. M. 
Renovating Old Vines. 
Few phases in the cultivation of the Grape Vine are productive 
of greater interest to the grower than that of renovating old 
Vines by running up young rods to take the place of those which 
by reason of old age, mismanagement, or other causes, have 
become unfruitful as well as unsightly. By adopting this system 
a new lease of life has frequently been given, and magnificent 
crops of fine fruit have been secured from Vines which have 
become almost useless. In our own case, by far the finest crop of 
Grapes we have had this season are Hamburghs in a mid-season 
house, which are much older than the other Vines here, and on 
my taking charge some few years since my employer suggested 
that they should be rooted out, as for several years past they 
had produced a few bunches only, and those were very small. 
a 'well-known fact that allowing considerable extension in 
ihe growth of a Vine promotes vigorous root action ; but, again, it 
is obvious that if an old Vine is to produce good fruitful wood, the 
order containing the roots must be in the best possible' condition, 
and consist of the necessary elements for building up such wood 
f S ( q 1S _j d i Sire ^’ "this en( l’ if renovatory measures are to be 
n erta ben another year, attention to the border must be given 
during the ensuing autumn, some few weeks prior to the fall of 
the leaf. Unless the border lies low the drainage’ is bad, or the 
roots have penetrated into a cold and wet subsoil, the old- 
lashioned system of luting and relaying the roots does not And 
much favour with many of the present-day expert growers. 
The method now frequently adopted is to chop off a good pro¬ 
portion of the old border with a sharp tool, clearing both soil and 
roots right away, this affording an opportunity of providing a 
good pronortion of entirely new border, which in turn becomes 
filled with a new rooting system. This chopping off will induce 
those roots which are in that portion of the border that is retained 
to send out an innumerable quantity of feeders, thus rendering it 
necessary to remove all inert and useless soil from the surface 
of the retained portion of the border until the roots become 
apparent, when a compost similar to that used for re-making the 
border should be applied as a top dressing. 
For the new border good sound loam should form the basis, to 
which must be added, according to experience and the character 
of the loam, crushed bones, coarse bonemeaJ, wood ashes, charcoal, 
and old mortar rubble, the latter being used in greater proportion 
if the loam is inclined to be tenacious, to afford porosity as well 
as lime. When it is really necessary to lift and relay the roots 
owing to defective drainage, or a cold and wet subsoil (in which 
case a layer of concrete should be placed over it), the roof of the 
vinery should be heavily shaded for a few days, and the foliage 
frequently syringed, continuing this practice until the roots have 
been replaced in the new soil and beginning to re-establish them 
selves. During the process of root-lifting they should be exposed 
as little as possible to light and air, but carefully coiled and 
covered with mats, which also should be frequently moistened. 
This part of the business must be pushed on rapidly, so as to 
return the roots to the border as soon as possible. When all is 
completed a mulch consisting of stable litter and cow manure 
will invariably be found beneficial as a means of securing warmth 
and moisture, as well as supplying plant food. 
At pruning time it must be decided which are to be the eyes 
or buds, which are t o produce the young rods, choosing for prefer¬ 
ence those which are best placed as near the foot of the rafter as 
possible. When growth commences in the spring train the young 
cane as straight as possible, pinching out the point when it has 
attained a length of 6ft., and not letting it make more than 
half a dozen leaves or so before stopping it again, the object being 
to get the lower part of the cane as firm and as strong as possible. 
1 his, if up to a good standard of excellence, should be left about 
4ft. in length at pruning time, and may be allowed to carry two 
bunches of fruit the following season, disbudding the old rod as 
far up as the young fruiter reaches. The leader, again, must be 
taken every care of, and may be allowed to go a little farther 
before its first stopping. If the wood is well ripened, 5ft, of 
extension may be left at pruning time, continuing this practice 
until the length of rafter is reached, when the old rod must be 
cut out just above where the young cane has started from. 
The young cane then fruits its entire length. By adopting the 
methods described, the old Vines already referred to have, on 
vountr wood, produced bunches which have weighed 61b. 2nz., 
51b. 12oz., and several over 41b., the crop this year being superior 
to that on Vines considerably younger. W. H. W. 
Campanula pyramidalis. 
The two forms of these most useful and showy subjects, vizi, 
blue and white, constitute, when well grown, one of our best- 
conservatory or cool greenhouse plants, their tall spikes of 
flowers being very effective when arranged as dot plants among 
other dwarfer growing subjects, or arranged so as to form a 
group in some conspicuous corner. They can be had in flower 
in fifteen months, providing the seed is sown early enough in 
enable them to make good plants before the winter sets in. To 
do this, the seed should be sown on a spent hot-bed about the 
second or third week in June. Any ordinary soil will suffice, 
providing it is fairly fine. 
Sow the seed in shallow drills, and just cover them over with 
some finely-sifted soil, and give a good watering with a rose 
can. Should the weather be hot, it is a good plan to cover 
them over with a mat until germination takes place, and then 
gradually inure them to the light. When the seedlings are 
large enough to handle, they should be carefully removed with 
as much root as possible, pricked out in shallow pans or boxes, 
and placed in a cold frame, keeping them shaded, and syringed 
once or twice daily, to promote quick, healthy growth. As 
