30(5 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 9, 1904. 
characteristic raceme of this fine Lily, and gives no idea of the 
size of the clumps, nor of the longest racemes to be found in 
the border near the rockery, where such fine growth and flower¬ 
ing resulted last year. 
The Crocking of Pots. 
Much of late lias been in the pages of the " G. W. on the 
watering of pot plants, setting forth right and wrong methods 
and the result of each. I have no doubt the article by 
“ Japonica,” and the comments by Various writers, have been 
most helpful to our readers. Many of us know to our sorrow 
the disastrous results of the’ careless and inexperienced mani¬ 
pulator of the water-pot. But when reading the article and 
comments it struck me very forcibly that the crocking of the 
pots in which the plants are grown was as inportant an item 
as the watering of the plants. In fact, much depends upon 
the condition of the drainage as to the amount of water various 
plants require. It is surprising the way in. which some so-called 
members of the profession perform this all-important part in 
connection with plant growing. The careless way the pot¬ 
sherds are thrown into the pots, 'besides filling the pots far 
more than is necessary, they also fail to perform the duty which 
they are intended to do. 
Some plants require more care in the matter of drainage than 
others. Take, for instance, all hard-wooded stuff, such as 
Heaths, Azaleas, and Camellias, These plants, as a rule, are 
not repotted more than once in two or three years (of course', 
there are exceptions to this rule). The' drainage of these plants 
should be perfect. 
I may be attempting to teach my grandmother to suck eggs, 
but I feel sure- that if more strict attention were paid to this 
so-called minor matter in plant growing fewer failures would 
happen. If the crocks are thrown into the pots in a slipshod 
way, instead of being laid around the centre one over the 
hole in a systematic manner, the consequence is that in a 
short period the drainage is blocked and the health of the 
plant impaired. 
Besides, how can watering be carried out properly ? Take' 
again Primulas, herbaceous Calceolarias, Begonias, Gloxinias, 
etc. These plants, to do them well, need pots well drained. 
I have met men attempting to cultivate them, and they wonder 
why it is they fail. But to me it is as plain as a pikestaff that 
non-efficient drainage is the main cause. If the drainage is as 
it should be, watering becomes an easy matter. On the other 
hand, careless crocking means trouble in watering. 
For instance, in the case of a. batch of Chrysanthemums in 
their flowering pots, perhaps thei work of crocking and potting 
has been carried out lay several different persons. A few pots, 
perhaps, have not had just the attention in the matter of 
crocking that they should have had (for even in well-regulated 
gardens some assistants are' none too careful); but wait until 
watering gets in full swing, say about August. The' ones with 
faulty drainage are easily detected by the experienced eye. 
The attendant, too', upon them with the water-pot finds they 
need more care. Where the majority are taking perhaps two 
or three drinks per day, these sickly one® have to be often 
passed over, therefore not taking the amount of feeding they 
should have. I do not wish to frustrate “ Japonica’s ” able 
paper on watering, but to couple with it the foregoing remarks, 
as it is my opinion that the one cannot go well without the 
other. H. W. C. 
Marquis Ito of Japan. —The above notable gentleman seems 
to be regarded as the unofficial Prime Minister of Japan. From 
a gardener’s point of vrew it is notable that Juzo Ito, the father 
of°Marquis Ito, was a rustic gardener at one time without the 
privilege of two swords. Marquis Ito is looked upon as a 
generous though a poor man, living a plain life and working 
hard. Besides other literature, he -also studies and reads 
English, French, German, and Chinese. He seldom retires for 
more than four hours at a time, and in the morning will be up 
and walking in the garden until the servants have prepared Ins 
coffee. 
Vines and their Culture. 
(Continued from page 279.) 
II.—House Construction. 
Without entering into very lengthy details as to the con¬ 
struction of a vinery, it will, however, be well to consider 
briefly some of thei more important attributes of a good stiuc- 
ture. Sufficient width must be allowed to admit of an 
adequately large border being included, and the height in the 
lowest part should not be less than 5 ft. It is as necessary in 
building a fruit house to consider well the requirements of its 
future tenants as in constructing a, dwelling-house, and although 
it is only right and natural that economy should enter largely 
in.to the general plan,, yet it should be of a different class to 
that which isi required to figure only on the invoice. 
The walls should be sound, of good bricksi and mortar, tied 
in by a, good bond, and, above all things, dry. The roof 
should, without, sacrificing durability, be of such a nature that 
the obstruction of light by overmuch wood or iron-work he 
brought to the irreducible minimum, and the glass should be 
of good quality—n,ot less than, 21 oz. to the square foot. Fur¬ 
thermore, the structure should be free from drip and effects 
ually exclude air, whilst there should be likewise an abundance 
of resource in the matter of ventilation, and the heating 
arrangement of an up-to-date character. It will be readily 
understood how essential it is that thei admission of light and 
air and the regulation of heat be well under control when the 
fact is; stated that the right adjustment, of these three elements, 
together with the equally important one water, lias a far 
greater bearing on the production of first-class Grapes than 
does Ihe character of the soil or the application of manures, and 
it, may be further asserted that nine-tenths: of the failures in 
viticulture are due to a, misunderstanding of the principle of 
ventilating and heating. 
Thorough ventilation, can only be ensured by having the 
whole of the front lights as well as those, at the top- capable of 
being opened at one time. This holds good for any form of 
house. In, lean-to houses we still often find the antiquated 
method of sliding lights:—a system which no thinking gardener 
can recommend. It is a mistake, however, in the case of hip- 
roofed houses with the larger span, facing south to have the hip 
made to open. The ventilating gear should be affixed to' the 
top of the southern span,, and this, with the bottom ventilation, 
will be found ample for any vinery in any position, any 
attempt to employ both spans for ventilating detracting con¬ 
siderably from the tightness: -of the house. As a further 
guarantee of careful ventilating, a quickly and easily-worked 
lever arrangement, should be attached to' the lights, for expe¬ 
rience points to the fact that where there is a difficulty in 
opening the lights there is likely to co'-exist a negligence to 
open them at, some critical time, with consequences too dis¬ 
astrous for serene contemplation,. 
The boiler supplying the heat of the house should be well 
above' its work, and the amount of piping should be regulated 
according to the season of ripening, and its: position should he 
such as to equalise the distribution of heat all over the house 
without giving occasion to' the appearance or rapid spread of 
that dread enemy—red spider. 
As being part of the construction of the house, it may not 
be out of place to' mention here that the wires to which the 
Vines are to he tied should on no., account be at a less distance 
from the glass than 18 in., and if 20 in. can be allowed without 
interfering with the head-room, so: much the better. Not only 
does the observation of this precept, allow a greater amount of 
space for the proper development of the foliage, but by the 
constant, circulation of air over the leaves the: danger of scald¬ 
ing is considerably diminished. 
A lionse possessing all the qualities mentioned above, with 
the plenteous addition of good paint for wood and iron-work 
and lime-wash for the walls, should form an, ideal one, and with 
intelligent working cannot fail to property enact its important 
functions in successful culture. vv • Ax * 
