10 
Ocr. 1, 1903 
the plant is not subjected to a check, 
which in the open ground it invariably is, 
as it naturally sends out many rhizomes 
in all directions. |Bamboos require a rich, 
mellow soil and sandy rather than a stiff 
loam or clay. They delight in abundance 
of water, but are not bog plants. They 
must not stand in water. If the ground 
is heavy, ample drainage should be pro- 
vided, so that water will not ‘stand around 
them in winter. - 
Although several varieties of Bamboo 
have wintered in this section without any 
protection whatever, 1t would be well .to 
select a somewhat sheltered spot that 
would temper our prevailing nor-westerly 
winds in winter. The moist easterly 
winds do not affect them. Bearing in 
mind the Islands of Japan and the coast 
of China are often swept with fierce storms, 
it would suggest that the Bamboo will 
prove of great value near the seacoast 
where the winters are not extremely 
severe. 
No better place can be found for plant- 
ing Bamboos than by the side of a stream 
or the margin of a pond, and, although 
some advocate a rockery, I for one would 
say don’t. The plants spread in all direc- 
tions; there is nothing to hinder them, 
and in a short time you may find that you 
have nothing on the rockery but Bamboos, 
especially if the dwarf varieties are 
planted. ; 
As to protection, I wouid advise, in sec- 
tions where the thermometer falls below 
zero, a good mulching of leaves with 
branches of spruce or other trees stuck in 
the ground ‘to keep the leaves from blow- 
ing away, also to mulch newly planted 
stock. 
The following Bamboos are perfectly 
hardy in the vicinity of Philadelphia: B. 
aurea, B. Metake, B. mitis, B. nana, B. 
nigra, B. nigro-punctata, B. Quilioi, B. 
Simoni, -B. viminalis, B. viridi-glaucescens, 
B. pygmea, B. Fortunei variegata, B. 
Simoni var. striata, B. Boryana. Most 
delicate kinds are: B. falcata or scriptoria 
and B. Castillonis, but they are not hardy. 
Grown as specimen plants in tubs for’ de- 
coration they are, however, most desirable 
B. palmata and-B. tessellata are handsome 
plants, possessing the largest leaves of any, 
and are said to be hardy; but stock has 
been limited ; and it was deemed prudent 
not to venture it out) over winter as yet. 
In connection with the foregoing I may 
add that B. Simoni flowered and produced 
seed very freely this spring. A quantity 
of seed was gathered, but a large lot 
dropped on the ground. This, without 
hardening up, germinated in a few days, 
and a crop of young seedlings is coming 
along very satisfactorily. This is the 
first time I have known any Bamboo to 
perfect seed in this section of the coun- 
try—Wmn. TrickeR in “Florists’ Ex- 
change.” 5 
You can have “The Australian 
Gardener” posted to you for 12 
months for 8s. 6d. 
The Oxchard. 
mitt #) 
OPERATIONS FOR OCTOBER. 
RINGING THE CURRANT VINE. 
TO THE EDITOR. 
Sir-—Better late than never.. So far back 
as December last year a letter appeared 
in that interesting issue of your paper, with 
the above heading, and signed “Nature.” 
Intending to respond to your invitation 
for the views of other growers, I have con- 
stantly kept that issue at hand. I am 
afraid I am not witty enough to give a 
brief reply to the ludicrous but somewhat 
gruesome ‘charge made by “Nature” 
against the evils resulting from the use of 
currants from. cinctured vines; instead of 
which I send you a sample of my currants, 
which are the production of vines so treat- 
ed. If you requisition the services of a 
kind lady friend to prepare some article 
cf confectionery in. which currants form a 
prominent: element, your own opinion of 
the comparative merits cf the fruit from 
cinctured and uncinctured vines will be 
better than any assertion of mine, and I 
hope none of the evils which “Nature” so 
graphically describes will follow. These 
currants had not the advantage of the stem- 
mer and grader, but are taken from a bag 
kept for home use, large and small mixed. 
I think you will find the very small ber- 
ries somewhat conspicuous by their ab- 
sence. 
Tt is quite certain that the “ringing” of 
the vine does greatly assist in setting the 
fruit. I have been trying a series of ex- 
periments on the Zante currant vine for 
the last twelve years, in which I have prac- 
tised the various plans for topping, girdling 
with wire, thread, &c., from all of which 
“dodges’’ increased crops have been obtain- 
ed. TI have also tried partial cincturing 
with more or less success ; but the complete 
cincturing has produced an increase, and 
certainly which I have every reasdn to 
conclude is quite unequalled by any other 
methed: I hope to write an article on the 
“Philosophy of Cincturing” before that 
operation again becomes desirable. I may 
say that my first experiments in cincturing 
date back more tham forty years. Horti- 
cultural matters have been my hobby and 
recreation since my boyhood. I hope to be 
able to present a theory which will tend 
to explain the reasons of the effects pro- 
duced by judicious cincturing and the very 
different modes of procedure with vines and 
most other fruit trees. ; 
I am of opinion that the notion, of the 
currants from cinctured vines possessing 
less sugar and flavor than from uncinctured 
vines arises from the fact that the former, 
attaining a greater size, are longer coming 
to perfect maturity, and it is too generally 
the practice to gather the fruit as soon as 
it is colored, which is a grave mistake. The. 
fruit being more perfectly set, is not so 
liable to drop from the vine as in the case 
of uncinctured vines. I am also strongly 
of opinion that the notion of cincturing 
greatly affecting the life and vigor of the 
vine is altogether founded ‘on a, fallacy. 
Cincturing causes every bunch to set, and 
there is great danger of the vine suffering 
from over-bearing, which-can be effectually 
prevented by hard pruning. 
I send by this mail a copy of my last 
literary work before retiring from public 
life. Possibly you may find some items in 
it which may be useful in giving answers 
to correspondents, regretting that my 
health has not allowed me to deal more 
fully and concisely with the important sub- 
ject of the currant industry, 
I was greatly interested in Mr. F. C. 
Smith’s letter on the Gladiolus. I may, at 
some future time be able to give you the 
results of my experiments in improving 
this beautiful flower. I think no climate 
or soil in the world can. be more favorable 
than that of South Australia. There seems 
to be no limit to the possible improvement 
of the Gladiolus. © My experiments have 
been, entirely with the Gandavensis type, 
and with which I have had great success. 
I am, Sir, &c., 
W. H. HARRISON. 
[We were very pleased to receive this 
letter from such an experienced and well- 
informed gentleman on the subject of cine- 
turing vines, and also his sample of 
currants, which our chef pronounced 
very fair, and no evil results have as yet 
been traced to them. We have also to 
acknowledge with thanks from the author, 
Mr. W. H. Harrison, M.A., Shrewsbury, his 
bock upon “Strawberries,” which is a most 
useful work of reference. The letter having 
arrived in time, we were able to refer its 
contents to “Nature,” the writer of the 
article upon which Mr. Harrison comments, 
and publish his reply. We shall be very 
pleased to hear again from Mr. Harrison 
upon any subject of interest to our readers. 
—Ep.]| 
- TO THE EDITOR. 
Sir—I have read Mr. W. H. Harrison’s 
letter giving his experience and comment- 
ing on my letter in reference to above sub- 
ject, and it gives me pleasure to reply to an 
old English enthusiast in horticultural 
matters. I quite believe he has obtained 
the results he mentions in his experiments, 
and increase of crop, but the quality is 
not the same from these cinctured vines, 
although it would vary. For instance, in 
very old vines the difference would not be 
so much. In gardening, as Dean Hole says, 
‘St all depends.” T'he object to be obtained 
is to grow the vines to obtain the heaviest 
crop and finest quality without ringing. It 
is only a device to get a crop from old worn- 
out vines, or perhaps on poor soil, bad sub- 
_soil, or twenty other reasons not conducive 
to good health, which a professional man 
could soon find out. Asa proof, in a letter 
in reply to Mr. Hardy, the writer said his 
crop was 4 tons to the acre without ring- 
ing. Land properly prepared for vines, 
good cultivation, and overhead trellis, you 
will not need to ring. Mr. Harrison refers 
tg the size of the berry. The larger used 
to be sought after by buyers, but now, I 
believe, the smaller sugary berry the most 
valuable; in fact, the price varies so, and 
quality also, that they are sold retail at 
from 4d. to 9d. a lb., which shows there is 
something wrong. The large berry, over- 
charged with sap, shrivelled up in drying 
