34 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENEK 
January  11,  1900. 
which  is  very  ui-eiiil  in  a  cnt  slate.  A.  vulgaiis  caryujjliylloiiit  s  is 
also  a  double,  and  whose  flowers  are  handsomely  striped.  Witmaniana 
has  flowers  of  blue,  violet,  and  white,  and  is  a  good  useful  border 
plant ;  while  in  atrata  we  have  one  of  a  vigorous  constitution  and  deep 
reddish  violet  flowers.  The  foregoing  are  among  the  best  of  this  very 
pleasing  and  free-flowering  genus  of  hardy  plants.  There  are,  how¬ 
ever,  many  more  both  of  species  and  forms,  and  new  varieties  are  cm- 
tinually  coming  in  view.  One  of  these,  grandiflora  alba,  is  a  fine 
white  with  .''ingle  flowers,  good  robust  habit,  2  feet  high,  and  a 
welcome  addition  to  the  list  of  good  things. 
A.  CCERULEA. 
The  llocky  Mountain  Columhine  is  one  of  the  choicest  alpines 
which  cannot  be  too  highly  recommended.  Among  hardy-plant, 
growers  it  is  well  known,  and  its  unique  beauty  warmly  appreciated.  It 
grows  freely  in  any  warm  sandy  soil  (here  in  passing  I  may  remark 
that  the  Columbines  as  a  whole  object  to  stiff  or  cold  soils),  and 
grows  about  18  inches  high  ;  the  foliage  assumes  a  deep  glaucous 
hue,  and  is  much  divided.  From  the  bushy  rootstock  arise  the  some¬ 
what  branching  flower  stems,  on  which  are  situate  numbers  of  its 
charming  blue-and-white  flowers.  These  are  erect,  and  display  the 
flowers  to  advantage,  a  combination  so  charming  in  the  soit  blue  of 
the  sepals  and  pure  white  ]retal8  that  it  has  been  compared  to  “  a 
large  soft-coloured  Clematis,”  and  while  I  cannot  discover  the  slightest 
resemblance,  it  must  be  regarded  by  all  as  one  of  the  handsomest 
perennials.  It  flowers  in  early  summer,  and  lasts  a  long  time  in 
perfection. 
By  saving  a  few  seeds  each  year  and  sowing  early  in  January  an 
annual  display  of  this  charming  plant  may  be  guaranteed,  and  as  I 
rest  in  the  full  belief  that  no  one  having  once  succeeded  with  it  would 
care  to  be  without  it  in  future,  it  is  deserving  any  care  er  extra  attention 
to  keep  up  a  good  supply.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  however,  that  it  is 
of  easy  culture  as  compared  with  some  of  the  other  rare  species — a 
point  considerably  in  its  favour. — H. 
SUPERIOR  BLACK  ALICANTE  GRAPES. 
I  FORWARD  a  sample  of  Grapes.  You  will  no  doubt  remember  me 
writing  to  you  two  years  ago  under  the  nom  de  jiliime  of  “  Young 
Grower,”  asking  for  advice  as  to  the  large  number  of  stoneless 
berries  in  the  Alicantes  forwarded  at  the  time.  You  will  be  pleased  to 
hear  that  by  carefully  following  your  advice  I  have  had  scarcely  a  small 
berry  the  past  two  teasons,  and  the  colour  has  also  been  better  than 
before.  It  may  interest  you  to  know  the  number  of  prizes  we  have 
taken  for  Grapes  during  the  five  years  I  have  had  charge  of  the  Vines. 
Prizes  for  Grapes. 
Year 
Ists. 
2nds. 
3rd8. 
Total 
1895 
6 
7 
3 
16 
1896 
14 
2 
21 
1897 
11 
G 
4 
21 
1898 
15 
10 
4 
29 
1899 
9 
14 
1 
24 
65 
42 
14 
111 
Also  the  following  medals:— Two  silver-gilts,  one  of  them  the  “  Jubilee  ” 
medal,  of  the  N.C.S.  ;  two  silver-gilt  Knightians  and  one  silver  of  the 
R.H.S. ;  also  a  silver  medal  at  Beckenham. 
The  prizes  were  taken  at  ten  Societies’  exhibitions.  Best  wishes  for 
the  new  year. — Wm.  Taylor,  Tewkesbury  Lodge,  Forest  Hill. 
[We  respond  with  warm  congratulations.  The  Grapes  were 
splendid  in  size  and  uniformity  of  berries,  and  especially  in  quality. 
We  have  never  tasted  better  Alicantes,  and  few  as  good.  It  will  do  no 
harm  to  repeat  the  advice  we  gave  that  seems  to  have  been  helpful,  and 
it  may  possibly  be  helpful  to  others.  It  w  as  given  under  the  heading 
“Stoneless  Grapes”  as  follows: — “Such  splendid  clusters  would  be 
highly  creditable  to  an  old  grower  if  all  the  berries  were  the  same  size 
as  one  of  them — namely,  I  j  inches  in  diameter  and  nearly  round,  or 
much  rounder  than  those  of  Black  Alicante  usually  are.  This  huge 
berry  only  contained  three  seeds,  the  majority,  about  half  the  size, 
containing,  some  two  seeds,  and  others  only  one  seed,  while  the  too 
numerous  smaller  berries  are  seedless.  As  the  border  contains  “  plenty 
of  lime  rubbish,”  and  has  received  in  addition  an  annual  dressing  of 
lime,  you  do  not  think  the  lack  of  seeds  is  attributable  to  absence  of 
lime ;  all  the  same,  we  should  not  hesitate  to  apply  4  ozs.  of  basic  slag 
and  2  ozs.  of  sulphate  of  potash  per  square  yard  now  (January),  point¬ 
ing  lightly  in.  We  attribute,  however,  the  condition  of  the  Grapes 
mainly  to  defective  fertilisation.  It  may  be  that  the  stigmas  were 
excessively  moist  at  the  time  of  pollen  distribution,  which  we  have 
known  to  occur  in  the  case  of  this  usually  free  setting  variety,  and 
especially  with  vigorous  Vines.  Pay  attention  to  atmospheric  con¬ 
ditions  another  year  during  the  flowering  period,  and  satisfy  yourself 
that  there  is  a  free  distribution  of  the  pollen  to  not  over-moist  stigmas, 
and  we  think  you  will  secure  a  more  uniform  set  and  better  standard 
fruit.”] 
APPLES. 
Canker  on  Apple  Trees. 
I  observe  that  “  B.,”  writing  on  canker  at  page  12,  mentions  that 
he  does  not  know  of  an  instance  where  frost  cracks  have  produced 
canker.  I  am  not  quite  sure  of  the  date,  but  I  think  it  was  during 
1881,  when  intensely  severe  hoar  frosts  prevailed  in  Middlesex,  that 
immense  mischief  was  done  to  Apple  trees  in  producing  canker,  and 
what  I  saw  in  some  orchards,  especially  on  rather  stiff  soils,  were 
then  the  worst  examples  of  canker  I  have  ever  seen  anywhere. 
Certainly  there  may  be  differences  of  opinion  as  to  what  constitutes 
canker,  but  whether  these  frightful  cracks  and  eruptions  in  bark  and 
wood,  in  large  and  small  growths  alike,  were  followed  by  the 
appearance  of  the  parasite  fungus  Nectria  ditissima  or  not,  a  worse 
form  of  canker  than  was  then  manifested  I  have  never  seen  in  any 
ordinary  garden.  Lord  Suffield,  King  of  the  Pippins,  and  Wellington 
were  three  very  dissimilar  varieties  of  Apples,  that  suffered  severely. 
The  Kings  were  so  badly  hit  that  some  died  absolutely.  Others 
recovered  in  a  fashion  after  several  years’  pruning  and  attention. 
Wellingtons  took  several  years  to  recover.  Suffields  became  most 
unshapely.  The  burstings  were  not  only  large  and  deep,  but  under 
the  operation  of  the  natural  products,  of  burst  cellular  tissue,  spread 
rapidly  all  over  the  trees. 
If  this  be  not  canker,  may  Heaven  save  our  Apple  orchards  from 
any  similar  visitation,  for  canker  is,  as  I  have  seen  it  in  private 
gardens,  a  far  less  serious  trouble.  After  all,  canker  is  more  a 
product  of  starvation  than  of  fungoid  production ;  and  all  fruit  growers 
should  realise  that  prevention  is  better  than  cure. 
Apples  and  Frozen  Water  Pipes  Splitting. 
My  critic,  H.  Richards  (page  13),  evidently  belongs  to  that 
adventurous  class  of  persons  who  readily  rush  in  where  angels  fear  to 
tread.  He  displays  incapacity  to  discuss  a  semi-scientific  theory  when 
he  holds  or  propounds  the  doctrine  that  pipes  containing  water  are  burst 
by  the  action  of  the  increased  temperature  of  the  water  in  them  when  a 
thaw  takes  place,  and  not  by  the  action  of  frost  converting  the  water  into 
solid  ice.  Did  he  ever  hear  of  the  conversion  of  cold  water  in  pipes 
into  warm  water  bursting  them  ?  Did  he  never  hear  of  the  enormous 
force  which  water,  expanding  under  the  influence  of  frost,  can  exercise  ? 
Can  it  be  possible  that  he  has  no  knowledge  of  a  simple  elementary 
fact — viz.,  that  it  is  the  water  in  the  pipes  which,  under  the  action  of 
frost,  becomes  converted  into  ice,  and  thus  exercises  such  an  immense 
force  on  the  pipes  as  to  burst  them  ?  Surely  that  little  fact  in 
hydraulics  is  known  to  every  school  child. 
Does  he  suggest  that  when  plants  in  pots  standing  outdoors  in  the 
winter  become  frozen  so  hard  that  the  pots  crack,  that  such  occurrence 
is  due  to  the  expansion  of  water  in  the  soil  in  the  pots  by  a  thaw  ? 
Again,  can  he  be  ignorant  of  the  elementary  fact  that  the  great  object 
in  exposing  wet  clays  to  the  action  of  frost  by  ridging  them  is  to 
enable  the  Irost  to  expand  the  water  contained  in  the  soil,  thus  splitting 
open  the  previously  compact  soil,  and  after  a  thaw  not  only  enabling 
the  water  to  percolate  away,  but  also  to  allow  air  to  follow  it,  and  thus 
to  sweeten  and  dry  the  soil  ?  Scores  of  similar  illustrations  if  needed 
could  be  furnished  to  show  that  water  expands  materially  under  the 
influence  of  cold,  and  exercises  a  potent  force  that  inexperienced  people 
taking  effect  for  cause  have  wrongly  ascribed  to  thaw. 
.  If  any  one  wants  special  and  very  unpleasant  experience  of  the 
enormously  expansive  power  of  ice,  let  them  spend  a  winter  in  a  ship  in 
the  arctic  regions,  and  when  they  have  seen  the  sides  of  the  ship  crushed 
in  by  ice  or  the  water  expanded  by  frost  they  would  soon  have  enough 
of  it. 
My  little  suggestion  in  relation  to  the  cause  of  the  splitting  in 
stored  Apples  was  a  very  humble  one,  one  and  by  no  means  didactic.  It 
was  based  on  the  well  understood  scientific  fact  that  water  in  great 
cold  expands,  and  it  was  not  impossible  that  sap  in  Apples  might 
prove  to  be  the  same. — A.  D. 
Splitting  of  Apples. 
Mr.  H.  Richards  (pa.ge  13)  is  rather  badly  adrift  in  his 
endeavour  to  destroy  a  theory  with  regard  to  the  principles  of  heat  and 
cold.  Some  years  ago  I  was  taught  that  frost  and  not  thaw  was 
responsible  for  burst  pipes,  and  practical  proofs  of  the  matter  can  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  pipes  that  hold  boiling  water  with  impunity  break 
with  melted  ice,  that  cold  water  is  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  pond  but 
ice  floats  on  the  service,  and  in  the  excellent  definition  of  your  print 
which  is  due  to  the  fact  that  “  type  ”  is  larger  when  it  is  cold  than 
when  it  is  hot. 
The  exact  value  of  “  things  ”  as  an  argument  has  not  apparently 
entered  into  “  H.  Richards’  ”  calculations.  Possibly  had  he  laid  the 
fault  of  the  burst  pipes  to  the  swelling  ice  instead  of  the  shrinking 
water  he  would  be  nearer  the  mark  in  such  cases  as  he  describes,  but 
I  am  not  going  into  theory  manufacture.  Let  “  H.  R.”  fill  a  bottle  with 
water,  wire  down  the  cork,  and  stand  it  out  in  a  hard  frost.  It  may 
be  mysterious,  but  he  will  find  flight  more  fascinating  than  approach. 
It  is  a  good  old  truism  that  circumstances  alter  cases — even  of  bottles  ■ 
bursting. — Ret  Raill. 
