528 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  21,  1900» 
Grapes,  Figs,  Filberts,  Cocoanuts,  Dates,  Mangoes,  Loquats,  Custard 
Apples,  and  many  of  the  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers  peculiar  to  Southern 
France  and  Piedmont.  Conspicuous  among  the  last  is  the  splendid 
Sage,  scarlet  Geraniums,  and  Richardia  aethiopica.  This  latter  has 
been  taken  as  the  emblematical  flower  of  St.  Helena,  where,  as  shown 
in  our  illustration  (p.  527),  it  grows  in  the  greatest  profusion.  The 
following  remarks,  kindly  sent  by  Mr.  Luckhurst,  together  with  the 
photograph,  will  shed  further  light  upon  the  foregoing  description. 
“  At  the  Cape,  Madeira,  and  St.  Helena  the  Calla  sethiopica  grows 
wild  literally  by  the  acre,  and  I  well  remember  when  my  daughter 
went  to  St.  Helena,  some  six  years  ago,  an  expression  of  delight 
in  one  of  her  letters  at  being  able  to  gather  the  flowers  of  this  old 
favourite  by  the  handful.  She  has  also  made  frequent  mention  of  the 
marvellous  variety  of  scenery  and  vegetation  in  the  forty -seven  square 
miles  which  comprise  the  area  of  this  small  island.  Palms,  Bananas, 
and  other  tropical  fruits  and  flowers  flourish  in  the  lowlands,  and  on 
the  hills  there  grow  Fir  trees  and  Gorse,  while  wild  Strawberries  are 
to  be  found  in  their  spring,  which  corresponds  to  our  autumn.” 
After  perusing  the  evidence,  one  may  safely  say  that  by  tamely 
surrendering  to  the  English  people,  whom  he  most  hated,  Bonaparte 
escaped  his  deserts  ;  and  that  the  so-called  “  prison,”  to  which  our 
so-called  “  brutal  ”  Government  relegated  him,  was  no  pestilential 
rock,  and  afforded  him  a  more  peaceful  ending  than  that  to  which  he 
condemned  at  least  two  million  of  his  fellow  men. 
- - 
TliiDiiing  Grapes. 
It  is  difficult  to  give  plain  directions  about  thinning  Grapes,  for 
first  there  is  that  of  the  bunches,  it  being  practically  impossible  to 
estimate  how  many  bunches  individual  Vines  should  carry,  as  this  is 
determined  by  their  health  and  constitution.  As  a  rule  1  lb.  of  Grapes 
to  every  foot  run  of  rod,  the  Vine  being  on  the  spur  system,  is  a  good 
crop,  and  if  on  the  extension  mode  that  weight  of  crop  per  half  a  square 
yard  of  trellis  occupied  by  the  Vine.  In  thinning  the  bunches  of  free- 
setting  varieties,  such  as  Black  Hamburgh,  every  second  bunch  on  each 
spur  she uld  be  removed  before  the  flowers  open,  and  all  others  which 
it  is  desirable  to  remove  as  soon  as  the  flowers  are  set.  Those  retained 
will  always  be  the  most  compact,  promising,  or  well  set,  and  they  have 
the  advantage  of  the  entire  energies  of  the  Vines.  If  in  addition  the 
berries  also  are  thinned  early,  there  is  every  prospect,  other  conditions 
being  favourable,  of  their  attaining  full  size  and  finishing  well. 
The  thinning  of  the  berries  requires  a  keen  eye  to  discern  what  and 
where  to  out,  and  a  quick  and  steady  hand  so  as  not  to  injure  the 
berries  retained.  To  thin  properly  the  operator  should  be  provided 
with  a  small  forked  stick,  about  6  inches  long,  with  which  to  hold  the 
bunch  firmly,  and  also  a  pair  of  Grape  scissors.  The  bunch  must  be 
trimmed  into  proper  shape,  and  then  first  remove  the  inside  berries, 
next  all  the  small  ones,  and  then  the  side  berries.  The  expert  will  do 
the  preliminary  work  very  expeditiously,  cutting  off  two  or  more 
useless  berries  at  a  time,  and  then  regulate  the  remainder  to  the 
required  distance  apart.  This  will  take  a  practical  hand  about  five 
minutes  per  pound  of  Grapes,  calculating  the  ultimate  ripe  crop. 
A  bunch  of  that  weight,  or  even  a  2  lb.  one,  may  not  require  to 
have  the  shoulders  tied  up,  but  with  larger  it  is  frequently  desirable, 
and  so  spread  out  the  bunch.  Some  loop  the  shoulders  up  to  the  trellis 
with  S-shaped  pieces  of  thin  wire  of  the  requisite  length,  while  others 
prop  the  shoulders  from  undeineath  with  little  pieces  of  wood. 
Ordinary  cultivators  rely  on  the  thinning,  the  bei’ries  being  so  left  that 
as  they  swell  they  lift  each  other  up,  and  thus  compact  clusters  are 
secured.  The  point  to  be  attended  to  is,  to  so  thin  the  berries  that  the 
bunches  when  ripe  and  cut  will  remain  firm  and  compact,  whilst  every 
berry  has  been  allowed  room  to  develop  freely  to  its  full  size.  Thus  a 
well  finished  bunch  of  Grapes  has  the  berries  compact,  yet  not  so  much 
so  as  to  be  wedged  out  of  natural  shape. 
As  regards  distance  of  leaving  the  berries  apart  to  secure  the 
foregoing  result,  we  have  found  that  the  Muscadine  and  Frontignan 
varieties  should  have  the  berries  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  apart. 
Sweetwater  Grapes,  such  as  Black  Hamburgh,  require  free  thinning  at 
the  point  of  the  bunch,  and  little  beyond  small  berries  removed  from 
the  shoulders.  Indifferent  setting  varieties,  such  as  Buckland  Sweet¬ 
water,  sometimes  only  require  the  small  berries  taken  out ;  while 
Foster’s  Seedling  needs  free  but  not  overthinning,  the  berries  being  oval. 
Muscats  should  have  the  small  stoneless  berries  removed,  in  the  first 
instance  commencing  when  the  properly  fertilised  are  the  size  of  peas, 
and  the  ultimate  thinning  should  leave  the  berries  about  an  inch 
asunder,  as  the  berries  are  long  and  tapering,  and  do  not  therefore 
require  such  severe  thinning  as  the  large  round-berried  varieties.  The 
vinous  Grapes  are  generally  large.  Gros  Colman  ought  to  have  the 
berries  thinned  to  about  IJ  inch  apart ;  Gros  Maroo  to  about  an  inch 
at  the  point  of  the  bunch,  but  more  sparingly  at  the  top.  Alicante 
and  Lady  Downe’s  -  ought  to  be  left  about  an  inch,  as  they  have 
short  footstalks,  and  do  not  lengthen  out.  West’s  St.  Peter’s  should 
be  left  a  little  closer.  Gros  Guillaume  having  large  bunches 
requires  to  have  the  berries  about  an  inch  asunder,  but  in  compact 
bunches  they  must  be  more  severely  thinned.  Finally,  bunches 
intended  for  late  keeping  should  be  more  freely  thinned  (leaving  few 
berries  in  the  centre)  than  those  for  early  use.— G.  A. 
Before  commencing  to  thin  the  berries  each  Vine  should  have  the- 
superfluous  branches  cut  off,  so  that  those  retair  ed  may  be  distributed 
as  evenly  as  possible  over  the  whole  surface.  This  not  only  adds  to 
the  appearance  of  the  house  when  the  fruit  approaches  maturity,  but 
also  enables  the  Vines  to  perfect  a  greater  weight  of  fruit  than  they 
are  able  to  do  when  cropped  heavily  in  some  parts  and  lightly  in 
others.  In  selecting  the  bunches  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  is 
not  always  the  largest  that  are  the  best.  Those  of  good  shape,  short  in 
the  shoulder,  with  even  berries,  are  preferable  to  larger  examples  which 
have  only  mere  size  to  recommend  them ;  but  if  they  have  the 
good  qualities  already  defined,  the  larger  they  are  the  better.  It  is 
always  a  difficult  matter  to  determine  exactly  the  weight  of  crop  each 
Vine  will  perfect.  The  health  and  vigour  of  Vines  must  be  taken  into 
consideration.  Generally  1  lb.  of  frUit  to  every  foot  run  of  rod  is  a 
safe  crop  to  leave  on  Vines  in  good  condition,  but  many  cultivators 
leave  considerably  more,  and  with  the  aid  of  high  feeding  finish  the 
fruit  perfectly. 
Medium-sized  compact  bunches  seldom  require  the  shoulders  to  be 
tied  up,  but,  others  of  larger  proportions  are  much  improved  by  the 
practice.  Long  shoulders  will  require  two  or  three  ties  each  to  keep 
them  in  oositiou  and  prevent  the  stems  from  being  cut  by  the  weight 
of  the  berries  as  they  increase  in  size.  This  part  of  the  work  being 
done,  thinning  the  berries  should  commence.  While  doing  this  the 
bunches  may  be  steadied  with  a  smooth  thin  stick  held  in  one  hand, 
while  the  other  deftly  guides  the  scissors  in  cutting  out  the  berries. 
Commence  by  thinning  those  at  the  base  of  the  bunch  freely  ;  two- 
thirds  generally  require  cutting  out  ;  those  retained  should  be  as  even 
in  size  as  possible,  it  will  generally  be  found  that  the  central  berry  of 
each  small  cluster  is  best,  and  the  only  one  necessary  to  leave  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  bunch.  As  the  operator  approaches  the  top  they 
should  be  left  closer  together,  as  the  berries  of  those  varieties  with 
long  footstalks  foice  each  other  upward  and  outward  as  they  increase 
in  size,  and  thus  fill  up  the  shoulders. 
A  very  frequent  mistake  made  in  thinning  bunches  with  long  foot¬ 
stalks  is  to  cut  out  too  many  berries  near  the  top.  When  this  is  done 
the  bunches  often  look  very  well  while  hanging  on  the  Vines,  but  when 
cut  and  placed  on  the  exhibition  board  or  the  dessert  dish,  instead  of 
retaining  their  form  the  shoulders  spread  out  in  consequence  of  their 
want  of  solidity.  The  aim  of  the  thinner  should  be  to  allow  every  berry 
just  room  to  fully  develop,  and  yet  form  a  solid  mass  when  cut.  To  be 
able  to  accomplish  this  a  knowledge  of  each  variety  is  necessary,  as 
not  only  do  they  vary  to  a  great  extent  in  size  of  berrv,  but  the  foot¬ 
stalks  also  differ  in  length  and  stiffness,  and  they  must,  therefore,  be 
dealt  with  accordingly. 
Muscat  Hamburgh,  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  and  Mrs.  Pince  frequently 
produce  many  stoneless  berries.  These  should  not  be  thinned  quite 
so  early  as  mo 3t  other  varieties ;  if  left  till  the  berries  are  about  the 
size  of  Marrow  Peas  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  which  are  likely  to  swell 
freely.  The  small  berries  should  be  first  cut  out,  and  the  others  thinned 
to  form  compact  bunches.  If  gaps  occur  in  any  part  the  berries  around 
should  be  left  a  little  closer,  and  the  chances  are  they  will  quite  fill  up 
the  blanks  by  the  time  the  Grapes  are  ripe.  Black  Hamburghs- 
invariably  set  well,  and  ought  to  be  thinned  freely  at  the  base  of  the 
bunch,  but  scarcely  any  require  removal  from  the  shoulders,  except  in 
the  case  of  very  compact  bunches. 
Gros  Colman  and  Gros  Maroc  both  produce  very  large  berries,  yet 
they  require  different  treatment  when  thinning.  The  first  named  has 
short  sturdy  footstalks,  and  the  berries  are  produced  freely  on  the 
shoulders.  Bunches  growing  on  strong  Vines  not  heavily  cropped 
ought  to  have  the  berries  thinned  to  Ij  inch  apart,  in  fact  this  grand 
Grape  requires  thinning  more  freely  than  any  other  variety.  Gros  Maroc 
requires  thinning  nearly  as  much  at  the  point  of  the  bunches,  but  the 
top  should  be  sparingly  thinned,  as  it  is  a  frequent  occurrence  to  see 
this  variety  with  loose  shoulders,  as  the  footstalks  are  long  at  that 
part.  Poster’s  Seedling,  though  not  usually  producing  very  large 
berries,  still  requires  thinning  freely, the  footstalks  being  short,  and  the 
berries  generally  very  plentiful.  Buckland  Sweetwater,  as  a  rule,  should 
have  less  thinning  than  any  Grape  I  am  acquainted  with,  and  rarely 
requires  any  but  the  stoneless  berries  to  be  taken  out.  Large  bunches 
of  Gros  Guillaume  also  need  little  thinning,  but  much  attentioa 
ought  to  be  given  to  tying  up  all  the  shoulders,  and  every  cluster  con¬ 
taining  four  or  five  berries.  If  treated  in  this  way  bunches  which 
appear  loose  and  ungainly  develop  into  grand  solid  specimens. 
Madresfield  Court  should  have  nearly  all  the  berries  removed  from 
the  centre  of  the  bunch,  as  they  rarely  have  room  to  develop,  and  are 
dangerous  if  cracking  should  take  place,  because  they  cannot  easily  be 
noticed  till  decay  begins.  Although  the  berries  of  this  fine  Grape  swell 
to  a  very  large  size,  those  forming  the  outline  of  the  bunch  do  not 
require  such  severe  thinning  as  many  might  think,  because  they  are 
long  and  tapering  rather  than  great  in  diameter.  Trebbiano  of  en 
produces  very  large  bunches  with  loose  shoulders.  These  may  be  much 
improved  in  shape  by  crossing  them  at  the  top,  and  in  some  cases  coiling 
them  round  the  footstalk  of  the  bunch.  Golden  Queen  is  a  good  setter, 
produces  very  fine  berries,  and  should  be  thinned  freely.  Alicante  and 
Lady  Downe’s  ought  to  be  thinned  to  about  an  inch  apart,  as  the  stems- 
are  short  and  sturdy  and  do  not  lengthen  out. — D, 
