98 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  3,  1898. 
clearly  in  advance  of  others — one  is  Veitch’s  Extra  Early  Forcing, 
which  produces  compact  heads  of  snowy  whiteness,  the  other 
Sutton’s  First  Crop ;  the  latter  is  a  very  compact  grower,  producing 
white  heads  and  but  few  leaves.  There  is  not  much  to  choose  between 
the  two  varieties  just  named  in  point  of  earliness.  When  these  early 
varieties  are  sown  a  little  seed  of  Magnum  Bonum,  Veitch’s  Pearl,  and 
Walcheren,  should  also  be  put  in,  because,  as  they  take  longer  to 
reach  maturity,  although  sown  at  the  same  time,  they  supply  the 
much-to-be-desired  succession.  About  the  second  week  in  March, 
Autumn  Giant  or  Daniel’s  King  should  be  sown  to  supply  heads  for 
cutting  in  August,  and  by  the  first  week  in  April  another  sowing  of 
the  same  varieties  may  be  made  for  containing  the  suppl}'  during 
the  autumn.  Eclipse  is  an  excellent  variety  to  sow  for  the  same 
purpose. 
When  making  sowings  in  the  open  air  it  is  important  to  remember 
that  the  soil  must  be  dry  and  in  a  well  pulverised  condition.  There  is 
not  much  difficulty  in  this  respect  when  v'e  are  dealing  with  light 
soils,  but  in  the  case  of  heavy  ones  it  is  often  a  troublesome  business. 
The  small  amount  of  space  required  for  a  seed  bed,  however,  makes  it 
quite  easy  to  have  a  little  burnt  soil  ready  for  placing  in  the  diills  to 
SOW'  the  seeds  upon  and  cover  with  alter  sowing.  Wood  ashes  are  also 
of  great  value  for  the  same  purpose,  and  a  supply  should  always  be 
kept  in  a  dry  place  ready  for  operations  in  spring.  All  young  plants 
make  rapid  progress  in  materials  of  the  above  description,  not  only 
because  they  are  in  the  right  mechanical  condition,  but  also  because 
they  supply  food  in  a  concentrated  form  and  in  a  state  suitable  for 
the  plants  to  take  up  at  once.  The  surface  of  the  seed  bed  should  be 
levelled  with  the  rake,  but  not  patted  with  the  back  of  a  spade,  unless 
the  object  of  the  cultivator  is  to  have  the  soil  cracking  in  all  directions 
in  dry  weather,  thus  allowing  the  moisture  to  escape. 
Few  vegetables  require  so  rich  a  soil  to  grow  them  to  perfection  as 
do  Cauliflowers ;  the  quarters  set  apart  for  them  should  be  thoroughly 
manured  and  deeply  dug.  In  planting,  the  practice  of  drawing  drills 
a’^-out  3  inches  in  depth  is  a  good  one  when  the  soil  works  well,  but  on 
heavy  land  it  is  often  not  practicable.  The  small  early  varieties,  such 
as  Sutton’s  First  Crop,  may  be  planted  from  a  foot  to  15  inches  apart, 
while  the  stronger  growers,  such  as  Autumn  Giant,  should  have  a 
space  of  2  feet  allowed  between  the  plants. — H.  D. 
INSIDE  V.  OUTSIDE  VINE  BORDERS. 
This  is  a  subject  which  in  the  “  days  of  long  ago  ”  has  often 
served  as  a  text  to  bring  into  activity  the  rusty  pens  of  sometimes 
ready  writers,  who  for  a  time  had  laid  aside  the  pen  to  ruminate  upon 
the  erratic  behaviour  of  Vines  under  their  charge.  I  have  often  been 
instructed,  amused,  and  puzzled  in  turn  with  those  wordy  battles  of 
the  “  scribes  of  old,”  who  seemed  to  fight,  like  Englishmen,  to  the  last, 
each  being  determined  to  vanquish  the  other. 
When  the  smoke  of  battle  had  cleared  away,  and  on-lookers 
attempted  to  find  out  which  side  had  the  advantage,  they  found  them¬ 
selves  face  to  face  with  a  well-nigh  impossible  task,  and  the  practical 
result  seems  to  have  been  the  adoption  of  a  compromise  in  the  shape 
of  borders  made  partly  inside  and  partly  out ;  the  front  walls  of  new 
vineries  being  built  on  arches  to  suit  the  requirements  of  that 
“  divided  style  ”  of  border  making.  I  am  well  aware  that  in  many 
instances  innumerable  grand  Grapes  have  been  produced  on  Vines 
growing  in  these  double  borders,”  but  I  have  always  considered  the 
principle  must  be  wrong,  and  especially  in  the  case  of  early  forced 
^^ines — as  the  temperature  of  the  inside  border  is  often  considerably 
higher  than  that  of  the  outside  one,  especially  during  the  winter  and 
early  spring  months.  In  our  treatment  of  vegetation  of  all  other 
descriptions  we  generally  try,  as  far  as  possible,  to  maintain  something 
approaching  uniformity  of  temperature  between  the  surroundings  of 
roots  and  branches ;  why,  then,  should  we  well-nigh  ignore  the  point 
in  the  case  of  Vines  ?  Is  it  not  one  of  those  inconsistencies  that  “no 
fellow  can  understand  ?  ” 
I  quite  expect  that  someone  will  be  ready  to  advance  a  scientific 
reason  for  the  apparent  inconsistency,  and  I  trust  they  will  welcome 
the  opportunity  now  afforded  of  illuming  the  path  of  us  plodding 
workers  with  the  piercing  rays  of  scientific  light.  It  may  be  a  hard 
“nut  to  crack,”  but  it  will  certainly  repay  the  cracker.  We  want  to 
know  as  far  as  possible  the  exact  conditions  under  which  the  roots  of 
Vines  can  perform  their  functions  so  as  to  produce  the  best  results. 
It  seems  to  mo  that  a  frequent  mistake  made  in  regard  to  Vine  borders 
is  to  construct  them  all  on  the  same  principle  without  paying  regard 
to  various  circumstances  which  should  also  be  considered.  I  am  no 
believer  in  the  plan  of  making  half  the  border  inside  and  the  other  half 
outside  for  the  same  set  of  Vines,  although  I  have  had  to  deal  with 
many  constructed  on  that  principle. 
To  my  mind  there  are  conditions  under  which  a  border  entirely 
inside  possesses  the  greatest  number  of  advantages,  while  in  other 
instances  the  outside  one  perfectly  fulfils  its  requirements;  but  for  the 
half-and-half  policy  I  can  see  no  justification.  I  should  never  think 
of  making  other  than  an  inside  border  for  Vines  intended  for  early 
forcing,  because  common  sense,  as  well  as  experience,  shows  me  that 
it  is  the  simplest  of  all  methods  of  keeping  both  roots  and  branches 
at  an  equal  temperature,  or  nearly  so,  throughout  the  most  trying 
season.  A  large  amount  of  root  run  is  not  required,  and  both  roots 
and  branches  are  then  under  perfect  control.  My  firm  conviction  is 
that  half  the  apparently  mysterious  chicks  which  early  forced  Vines 
seem  to  get  in  so  many  places  are  caused  by  the  strange  practice  of 
having  the  borders  outside  the  house. 
When  we  come  to  consider  the  matter  in  regard  to  Vines  grown 
for  the  production  of  late  Grapes,  we  have  a  totally  different  combina¬ 
tion  of  circumstances  to  consider.  Such  Vines  are  not  usually  started 
till  March ;  the  sun  has  by  then  gained  considerable  power,  and  as  no 
great  amount  of  fire  heat  is  employed  to  start  the  Vines,  outside  borders 
answer  well  in  regard  to  supplying  favourable  conditions  fur  the  roots 
during  the  growing  season.  The  question  of  keeping  the  Grapes  when 
they  are  ripe  has,  however,  to  be  considered,  and  it  is  generally 
admitted  that  late  Grapes  hanging  on  Vines  which  have  their  roots  in 
inside  borders  keep  better  than  do  those  on  Vines  having  their  roots 
outside  the  vinery.  This,  however,  is  a  matter  w'hich  has,  perhaps, 
not  often  been  fairly  tested,  because,  of  course,  heavy  rains  falling  upon 
the  border  when  the  Grapes  were  ripe  in  the  autumn,  w'ould  naturally 
cause  the  berries  to  decay ;  but  if  wooden  shutters  were  placed  upon 
such  borders  in  Septemter,  or  early  October,  if  the  season  were  a 
tine  one,  I  see  no  reason  why  the  Grapes  should  not  keep  as  well  as 
those  on  Vines  whose  roots  were  rambling  in  inside  borders. 
In  the  event  of  very  sharp  frosts,  it  would,  of  course,  be  necessary 
to  cover  the  border  with  other  materials  to  keep  frost  from  the  roots. 
As  the  Vines  would  have  entered  upon  what  should  be  their  natural 
season  of  rest,  the  lower  the  temperature  of  the  border — as  long  as 
actual  frost  was  kept  out — the  better  for  the  Vines,  and  the  more 
likely  would  the  Grapes  be  to  keep  in  a  plump  condition.  I  am  quite 
of  opinion  that  there  is  a  good  deal  more  to  be  said  in  lavour  of  outside 
borders  for  late  Grapes  than  many  cultivators  seem  to  imagine.  W  here 
vineries  are  built  in  blocks,  on  the  market  principle,  of  course  outside 
borders  are  out  of  the  question,  and  this  may,  perhaps,  have  had 
something  to  do  with  the  almost  universal  rule  of  making  borders 
inside  for  late  Grapes  in  private  gardens,  where  the  same  conditions  do 
not  apply. 
I  am  distinctly  in  favour  of  outside  borders  for  Vines  grown  to 
produce  a  crop  at  midseason,  as  the  necessary  warmth  is  supplied  to 
the  soil  by  the  sun,  and  as  the  Grapes  are  not  intended  for  keeping 
there  is  no  danger  of  getting  a  well-made  border  too  wet  when  a  heavy 
rainfall  is  experienctd.  The  advantages  are  that  the  soil  is  always 
kept  sweet  and  aerated  by  the  action  of  sun  and  air  throughout  the 
year,  and  this  stale  of  affairs  is — as  all  cultivators  know — conducive 
to  a  vigorous  root-action.  The  cultural  operations  connected  with  the 
dressing  and  watering  of  such  borders  can  also  be  carried  out  more 
easily  than  when  the  borders  are  inside.  Another  serious  drawback 
to  inside  borders  in  private  gardens  is,  that  as  it  is  generally  necessary 
to  grow  large  quantities  of  plants  in  vineries,  the  borders  often  become 
sodden  at  some  point,  when  they  may  be  quite  dry  at  others ;  this 
makes  it  extremely  difficult  to  know  when  to  water  them,  as 
appearances  are  often  deceptive.  Then,  in  addition  to  the  above,  the 
plants  growing  in  the  house  prevent  the  sun  and  air  from  playing 
fully  upon  the  border,  and  in  my  mind  there  is  no  doubt  that  to  secure 
the  best  results  a  Vine  border  should  be  devoted  entirely  to  Vine 
roots.  The  outside  border  allows  us  to  do  this,  and  yet  turn  the 
house  to  profitable  account  by  growing  plants  under  the  Vines. 
There  are  two  sides — sometimes  many— to  every  method  of 
culture  advanced,  but  I  fancy  the  tendency  of  many  Vine  growers  of 
the  present  day  has  been  to  entirely  ignore  the  advantages  of  outside 
borders ;  but  after  many  years’  experience  with  Vines  growing  under 
a  variety  of  circumstances  I  have  noticed  that  midseason  Grapes 
invariably  colour  splendidly  when  the  Vine  roots  are  outside. — VlTis. 
AS  OF  A  DREAM. 
You  expressed  sympathy  with  me  in  1893  in  regard  to  the  two  small 
hybrid  Potatoes  which  I  raised  by  fertilising  the  Mexican  species  Solanum 
Fendleri  with  pollen  from  my  S.  tuberosum  seedling,  Antagonist.  I  have 
frequently  been  questioned  before  and  since  then  by  others — those  who 
can  feel  no  farther  than  their  breeches  pocket — as  to  their  being  “  money 
in  it  ” — not  in  the  pocket,  but  the  seedlings  obtained.  These  questions 
strike  home.  Generally  I  make  reply,  I  cannot  ride  post  to  secure 
patents  for  my  Potatoes  ;  once  they  become  cast  upon  commerce  they 
belong  to  the  public  so  far  as  I  am  concerned.  If  they  were  pinions,  say, 
broken  from  the  wheels  of  a  watch,  I  could  sit  down  and  adjust  new 
pinions  at  once,  and  command  “  money  in  it  ”  for  myself ;  or  in  the  event 
of  creating  an  instrument  for  the  destruction  of  my  species  I  could  get  it 
patented  at  once  for  my  personal  benefit.  But  in  the  cases  of  Nature’s 
workings  I  have  probably  to  wait  for  years  before  the  good  old  Dame  would 
enable  me  to  answer  the  question  in  the  affirmative.  (My  heaven  will 
