May  5,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
385 
the  peat  proves  advantageous,  and,  besides  many  other  substances, 
gives  phosphoric  acid  for  promoting  florilerousness,  as  well  as  iron,  for 
colour. 
The  potted  plants  cannot  have  too  much  light.  It  is  better  to  put 
some  pegs  in  the  pot  and  some  nails  in  the  rafter  and  sashbars,  and 
strain  some  twine  between  the  two  points,  training  the  growths  to 
them  instead  of  securing  these  to  the  trellis.  The  light  then  shines 
right  into  the  plant,  and  draws  the  flowers  from  the  axils  of  the 
leaves  or  the  terminals  of  the  growths  in  due  course.  Get  these,  and 
then  it  is  easy  to  tie  them  to  the  trellis,  as  the  string  draws  away 
easily,  so  as  to  cover  it  with  flowering  shoots  as  well  at  the  lower  as 
upper  part.  If  the  shoots  are  tied  to  the  trellis  there  will  be  little 
growth  at  the  base,  and  too  much  at  the  upper  part.  Better  still  train 
the  shoots  near  the  glass,  and  when  coming  into  flower  loosen  and 
secure  to  the  trellis. — G.  Abbey. 
CTo  be  concluded.) 
NARCISSUS  WILL  SCARLET. 
This  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  handsomest  Narcissus  that  has  ever 
been  shown,  and  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Engleheart  is  to  be  congratulated  on  its 
production.  The  crown  measures  upwards  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  is  deep 
saucer  shaped,  and  of  a  particularly  rich  red  colour.  Not  only  has  it 
these  good  points,  but  it  is  of  exceptional  substance.  The  perianth 
segments  are  creamy  white.  The  plant,  we  were  informed,  is  an  excellent 
grower,  and  produces  foliage  of  great  breadth  and  strength.  The 
Narcissus  Committee,  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  the  26th  ult.,  gave  a  first-class 
certificate  to  Will  Scarlet,  of  which  we  present  a  woodcut  (fig.  73).  The 
crown  or  cup  ought  to  have  been  depicted  as  slightly  deeper. 
Narcissus  Ajax  Hodsock’s  Pride. 
Mr.  Mallender  has  very  kindly  given  me  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
this  fine  bicolor  Daffodil,  a  seedling  raised  by  him  at  Hodsock  Priory 
Worksop.  It  IS  a  bold  flower  with  very  large  trumpet,  with  open  mouth. 
The  trumpet  is  clear  yellow,  and  the  perianth  is  sulphur  white.  The 
margin  of  the  trumpet  is  very  distinctly  serrated  and  lobed.  A  sister 
flower  to  Hodsock’s  Pride  was  also  sent ;  but  this  is  much  inferior, 
although  the  long  trumpet  gives  it  some  character.  A  seedling  incom- 
parabilis  with  a  deep  orange  crown,  which  should  look  bright  in  a  massj 
was  also  sent.  It  is  said  to  be  a  free  bloomer. — S.  Arnott. 
PROFITABLE  FRUIT  GROWING. 
{Continued  from  page  365.) 
We  will  now  revert  to  the  Vines,  which  were  grown  along  with 
the  Tomatoes  in  the  house  I  have  previously  described.  Eyes  of  Black 
Hamburgh,  Alicante,  Cooper’s  Black,  Alnwick  Seedling,  and  Madres- 
field  Court  were  inserted  in  3-inch  pots  about  the  middle  of  February, 
and  brought  on  in  the  little  forcing  house  already  mentioned.  As 
soon  as  the  pots  were  filled  with  roots  they  were  transferred  to  5-inch 
])ots.  The  soil  used  was  from  a  part  of  the  field  where  the  turf  had 
been  taken  off,  and  nothing  was  added  to  it.  As  soon  as  they  were 
established  in  the  5-inch  pots  they  were  placed  amongst  the  Tomatoes, 
and  though  a  cold  summer,  with  no  fire  heat  and  constant  top  venti¬ 
lation,  they  grew  well,  and  were  nice  little  canes  about  4  feet  high, 
with  a  perfect  potful  of  healthy  active  roots  by  August  1st,  by  which 
time  they  were  planted  in  their  permanent  places  on  the  west  side 
of  the  span,  close  to  the  front.  The  method  of  planting  was  to  turn 
them  out  of  their  pots  and  without  loosening  the  roots  in  any  way, 
setting  them  on  the  border — not  in  it — 5  feet  apart.  A  pailful  of 
fresh  soil  wai  put  round  each  ball  and  made  firm  with  the  hand  ;  this 
left  them  in  little  mounds  like  molehills.  They  made  capital  canes 
that  autumn,  and  got  fairly  established  in  the  soil.  When  possible 
all  Vines  should  be  jilanted  when  groMung,  and  not  out  ot  larger  pots 
than  5  or  6  inches.  The  following  winter  they  rvere  cut  down  to 
18  inches  from  the  ground. 
In  spring  the  borders  were  thoroughly  dug,  and  as  the  soil  was 
now  deeper  and  richer.  Ham  Green  Favourite  Toinam  was  planted. 
The  object  this  year  was  to  have,  the  Tomatoes  earlier,  and  well 
established  and  fruiting  before  the  Vines  robbed  them  of  any  light  by 
their  foliage.  So  they  were  kept  a  little  warmer  than  in  the  previous 
year — but  in  no  sense  forced— to  keep  the  Vines  back  as  long  as 
possible.  A  hole  was  bored  in  the  wood  which  formed  the  side  of  the 
house — opposite  each  cane — and  the  points  pusherl  through  to  the 
outside,  all  eyes  left  inside  being  removed.  They  were  kept  in  this 
position  as  long  as  possible,  and  when  taken  in  they  were  soon  started. 
One  leader  was  taken  up  from  each,  which  by  autumn  was  a  medium¬ 
sized,  short-jointed,  well-ripened  cane — going  up  one  side  of  the  span  and 
down  the  other,  or  about  20  feet.  A  full,  good  crop  of  Tomatoes  was 
got  from  the  house  this,  the  second  year.  The  following  year  the  east 
side  of  the  house  was  again  planted  with  Tomatoes,  but  only  one  row, 
and  that  next  the  path  on  the  side  the  Vines  were  on.  Most  of  the 
Vines  were  strong  enough  this  year  to  have  carried  a  few  bunches, 
but  as  the  object  was  not  to  see  how  soon  Grapes  could  be  had,  but 
how  to  take  most  out  of  the  house,  they  were  cut  back  to  the  bottom 
\  ine,  and  two  leaders  instead  of  one  taken  up  from  each.  They  made 
very  fine  canes  this  year,  and  were  again  allowed  to  grow  down  the 
other  span.  The  Tomato  crop  was  not  so  good  this  year,  as  the  Vines 
from  June  onwards  monopolised  most  of  the  roof  space. 
This  was  the  third  and  last  crop  of  Tomatoes  grown  in  the  house, 
other  things  being  substituted  which  agreed  with  shade.  From  4  to 
5  feet  of  wood  was  left  for  the  first  crop  of  Grapes,  the  next  and  third 
year  since  raising.  An  average  of  four  bunches  was  left  on  each  rod,  or 
eight  to  a  \  ine  of  from  2  to  5  lbs.  weight.  The  Madresfields  averaged 
2|  lbs.  with  very  large  berries,  not  one  of  which  cracked.  Though 
some  bunches  lost  a  few  berries  through  being  left  too  tight,  the  tender 
skin  of  this  variety  going  where  it  was  most  squeezed,  all  finished  fit 
for  an  exhibition  table.  Many  of  the  Alicante  bunches  brought  from 
10s.  to  15s.  per  bunch.  These  were  seen  in  a  shop  window  by  one  of 
tiie  best  Grape  growers  in  Ayrshire,  and  declared  the  finest  A licantes 
he  had  seen;  The  weight  of  fruit  per  foot  run  on  this  variety  was  over 
Fig.  73. — Narcissus  Will  Scarlet. 
3  lbs.,  and  they  have  carried  and  finished  perfectly  nearly  as  much 
weight  per  foot  for  five  successive  years,  and  are  as  strong  and  vigorous 
to-day  as  ever.  I  may  state,  however,  that  this  variety  has  been 
allowed  to  extend,  occupying  each  year  a  larger  space,  and  now  fill  the 
other  side  of  the  span  and  going  through  to  fill  a  similar  house  built 
alongside.  The  bunches  in  the  Alnwick  Seedling  were  the  first  year 
much  smaller  than  the  others.  No  difficulty  was  experienced  with  the 
setting  of  this  variety,  either  in  the  first  or  any  year  since. 
I  will  now  state  what  was  done  to  the  borders.  The  inside  one 
received  a  few  dressings  of  Thomson’s  manure  annually,  and  a  good 
mulching  of  manure  just  before  the  Vines  broke  into  leaf,  and  a  few  times 
has  had  some  inches  of  fresh  soil  added  to  raise  the  border  to  the  level 
of  the  mounds  where  the  Vines  were  planted  ;  and  once  this  mulch  was 
covered  over  with  fresh  soil  similar  to  the  plan  adopted  with  the  first 
Tomato  crop.  The  roots  from  the  first  were  encouraged  to  enter  the 
outside  border,  which  was  kept  well  dressed  with  manure  during  the 
summer.  What  was  left  of  this  mulching  the  following  spring  was 
covered  over  with  a  few  inches  of  soil  and  again  top-dressed.  This  was 
annually  lepeated  until  the  border  was  about  twice  its  original  depth. 
I'ressings  of  Thomson’s  manure  were  also  given  outside,  and  heavy 
waterings  in  a  dry  summer. 
I  have  endeavoured  to  place  before  you  as  plainly  as  I  can  the 
details  of  a  system  of  culture  by  wdiich  heavy  crops  of  the  finest 
Grapes  and  Tomatoes  were  produced  with  little  or  no  expense  at 
border  making,  where  not  so  much  as  one  spadeful  of  the  orthodox 
turf  was  at  any  time  used,  in  a  cold  bleak  locality,  300  feet  above  sea 
level,  from  ordinary  farm  land,  the  average  value  per  acre  paid  by 
surrounding  farmers  for  such  being  about  £1. 
I  have  now  something  to  say  about  giving  air  to  a  vinery.  I  do 
not  expect  you  will  all  agree  with  me  here,  but  that  may  be  the 
