May  19,  189& 
JOmnAL  OP  HORTiCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
423 
PROFITABLE  FRUIT  GROWING. 
{Concluded  from  page  403.) 
Mt  plan  of  occupying  a  whole  house  with  one  Vine  with  the  least 
possible  loss  of  cropping  space  would  he  to  plant  the  Vines  along  the 
front  in  the  usual  way,  about  3  feet  apart.  Crop  and  prune  in  the  usual 
short  spur  system  until  they  have  reached  the  top — which  may  be  about 
five  years  from  the  first  year  of  fruiting.  Now  select  a  healthy  Vine 
about  the  centre  of  the  house.  From  this  Vine  allow  leaders  to  grow 
at  right  angles  from  both  sides,  beginning  at  the  bottom  wire  and 
continuing  every  18  inches  to  the  top.  Allow  these  leaders  to  grow 
6  feet,  then  stop.  Disbud  and  make  room  for  them  where  they  cross 
the  two  upright  rods  on  each  side  of  the  selected  one.  Crop  the  rods 
on  each  side  of  them 
heavily,  and  cut  out 
as  soon  as  the  fruit  is 
ofiF.  At  priming  time 
cut  backthehorizontal 
canes  to  3  feet.  Disbud 
all  growth  from  the 
under  sides,  allowing 
laterals  with  fruit  to 
fill  the  18  ins.  of  space 
above,  and  leaders 
again  to  extend  other 
6  feet.  Repeat  this 
annually  until  the 
house  is  filled  from 
the  centre  Vine,  which 
would  be  for  a  house 
40  feet  long  about 
fourteen  years.  You 
would  havethebi  nefit 
of  a  large  amount  of 
young  cropping  wood 
each  year  and  two  rods 
heavily  cropped. 
If  desired,  the 
house  could  be  again 
filled  with  young  wood 
and  fresh  rods  from 
the  original  one  in  the 
centre  by  a  similar 
process  of  taking  them 
up  from  the  horizontal 
r(^  at  the  bottom  wire.  , 
Whichever  style  is  adopted  it  is  important  that  no  crowding  of  the 
foliage  takes  place.  The  trellis  should  not  be  nearer  the  glass  than 
16  or  18  inches.  At  this  distance  the  shoots  can  be  stopped  and 
allowed  to  remain  with  their  points  to  the  glass  until  just  before  the 
bunches  are  flowering.  They  can  then  be  tied  down  in  half  the  time 
to  their  proper  places  without  risk  of  heeling  off.  This  operation  of 
tying  down  is  generally  done  too  soon  in  private  places.  The 
consequences  of  precipitation  in  this  matter  are  very  serious,  as  has 
more  than  once  been  pointed  out  by  experienced  cultivators. 
As  to  the  best  varieties  to  grow,  the  Hamburgh  amongst  blacks 
is  still  the  favourite  for  early  work,  but  unless  for  this,  or  under 
certain  circumstances,  it  is  about  the  most  unprofitable  of  any,  as  it 
will  not  carry  and  finish  a  heavy  crop.  Madresfield  Court  is  nearly  as 
early,  and  when  well  grown  will  fetch  a  much  higher  price.  Gros 
Colman  for  a  late  sort  has  no  equal,  and  has  entirely  crushed  Lady 
Downe’s  out  of  the  market.  Alnwick  Seedling,  where  it  does,  is 
good,  as  it  will  finish  a  heavy  crop;  besides,  it  can  be  planted 
6  inches  closer  than  most  of  the  others.  The  habit  of  growth  of  this 
variety  is  the  most  perfect  of  all  the  Grapes  I  know— medium  sized, 
short  jointed,  hard  well-ripened  wood,  not  so  subject  to  insect  attacks 
as  the  others.  Were  it  not  its  bad  setting  qualities,  it  would  take  a 
different  place  than  it  does  for  market  work.  Alicante,  for  an  all¬ 
round  black  Grape,  owing  to  the  great  weight  of  fruit  it  can  carry 
and  finish,  is,  I  believe,  the  most  profitable  of  all,  and  perhaps  the 
most  largely  grown  for  market  purposes.  One  of  the  largest  and  best 
Grape  growers  round  London  once  told  me  that  he  could  take  more 
money  out  of  a  house  of  Alicante  than  out  of  one  of  equal  size  filled 
with  Canon  Hall  IMuscat,  though  the  latter  were  not  sold  for  less  than 
Gs.  per  lb.  Muscat  of  Alexandria  is  about  the  only  white  worth 
growing.  The  object  to  be  aimed  at  in  selecting  and  growing  is  big 
berries  and  high  finish.  Flavour  is  of  secondary  importance. 
I  did  not  intend  saying  so  much  about  Grapes — though  there  are 
a  few  points  in  their  cultivation  which  I  have  not  touched  of  much 
importance.  I  cannot  help  but  think  that  all  I  have  said  is  but  in  a 
sense  wasted  words,  for  I  would  not  recommend  you  to  begin  growing 
this  fruit  for  market  at  its  present  value,  and  I  am  afraid  the  tendency 
of  prices  is  still  downwards.  Tons  upon  tons  of  good  hothouse  Grapes 
are  now  sold  at  an  average  of  Is.  per  lb.  There  is  something  wrong 
certainly  when  the  grower  gets  say  Is.  6d.  per  lb.  for  growing  and 
marketing,  and  the  retailer  who  hands  them  over  the  counter  to  a 
customer  gets  an  equal  amount  for  doing  so.  But  to  state  a  remedy  is 
not  so  easy.  The  only  one  I  can  think  of,  but  which  would  only  be 
applicable  to  the  smaller  grower  at  a  convenient  distance  from  large 
centres  of  population,  would  be  for  him  to  take  his  produce  direct  to 
the  consumer.  The  butcher,  the  baker,  the  grocer,  and  the  milkman 
go  their  daily  rounds  with  their  vans,  and  have  a  circle  of  good 
customers.  Why  not  the  fruit  grower  ?  At  present  this  is  left  to  a 
class  of  hawkers,  whose  goods,  like  themselves,  are  not  always 
inviting.  I  do  not  know  of  two  branches  of  industry  that  should  go 
better  together  than  dairying  and  fruit  growing.  Something  similar 
has  often  been  recommended,  and  from  very  high  quarters  too,  but  the 
mistake  in  the  advice  is  that  farmers  have  been  advised  to  take  to 
fruit  growing,  when  it  should  be  fruit  growers  take  to  dairying. 
Milk,  butter,  and  eggs  are  always  in  request.  The  customers  for 
these  would  form  a  connection  for  the  produce  of  the  garden.  The 
consumer  would  get  his  fruit  and  vegetables  fresher  and  cheaper,  and 
the  grower  would  save  the  profits  ot  two  or  three  middlemen,  which 
would  amount  to  nearly  double  what  he  now  gets. 
No  lecture  on  fruit  growing  would  be  complete  without  saying 
something  on  packing.  We  have  not  time  to  go  into  particulars. 
Whatever  style  of  sending  fruit  to  market  is  adopted,  you  cannot  be 
too  particular  in  seeing  that  it  is  well  done,  honestly  done,  and  taste¬ 
fully  done.  The  very  best  and  most  reliable  labour  at  your  disposal 
should  be  employed  for  this  most  important  department.  Grade  all 
fruit  thoroughly;  it  will  pay  you  better  sometimes  to  throw  damaged 
or  inferior  samples  on  the  rubbish  heap  than  to  get  a  bad  name. 
Once  this  is  got,  it  is  not  so  easy  to  get  rid  of.  Your  produce  will 
always  find  a  readier  and  a  better  market  if  neatly,  tastefully,  and 
honestly  packed. 
In  conclusion,  let  me  say  that  in  treating  this  subject  of  profitable 
fruit  growing  it  has  been  my  endeavour  to  depart  a  little  from  the 
lines  usually  followed,  in  the  hope  that  old  truths  might  be  seen  in  a 
new  light,  and  that  whatever  is  new  or  fresh  might  be  the  better 
impressed  upon  your  memory,  to  stimulate  and  strengthen  independent 
thought  and  action,  but  above  all  to  point  out  that  it  is  well-directed 
individual  effort  that  is  the  mainspring  of  success.  If  anything  I 
have  said  will  in  any  way  help  you  to  this  end — of  making  you 
deeper  thinkers  and  better  workers,  with  an  increased  interest  and 
love  for  your  work — my  object  and  my  labours  shall  not  be  in  vain. 
— D.  Buchanan. 
[We  congratulate  Mr.  Buchanan  on  the  excellence  of  his  lecture. 
He  appears  to  be  one  of  the  few  men  who  can  write  as  well  as  work, 
and  work  as  well  as  write.  We  last  week  published  an  example  of  the 
results  of  Vine  border  renovation,  and  have  now  pleasure  in  giving  a 
very  much  reduced  photographic  representation  (fig.  79)  of  his  exhibit 
of  Grapes  at  the  Edinburgh  Show.  Our  correspondent  informs  us  that 
he  will  send  some  notes  for  our  next  issue  relative  to  the  ventilation  of 
vineries.  It  will  be  remembered  that  several  points  on  this  subject 
were  raised  by  Mr.  W.  Taylor,  of  Bath,  on  page  404.] 
Fig.  79.— Me.  D.  Buchanan’s  Exhibit  of  Grapes  at  Edinburgh  Show. 
