222 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  22,  1898. 
1CHR 
Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  September  meeting  was  held  in  the  Society’s  rooms  on 
Wednesday  evening,  the  14th  inst.  Mr.  John  Haigh  was  elected 
Chairman.  After  the  usual  business  had  been  attended  to,  Mr.  John 
Hewitt  (“  Hallamshire  Bee-keeper  ”)  the  well-known  apiarian,  gave 
an  address,  the  subject  being  “  Bees  and  Bee-keeping.”  Mr.  Hewitt, 
being  as  full  of  bee-lore  as  he  likes  his  hives  to  be  of  honey,  gave 
much  information  about  the  lives  and  habits  of  the  honey  bee,  and 
their  value  to  the  fruit  grower  and  gardener  in  fertilising  the  blossoms 
and  setting  of  fruits  and  seeds.  Mr.  Hewitt  is  a  wonderful  manipu¬ 
lator  of  bees,  and  stated  casually  that  if  yon  frightened  a  hive  of  bees 
you  might  do  almost  anything  with  them  with  impunity.  As  several 
of  the  members  appeared  to  have  a  number  of  grievances  (ancient 
and  modern)  against  bees,  they  were  very  anxious  to  know  how  to 
frighten  them,  in  order  to  wipe  out,  without  danger  to  themselves,  a  few 
old  sores.  However,  as  the  replies  given  were  not  considered  altogether 
saMsfactory  from  an  “  amateur’s  ”  view,  the  bees  are  not  at  present  in 
danger  of  being  punished  for  past  delinquencies.  Many  other  questions 
were  asked,  and  ably  answered.  The  address  was  most  interesting 
and  instructive.  Mr.  Hewitt  was  awarded  a  vote  of  thanks  for  his 
kindness  in  giving  the  Society  the  benefit  of  his  experience. 
Cactus  and  decorative  Dahlias  were  the  exhibits  for  the  month, 
and  a  large  number  of  blooms  were  staged.  In.  the  professional 
section  Messrs.  S.  Lomas,  0.  Scott,  and  J.  Dixon  securtd  prizes  ;  and 
in  the  amateur  section  Messrs.  G.  Saynor,  W.  Carlton,  and  W.  Will- 
goose  also  obtained  the  prizes.  Mr.  S.  W.  Seagrave  of  Gleadless 
Nursery  was  awarded  a  certificate  of  merit  for  a  fine  collection  shown 
by  him,  not  for  competition,  including  a  number  of  new  Cactus 
varieties — Night,  Eileen  Palliser,  Ethel,  Clown,  and  several  others. 
AmoDgst  the  Pompons  Agate,  Douglas,  and  Nellie  Broomhead  (called 
after  the  daughter  of  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society)  were  very  good. — 
J.  H.  S. 
CROPPING  VINES. 
W  hen  is  a  Vine  overcropped  ?  This  is  a  query  which  cannot  be 
satisfactorily  answered  in  terms  which  would  be  equally  true  in  all 
instances,  because  so  much  depends  upon  the  circumstances  of  each 
individual  case.  The  old  idea  of  considering  that  a  pound  of  Grapes 
to  a  foot  run  of  rod  is  as  great  a  weight  of  fruit  as  a  healthy  Vine  will 
perfect  should  by  this  time  be  exploded,  because  it  is  no  uncommon 
occurrence  to  see  Vines  carrying  double  that  weight  of  perfectly  finished 
fruit  per  foot  of  rod,  and  to  go  on  doing  it  year  after  year  provided  the 
feeding  given  is  proportionate  to  the  weight  of  crop.  On  the  other 
hand,  how  often  do  we  see  Vines  struggling  on  >  ear  after  year  ]  ro- 
ducing  only  light  crops  and  inferior  Grapes,  and  no  matter  how  scanty 
the  crop  may  be  in  any  particular  year,  the  condition  of  affairs  does  not 
*how  much  improvement  the  following  one  by  reason  of  the  partial 
“  rest.” 
The  truth  about  the  matter  is  that  when  their  roots  are  languish¬ 
ing  in  sour  soil,  and  become  destitute  of  fibre,  Vines  are  incapable  of 
producing  good  Grapes,  no  matter  how  light  a  crop  they  may  carry  ; 
but  with  healthy  vigorous  Vines,  having  root  fibres  in  abundance,  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  define  when  they  are  overcropped.  The 
amount  of  feeding  which  such  Vines  require  to  enable  them  to  show 
their  full  capabilities  is  almost  beyond  comprehension,  and  it  is 
through  not  feeding  in  proportion  to  the  crop  rather  than  through 
overcropping  that  badly  coloured  Grapes  are  so  often  set  n.  Many 
growers  who  produce  Grapes  of  high  quality  dress  their  borders 
during  winter  with  a  little  fresh  turfy  loam,  and  add  a  sprinkling 
of  bonemeal,  or  a  top-dressing  of  cow  manure  or  horse  droppings. 
Then  during  the  growing  season  they  water  two  or  three  times  witn 
liquid  manure,  and  are  content  to  give  clear  water  at  other  waterings. 
The  results  they  obtain  are  satisfactory  in  a  certain  sense,  as  they 
act  on  the  principle  of  cropping  lightly  and  feeding  moderately,  but 
in  many  imtances  they  could  undoubtedlv,  by  the  aid  of  higher 
feeding,  obtain  far  heavier  crops  of  equally  fine  Grapes  without  in  the 
least  exhausting  their  Vines.  In  private  places  a  light,  well-finished, 
crop  is  generally  considered  satisfactory,  but  in  commercial  gardening  a 
continuance  of  such  practices  would  often  “  spell  ruin.”  We  must 
not,  however,  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  the  aim  of  the  Grape  growers 
in  many  private  establishments,  especially  where  exhibiting  is  practised, 
is  somewhat  different  from  that  of  the  market  grower.  The  former 
requires  a  good  number  of  large,  well-coloured  bunches,  the  latter  does 
not  want  large  bunches  at  all,  those  about  a  pound  in  weight  are  ideal1 
ones  for  his  purpose  ;  and  in  connection  with  this  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  a  vigorous  Vine  will  perfect  a  greater  weight  of  crop 
when  the  bunches  are  small  than  when  they  are  large. 
During  what  I  suppose  we  must  now  term  the  past  season,  I  have 
been  experimenting  in  the  direction  of  testing  how  great  a  weight  of 
crop  well-fed  Vines  would  carry,  and  I  must  confess  I  am  surprised  at 
the  result.  I  did  not  remove  a  single  bunch  from  several  Vines,  and 
by  the  time  colouring  commenced  the  array  of  bunches  looked  so  for¬ 
midable  that  I  felt  considerable  misgiving  about  the  colouring  process, 
as  I  had  certainly  never  attempted  to  take  so  heavy  a  crop  from 
Vines  occupying  the  same  amount  of  space  before,  but  when  I  noticed 
how  freely  the  roots  were  working  upon  the  surface  of  the  border,  I 
fancied  all  would  end  well. 
As  soon  as  the  Grapes  had  been  thinned  I  began  to  water  with 
liquid  manure.  This  was  given  at  alternate  waterings  right  up  to  the 
time  the  Grapes  were  perfectly  ripe,  and  whenever  clear  water  was- 
applied  I  first  dressed  the  border  with  chemical  manure;  the  Vines 
were  therefore  thoroughly  fed  at  each  watering,  the  result  being  that 
the  berries  swelled  up  to  a  large  size  and  became  perfectly  black,  even 
in  several  instances  in  which  a  single  shoot  carried  two  bunches. 
Now  let  me  turn  for  a  few  moments  to  another  phase  of  the 
subject  which  is  of  vital  importance  in  securing  good  finish  with 
black  Grapes.  I  refer  to  the  matter  of  atmospheric  moisture,  and  I 
am  bold  enough  to  assert  that  vast  numbers  of  Grapes  fail  to  colour 
well,  not  because  they  are  too  heavily  cropped  or  insufficiently  fed, 
but  because  a  too  arid  atmosphere  is  maintained  during  the  colouring' 
period.  The  hackneyed  advice  given  by  the  majority  of  writers  is, 
“Maintain  a  dry  warm  atmosphere  during  the  ripening  stage.”  This 
has  in  hosts  of  instances  been  far  too  liberally  interpreted,  to  the- 
serious  detriment  of  both  Grapes  and  Vines.  When  Grapes  are 
perfectly  ripe  it  is  of  course  necessary  to  maintain  a  dry  atmosphere 
to  keep  them  from  decay,  but  until  they  are  ripe  pursuance  of  such  a 
practice  defeats  the  object  in  view. 
Let  us  take  a  lesson  from  fruits  which  grow  in  the  open  air. 
Plums  and  Sloes  invariably  colour  perfectly,  and  retain  a  dense  bloom, 
although  the  weather  may  be  wet  at  ripening  time,  but  should  it 
prove  exceptionally  dry  the  leaves  become  infested  with  insects,  and 
the  fruit  does  not  get  beyond  a  reddish  tint.  Again,  black  Grapes 
growing  in  the  open  air  colour  perfectly  in  September,  when  the- 
nights  are  often  cold  and  wet,  and  during  a  late  season  it  is  only  the 
intense  cold  of  frost  which  prevents  their  ripening.  The  plan  I  adopt, 
and  strongly  recommend  to  others,  is  to  damp  the  houses  just  the 
same  when  the  Grapes  are  colouring  as  during  the  growing  season, 
up  till  the  time  that  the  berries  are  quite  black,  when  the  moisture 
may  be  gradually  lessened  till  it  is  withheld  entirely,  except  an 
occasional  sprinkling  to  keep  down  dust.  The  ventilators  should  be 
closed  at  the  afternoon  damping  until  colouring  has  become  general 
all  over  the  bunches,  then  gradual  reduction  of  air  must  take  the 
place  of  closing  entirely. 
By  following  this  course  the  foliage  may  be  kept  perfectly  fresh 
and  clean  till  the  Grapes  are  ripe,  and  the  art  of  colouring  Grapes — 
about  which  there  is  often  so  much  apparent  mystery — be  reduced  to 
a  matter  of  extreme  simplicity. 
Houses  containing  Madiesfield  Court,  and  a  few  other  varieties 
liable  to  crack,  must  have  a  rather  dry  atmosphere  maintained,  and 
for  this  reason  it  is  not  good  policy  to  plant  these  in  a  house  with 
Black  Hnmburgh,  but  Foster’s  Seedling,  Buckland  Sweetwater,  and 
Madresfield  are  a  trio  which  succeed  admirably  together. — H.  D. 
A  NEW  GRAPE— DIAMOND  JUBILEE. 
Messrs.  D.  &  W.  Buchanan,  Forth  Vineyard,  Kippen,  by  Stirling, 
exhibited  at  the  show  held  in  Edinburgh  on  September  14th  and  15th,  in 
connection  with  the  Ro3Tal  Caledonian  Horticultural  Society,  a  new 
seedling  Grape,  which  met  with  the  approval  of  all  who  saw  it  or  had  the 
chance  of  tasting  it. 
Being  one  of  the  latter  fortunate  ones,  I  have  much  pleasure  in  saying 
that  this  seedling  Grape  is  a  decided  acquisition.  Its  flavour  is  good, 
flesh  firm,  berries  large,  and  bunch  compact.  I  consider  it  a  great 
improvement  on  any  late  black  Grape  we  have  at  present. 
Messrs.  Buchanan  have  named  this  seedling  of  theirs  Diamond  J ubilee, 
and  I  think  that  it  is  really  worthy  of  being  named  in  connection  with 
that  wonderful  occasion. 
The  Grape  was  awarded  a  first-class  certificate,  and  deservedly  so.  I 
believe  Messrs.  Buchanan  intend  to  offer  the  Grape  to  the  public  in  the 
course  of  a  year  or  two,  and  when  they  do  so  I  would  advise  all  who  wish 
a  good  late  black  Grape  to  go  in  for  Diamond  Jubilee. 
I  may  perhaps  be  allowed  to  take  this  opportunity  of  congratulating 
the  Royal  Caledonian  Horticultural  Society  on  the  splendid  display  at 
the  show.  Favoured  with  good  weather,  largely  attended,  and  much 
admired,  the  exhibition  was  a  decided  success,  and  must  have  been  very 
encouraging  to  the  new  Secretary,  who  seems  to  have  “risen  to  the 
occasion,”  and  who  spared  no  efforts  to  make  the  show  a  success. — 
John  Thomson,  Clovenfords  j 
