September  29,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
241} 
FRUITING  YOUNG  VINES. 
In  reply  to  Mr.  Charles  Colebrook’s  note  on  page  187,  September  8th, 
regarding  the  youDg  Vine9  that  have  done  so  well  here,  I  have 
nothing  to  add  to  my  statement  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture , 
October  28th,  1897,  page  417,  on  my  method  ot  making  up  the  border 
and  planting  the  Vines.  The  only  thing  I  can  attribute  to  my  success 
is  attention  in  airing,  watering,  pinching  and  thiuning  the  Grapes  in 
due  time. 
The  seedling  Vine,  referred  to  by  Mr.  Colebrook  from  Madresfield 
Court  crossed  with  Black  Hamburgh,  is  a  strong  grower  :  it  resembles 
in  shape  of  bunch  and  berry  Madresfield  Court,  and  the  flavour  is  equal 
to  Muscat  of  Alexandria  ;  however,  as  this  is  the  first  year  of  fruiting  I 
term  the  ‘‘aristocracy”  of  the  floral  world.  No  wonder  then  that 
the  bulb  trade  has  grown  to  such  enormous  dimensions.  Not  many 
years  ago  the  distribution  of  bulbs  in  this  country  was  almost  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  general  nurserymen,  now  we  have  hosts  of  specialists 
who  confine  their  trade  principally  to  growing  and  exporting  bulbs, 
and  even  in  this  country  a  considerable  industry  has  sprung  up  in 
connection  with  the  culture  of  Daffodils,  for  supplying  bulbs  for  sale 
as  well  as  cut  flowers. 
Notwithstanding  the  many  failures  which  have  been  recorded  in 
the  attempts  made  to  produce  Hyacinth  and  Tulip  bulbs  of  the  finest 
quality  in  this  country,  I  still  believe  the  time  is  coming  when  we  in 
England  shall  be  able  to  turn  much  of  the  at  present  unprofitable 
land  to  remunerative  account  by  growing  successfully  the  good  things 
our  Continental  friends  are  now  pleased  to  send  us.  We  admire  their 
m 
Pig  44.— GRAPES  AT  IIEWELL  GRANGE. 
hope  to  be  able  to  say  more  about  it  another  year.  I  am  sending  a 
photograph  of  the  vinery  which  was  taken  a  few  weeks  ago,  with  myself  and 
dog  standing  at  the  end  of  house. — Wm.  K.  Pettigrew,  Heuell  Grange 
Gardens,  Worcestershire. 
[When  Mr.  Pettigrew  described  his  practice  of  raising  Vines  in  1896 
and  bearing  them  heavily  in  1897,  we  asked  him  in  a  footnote  to  oblige 
by  reporting  progress  in  1898.  He  appears  to  be  content,  as  he  well  may, 
to  let  the  photograph  speak  for  itself,  and  it  will  be  conceded  that  it 
represents  excellent  work.] 
BULBS  AND  THEIR  CULTURE. 
Bulbous  rooted  flowers  have  long  been  especial  favourites  in  all 
countries  where  gardening  is  cherished,  for  they  supply  us  with  some 
of  the  loveliest  flowers  in  creation.  Rich  and  poor  alike  can  indulge 
in  their  culture,  and  fortunately  many  of  what  are  termed  “  common 
species  ”  can  hold  their  own  in  point  of  beauty  among  what  I  will 
scientific  and  systematic  methods  of  culture,  but  Britons,  though 
slow,  do  sometimes  take  a  leaf  out  of  their  rivals’  book,  and  when 
once  they  “  mean  business  ”  in  any  particular  direction,  such  trifles 
as  so-called  unsuitability  of  soil,  climate,  and  other  fancied  difficul¬ 
ties  of  the  pessimists  are  swept  away  by  practice  and  determined 
persistency. 
The  time  has  now  arrived  when  bulbs  for  early  forcing  should 
be  potted  without  delay.  I  will  therefore  advance  a  few  remarks 
about  such  work  which  will  be  applicable  to  the  majority  of  bulbs, 
and  in  subsequent  notes  deal  with  their  cultural  requirements 
under  the  heading  of  each  species.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
unless  we  procure  good  bulbs  we  cannot  have  fine  flowers,  as  the 
flower  in  the  embryo  is  in  the  bulb,  and  whether  that  undeveloped 
flower  is  good  or  inferior  its  general  character  cannot  be  greatly 
altered  by  the  cultivator.  It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that 
any  haphazard  system  of  culture  will  bring  good  results  as  long  as 
fine  bulbs  are  obtained ;  they  need  to  be  subjected  to  such  conditions 
as  will  enable  the  flowers  to  develop  to  their  fullest  extent.  It  is 
an  easy  matter  to  start  with  the  best  bulbs  in  the  world  and  yet  have 
