302 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  20,  1898. 
Cypripediums  from  Aberdeen. 
I  AM  Bending  you  two  forms  of  Cypripedium  Charlesworthi,  which 
I  think  are  very  good  ones.  No.  1  is  large,  but  the  dorsal  sepal 
recurves  a  little  too  much.  No.  2  is  more  compact,  and  the  colour  is 
good.  I  also  enclose  a  variety  of  C.  Curtisi ;  it  is  not  so  large  as  the 
one  previously  sent,  but  I  like  it  better,  as  the  flower  is  more  compact. 
We  have  a  nice  show  of  Orchid  bloom  here  with  Cattleya  labiata, 
C.  aurea,  many  forms  of  Cypripedium  insigne  montana  section,  includ¬ 
ing  the  yellow  C.  insigne  Balliana,  also  C.  Arthuriana,  C.  vexillarium 
superbum,  C.  Chas.  Canham,  C.  oenanthum  superbum,  and  other 
hybrids,  some  of  which  have  been  raised  here,  and  are  now  blooming 
for  the  first  time.  Tliere  is  a  good  promise  of  flowers  right  through 
the  winter.  Laelia  anceps  is  showing  well,  and  on  some  of  the  spikes  of 
L.  autumnalis  are  six  to  seven  blooms. 
We  have  scarcely  felt  the  drought,  and  have  not  once  run  short  of 
rain  water  during  the  season.  Vegetables  are  looking  remarkably 
well,  especially  winter  crops,  and  Potatoes  are  first-rate.  We  are  still 
gathering  Peas.  Carnations,  Dahlias,  Begonias,  Tea  Roses,  Sweet 
Peas,  and  early  flowering  Chrysanthemums  are  giving  us  plenty  of 
flowers  outside.  There  has  been  no  frost  here  yet  to  injure  anything. 
— G.  W.  Cummins,  Balmedie,  Aberdeen. 
[Each  of  the  Cypripediums  sent  has  good  points.  The  variety  of 
C.  Charlesworthi  numbered  2  is  very  fine  in  the  dorsal  sepal,  this 
organ  having  form,  colour,  substance,  and  size.  We  agree  with  the 
observations  respecting  the  flower  of  C.  Curtisi.] 
Cattleya  maxima. 
Tiie  specific  name  of  this  Orchid  is  not  appropriate  at  the  present 
day,  no  matter  what  it  was  at  the  time  of  naming.  There  are  many 
species  with  larger  flowers,  though  doubtless  when  first  discovered  it 
was  one  of  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest  flowered  species,  known  to 
botanists.  It  cannot  be  styled  a  first-rate  kind,  but  is  useful  in 
keeping  up  an  autumn  display.  The  habit  is  rather  tall,  the  flowers 
occurring  about  six  on  a  tall  peduncle,  and  their  colour  is  a  bright  rose 
with  a  yellow  centre  to  the  lip  and  several  deep  purple  lines  running 
from  this  to  the  margin. 
C.  maxima  is  very  little  grown,  but  in  an  intermediate  house  will 
usually  be  satisfactory  if  the  ordinary  routine  of  Orchid  culture  is 
carried  out  with  it.  Flowering  as  it  does  on  the  apex  of  the  young 
growth  it  is  advisable  to  keep  it  at  rest  when  these  are  past.  It  will 
not  need  drying  off  entirely,  but  a  greatly  reduced  water  supply  is 
necessary  from  November  until  the  growths  start  in  spring,  when  the 
plants  may  be  repotted  if  they  require  it,  using  a  rough  open  compost 
and  draining  the  pots  thoroughly.  C.  maxima  is  one  of  the  oldest 
known  species,  having  been  discovered  far  back  in  the  eighteenth 
century  by  the  Spanish  botanists  Ruiz  and  Pavon.  It  was  not 
introduced  until  llartweg  collected  it  for  the  Horticultural  Societv 
in  1842.— H.  R.  R. 
Gr  RAPES  AT  MELTON  CONSTABLE. 
Much  has  been  written  in  the  horticultural  press,  especially  in  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture,  on  the  subject  of  “express”  Grape  culture, 
or  producing  large  crops  of  Grapes  in — to  some  persons — an  incredibly 
short  space  of  time.  I  must  confess  to  experiencing  strong  feelings  of 
scepticism  upon  many  occasions  when  reading  of  the  wonderful  results 
chronicled.  1  recently  had  an  opportunity  of  inspecting  an  example 
of  the  method  of  culture  in  question,  practised  in  an  eminently  satis¬ 
factory  manner.  So  much  was  I  impressed  with  the  object  lesson, 
that  all  my  late  “  scepticisms  ”  have  been  shattered,  and  I  now  range 
myself  unhesitatingly  on  the  side  of  the  “express”  system. 
Calling  one  day  in  August  on  Mr.  Shingler,  the  able  gardener  at 
Melton  Constable,  in  Norfolk,  one  of  Lord  Hastings’  charming  seats, 
and  of  which  he  is  so  justly  proud,  I  was  not  prepared  for  what  I 
there  saw  in  the  excellence  of  the  Grapes,  or  the  method  employed  in 
producing  them.  In  the  autumn  of  1894  four  new  vineries  were 
erected,  each  95  feet  long  and  20  feet  wide,  span-roofed,  standing 
parallel  to  each  other,  and  [running  north  and  south,  so  that  all  sides 
obtain  an  equal  amount  of  light  and  sun.  They  are  so  contrived  that 
the  channel  or  spout  between  any  two  houses  carries  off  the  water 
from  the  roofs  of  boih.  It  will  thus  be  perceived  there  are  no  outside 
borders,  the  roots  being  entirely  confined  within  the  houses. 
In  construction,  abundant  light,  consistent  with  strength,  was  the 
main  object.  The  height  of  the  vineries  admits  of  14  feet  rafters,  and 
hence  provides  space  for  a  sufficient  length  of  rod  to  carry  a  substantial 
weight  of  fruit.  Instead  of  planting  thirty  Vines  on  each  side'  of 
every  house,  in  the  orthodox  manner,  as  many  cultivators  would 
have  done,  thus  requiring  no  less  than  240  Vines — a  serious  item  in 
expenditure — Mr.  Shingler  only  planted  twenty-four,  six  in  each 
house,  for  permanent  bearing.  True,  he  planted  six  supernumeraries 
in  each  house,  but  so  little  progress  have  they  made  (for  reasons  I  will 
state  later)  that  they  might  easily  have  been  dispensed  with.  The 
permanent  Vines  were  planted  in  the  spring  of  1895,  one  in  the  centre 
of  each  side,  the  remaining  four  a  few  feet  from  each  end.  The  object 
was  to  fill  each  house  with  six  Vines  only,  three  on  each  side.  So 
successful  has  been  the  growth,  that  the  object  has  all  but  been 
attained  already.  The  first  year  Tomatoes  were  grown  between  the 
Vines,  evidently  without  prejudice  to  them,  and  thus  the  space  was 
thoroughly  utilised. 
No.  1  house  is  planted  with  four  Vines  of  Madresfield  Court  and 
two  of  Gros  Maroc ;  No.  2,  with  Muscat  of  Alexandria  entirely; 
No.  3  contains  four  Alicante  and  two  Gros  Colman;  No.  4  house  has 
more  variety — two  Gros  Colman,  two  Gros  Maroc,  one  Lady  Hastings, 
and  one  Alnwick  Seedling. 
The  borders  are  being  made  on  the  “  piecemeal  ”  system.  Mr. 
Shingler  is  of  opinion  that  very  often  more  rooting  space  is  given 
to  Vines  than  is  either  necessary  or  desirable.  He  pursues  a 
restrictive  policy  in  this  respect.  Even  now,  after  four  years 
vigorous  growth,  a  border  space  of  15  feet  in  length  and  10  feet 
■wide  only,  is  provided  for  each  Vine.  The  borders  are  3  feet  deep, 
6ainches  of  this  being  drainage  on  a  bed  of  concrete. 
In  the  preparation  of  the  compost  due  attention  was  paid  to  the 
composition  of  the  natural  soil.  As  this  was  destitute  of  lime,  con¬ 
siderable  quantities  of  old  lime  rubble  and  burnt  refuse,  with  some 
slaked  lime,  were  mixed  with  turf  cut  from  a  pasture.  This  formed 
the  whole  of  the  compost ;  no  manure  of  any  kind  was  added.  The 
border  was  made  quite  firm,  so  that  the  roots  could  not  penetrate 
through  the  soil  rapidly  in  quill-like  fashion.  Firm  soil  is  admittedly 
a  precursor  of  fibrous  tissue,  and  this  is  what  all  successful  Grape 
growers  seek  to  produce. 
The  training  of  the  Vines  was  so  arranged  in  pruning  that  two, 
and  in  some  instances  three  canes  were  allowed  to  extend  the  first  year 
for  providing  future  rods.  Where  three  canes  were  provided  one  was 
trained  directly  up  the  roof,  the  others  horizontally  along  the  bottom 
wire  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  main  stems.  From  the  horizontally 
trained  basal  rods  growths  at  intervals  of  3  feet  and  4  feet,  according 
to  the  varieties,  were  trained  directly  up  the  roof.  Overcrowding  of 
the  growths  was  strictly  guarded  against,  and  the  result  is  magnificent 
foliage,  thick  and  leathery  to  the  feel  without  undue  grossness,  while 
the  colour  is  all  that  could  be  desired ;  no  paleness  or  lack  of  chlorophyll 
here. 
Mr.  Shingler  is  a  believer  in  ample  foliage,  but  it  must  be  of  the 
right  kind.  In  his  opinion  one  good  leaf,  thoroughly  exposed  to  light 
and  air,  is  worth  a  dozen  of  a  flimsy  character  with  attenuated  stalks 
—the  effect  of  huddling  so  many  together,  each  struggling  with  its 
neighbour,  and  all  suffering  in  the  contest.  When  pruning  the  young 
Vines  thought  is  given  to  the  production  of  even-sized  bunches  over 
the  entire  length  of  the  future  rods.  Good  culture  consists  in  insuring 
bunches  for  twenty  years  as  large  at  the  base  of  each  Vine  as  near  its 
extremity.  This  can  only  be  realised  by  discrimination  in  the  annual 
pruning  of  the  leaders.  If  young  Vines  are  allowed  to  retain,  say, 
6  feet  of  growth  yearly,  the  base  or  lower  portion  of  the  Vine  cannot 
yield  in  years  to  come  bunches  as  large  as  those  nearer  the  apex. 
Restriction  of  the  leading  canes  to  a  reasonable  extent  annually 
is  a  policy  well  worth  practising.  Mr.  Shingler  too  well  understands 
the  capacity  of  young  Vines  to  over-tax  and  cripple  them  during 
their  infancy.  In  laying  the  foundation  of  those  in  question  a  3  feet 
length  of  leader  was  allowed.  Now  2  feet  is  considered  sufficient  to 
produce  an  annual  crop  of  sufficient  weight  for  the  Vines  to  endure 
creditably. 
Now  as  to  the  results  attained.  The  year  after  planting — viz., 
1896 — each  Vine  was  allowed  to  carry  from  twelve  to  fourteen 
bunches ;  the  year  following,  1897,  twenty-five  bunches  were  taken 
from  each  Vine.  The  present  year  I  witnessed  and  took  careful  notes 
of  the  crop.  Alnwick  ’Seedling  was  bearing  forty-three  well-developed 
bunches,  with  full  sized  berries,  the  colour  being  all  that  could  be 
desired.  Alicante  was  laden  to  the  extent  of  forty  bunches,  many 
weighing  5  lbs.,  and  several  7  lbs.  As  is  customary  with  this  variety 
when  the  Vines  are  young  the  bunches  were  in  some  instances  a  trifle 
loose  and  ill-shapen ;  the  colour  of  the  berries  was  perfection,  carrying 
as  they  did  a  profusion  of  bloom.  Gros  Maroc  had  the  largest  berries 
I  have  yet  seen  of  that  variety,  and  the  colour  left  nothing  to  be 
desired  ;  the  flavour,  too,  was  distinctly  passable.  Gros  Colman  was 
easily  supporting  its  forty  bunches,  many  of  which  would  turn  the 
scale  at  6  lbs.,  and  such  berries  !  uniform  in  size,  colour,  and  finish. 
In  this  case  the  rods  were  4  feet  apart,  thus  allowing  ample  space  for 
the  full  development  of  the  characteristic  growth  and  foliage  of  this 
