390 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  2,  1899. 
THOUGHTS  ON  EXHIBITING  GRAPES. 
Anything  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  William  Taylor  relating  to  Grape 
growing  or  showing  is  worthy  of  attention,  and  his  thoughts  printed 
on  page  354  of  the  Journal  touch  a  very  interesting  question.  I  have 
not  yet  been  to  the  Shrewsbury  Show,  but  hope  to  go  some  day, 
and  when  I  planted  some  young  Vines  last  spring  my  thoughts  were 
whether  they  would  eventually  produce  Grapes  good  enough  to  take 
there. 
In  the  third  paragraph  of  his  notes  Mr.  Taylor  has  had  the 
courage  to  do  what  I  should  have  done  before  had  I  had  the  nerve, 
namely,  to  condemn  the  practice  of  decorating  with  plants  the  tables 
and  stands  on  which  Grapes  are  exhibited.  I  think  the  executive  of 
the  Shrewsbury  Show  introduced  this  decorating  into  the  big  Grape 
class  with  the  idea  that  by  doing  so  something  more  pleasing  to  the 
eyes  of  the  public  than  had  hitherto  been  seen  would  be  provided  ;  but 
I  should  have  thought  the  public  would  have  been  able  to  satisfy  their 
appetite  with  artistic  plant-decoration,  of  which  there  is  so  much  in 
other  parts  of  the  show,  and  when  they  came  to  the  Grapes  they 
would  have  given  them  the  share  of  admiration  which  they  richly 
deserved.  I  think,  when.the  question  of  decoration  was  first  made 
public,  there|  was  some  correspondence  in  the  gardening  periodicals 
about  it,  and  someone  made  the  remark  that  it  was  just  possible  that 
the  best  Grapes  would  not  get  the  first  prize,  but  I  do  not  infer  that 
it  was  so.  This  is  practically  what  Mr.  Taylor  means. 
Your  correspondent  will,  perhaps,  be  pleased  to  hear  that  the  big 
vinery  that  he  built  and  planted  and  grew  such  fine  Grapes  in  at 
Longleat  in  years  gone  by  has  this  year  again  produced  a  splendid 
crop  of  beautiful  Grapes,  especially  the  Muscats,  under  the  manage¬ 
ment  of  his  old  pupil,  Mr.  J.  Trollope.  When  I  called  there  a  week 
ago  many  bunches  had,  of  course,  been  cut  and  used,  but  there  seemed 
to  be  quite  a  crop  of  highly  finished  Grapes  still  hanging. — R.  M. 
Theories  do  not  always  work  out  satisfactorily  when  put  into 
practice,  and  I  imagine  most  of  the  Grape  growers  who  saw  the 
competition  at  Shrewsbury  will  disagree  with  the  interesting  note 
from  Mr.  Taylor  on  decorating  the  exhibits  (page  354).  Previous  to 
the  date  of  the  show  I  was  rather  curious  to  know  the  result  of 
the  regulation  as  to  decorations.  There  is  too  much  stiffness  and 
uniformity  in  fruit  competitions  generally,  and  if  confined  to  fruit 
alone  this  is  almost  unavoidable.  The  decorative  dessert  tables,  now 
becoming  more  common,  are  a  welcome  relief  when  one  is  walking 
through  a  large  exhibition  of  fruit.  So,  likewise,  were  the  dainty 
little  Pitcher  Plants  and  other  material  which  Mr.  Lunt  had  so  artis¬ 
tically  placed  among  his  excellent  Grapes.  Everything  was  well 
chosen  and  well  placed.  The  decorations  did  not  overpower  the 
Grapes  in  any  way,  neither  were  the  Grapes — as  Grapes — one  whit 
improved  by  their  presence. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  other  exhibits  in  this  class,  with  the 
exception  of  one  or  two,  which  contained  plants  a  trifle  too  large  in 
size.  But  there  is  a  remote  possibility  of  Mr.  Taylor’s  example  of  an 
imaginary  competition  becoming  an  actual  fact  at  some  time,  and 
prizes  intended  for  Grapes  would  thus  go  to  decorations.  To  prevent 
this  absurdity  I  would  cease  giving  points  to  the  decorations,  but 
insist  on  their  presence,  as  was  done  at  Shrewsbury.  Exhibitors 
might  he  trusted  to  put  suitable  decorations,  and  there  would  be 
nothing  to  prevent  the  fruit  from  obtaining  its  proper  position. 
Perhaps  at  some  future  date  someone  will  discover  a  more  artistic 
way  than  we  have  at  present  for  exhibiting  collections  of  ten  or  twelve 
dishes  of  fruit ;  something  is  wanted  that  would  take  the  sameness  off ; 
the  eye  gets  tired  of  so  much  earthenware  and  tablecloth  at  these 
large  shows. 
I  have  not  followed  closely  the  notes  on  the  Muscat  question,  but 
on  referring  to  the  schedule  it  seems  to  me  the  words  “  Canon  Hall 
Muscat”  were  inserted  by  accident  instead  of  “Muscat  of  Alex¬ 
andria.”  No  one  who  knows  these  two  varieties  would  consider  them 
synonymous;  they  are,  in  fact,  perfectly  distinct.  But  Bowood, 
Tynninghame,  and  Charlesworth  Muscats  are  practically  the  same  as 
Muscat  of  Alexandria. — W.  H.  Divers,  Belvoir  Castle  Gardens, 
•Grantham. 
Cure  for  Oidium  in  Vines. — We  learn  from  the  “Revue 
Horticole”  that  toM.  Uchet,  a  Vine  grower  of  Chapareillau  (Isere),  belongs 
the  credit  of  an  important  discovery — namely,  the  cure  of  oidium  in  Vines 
by  substituting  carburate  of  calcium  for  the  sulphur  treatment,  which  he 
has  found  ineffectual  after  repeated  applications.  The  carburate  was 
reduced  to  a  fine  powder  and  then  sprayed  upon  a  Vine  trellis  220  yards 
in  length  after  this  had  been  well  syringed  with  pure  water.  The  imme¬ 
diate  effect  of  the  carburate  on  the  water  was  the  formation  of  acetylene 
gas,  the  effervescence  from  which  rid  the  Vine  of  the  oidium  in  a  single 
operation.  Neither  burn  nor  check  to  growth  was  found  to  result,  and 
eight  days  afterwards,  convinced  of  the  efficacy  of  his  discovery,  M.  Uchet 
applied  it  to  his  other  Vines  with  great  success. — (“La  Semaine 
Horticole.”) 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERS’  DOMAIN. 
Salvias. 
Considering  the  ease  with  which  these  plants  can  be  grown,  it  is  a 
pity  they  are  not  more  frequently  grown,  as  for  bedding  and  the  con¬ 
servatory,  particularly  the  latter,  they  make  a  brilliant  display  before 
the  Mums  are  fully  in  ;  they  are  excellent.  For  bedding  S.  patens  is 
probably  the  best.  To  show  off  the  full  beauty  of  the  plant  it  needs  to 
be  planted  in  a  mass  in  a  mixed  border,  where  the  rich  blue  flowers 
cannot  fail  to  attract  attention.  The  roots  require  a  slight  covering  if 
left  out  during  the  winter,  but  the  better  and  safer  plan  is  to  lift  them 
after  flowering,  and  store  them  in  boxes  in  a  cold  frame.  For  autumn 
flowering  we  find  S.  Betheli,  S.  Scarlet  Queen  the  best  ;  the  latter  an 
improvement  on  S.  splendens,  being  a  stronger  grower  and  the  flower 
trusses  much  finer. 
To  keep  a  stock  of  these  plants  we  select  two  of  each  variety  after 
flowering,  cutting  them  down  to  about  18  inches  of  the  pot,  and  keep  them 
ou  the  dry  side  during  the  winter  months  in  a  temperature  not  lower  than 
45°.  As  the  days  lengthen  we  water  more  frequently,  and  give  an 
occasional  syringing  to  keep  down  insects.  By  the  second  week  in 
April  the  cuttings  are  taken  and  inserted  three  in  a  large  60-pot,  using 
a  light  sandy  soil.  They  root  easily  in  a  pit  with  a  little  bottom  heat. 
When  well  rooted  they  are  put  in  a  cold  frame  and  pinched  so  as  to 
assume  bushy  habit  before  planting,  which  is  done  early  in  June 
on  a  sheltered  border,  not  too  rich  or  deeply  dug,  without  disturbirg 
the  plants.  When  they  are  thoroughly  established  they  receive  frequent 
supplies  of  liquid  manure,  and  by  keeping  the  plants  well  pinched  they 
make  excellent  specimens  for  lifting  and  potting,  which  is  done  the  first 
week  in  September. 
By  careful  lifting  and  potting,  and  keeping  pleasantly  moist,  they  soon 
recover  from  the  slight  check,  if  put  in  a  cold  Peach  house  where  they 
can  have  partial  shade.  By  growing  the  plant  as  described  we  get  much 
better  results  than  when  grown  in  pots.  For  late  blooming  we  have  the 
Apple-scented  variety,  S.  rutilans,  a  plant  well  worth  growing  if  only 
for  its  sweet-scented  foliage.  Cuttings  inserted  by  the  end  of  April  and 
potted  into  32-pots,  will  make  bushy  plants  for  blooming  in  December 
if  kept  pinched  and  fed  judiciously.  As  a  compost  we  use  a  good  strong 
loam  with  plenty  of  wood  ashes,  which  suits  the  plants  admirably. — 
Parvo. 
WORK.foi(theWEEK.. 
FRUIT  FORCING. 
Vines. — Early  Forced  in  Pots. — Where  thin-skinned  Grapes  are  required 
in  March  and  April  the  house  intended  for  U  e  Vines  will  now  be  ready 
for  their  reception.  The  pots  may  be  stood  on  slate  shelving  imme¬ 
diately  over  the  hot-water  pipes.  Where  there  is  convenience  for 
a  fermenting  bed  place  the  pots  on  pillars  which  will  not  give  way 
under  their  weight,  or  interfere  with  attending  to  the  fermenting  material. 
Against  the  pedestals  some  turves  may  be  placed,  and  the  holes  in  the 
pots  enlarged,  bringing  the  turf  up  above  these  so  as  to  bo  within  easy 
reach  of  the  roots,  which  will  speedily  follow  the  stimulating  food  with 
which  the  Vines  are  fed,  and  the  weight  and  quality  of  the  crop  will  be 
materially  enhanced.  Oak,  Beech,  or  Spanish  Chestnut  leaves  are  the  best 
for  supplying  bottom  heat.  Take  care  that  the  heat  about  the  pots  does 
not  exceed  70°  to  75°,  supplying  water  only  to  keep  the  soil  moderately 
moist,  as  a  wet  condition  does  not  favour  speedy  and  healthy  root  action. 
Allow  the  canes  to  fall  into  a  horizontal  position  over  the  fermenting 
material  until  they  have  broken,  but  do  not  permit  them  to  rest  upon  the 
moist  and  warm  bed.  Syringe  the  paths,  walls,  and  canes  two  or  three 
times  a  day,  but  sufficiently  early  for  the  [last  time  each  day  to  allow  of 
the  canes  becoming  fairly  dry  before  nightfall.  Maintain  a  temperature 
of  55°  at  night,  and  60°  to  65°  in  the  daytime,  with  a  free  circulation  of 
air  at  and  above  that  temperature,  and  close  early  in  the  afternoon. 
Succession  Houses. — Push  on  the  pruning  as  soon  as  the  Vines  become 
clear  of  foliage,  also  the  cleaning  and  whitewashing,  carefully  cleansing 
the  rods  with  softsoap  and  water  before  dressing  them  with  an  insecti- 
side.  This  will  be  all  that  is  in  most  cases  necessary,  few  growers  now 
practising  the  old-fashioned  process  of  peeling,  scraping,  and  painting 
with  a  pigment  of  clay,  soot,  sulphur,  and  other  substances.  Where 
insects,  however,  have  a  strong  holdjon  the  Vines,  it  is  absolutely  neces¬ 
sary  to  remove  the  loose  bark,  but  do  not  injure  the  living  rods,  and 
eradicate  the  enemy  by  washing  thoroughly  with  an  insecticide.  Some 
strong  mixtures,  especially  those  compounded  of  oils  and  fats,  are  more 
injurious  to  the  Vines  than  the  peeling,  and  they  should  be  avoided, 
unless  used  with  an  equal  weight  of  dry  pulverised  clay  and  sufficient 
water  to  form  a  cream  readily  applicable  with  a  brush. 
Midseason  Houses. — Any  Grapes  that  are  still  on  the  Vines  may  be 
cut,  as  they  will  keep  fresh  in  bottles  of  water  in  a  cool,  dry  room.  The 
Grapes  should  be  cut  with  all  the  wood  that  can  be  spared  for  insertion 
into  bottles  of  rain  water,  removing  the  foliage,  but  not  shortening  the 
wood  that  has  been  formed  beyond  the  bunch.  The  Vines  should  then 
