90 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Jaiumfy  30,  1880. 
and  in  the  centre  one  common  Elm.  Besides  these  there  are 
numerous  stumps  of  Laurels  and  other  dwarfer  plants  that 
have  long  since  died.  Unfortunately  there  is  not  one  good  tree 
in  the  group,  the  Chestnut  and  Elm  being  the  two  best.  No  doubt 
years  ago  this  combination  looked  very  well,  but  how  can  they  be 
thinned  and  improved  to-day  ?  If  one  is  removed  here  and  there 
lop-sided  specimens  are  exposed  to  view.  If  the  bottom  could  be 
filled  up  with  undergrowth  I  should  in  all  such  cases  advise  them 
to  be  left  to  mingle  their  foliage  together.  But  unfortunately 
undergrowth  cannot  be  induced  to  flourish  when  the  soil  is  robbed 
of  all  moisture,  full  of  roots,  and  light  excluded. 
There  are  those  who  admire  these  tangled  masses  of  foliage  ; 
see  beauty  in  the  dead  and  dying  undergrowth  and  in  the  sickly 
and  ruined  constitution  of  others.  It  is  true  that  there  is  beauty 
of  a  striking  nature  often  observable  in  a  mixture  of  foliage.  We 
have  often  admired  it  on  the  hill  side  and  by  the  edge  of  a  running 
stream  where  such  masses  are  appropriate  with  the  surroundings. 
But  they  do  not  harmonise  with  neat  shaven  lawns  and  well  kept 
walks.  In  such  positions  a  few  good  shapely  specimens,  having  room 
to  develop  their  true  characteristics,  are  much  more  commanding 
and  handsome  than  a  garden  full  of  crowded  unshapely  trees. 
The  method  of  renovation  is  often  a  difficult  one  and  attended 
with  no  small  amount  of  care  and  worry  ;  yet  these  difficulties 
must  be  grappled  with  or  the  evil  becomes  yearly  considerably  worse. 
When  these  matters  are  taken  in  hand  in  earnest  some  few  trees  or 
shrubs  may  be  saved  from  the  wreck.  Sometimes  it  is  best  to 
clear  out  the  whole,  prepare  the  ground  well  and  replant,  but  this 
is  not  always  practicable  and  would  give  to  many  places  a  bare 
appearance.  When  a  clump  is  thoroughly  cleared  all  the  shrubs  to 
furnish  the  ground  should  be  carefully  considered  and  planted  first  > 
then  those  to  furnish  or  renew  another  clump,  perhaps  of  a 
different  nature,  could  be  planted  amongst  them  to  be  eventually 
transferred  to  their  permanent  places.  In  a  few  years  by 
this  method  fresh  groups  can  be  formed  or  old  ones  renewed,  and 
they  will  look  almost  furnished  at  once.  Between  all  the  main 
trees,  Berberis  Aquifolia,  Rhododendron  ponticum,  Box  or  any 
other  similar  shrubs  may  be  employed. 
There  are  many  evergreens  that  lend  themselves  well  to  systems 
of  renovation,  however  drawn  and  crowded  they  may  be.  These 
are  the  various  forms  of  common  Laurel,  the  Portugal,  Hollies) 
Rhododendrons,  and  Yews  amongst  others,  while  most  of  the 
flowering  deciduous  shrubs,  such  as  Lilacs,  Spiraeas,  and  others  can 
soon  be  brought  within  bounds.  The  first  thing  necessary  is  to 
remove  any  top  growth  there  may  be,  so  that  light  can  reach  the 
plants  below.  Yews  and  Hollies  will  stand  very  hard  cutting 
back,  and  if  they  have  light  they  soon  become  refurnished,  and 
grow  afterwards  with  luxuriance. 
In  pruning  Laurels,  Portugal  or  common,  or  even  Rhododen¬ 
drons,  no  half  measures  must  be  employed.  We  have  in  the  past 
followed  a  method  of  half  cutting  over,  but  it  is  only  a  waste  of 
time,  and  fresh  growths  do  not  start  nearly  so  well.  The  Laurels 
are  now  sawn  off  close  to  the  ground,  and  they  quickly  start  up  from 
the  base,  while  Rhododendrons  are  cut  over  about  a  foot  high.  Some 
thousands  of  the  latter  have  also  been  cut  close  to  the  ground.  We 
have  some  Portugal  Laurels  so  treated  three  years  ago  that  are  now 
perfectly  sound  specimens  furnished  to  the  ground.  We  had 
always  been  led  to  believe  that  the  cutting  down  close  to  the 
ground  of  shrubs  of  this  nature  meant  almost  certain  destruction; 
but  after  personal  experience  we  find,  as  noted  above,  that  such  a 
method  of  treatment  instead  of  being  detrimental  is  conducive  to 
the  best  ultimate  results. 
One  thing  to  be  avoided  in  this  practice  is  not  to  do  it  at  a  time 
when  the  shrubs  will  break  into  growth  and  not  have  time  to  ripen. 
It  may  safely  be  done  from  September  until  the  end  of  March, 
or  even  a  little  later.  Frost,  however  severe,  appears  to  do  no 
injury.  The  deciduous  shrubs  named  may  be  closely  pruned,  and 
in  two  or  three  years  bushes  are  produced,  larger  than  could  be 
obtained  in  the  time  by  planting  young  stock. — Wm.  Bardney. 
EXHAUSTED  VINES. 
Although  I  have  been  in  the  profession  from  a  boy,  “  my 
father  being  a  gardener,”  served  five  years’  apprenticeship  at 
Lamport  Hall,  Northants,  and  lived  in  several  large  establishments 
since  my  term  of  apprenticeship  expired,  and  have  been  a  constant 
reader  of  the  Journal  and  other  first-class  horticultural  papers,  yet 
I  have  never  before  attempted  to  contribute  a  note  or  article  of 
any  kind  to  any  horticultural  paper  whatever  ;  but  some  years  ago, 
finding  myself  in  a  seemingly  similar  position  with  regard  to  old 
Yines  that  a  young  gardener  (page  60,  January  16th)  appears  to 
be  in,  and  taking  advantage  of  the  invitation  given  by  the  Editor, 
I  resolved  to  try  and  give  my  experience  with  exhausted  Vines, 
method  of  treatment  and  results. 
Some  twelve  years  ago  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  take  charge  of  a 
garden  on  a  gentleman’s  estate  on  the  borders  of  Yorkshire,  where 
I  had  two  good  vineries,  each  12  yards  long  by  5  yards  wide.  The 
early  vinery  contained  two  large  Black  Hamburgh  Yines  with  stems 
as  thick  as  one’s  arm,  each  Yine  having  five  rods.  The  border  in 
which  they  grew  occupied  the  whole  width  and  length  of  the  house, 
and  was  a  yard  in  depth.  The  walk  along  the  back  was  a  trellis 
laid  on  the  border.  How  long  the  Yines  had  been  planted  I  do 
not  know,  but  they  were  there  when  my  predecessor  took  charge  of 
the  gardens  over  twenty  years  previously. 
The  rule  was  to  start  this  house  on  New  Year’s  Day,  so  when  I 
took  charge  on  the  14th  of  February  it  was  in  full  going  order. 
The  Yines  broke  moderately  strong  and  produced  fair  bunches  of 
fruit,  but  the  leaves  were  small,  most  of  them  not  bigger  than  my 
hand.  I  examined  the  border  and  found  that  it  had  a  very  poverty 
stricken  appearance,  but  having  access  to  a  good  liquid  manure  tank, 
I  dosed  them  liberally  from  that,  which  mode  of  treatment  they 
seemed  to  enjoy,  for  they  grew  stronger,  and  carried  fair  sized 
bunches  of  fruit  ;  but  as  they  reached  their  ripening  period  I 
noticed  the  stems  of  first  one  bunch  and  then  another  turn  brown 
and  begin  to  shrivel,  so  much  so  that  by  the  time  they  had  finished 
ripening  the  crop  was  reduced  by  more  than  half.  A  few  berries 
at  the  top  of  some  of  the  bunches  were  extra  large  and  well  coloured, 
whilst  the  majority  remained  red  and  developed  a  flavour  closely 
resembling  vinegar. 
I  proposed  turning  them  out  by  degrees  and  filling  the  house 
with  young  Yines.  With  this  end  in  view  I  raised  some  from  eyes, 
but  my  employer  refused  to  allow  me  to  plant  them,  saying  he 
could  not  have  those  old  Yines  done  away  with.  I  could  do  what 
else  I  liked  with  them,  but  must  not  destroy  them  by  any  means. 
My  only  expedient  then  was  to  try  and  renovate  them.  This  he 
readily  agreed  to.  Accordingly  I  collected  and  stacked  into  a  heap 
the  best  turf  I  could  find  cut  from  an  upland  pasture.  I  also 
secured  a  quantity  of  old  mortar,  bones  and  leaf  mould.  During 
the  month  of  November  we  cleared  out  the  old  border  nearly  a 
yard  deep,  so  that  all  the  roots,  and  they  were  rather  numerous  and 
in  “  fair  condition,”  were  now  at  liberty.  Six  inches  of  rubble 
was  then  placed  on  the  bottom  for  drainage,  and  covered  grass  side 
downwards  with  good  turves  cut  for  the  purpose.  Filling  up 
followed  ;  the  soil  from  the  heap  being  chopped  and  well  incor¬ 
porated  with  the  lime  rubble,  leaf  mould  and  bones.  As  the  soil  of 
that  neighbourhood  is  of  a  heavy  retentive  nature,  these  ingredients 
were  used  rather  freely.  As  the  work  proceeded  the  roots  were 
carefully  laid  in  the  new  soil  and  the  new  border  was  completed, 
the  Yines,  glass  and  woodwork  were  washed,  the  back  and  front 
walls  of  the  house  whitewashed  and  all  put  in  order  ready  for 
another  start. 
Instead  of  starting  the  Yines  on  New  Year’s  Day  as  at  other 
times,  I  kept  them  quite  cool  throughout  the  month  of  January, 
but  by  the  middle  of  February,  and  no  doubt  in  obedience  to  the 
long  course  of  early  forcing  to  which  they  had  been  subjected, 
their  buds  were  fairly  active,  which  necessitated  the  application  of 
more  heat.  They  made  short  growth  that  season,  some  of  the 
shoots  being  very  weak,  and  a  few  vanished  altogether  under  the 
warm  sun.  The  bunches  of  fruit  were  small  and  some  of  them 
withered  away,  yet  I  managed  to  secure  a  light  crop.  As  the 
growth  advanced  I  found  it  necessary  to  maintain  a  humid  atmo¬ 
sphere  and  to  use  the  syringe  freely  three  or  four  times  daily  during 
bright  weather,  for  they  flagged  a  good  deal  from  March  to  May 
and  through  May  on  very  warm  days. 
The  following  year  the  Yines  made  good  growths  with  leaves 
more  than  twice  the  size  of  those  of  former  years,  but  my  ambition 
did  not  allow  me  to  rest  satisfied  with  renovation  of  the  roots  only, 
it  extended  to  branches  also.  Accordingly  I  trained  up  two  young 
canes  from  each  Yine  each  year,  till  the  house  was  filled  from  end 
to  end  with  young  bearing  wood.  The  result  was  highly  satisfactory 
both  to  my  employer  and  myself.  It  happened  that  the  family 
were  away  from  home  three  seasons,  when  my  wife  and  I  were  left 
in  charge  of  the  Hall,  everything  in  the  shape  of  garden  produce 
