JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  30,  1896. 
102 
for  the  instruction  of  a  number  of  boys  in  horticulture,  the  produce 
being  sold.  A  large  quarter  of  Rhubarb  was  lifted  in  the  autumn  for 
forcing,  and  has  been  brought  in  at  intervals,  placed  on  the  floors  of  the 
houses,  and  treated  as  advised  above,  with  the  result  that  fair  produce 
has  been  pulled,  of  high  crimson  colour,  since  December  19th,  and  which 
finds  a  ready  sale.  The  majority  exhibited  for  sale  in  the  shops  here¬ 
abouts  is  of  a  pale  colour,  doubtless  the  result  of  being  grown  in 
darkened  places.  It  is  of  fair  length,  but  lacking  the  robust,  fresh 
appearance  of  Rhubarb  otherwise  treated.  I  send  a  few  stalks  for  your 
inspection,  though  the  best  have  been  sold.  —  Henry  Clayton 
(  Gardener ),  Manchester  and  Salford  Reformatory  School. 
[The  specimens  sent  are  excellent  in  every  respect,  and  prove  the 
system  of  culture  adopted  to  be  perfectly  suitable.  It  is  the  best  coloured 
Rhubarb  we  have  seen  this  year.] 
TRAINING  VINES  ON  THE  LONG-ROD  SYSTEM. 
The  subject  of  Grape  growing  is  discussed  continually,  but  I  do  not 
remember  seeing  any  notes  on  the  above  system  of  culture,  nor  have  I 
seen  more  than  one  instance  of  it.  Nevertheless,  it  has  decided  advan¬ 
tages  over  other  systems  under  certain  circumstances,  one  of  the  chief 
being  greater  cleanliness  where  plants  have  to  be  grown  in  the  same 
structure  ;  pruning  in  the  winter  is  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  no 
unsightly  old  rods  and  spurs  are  to  be  found,  the  greater  part  of  the 
wood  being  cut  away  after  two  seasons’  growth.  This  leaves  scarcely 
any  hiding  places  for  red  spider,  thrips,  or  mealy  bug,  as  the  wood  of  the 
current  year’s  growth  is  too  smooth  to  encourage  them,  and  is  also  very 
much  easier  to  clean  with  insecticides. 
I  am  led  to  make  these  remarks  from  knowing  a  Vine  at  Wierton 
House,  Maidstone,  for  nearly  forty  years,  which  was  grown  under  this 
system,  and  after  it  reached  its  full  size  it  produced  a  heavy  crop  of 
Grapes  every  year.  The  variety  was  the  Black  Hamburgh.  The  house, 
a  span-roof,  was  only  a  small  one,  24  feet  by  14  feet,  10  feet  high  at  the 
eaves,  and  17  feet  at  the  apex,  the  ends  of  the  house  beiDg  N.  and  S. 
The  Vine  was  planted  outside  in  1854  by  my  father,  who  was  gardener 
there,  the  soil  being  a  warm  one  on  a  limestone  formation.  As  it  was 
situated  on  the  side  of  a  hill  the  natural  drainage  was  good,  and 
consequently  no  elaborately  prepared  border  was  made,  but  a  good 
top-dressing  of  decayed  farmyard  manure  was  given  every  spring  for 
a  short  distance  around  the  main  stem.  A  little  chemical  and  liquid 
manures  were  used  occasionally. 
The  Vine  was  planted  at  the  N.E.  corner  of  the  structure,  brought 
through  the  wall,  trained  upright  until  it  reached  the  eaves,  when 
the  main  stem  was  conducted  horizontally  until  it  reached  the 
S.E.  corner  of  the  house,  a  distance  of  24  feet.  Seven  upright 
rods  were  taken  from  this,  one  under  each  rafter,  reaching  to  the 
apex  of  the  roof.  The  securing  of  these  rods  was  probably  rather 
slow  work  at  first,  although  I  have  no  record  of  the  time  it  took  to 
get  the  house  furnished,  but  most  likely  ODly  one  was  added  each  year. 
This  is,  I  think,  the  only  drawback  to  the  system,  and  it  might  be 
obviated  in  a  less  lofty  structure  by  planting  some  supernumerary 
Vines,  to  be  removed  when  the  permanent  plant  required  the  room. 
After  the  whole  of  the  east  side  of  the  house  was  furnished  the  Vine 
produced  upwards  of  1  cwt.  of  Grapes  annually,  on  an  aggregate  length 
of  84  feet  of  bearing  wood,  and  these  finished  in  excellent  condition 
as  regards  colour  and  flavour  without  any  fire  heat.  The  size  of  the 
Vine  in  1893  (forty  years’  growth)  was  12f  inches  in  girth  at  1  foot 
above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  the  same  size  at  10  feet  from  the 
surface,  and  7J  inches  at  the  termination  of  the  permanent  horizontal 
branch.  The  upright  branches,  seven  in  number,  were  renewed  annually, 
a  strong  shoot  being  trained  up  each  spring  to  take  the  place  of  each 
bearing  rod  as  soon  as  the  foliage  decayed  in  the  autumn. — W.  H. 
Divers,  The  Gardens ,  Belvoir  Castle ,  Grantham. 
FLOWER  SHOWS. 
A  “  Scottish  Gardener  ”  must  indeed  have  a  poor  opinion  of  his 
brothers  of  the  craft  to  which  he  belongs.  He  seems  to  hold  the  opinion 
that  all  exhibitors  are  necessarily  rogues  until  they  are  found  to  be 
honest.  Not  a  very  flattering  compliment  to  exhibitors  certainly.  The 
fulfilment  of  the  idea  of  introducing  certificates  instead  of  money 
prizes  would  probably  be  the  first  step  towards  the  finish  of  flower  shows. 
How  does  he  expect  men  will  put  forth  their  best  efforts  in  obtaining 
produce  of  superlative  quality  for  simply  a  piece  of  paper  ?  Look  at 
the  tremendous  efforts  often  needed,  the  anxiety  attending  the  same, 
and  this  sometimes  for  years  before  the  object  is  attained. 
How  often  before  and  after  the  ordinary  day’s  work  the  plodding 
enthusiast  is  found  at  his  task,  and  for  this  purpose  a  man  must  be  well 
fed  and  looked  after,  especially  if  his  duties  are  of  a  multifarious 
character.  What  is  going  to  pay  for  all  this  and  the  various  expenses 
incidental  to  exhibiting?  Is  it  to  come  out  of  his  weekly  wage?  I 
maintain  a  man  is  not  just  to  himself  and  his  belongings  in  following 
such  a  course,  particularly  so  when  the  position  of  the  great  majority  is 
as  uncertain  as  the  weather.  It  is  not  avarice  that  prompts  exhibitors, 
but  enthusiasm  combined  with  a  feeling  of  necessity  of  providing  against 
the  unknown  future,  for  a  gardener  has  little  chance  of  saving  a  com¬ 
petency  out  of  his  salary.  There  are  of  course  exceptions,  and  I  should 
think  a  “  Scottish  Gardener  ”  must  be  one  of  the  fortunate  ones  who  has  a 
comfortable  post  and  a  clear  look  out  to  the  end  of  his  journey,  as  he 
views  things  in  such  a  complacent  mood. 
Honour  and  enthusiasm  are  very  well,  but  one  cannot  exiBt  on 
them.  The  world  is  fickle,  and  a  man  would  do  well  to  adopt  the  maxim 
of  the  Spartan  warrior  and  trust  in  himself,  if  he  is  wise.  If  a 
gardener  came  to  want  in  his  old  days,  a  bundle  of  certificates  would 
probably  be  looked  on  similarly  to  the  medals  of  a  Balaclava  hero,  and 
he  might  possibly  find  himself  a  burden  to  the  ratepayers.  There  are 
men  as  good  and  true  in  the  exhibition  ranks  as  there  are  out  of  them, 
and  prompted  in  their  action  only  by  the  highest  motives. 
That  questionable  methods  are  to  be  deplored  I  agree  with,  but  a 
“  Scottish  Gardener  ”  is  too  sweeping  in  his  criticism.  He  infers  that 
flower  shows  no  more  represent  what  gardening  is,  any  more  than  exhi¬ 
bitions  represent  what  gardeners  are.  That  theory,  as  held  by  a  certain 
section  of  non-exhibitors,  calls  for  little  comment.  I  should  say  from 
what  I  have  seen  of  exhibitions  that  the  products  displayed  represent  in 
the  particular  branches  the  best  it  is  possible  for  horticultural  skill  to 
obtain . 
Does  your  correspondent  really  think  that  an  exhibitor  of  the  fore¬ 
most  branches  of  gardening,  who  maintains  an  even  standard  of  excel¬ 
lence  year  after  year  in  the  strongest  competitions,  does  not  represent  a 
man  of  the  best  stamp  as  a  skilful  cultivator?  Such  exhibits  carry  on 
the  face  of  them  the  clearness  of  integrity.  Amateurs  form  an  enthusi¬ 
astic  class  which  can  afford  to  exhibit  in  an  honorary  way,  as  their  means 
of  existence  is  not  concerned  in  the  matter,  it  simply  being  an 
interesting  hobby. 
As  a  young  exhibitor  my  experience  is  that  petty  showmen  have 
little  or  no  chance  in  good  competition.  They  are,  as  a  rule,  the  class 
of  men  who  do  not  possess  the  necessary  qualifications  to  excel,  and  no 
fear  need  be  apprehended  from  what  harm  they  may  be  likely  to  do  to 
exhibitions.  Flower  shows,  with  cash  prizes  are,  in  my  opinion,  a  means 
of  maintaining  the  highest  standard  of  British  horticulture,  and  act  as 
incentives  to  encourage  all  that  is  good  in  a  man.  and  assist  him  to 
make  provision  against  a  helpless  old  age.  With  flower  shows  as  with 
every  other  concern,  there  are  sure  to  be  found  shady  members,  but  that 
does  not  go  to  prove  that  the  principles  of  the  majority  are  bad.  I  truBt 
horticultural  exhibitions  may  long  flourish,  and  be  the  means  in  some 
measure  of  rewarding  the  striving  British  gardener  for  his  efforts  in 
striving  to  excel  in  the  work  he  loves. — J.  J.  CRAVEN,  Allerton  Priory 
Gardens,  Liverpool. 
RABBITS  AND  WIRE. 
I  READ  with  interest  the  article  by  “  C.  W.  D.”  on  this  subject 
at  page  57,  as  a  great  amount  of  damage  is  done  by  rabbits,  especi¬ 
ally  during  hard  winters  such  as  we  experienced  last  year.  Any 
information,  therefore,  that  will  enable  us  to  protect  our  trees  and 
shrubs  with  a  minimum  of  labour  is  always  appreciated.  There  appear 
to  be  few  young  trees  but  what  they  will  bark.  Holly,  Privet,  Larch, 
and  Aucubas  are  their  favourite  kinds  here  ;  at  any  rate,  these  are  the 
first  to  be  attacked.  When  there  is  plenty  of  other  food  they  will 
destroy  young  Larches  wholesale.  We  commenced  a  young  plantation 
a  few  years  ago,  the  wire  netting  not  being  to  hand  at  the  time  the 
planting  was  gone  on  with  first.  The  rabbits  made  such  havoc  with 
the  Larch  that  the  work  had  to  be  stopped  until  the  netting  was  erected. 
This  was  at  the  end  of  October,  when  there  would  be  plenty  of  other 
food. 
In  protecting  plantations  “  C.  W.  D.”  says  the  wire  netting  used 
should  be  not  less  than  3  feet  wide,  and  not  of  larger  mesh  than  lf-inch. 
This  I  find  is  too  large  a  mesh,  lj-inch  is  generally  supposed  to  be 
rabbit-proof,  but  even  this  is  not  small  enough  to  keep  young  rabbits 
out.  It  is  surprising  how  large  a  rabbit  can  get  through  this  meBh  ;  if 
it  can  push  its  head  through  there  is  not  much  difficulty  in  getting  the 
rest  of  its  body  to  follow.  When  once  in  a  plantation  a  few  days’  feeding 
prevents  their  getting  out.  A  large  number  of  rabbits  were  shot  in  the 
plantation  mentioned  above  that  had  got  in  in  this  manner.  The  1^-inch 
mesh  we  have  always  used  until  this  season.  We  are  now  trying  netting 
of  two  sizes,  the  bottom  half  being  1|  inch,  and  the  top  1^-inch  mesh. 
For  several  years  we  have  followed  the  plan  of  bending  the  netting 
outward,  as  illustrated  on  page  57.  This  is  a  capital  way  of  preventing 
rabbits  getting  under  it,  but  3  inches,  as  stated  by  “  C.  W.  D.,”  is  not 
enough,  especially  on  light  land,  and  I  would  recommend  double  that 
length.  This,  of  course,  necessitates  wider  netting  being  used,  which 
should  not  be  less  than  4  feet  wide.  If  that  only  3  feet  in  width  is 
used,  and  this  bent  outwards  3  inches  ;  this  will  leave  only  2  feet  9  inches 
above  the  ground  line,  and  rabbits  will  jump  over  this  quite  easily. 
Although  the  wider  netting  will  cost  a  little  more,  it  is  best  to  make  a 
good  job,  and  thoroughly  protect  the  trees. 
In  the  illustration  given  the  bent  portion  appears  to  be  laid  upon  the 
ground,  pegged  down,  aDd  covered  with  soil.  I  consider  it  a  better  plan 
to  dig  a  narrow  trench  about  2  inches  deep,  and  lay  the  netting  in  this, 
turn  the  sod  over  on  the  top  ;  these  will  soon  all  grow  together  again, 
and  hold  the  netting  quite  firmly.  In  planting  a  large  piece  the  trench 
may  be  taken  out  with  a  plough.  When  netting  4  feet  wide  is  used  we 
have  about  3  feet  4  inches  above  the  ground  line.  We  have  erected  a 
quantity  in  this  manner,  and  find  it  answers  admirably.  I  endorse  all 
“  C.  W.  D.”  says  in  planting  single  trees. 
During  the  winter  of  1894  and  1895  we  planted  200  Austrian  Pines 
as  single  trees  3  feet  high,  and  about  fifty  Abies  Douglasi.  The  latter 
were  protected  with  netting,  and  are  growing  well.  The  Austrian 
Pines,  although  painted  with  a  mixture  supposed  to  be  proof  against 
damage  by  rabbits,  were  all  destroyed  by  them.  Last  winter  was 
exceptionally  severe,  but  it  is  much  the  best  to  protect  each  tree  where 
