192 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  27,  1896. 
loDged  his  years.  He  was  not  Btrong  in  youth,  but  became  a  total 
abstainer,  a  non-smoker,  and  a  vegetarian  with  distinct  success. 
The  funeral  took  place  at  the  Friends’  Meeting  House  at  Ifield  last 
Saturday,  and  a  gathering  of  260  people  assembled  to  pay  a  tribute  of 
respect  to  one  whose  name  will  long  be  cherished  in  the  district. 
After  he  became  a  nonogenarian  Mr.  Cheal  was  remarkable  for  his 
physical  and  mental  activity.  He  was  a  most  urbane  and  loveable  man, 
a  little  time  spent  in  his  company  having  been  a  source  of  delight  to 
many  visitors  to  the  nurseries. 
THE  ISLAND  OF  TRINIDAD. 
After  reading  “  Brother  J.’s”  letter  to  “  Brother”  “K.,  Dublin ,”  I 
was  in  raptures,  and  longed  for  such  a  state  of  bliss  as  seemed  to  reign 
in  that  earthly  paradise.  It  makes  one  envious  to  read  of  Crotons  as 
large  as  Laurels,  Poinser.tias  and  Caladiums  growing  rampant,  Roses  and 
Vines  yielding  respectively  two  crops  a  year,  Cocoa  Palms  and  Nuts  in 
abundance,  Pines,  Bananas,  and  other  luscious  fruit  everywhere,  the 
scenery,  too,  so  varied  and  so  beautiful.  The  life  of  “  Brother  J.”  should 
be  one  continual  round  of  peace,  joy,  and  contentment,  which  all  of  us 
who  read  his  fascinating  description  must  long  fora  taste.  With  envious 
feelings  I  closed  the  pages  of  the  Journal  to  find  a  change  in  the 
columns  of  a  provincial  daily  paper,  when  nearly  the  first  thiDg  I  came 
across  was  the  enclosed  paragraph — 
“  Some  Drawbacks  of  Trinidad. 
“If  it  were  not  for  the  incessant  rain,  the  scorching  sun,  the  damp¬ 
ness,  the  intense  heat,  the  malarial  fever,  and  the  truly  appalling  insects, 
Trinidad  would  be  an  earthly  paradise,  but  these  items  form  a  formidable 
serpent.  The  lizards  and  snails  here  lay  eggs,  as  well  as  the  snakes,  out 
of  which  emerge  little  ones.  In  one  garden  that  I  saw  the  ground  was 
quite  full  of  trap-door  spiders’  nests.  Little  green  frogs  run  about  the 
walls.  Huge  brown  frogs  come  up  from  the  wells  at  night,  and  seek  for 
crumbs  on  the  floors  of  the  downstairs  rooms.  Centipedes,  many  inches 
long,  and  with  bodies  as  stout  as  one’s  finger,  seek  whom  they  may 
devour,  and  are  very  venomous.  As  windows  and  doors  are  open,  and 
woodwork  of  the  trellis  description  abounds,  it  is  impossible  to  keep 
away  insects.  I  had  been  told  of  these  sociable  brown  frogs,  and  had 
seen  them  sitting  on  the  lower  steps  of  the  well,  but  forgot  about  them 
one  night.  One  night  I  heard  an  odd  noise  on  the  floor,  so  got  out  of 
the  mosquito  curtains  to  investigate.  My  bare  foot  came  down  on  what 
felt  like  a  moving  fungus.  When  my  horrified  struggles  with  a  match 
and  candle  were  ended,  and  I  was  able  to  see  my  visitor,  it  proved  to  be 
a  frog,  that  looked  quite  intelligent,  squatting  upon  the  floor  with  neat 
bandy  legs  and  large  blinking  eyes.  I  found  three  others  poking  about 
in  the  next  room  all  of  the  same  immense  size,  aud  appearing  to  sit 
about  7  or  8  inches  high.  Iguanas,  too,  are  not  uncommon,  and  as  you 
watch  their  curious  faces  they  suggest,  elves  looking  down  from  the 
trees. — (‘Zig-Zag  Travels,’  by  Charlotte  Roper.),” 
What  a  change!  “Brother  J.”  gave  us  the  bright  side  of  Nature’ 
and  forgot  to  include  such  pleasant  things  as  centipedes,  lizards,  snakes’ 
frogs,  mosquitos  ;  and  on  second  thoughts  I  concluded  the  best  place  was 
“  Old  England  ”  after  all. — Geo.  Dyke,  Stubton  Hall  Gardens. 
GRAPE  GROWING  FOR  MARKET. 
In  your  issue  February  6th  was  the  report  of  a  paper  read  by 
Mr.  Colebrooke  of  Great  Grimsby  on  “  Grape  Growing  for  Market.”  1 
have  been  a  grower  of  Grapes  for  market  for  fifteen  years,  and  certainly 
have  not  attained  such  astonishing  results  as  recorded  by  Mr.  Cole¬ 
brooke.  A  few  more  particulars  as  regards  “  length  of  rod,”  and  how 
many  rods  to  each  Vine,  would  be  interesting,  also  how  those  Vines  that, 
were  figured  in  the  Journal  a  few  years  ago  are  behaving  now.  Are  they 
still  carrying  such  enormous  crops,  and  finishing  them  black  as  Sloes 
and  large  as  Orleans  Plum,  three  bunches  on  a  spur?  Judging  from  my 
own  experience  in  and  observations  on  good  Grape-growing  under 
favourable  conditions  in  several  parts  of  the  country,  I  feel  that  many 
of  us  must  be  greatly  behind  such  men  as  Mr.  Colebrooke.  Does  he 
attribute  such  grand  success  to  bis  fish  manure  ?  It  was  rather  interest¬ 
ing  to  note  after  the  last  discussion  in  the  Journal  (re  “  Express  Grape 
Growing”)  that  both  parties  who  claimed  such  grand  results  bad  a 
special  manure  to  offer  to  the  public.  It  is  not  usual  for  Grapes  of  high 
quality  to  sell  at  6d.  to  8d.  per  lb.  Will  Mr.  Colebrooke  state  the 
average  price  realised  last  year  ?  The  information  would  afford  readers 
of  the  Journal  some  evidence  as  to  the  quality  of  such  enormous  crops. 
I  should  say  that  a  circulation  of  air  through  the  bottom  of  a  border 
is  not  at  all  necessary  for  producing  first-class  Grapes  of  any  variety. 
In  planting  young  Vines  it  depends  on  what  time  of  year  they  are 
planted,  whether  or  not  they  are  benefited  by  having  all  the  soil  removed 
from  the  roots.  Those  planted  in  the  spring  when  juBt  pushing  I  should 
certainly  shake  quite  free,  and  spread  evenly  across  the  border.  Vines 
planted  when  in  full  growth  should  not  be  shaken  free  of  soil,  but  this 
only  loosened  without  damaging  the  roots.  I  do  not  think  it  of  much 
consequence  what  time  of  year  we  plant,  having  bad  good  results.  T 
should  doubt  the  benefit  of  using  leaf  soil  in  Vine  borders,  and  should 
not  think  of  using  it.  I  have  found  firm  short-jointed  canes  to  produce 
good  and  lasting  results,  not  short  pithy  growth,  which  I  should  be 
afraid  the  leaf  soil  would  encourage.  Wood  ashes  I  think  beneficial  in 
moderation,  also  the  leaf  soil  as  a  mulch  on  the  surface. 
As  regards  the  cropping  of  Vines,  all  depends  on  the  condition  they 
are  in  and  the  treatment  given.  I  have  had  single  rods  carry  30  lbs. 
and  over  of  well  finished  fruit,  that  realised  wholesale  2s.  to  2s.  6d. 
per  lb.,  but  should  not  expect  to  produce  such  fruit  by  carrying  three 
bunches  on  a  spur,  nor  have  I  ever  seen  any  Grapes  worthy  of  the  name 
where  such  ideas  were  put  in  practice. — Sceptical. 
I  WOULD  like  to  ask  Mr.  C.  Colebrooke  a  few  questions  through  the 
medium  of  the  . Journal  of  Horticulture. 
1,  Was  he  in  a  private  establishment,  or  was  he  growing  for  sale  at 
the  time  he  speaks  of  in  his  paper  on  the  above  subject  ? 
2,  How  much  glass  had  he  planted  with  Vines,  and  were  the  houses 
lean-to  or  span-roofed  ? 
3,  What  length,  and  bow  many  rods  are  there  to  each  Vine,  to  carry 
sixty-six  bunches  of  Gros  Colman? 
4,  How  many  bunches  were  there  on  each  Black  Hamburgh,  and 
what  was  the  average  weight  in  each  case  ? 
5,  Was  6d.  or  81.  the  average  price  of  his  Grapes  ? 
6,  Is  Great  Grimsby  a  bad  keeping  place  for  Grapes,  as  Mr.  C.  Cole¬ 
brooke  says  the  period  over  which  Hamburghs  extend  is  “  never  ”  longer 
than  three’ weeks? 
7,  Had  be  as  good  a  crop  of  Grapes  the  second  and  third  years  as  he 
had  the  first  ? 
8,  What  is  his  estimated  cost  of  a  vinery  erected  and  planted  com¬ 
plete  in  the  style  he  describes,  size  72  feet  by  14  feet,  three-quarter  span, 
against  a  wall  10  feet  high  ?— Dubious,  Leicester. 
[We  shall  only  have  space  for  brief  and  categorical  replies  to  this 
series  of  questions.]  _ 
Your  correspondent  “  R.  P.  R ,”  in  his  report  of  my  paper  on  the 
above  subject  before,  the  Liverpool  Horticultural  Association  made  one 
or  two  mistakes.  First,  he  states  cross  drain  tiles  were  put  through  the 
wall  and  drainage,  and  carried  upright  on  the  opposite  side,  this  being 
considered  of  the  greatest  importance,  and  reducing  to  a  minimum  the 
risk  of  the  border  becoming  too  "dry.”  It  should  be,  3-inch  draining 
tiles  are  put  through  the  border,  on  the  top  of  the  drainage,  the  tiles 
being  1  inch  apart,  to  admit  a  free  circulation  of  air  through  the  border, 
and  prevent  the  border  becoming  too  “  wet,”  not  “  dry.” 
-  Second,  the  report  states,  The  first  week  in  August  1  consider  a 
good  time  to  plant,  starting  the  Vines  the  following  year.  The  second 
week  in  February,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  recommend  as  the  best  time  to 
plant  Vines,  as  then  we  have  the  whole  season  before  us  to  grow  the 
Vines  for  the  following  year’s  fruiting. — Charles  Colebrooke. 
FRUIT  AND  FLOWEHS  IN  EGYPT. 
The  first  flower  show  held  in  Cairo  took  place  at  the  Ezbekieb  Gardens, 
on  the  21st  January,  and  it  was  a  success.  No  more  beautiful  locale  for 
such  an  event  can  be  imagined  than  the  Ezbekieb  Gardens  themselves, 
with  their  spreading  Banyans,  great  tropical  flowering  trees,  feathery 
Palms,  and  clumps  of  graceful  Bamboo.  And  Cairo  itself,  in  winter, 
with  its  wealth  of  Roses,  and  squares  aflame  with  gorgeous  Poinsettias, 
might  well  deserve  the  name  bestowed  on  Florence,  but  only  as  regards 
profusion. 
Floriculture  has  hitherto  been  little  practised  a9  an  art,  perhaps 
because  Nature  is  so  lavish,  and  as  far  as  individual  specimens  are  con¬ 
cerned  it  is  not  likely  that  anything  at  the  Cairo  flower  show  rivalled 
what  can  be  seen  in  England.  But  if  an  impetus  is  given  to  floriculture 
wonderful  things  may  be  achieved.  There  was  also  a  section  for  fruit 
and  vegetables.  The  indigenous  fruit  may  almost  be  said  to  begin  and 
end  with  the  Date  ;  but  among  the  aliens  the  Orange  has  established  for 
itself  a  supreme  right  to  naturalisation. 
Anyone  who  has  wintered  in  Egypt  will  testify  to  the  abundance  and 
the  quality  of  the  Oranges,  than  which  there  are  no  better  in  the  world, 
and  one  variety,  the  Tangerine — the  Yussuf  Effendi  of  Egypt — is 
unrivalled.  No  idea  of  that  superb  fruit  can  be  formed  from  the 
diminutive  and  often  insipid  specimens  on  the  English  market.  The 
Apricot,  under  the  name  of  ‘i/iish-viish,  has  become  a  national  fruit,  but 
its  season  is  short,  and  the  first  Khamseen  brings  the  fruit,  glowing  hot, 
down  from  the  trees  in  showers.  It  is  small  in  size,  for  it  is  left  practically 
to  grow  wild,  but  excellent  in  flavour.  Peaches  are  only  growa  in  very 
small  quantities  at  Kalioub,  a  few  miles  from  Cairo,  and  in  some  privale 
gardens.  The  Mango  and  the  Custard  Apple,  as  produce,  are  insignificant 
in  quantity. 
There  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  Egypt  should  not  supply  herself 
with  Grapes  instead  of  importing  them  from  neighbouring  Mediterranean 
countries.  Those  grown  at  Alexandria  by  Sir  John  Autoniadis  are 
almost  world  famous,  and  not  a  few  Europeans  have  planted  vineyards 
with  success.  But  apart  from  the  Date,  Oranges  are  the  principal  fruit 
i  of  Egypt,  and  one  which  might  be  turned  to  advantage  for  export. 
The  groves  attached  to  the  Khedivial  Palace  at  Kubbeh  are  a  sight  to  be 
seen.  In  vegetables,  the  Bean  (ffll)  and  the  Onion  (bassal)  have  been 
the  food  of  the  people  from  the  timeof  the  Pharaohs,  and,  probably,  th efgl, 
the  excellent  and  hygienic  large  white  Radish.  Cucumbers,  ea'en  young, 
are  an  enormous  item  of  popular  food,  and  Vegetable  Marrows,  also 
plucked  small,  have  become  almost  as  general.  Tc  matoes  are  ubiquitous 
and  perennial,  and  as  excellent  as  they  are  plentiful. 
The  vegetables,  which  have  been  introduced  from  Europe  at  a  com¬ 
paratively  recent  period,  have,  with  the  exception  of  Potatoes,  been 
cultivated  with  fair  success,  but  they  have  a  tendency  to  become  large 
and  coarse.  The  brobdignagian  Cabbages,  Cauliflowers,  and  Lettuce 
are  startling,  but,  as  a  rule,  all  vegetables  must  be  plucked  at  a  much 
earlier  stage  in  their  existence  than  they  would  be  in  Europe. — (Echo.') 
