216 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  5,  1896. 
When  we  remember  that  the  Antarctic  flora  now  exists  only  in  such 
isolated  and  distant  fragments  we  are  hardly  prepared  to  find  almost  the 
same  homogeneity  as  in  the  north,  where  there  is  practically  a  continuity 
of  land.  Yet  so  it  is  ;  and  the  only  satisfactory  solution  of  the  problem 
is  a  former  greater  land  connection  and  continuous  flora,  probably  in 
higher  latitudes  than  the  existing  fragments.  One  of  the  tasks  of 
Antarctic  explorers  is  to  search  for  fossil  remains,  which  might  give  a 
clue  to  the  history  of  plant  life  under  different  conditions. 
A  noteworthy  feature  in  the  small  flora  of  South  Georgia  is  the 
presence  of  three  northern  plants — namely,  Montia  fontana,  Callitriche 
verna,  and  Phleum  alninum.  Two  out  of  three  of  these  plants  are  also 
found  in  the  New  Zealand  region.  As  previously  mentioned,  some 
northern  species  extend  into  the  southern  hemisphere,  but  no  essentially 
Antarctic  types  extend  into  the  northern.  The  farthest  they  reach  are 
the  Alps  of  Victoria  and  the  Andes  of  South  America,  where  a  very  few 
outliers  occur.  Another  peculiarity  of  the  highest  Antarctic  flora  is  the 
almost  total  absence  of  colour  in  the  flowers,  which  are,  moreover, 
exceedingly  small.  Butterflies  and  bees  are  also  absent,  whereas  they 
abound  in  the  north,  where  showy  flowers  are  found. 
THE  FRENCH  VINTAGE. 
The  statistics  of  one  sort  and  another  which  French  officials  are  at 
so  much  pains  to  compile,  though  often  unduly  long  in  coming,  are,  as  a 
rule,  models  of  ludicity,  and,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  to  test  the  matter, 
remarkable  for  their  accuracy.  Those  relating  to  the  vintage  of  the 
year  have  all  the  merits  of  most  others  without  the  countervailing 
defect,  for,  seeing  that  the  vintage  is  not  fairly  over  before  the  middle  of 
October,  it  would  be  impossible  to  collect  and  collate  the  vast  mass  of 
figures  which  have  to  be  put  into  shape  before  a  complete  return  can  be 
made  in  less  than  a  couple  at  months.  It  is  therefore  only  in  the  last 
days  of  the  old,  or  the  first  of  a  new  year,  that  the  report  in  question 
can  be  issued,  and  it  has  not,  for  some  time  past,  been  very  pleasant 
reading  for  growers  of  Grapes,  seeing  that,  what  with  the  invasion  of 
the  insect  known  as  the  phylloxera  and  other  diseases,  the  area  of  land 
under  Vine  cultivation  has  been  steadily  decreasing,  and  is  now  about 
three-quarters  of  a  million  of  acres  less  thaD  it  was  twenty  years  ago. 
That  was  a  “  record  ”  year  in  the  history  of  French  vintages  the  yield 
of  the  Vine  being  nearly  2000  million  gallons  and  the  quality  good 
withal. 
Since  then  the  quantity  of  wine  made  in  France  has,  with  a  few 
trifling  variations,  been  steadily  decreasing  up  to  the  year  1893,  when, 
despite  the  persistent  ravages  of  the  insect,  for  whose  extermination  a 
premium  of  £12,000  has  been  offered  in  vain,  the  magnificent  summer 
produced  such  a  crop  of  Grap  s  as  sent  the  total  of  the  vintage  up  to 
something  like  its  pristine  proportions.  Upwards  of  1100  million  gallons 
of  wine  were  made  in  that  year,  and  even  in  1894,  when  the  weather  was 
much  less  favourable,  the  total  fell  little  short  of  900  millions.  The 
prospects  of  last  year’s  vintage,  however,  seemed  bad  from  the  first,  the 
early  part  of  the  summer  being  cold  and  wet,  and  when  the  burst  of  warm 
weather  came  in  the  middle  of  August,  it,  was  too  late  to  make  up  for 
the  deficient  quantity,  though  the  Grapes  ripened  so  well  that  the 
quality  of  what  wine  was  made  improved  immensely.  But  with  all  this 
the  vintage  is  not  estimated  to  exceed  600  million  gallons,  or  only  two- 
thirds  of  that  obtained  in  1894,  the  districts  which  have  fared  best  being 
the  South-West,  which  includes  Bordeaux  and  the  claret  vineyards,  and 
the  South-East,  around  Montfellier,  Narbonne,  and  Perpignan,  where 
the  wines  are  so  much  heavier  that  they  are  largely  used  for  blending — 
that  is  a  very  elastic  word,  and  it  will  probably  be  not  far  from  the 
mark  to  suggest  that  the  wines  of  lighter  character,  which  are  made  in 
Touraine,  Poitou,  and  other  central  departments,  find  themselves 
“  fortified  ”  by  admixture  with  what  the  French  call  “  les  gros  vins  du 
Midi.” 
Then,  again,  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  France,  largely  as  she  produces, 
is  not  able  to  do  without  foreign  wine,  for  upwards  of  100  million 
gallons  were  imported  last  year,  as  against  only  38  million  exported, 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  imports  coming  in  equal  quantities  from  Spain 
and  Algeria,  as  the  war  of  tariffs  in  which  France  is  still  engaged  with 
Italy  and  Switzerland  render  it  practically  impossible  for  wine  to  be 
brought  in  from  those  two  countries.  Algeria  is  makinv  rapid  progress 
as  a  wine-growing  country,  for  there  are  over  280.000  acres  under 
cultivation,  and  the  production  last  year  was  about  90  million  gallons, 
while,  with  about  half  of  this  sent  across  the  Mediterranean,  the 
remainder  is  consumed  in  the  colony,  though  the  Arabs  are  supposed 
not  to  touch  spirituous  liquor  of  any  kind.  This  practice  is  not 
universally  observed,  but  it  is  believed  that  even  the  most  hardened  of 
them  draws  the  line  at  what  is  called  “  Algerian  brandy.”  This  enjoys 
much  the  same  character  as  the  wine  made  at  Suresnes,  near  Paris,  of 
which  it  is  said  that 11  it  takes  three  men  to  drink  a  glass  :  one  to  imbibe 
it,  and  the  two  others  to  hold  him  while  be  is  doing  so.”  The  Algerian 
wine,  however,  has  the  merit  of  being  pure  juice  of  the  Grape,  at  all 
events  until  it  leaves  the  colony,  and  the  growth  of  it  has  already 
contributed  not  a  little  to  the  prosperity  of  the  North  African 
settlement. 
An  attempt  has  been  made  in  France  itself  to  neutralise  the  ravages 
of  the  phylloxera  by  making  “  wine  ”  from  raisins  and  from  sugar 
mixed  with  the  lees,  and  of  the  17  million  gallons  of  the  former 
and  39  million  of  the  latter  produced  last  year  no  small  proportion, 
it  is  to  be  feared,  will  find  its  way  into  commerce  under  quite  another 
description, 
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FRUIT  FORCING. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines— Earliest  House.— A  night  tempera¬ 
ture  of  50°  to  55°,  and  60°  to  65°  by  day  artificially,  with  5°  to  10° 
more  from  sun  heat,  especially  after  closing,  will  keep  the  trees  in  steady 
growth.  Ventilate  from  60°,  increasing  with  sun  heat,  taking  care  to 
avoid  cold  draughts  and  sudden  depressions  of  temperature,  especially 
after  fluctuations,  as  such  cripple  the  foliage  and  may  cause  the  fruit  to 
fall.  Syringe  in  the  morning  and  afternoon  with  water  of  the  game 
temperature  as  the  house,  and  always  sufficiently  early  in  the  afternoon 
to  allow  the  foliage  to  become  dry  before  night.  On  dull  days  omit 
the  afternoon  syringing  ;  also  the  morning  when  cold  and  sunless,  damp¬ 
ing  the  paths  and  border  instead.  Disbud  carefully  and  in  accordance 
with  the  growth.  Trees  that  have  set  heavy  crops  should  have  the  least 
promising  removed.  To  help  weakly  trees  liquid  manure  may  be  supplied 
whenever  watering  is  necessary,  taking  care  not  to  apply  it  too  strong, 
and  only  when  required. 
Second  Early  House. — Trees  started  at  the  new  year  have  set  the  fruit 
well ;  a  light  syringing  occasionally  after  this  is  effected  assisting  the 
trees  to  cast  off  the  remains  of  the  petals.  Syringe,  however,  cautiously 
in  dull  weather,  as  it  weakens  the  growth,  yet  encourages  it  at  the 
expense  of  the  fruit.  Disbud  gradually  and  carefully,  not  being  in  a 
hurry  about  thiB,  but  practising  it  daily  when  the  fruit  is  fairly  swelling, 
removing  a  few  growths  here  and  there  so  as  not  to  give  a  check  to  any 
part,  but  secure  an  even  balance  of  vigour.  Where  there  is  a  thick  Bet 
of  fruit  remove  the  smallest  and  worst  placed  by  degrees.  A  night 
temperature  of  50°  is  safe  in  severe  weather,  and  55°  by  day,  5°  more  in 
mild  weather,  with  5°  to  10°  rise  from  sun  heat. 
Trees  Started  in  February. — The  flowers  are  expanded,  and  should 
be  fertilised  caiefully  day  by  day  with  a  soft  brush  or  other  contrivance 
when  the  pollen  is  ripe.  Shaking  the  trees  answers  well  in  most  cases, 
it  being  done  in  the  early  part  of  the  day,  and  again  about  noon.  Turn 
the  heat  on  in  the  morning  to  secure  and  keep  a  temperature  of  50°  by 
day,  ventilating  from  55°,  allowing  an  advance  to  60°  or  65°  with  a  free 
circulation  of  air,  employing  fire  heat  only  at  night  to  keep  the  tempera¬ 
ture  between  40°  and  45u. 
Bouses  to  Afford  Fruit  in  Late  July  and  Early  Avgust. — The  trees 
and  structures  usually  started  about  this  time  are  advanced  for  flowering, 
the  anthers  showing  clear  of  the  corollas ;  therefore,  syringing  should 
cease,  maintaining  a  genial  atmosphere  by  damping  the  paths  in  the 
morning  and  early  afternoon.  A  temperature  of  50°  by  day  and  ventila¬ 
tion  from  point,  having  it  full  at  65°.  will  meet  their  requirements,  40° 
to  45°  being  ample  at  night.  If  the  border  is  at  all  dry  afford  a 
thorough  supply  of  water,  repeating  as  necessary.  Where  the  blossom 
buds  are  superabundant  remove  those  on  the  under  side  or  at  the  bacx  of 
the  shoots,  drawing  the  hand  the  reverse  way  of  the  growths. 
Latest  Houses. — The  chief  consideration  in  these  is  to  retard  the 
blosiiomiDg  as  much  as  possible,  therefore  admit  air  to  the  fullest  extent, 
as  the  already  swelling  and  developing  buds  will  not  take  any  harm  from 
frost  until  the  flowers  show  colour,  and  even  then  there  is  safety  in  just 
excludiug  frost.  Any  pruning  or  arranging  of  the  trees  on  the  trellises 
should  be  completed  forthwith,  supplying  water  to  the  border  to  insure 
thorough  moisture  and  keeping  as  cool  as  possible. 
Cherry  House. — Ventilation  is  the  measure  of  success  or  failure  in 
growing  Cherries.  A  free  circulation  of  air  Bhould  pass  through  the 
house  whenever  the  temperature  exceeds  50°,  regulating  the  amount  by 
the  conditions  of  the  external  atmosphere.  Maintain  a  night  tempera¬ 
ture  of  40°  to  45°,  and  employ  fire  heat  to  raise  the  temperature  to  50° 
by  8  or  9  a  m.,  preventing  it  falling  below  that  through  the  day,  turning 
the  heat  off  at  closing  time.  Fertilise  the  flowers  either  by  shaking  the 
trees  gently  or  distributing  the  pollen  with  a  camel-hair  brush,  feather, 
rabbit's  tail  mounted  on  a  stick,  or  plume  of  Pampas  Grass.  Aphides 
must  be  kept  in  check,  but  it  does  not  answer  to^ fumigate  or  vaporise 
whilst  the  trees  are  in  flower.  Spraying  with  an  infusion  of  quassia 
chips,  however,  has  no  injurious  effects  on  the  blossom  beyond  converting 
the  ripe  pollen  into  paste  and  preventing  fertilisation  for  the  time  being. 
This  is  not  usually  disastrous,  especially  when  it  is  done  in  the  declining 
part  of  the  day.  When  the  fruit  is  set  and  there  are  aphides,  fumigation 
or  spraying  with  an  insecticide  must  be  practised,  as  nothing  less  than 
thorough  cleanliness  cau  result  in  fine  clear  Cherries.  Grubs  (so-called) 
infest  Cherry  trees.  One  species  rolls  itself  up  in  the  leaves,  and  can  be 
destroyed  by  squeezing  ;  but  the  other  encases  itself  on  the  under  side  of 
the  leaves  in  a  sort  of  web,  and  gives  the  appearance  of  being  scalded. 
From  the  leaves  it  makes  its  way  to  the  fruit,  perforating  and  destroying 
the  Cherries.  The  only  means  of  riddance  is  to  examine  the  trees 
occasionally  and  destroy  the  grubs.  Borders  must  not' be  allowed  to 
become  and  remain  dry  ;  trees  in  pots  should  be  frequently  examined, 
and  water  supplied  as  r<  quired. 
Pines. — Suckers  should  now  be  started  to  afford  a  supply  of  ripe 
fruit  from  about  December  onwards.  The  pots  most  suitable  are  5  to 
7  inches,  according  to  the  size  of  the  suckers.  Drain  efficiently,  use 
fibrous  loam,  torn  up  moderately  small,  pressing  the  soil  firmly  about  the 
base  of  the  suckers,  and  plunge  in  a  bottom  heat  of  90°  to  95°  at  the  base 
