476 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  21,  1896. 
In  writing  these  few  remarks  on  Grape-growing  as  a  commercial 
industry,  I  have  endeavoured  to  avoid  many  details  of  the 
question  and  to  treat  it  broadly.  The  question  to  me,  and  I  well 
know  to  many  who,  becauie  they  have  been  born  to  it,  or  from 
circumstances  leading  them  to  adopt  it  as  an  occupation,  abounds 
in  interest,  and  there  are  many  points  on  which  growers  differ 
widely.  The  change  that  has  come  over  the  situation  commercially 
in  regard  to  most  things  is  borne  out  in  the  case  of  Grape-growing, 
and  in  many  instances  the  alterations  have  seriously  affected  the 
position  of  individual  growers,  still  the  general  welfare  is  better 
now  taking  growers,  sellers,  and  consumers  all  altogether.  But  the 
future  with  regard  to  its  successful  commercial  side  must  be  with, 
first,  those  whose  natural  position  with  regard  to  soil,  water,  and 
carriage  is  best ;  secondly,  with  those  whose  special  training  and 
experience  gives  them  immense  advantage  over  the  inexperienced, 
and  really  one  has  to  sound  a  note  of  warning  that  Grapes  or  any 
fruit  growing,  as  a  commercial  undertaking,  cannot  wisely  be 
entered  on  except  by  those  who  have  practical  experience. 
There  is  plenty  of  elbow  room  for  all  to  grow  good  sound  fruit 
of  whatever  sort  to  be  consumed  in  this  country,  but  it  is  another 
side  to  the  question  whether  individuals  who  embark  in  the 
occupation  without  sufficient  knowledge  are  to  be  rewarded  by 
much  profit. 
It  seems  hard  to  say  so,  but  it  does  appear  that  concerns  are 
getting  into  fewer  and  fewer  hands,  that  a  harder  system  is  gradu¬ 
ally  embracing  all  businesses,  that  the  smaller  capitalist  by  having 
to  take  less  return  on  his  outlay  is  more  hardly  pressed.  Now  Vine 
growing  is  an  occupation  that  will  ever  depend  on  individual  atten¬ 
tion,  and  as  soon  as  the  thorough,  thoughtful  treatment  is  neglected, 
then  we  cannot  expect  magnificent  results.  But  Commerce  says, 
Does  it  pay  ?  Can  it  be  made  to  pay  ?  and  without  considering 
art  or  skill,  proceeds  to  reduce  the  production  of  Grapes  to  a 
system,  and  perhaps  getting  its  5  per  cent.,  almost  ruins  the  smaller 
man.  That  appears  to  be  the  course  of  our  business  in  the  near 
future,  and  because  of  the  necessary  management  of  large  places 
getting  away  from  a  direct  personal  supervision,  the  results  will 
often  be  not  first-grade  produce.  Herein  lies  the  hope,  and  I 
believe  strength,  of  smaller  places,  as  they  can  be  more  carefully 
and  economically  managed,  with  much  more  likelihood  of  growing 
high-grade  produce. 
There  are  many  details  relating  to  the  establishing  and  manage¬ 
ment  of  a  vineyard  under  glass  that  one  cannot  refer  to  in  a  short 
paper  that  aims  principally  to  give  some  general  ideas  only  about 
the  subject.  The  occupation  of  a  Vine  grower  is  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  that  can  be  undertaken  ;  it  is  full  of  ever-changing 
interest.  The  grower  can,  from  ordinary  observation  of  the  Vine, 
learn  many  lessons  useful  in  life.  There  is  a  perfect  organisation 
in  the  Vine  itself  ;  there  is  a  fruitfulness  that  is  stored  the  season 
before  it  is  seen,  and  is  “  not  to  be  traced  by  sight  or  sound." 
There  is  the  ripening  and  the  going  to  rest,  and  the  miracle  of 
coming  into  life  again  in  the  spring. 
It  is  an  occupation  the  result  of  which  is  beneficial  to  mankind, 
for  the  fruit  of  the  Vine  is  one  of  the  most  valued,  both  for  those 
who  are  ill  and  those  who  are  well.  Many  a  neighbour,  rich  and 
poor,  has  come  to  call  on  me  after  rising  from  a  couch  of  pain  and 
extremity  to  testify  to  the  life-sustaining  and  restoring  powers  of 
Grapes.  Everywhere  in  all  ages  and  times  the  dietetic  and  health¬ 
giving  powers  of  the  fruit  of  the  Vine  have  been  acknowledged, 
and  after  all,  there  lies  the  strength  of  the  commercial  position. 
Cultivators  of  the  Vine  may  rest  assured  that  those  inherent 
valuable  qualities  will  ever  keep  weff-grown  Grapes  the  king  of 
fruits.— Peter  Kay. 
WINTER  FLOWERS. 
In  many  gardens  where  the  area  of  glass  is  small  there  is  generally 
a  scarcity  of  flowers  after  the  Chrysanthemums  are  over,  and  this  is 
keenly  felt  coming  after  the  brightness  of  the  preceding  weeks.  The 
craze  for  “  Mums”  is  to  a  great  extent  responsible  for  this,  the  quantity 
grown  being  in  many  cases  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  place, 
thus  robbing  other  useful  things  of  the  necessary  attention,  and  often 
crowding  them  out  altogether.  I  admire  the  Chrysanthemum  as  much 
as  most  people,  but  grow  no  more  than  I  can  find  room  for  without 
injuring  anything  else. 
For  the  past  three  years  I  have  been  expected  to  keep  up  a  constant 
supply  of  flowers  with  what  I  should  at  one  time  ha^e  considered  very 
inadequate  accommodation.  We  have  here  no  houses  devoted  to  plants 
alone,  the  latter  having  all  to  be  grown  in  fruit  houses,  the  earliest  of 
which  is  not  started  till  the  middle  of  February. 
Commencing  early  in  October,  the  side  stages  of  our  conservatory 
are  occupied-  with  an  arrangement  of  Salvia  splendens,  Carnation 
Margarita,  Primula  sinensis,  Zonal  Pelargoniums,  Cyclamen  persicum, 
and  dwarf  Chrysanthemums  ;  these,  with  the  addition  of  a  few  small 
Palms  and  Ferns,  forming  a  neat  if  not  a  very  dazzling  display.  As 
Christmas  approaches  these  are  enlivened  by  Human  Hyacinths  and 
Paper-white  Narcissus. 
From  this  time  till  the  spring  is  well  advanced  we  are  never  without 
Narcissi,  ending  up  the  season  with  N.  poeticus.  I  owe  much  to  Mr. 
Bardney’s  writings  in  th  e  Journal  of  Horticulture,  but  am  most  thankful 
to  him  for  the  articles  he  wrote  three  or  four  years  ago,  advising  the  use 
of  Daffodils  for  forcing,  and  they  are  now  indispensable.  By  the  latter 
part  of  January  a  thorough  change  is  necessary,  as  in  spite  of  the 
greatest  care  and  attention  many  of  the  plants  begin  to  look  shabby,  and 
must  be  removed. 
Cinerarias  from  seed  sown  during  the  latter  part  of  May  now  begin 
to  expand  their  blooms  ;  these  are  reinforced  by  Freesias,  Arum  Lilies, 
and  Tulips.  As  we  cannot  force  the  Freesias  and  Arum  Lilies  very 
much,  we  do  all  we  can  to  forward  them  during  the  preceding  spring 
and  summer.  The  former  are,  when  flowering  is  over,  returned  to  the 
vinery  and  placed  in  as  light  a  position  as  can  be  spared  for  them,  and 
carefully  watered,  occasionally  with  weak  liquid  manure,  till  the  bulbs 
are  ripened.  The  latter  are  also  kept  under  cover  till  signs  of  ripening 
are  seen.  The  same  plan  is  followed  with  Deutzia  gracilis.  Late  in 
July  we  repot  our  stock  of  Freesias  and  plunge  them  in  a  frame,  where 
they  start  at  their  own  time.  The  Arum  Lilies  are  also  shaken  out  and 
repotted  when  signs  of  growth  are  apparent.  The  earliest  of  these  are 
placed  in  a  sunny  frame  in  August  and  gently  forwarded,  throwing  up 
spikes  considerably  in  advance  of  any  not  so  treated. 
From  the  time  when  the  Cinerarias  commence  flowering  we  never 
experience  any  scarcity  of  flowers.  At  present  we  have  Cinerarias, 
Cyclamens,  Callas,  Pelargoniums  both  show  and  Zonal,  Clivias,  Deutzias, 
Eupatoriums,  Genistas,  Heliotropes,  Hydrangeas,  Spiraeas,  Lily  of  the 
Valley,  with  Tea  Boses  in  abundance.  This  short  list  of  winter  and 
spring  flowering  plants  might  be  easily  added  to.  They  are,  however, 
sufficient  for  our  purpose.  I  prefer  growing  large  numbers  of  few  kinds 
rather  than  small  quantities  of  many. — North  Yorks. 
YOUNG  GARDENERS. 
Their  Hours  and  Habitations. 
This  subject  is  one  which  no  doubt  the  major  portion  of  the  Journal 
readers  have  followed  with  some  interest,  and  the  able  manner  in  which 
Mr.  Bardney  has  championed  the  young  men’s  cause  must  certainly 
deserve  the  thanks  of  those  for  whom  be  is  such  an  eloquent  advocate. 
Very  few  head  gardeners  can  complain  at  the  impartial  manner  in 
which  the  matter  has  been  brought  forward  by  him,  although  it  must 
be  said  all  head  gardeners  have  not  the  privilege  of  re-arranging  the 
hours  of  labour  on  the  lines  suggested,  because  there  are  cases  where 
other  departments  of  the  estate  would  claim  a  similar  favour,  and  it  is 
not  convenient  in  every  instance  always  to  adopt  Saturday  half-holidays. 
For  years  past  it  has  been  a  custom  to  cease  work  on  Saturday  an 
hour  or  more  earlier  than  on  other  days  of  the  week,  but  the  extensive 
adoption  of  cr'cket  and  football  as  a  Saturday  afternoon  pastime  renders 
a  change  necessary  to  cope  with  modern  ambitions  of  the  youDger 
generations.  Without  being  endowed  with  the  privilege  of  breaking  a 
rule  which  has  been  in  force  for  sixty  years  or  more,  I  have,  at  least  for 
a  portion  of  the  summer  when  we  are  relieved  of  the  family  from 
residence,  conformed  to  the  suggestion  of  allowing  the  men  to  work  an 
additional  half  hour  in  the  evening,  leaving  at  6  instead  of  5.30,  and 
finish  at  1.30  on  Saturday,  with  the  exception  that  the  one  on  duty  for 
the  coming  week  remains  to  do  the  necessary  work  of  closing,  watering, 
and  syringing  where  this  must  be  done. 
This  course  is  much  more  satisfactory  than  giving  half  holidays  to 
those  having  engagements  on  Saturdays,  saves  a  deal  of  friction  and 
inconvenience,  which  is  not  generally  pleasant.  Your  correspondent 
“  Another  Subordinate  ”  gives  vent  to  his  thoughts  and  the  failings  of 
head  gardeners  rather  freely  (page  417),  apparently  forgetting  that  men 
are  not  born  head  gardeners,  but  rise  to  the  position  from  subordinate 
positions.  If  the  suggestions  of  your  correspondent  could  be  carried 
out  in  every  garden,  what  a  change  would  come  over  gardening  as  an 
occupation  !  I  fear,  however,  that  a  general  acceptance  of  the  rules  he 
would  like  to  impose  is  not  likely  to  become  established  fact,  for  the 
simple  reason  that  the  means  are  not  forthcoming  wherewith  to  do  it. 
If  a  man  has  to  manage  a  garden  on  £300  a  year,  the  same  requiring  an 
outlay  of  perhaps  £200  more  to  carry  on  the  work  properly,  wherein 
comes  the  possibility  of  providing  all  the  comforts  and  conveniences 
“  Another  Subordinate  ”  would  say  should  be  given  ? 
I  am  quite  prepared  to  think  he  will  gain  a  good  deal  of  useful 
knowledge  before  all  these  things  are  universally  provided  in  gardens. 
Unfortunately,  the  tendency  runs  in  a  downward  groove,  at  least  in  the 
gardens  of  the  agriculturist,  and  I  cannot  see  any  immediate  prospect 
of  a  brighter  future.  From  the  last  paragraph  of  his  communication 
one  can  judge  fairly  clear  that  his  attainments  are  pronounced  in 
amusements  rather  than  useful  work  ;  he  expects  more  as  a  subordinate 
than  I  ever  enjoyed  in  this  capacity  or  as  a  head  gardener.  He  is  not 
satisfied  without  having  all  the  evenings  to  himself,  a  holiday  for  a  week 
or  so  in  the  summer  or  autumn,  besides  half  days  to  go  to  cricket  and 
football  matches  without  even  asking.  If  head  gardeners  are  expected 
to  study  the  young  men’s  “  comforts  ”  and  “  little  enjoyments  ”  on  the 
scale  suggested  by  “  Subordinate,”  the  staff  and  expenditure  must  be 
considerably  augmented  in  many  a  garden,  and  the  query  that  must 
arise  is,  Will  the  young  men  be  the  more  happy,  contented,  or  better 
off  in  the  end  1 
I  am  not  prepared  to  argue  that  there  are  not  places  where  the  young 
men’s  comforts  are  sadly  out  of  proportion  to  the  work  expected  of  them, 
and  this  sometimes  without  reasonable  cause,  but  on  the  other  hand 
there  are  gardens  where  the  hands  of  the  gardener  are  tied  in  the  matter 
