October  1,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
321 
others  of  varying  beauty.  How  striking  is  C.  speciosus  with  its 
orange  stigmas  protruding  above  the  flower  when  closed  ;  and  with 
what  simple  and  chaste  colouring  0.  zonatus  entices  ns  to  stoop 
over  its  opened  flowers,  rosy  lilac  with  orange -coloured  zone  at  the 
base.  Neither  of  these  are  expensive  Croci,  and  are  hardy  enough 
besides  to  induce  more  extensive  planting  in  gardens  where  such 
■flowars  can  be  appreciated,  even  though  the  Gladiolus  “  burns  like 
fire,”  and  the  brief-lived  flower  of  the  Tigridia  spreads  its  brilliant 
petals  close  by. 
Though  the  Water  Lilies  have  gone  for  the  season,  by  the 
margin  the  Grass  of  Parnassus  reminds  us  by  its  pretty  flowers  that 
there  may  be  something  else  beside  the  pool  which  may  be  worth 
looking  at,  even  although  che  Flowering  Hush  (Butomus  umbellatus) 
has  gone  with  the  Lilies,  and  the  Bog  Arum  (Calla  palustris)  no 
longer  shows  its  flowers.  We  find  dangling  and  creeping  on  the 
sloping  bank  beside  the  pool  something  to  note  which  would  escape 
the  attention  of  many,  and  yet  a  plant  which  many  admire  and 
some  covet.  This  is  one  of  the  South  American  Acsenas,  which 
most  of  u«  who  grow  them  admire  principally  on  account  of  their 
foliage,  although  the  showy  crimson  spines  of  A.  microphylla  render 
that  species  more  than  usually  attractive.  It  is  not  of  it,  however, 
that  I  desire  to  write  a  few  words,  but  of  A.  argeutea,  which  is  very 
pleasing  also.  Its  beauty  is  entirely  dependent  upon  its  leaves, 
which  are  of  a  beautiful  glaucous  tint  which  one  would  hardly  thick 
aptly  expressed  by  the  specific  name  of  argent^s,  pretty  though 
dt  is. 
This  Silvery  Aciena,  as  we  must  perforce  call  it  for  want  of  a 
better  name,  comes  all  the  way  from  Chili,  but  appears  to  be  hardy 
everywhere  that  I  have  seen  it  in  England,  Ireland,  or  Scotland. 
It  is  a  confirmed  rambler,  and  will  lOon  cover  a  good  space  either  on 
a  bank,  over  a  large  stone,  or  on  the  level.  It  prefers  a  rather  moist 
soil,  and  is  readily  increased  by  division  or  by  pieces  of  the  rooted 
runners  which  abound.  Useful  as  carpeters  for  bulbs  or  taller 
fiowers  are  these  little  creeping  members  of  the  Rosacese,  although 
they  little  resemble  the  royal  line  which  claims  our  homage  as  the 
queen  of  flowers. — S.  Arnott. 
A  RESTING  TOUR. 
A  “  POUND  a  week  Gardener  ” —  and,  alas !  there  are  too 
many  who  wish  they  had  it — writes  an  interesting  note  anent 
my  incidental  reference  to  life  insurance  last  week.  He  says 
when  he  was  young  he  took  the  bold  step  of  incurring  the  pay¬ 
ment  of  an  annual  premium,  which  he  had  many  a  struggle  to 
meet,  and  some  deprivation  to  endure.  But  to  cite  his  words,  he 
went  in  for  profits,"  and  a  “draw  ”  if  he  lived  to  a  certain  age. 
He  lived  past  the  age,  and  the  profits  grew,  and  although  the 
amount  he  insured  for  was  small  he  has  just  had  the  “draw," 
which  appears  to  have  gladdened  his  heart,  of  nearly  £200.  So 
far  good,  but  he  winds  up  with  the  sly  rebuke  that  he  “  didn’t 
squander  it  in  Scotland,”  but  what  do  you  think,  gentle  reader, 
he  says,  “  I  bought  the  missus  a  Turkey  carpet.” 
The  missus  is  to  be  congratulated,  but  if  I  had  been  the 
fortunate  recipient  of  the  “dot”  I  should  prefer  boycotting 
Turkey  at  the  present  moment  in  favour  of  the  Land  o’  Cakes. 
But  perhaps  the  precious  carpet  was  not  made  in  Turkey,  or  even 
in  Germany,  but  in  his  own  native  land.  Let  us  hope  so.  This  is 
a  little  preliminary,  but  it  has  landed  us  in  Scotland  again — and 
we  are  at  breezy,  hilly,  grapey  Clovenfords. 
The  visit  was  a  flying  one,  and  the  reception  a  surprise.  When 
the  late  Mr.  William  Thomson  was  called  to  his  fathers  Britain 
lost  one  of  the  greatest  gardeners  of  the  century,  and  as  he  was 
pre-deceased  by  his  son  (who  bore  his  familiar  name),  as  fine  a 
specimen  of  humanity  a*  one  could  wish  to  see — quite,  as  we  should 
say,  in  his  prime — the  responsibility  of  conducting  the  widely 
famed  establishment  then  devolved  on  Mr.  John  Thomson,  and  a 
glance  sufficed  to  show  that  it  it  in  highly  competent  hands.  But 
to  the  “surprise.”  Mr.  Thomson’s  concern,  prior  to  our  visit,  was 
lest  7its  guardian  angel  should  not  be  able  to  rise  from  a  bed  of 
sickness  to  greet  us  with  a  Scottish  welcome  ;  but  ke  was  all  right, 
and  longing  for  a  “  crack.”  On  arrival  we  found  Mrs.  Thomson  in 
the  brisk  activity  of  returned  health,  and  she  gave  us  a  charming 
welcome  ;  but  her  husband  vias  in  bed,  with  strict  injunctions  from 
his  doctor  to  remain  there  two  days  longer.  How  true  it  is  that 
“the  best  laid  schemes  o’ mice  and  men  gang  aft  agley.”  The 
crack  ”  came  off  all  the  same  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  callers,  and 
■it  8  hoped  the  patient  too,  who  it  ii  pleasant  to  learn  is  now 
ying  his  usual  health  again. 
Clovenfords  is  500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the 
vineries  are  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  that  rises  800  feet  from 
its  base.  The  view  from  the  summit  is  said  to  be  well  worth  the 
journey,  but  neither  time  nor  weather  permitted  the  climb.  The 
three  most  pleasant  and  commodious  homes  of  the  difierent 
members  of  the  Thomson  family  face  the  south  and  overlook 
the  vineries,  the  line  of  vision  being  bounded  by  the  mountain 
beyond,  which  to  the  flat-land  southerner  is  a  grand  feature. 
There  are  sundry  other  residences,  the  greater  number  having 
been  erected  since  the  “  Tweed  Vineyard  ”  was  established,  and 
in  consequence  of  its  existence  ;  but  there  are  a  few  older  houses, 
one  of  them,  once  an  inn,  being  notable  as  the  six-months 
residence  of  the  renowned  Sir  Walter  Scott,  when  he  was  appointed 
Sheriff  of  Selkirkshire.  Wordsworth  visited  Sir  Walter  there,  and 
left  these.lines  behind  him  : — 
“  And  when  we  came  to  Clovenfords, 
Then  said  my  winsome  marrow, 
Whate’er  betide  we’ll  turn  aside 
And  view  the  braes  of  Yarrow.” 
The  village  is  pleasant  and  salubrious,  several  visitors  finding 
their  way  to  it  during  the  season.  The  Tweed  is  not  far  distant, 
with  its  picturesque  “  falls  ;  ”  while  the  railway  station  is  con¬ 
veniently  near,  only  a  few  minutes  walk  from  the  vineries  ;  but 
the  trains  do  not  stop  every  ten  minutes,  or  anything  of  that  kind  ; 
though  if  passengers  had  to  wait  even  that  time  at  the  stations  of 
the  London  underground  railway,  some  of  them  would  feel  so 
badly  served  as  to  compel  them  to  write  to  the  papers.  When 
grievance-seeking  people  are  itching  for  opportunities  for  such 
airings  they  are  usually  “  compelled.”  Sometimes  when  writing, 
the  tired  brain  is  a  drag  on  the  pen,  which  labours  slowly  along  ; 
sometimes  the  pen  gets  the  master,  and  needs  a  sharp  pull  up. 
That  time  is  the  present,  and  it  must  be  guided  back  to  Clovenfords. 
Mr.  Calderhead,  the  trusty  and  experienced  foreman,  was  the 
guide  in  an  hour’s  stroll  through  the  vineries,  and  the  first  thing 
that  impressed  the  visitor,  after  an  absence  of  getting  on  to  twenty 
j  years,  was  that  the  fine  span-roofed  structures  appeared  as  sound 
as  ever  after  nearly  thirty  years’  wear,  and  their  condition  enforces 
the  truth  of  the  lesson  that  so  many  seem  to  forget  in  this  all-for- 
cheapnesi  ora,  that  the  best  materials  and  workmanship  are  the 
most  economical  in  the  end. _ 
As  to  their  contents,  our  practical  guide  had  no  disposition  to 
praise  them.  That  is  evidently  not  in  his  line,  and  he  certainly 
had  no  occasion  to  do  so.  The  Vines  and  their  crops  spoke  for 
themselves  eloquently  enough  of  the  care  devoted  to  them,  the  skill 
bestowed  on  them,  the  generous  food  provided  for  them  ;  and 
certainly,  in  the  absence  of  any  of  those  requirements,  they  could 
not  Continue  bearing  such  admirable  crops  of  splendid  Grapes  year 
by  year  for  close  upon  a  generation  as  numbers  of  these  Vines  have 
done,  and  under  the  same  intelligent  routine  to  which  they  are  sub¬ 
jected  he  would  be  a  bold  man  who  would  place  a  limit  to  their 
satisfactory  fertility. _ 
In  growing  Grapes  for  market  it  is  the  custom  of  not  a  few  of 
their  owners  to  work  on  the  principle  of  a  “  short  life  and  a  merry 
one,”  but  not  of  all.  The  strongest  obtainable  canes  are  run  up  in 
j  the  shortest  possible  time.  They  are  borne  their  full  length  to  the 
last  ounce.  Bunches  and  berries  may  not  be  large  or  black  as  sloes, 
but  they  meet  the  tastes  of  the  multitude  who  havv^  either  not  the 
means  or  disposition  to  pay  other  than  low  prices  ;  but  the 
enormous  crops  seem  to  leave  a  margin  of  profit  behind  them,  and 
when  the  yield  amounts  to  scores  of  tons  the  aggregate  amount  is 
substantial.  So  long  as  the  Vines  bear  “  paying  ”  crops  they  are 
naturally  permitted  to  remain,  but  when  signs  of  exhaustion  are 
visible  “  out  they  go.”  There  is  no  compunction  about  it.  If  they 
are  in  hundreds  it  is  of  no  consequence.  There  are  plenty  more  in 
other  houses  to  maintain  the  supply,  and  so  the  work  of  rotation 
goes  on  at  if  growing  Strawberries  in  the  open  on  the  three-years 
system.  _ 
But  though  this  driving  practice  is  common  it  is  by  no  means 
universal  among  our  great  Grape  providers,  and  it  utually  resorted 
to  where  there  are  huge  blocks  of  imall  houies  ;  and  the  exact 
reverse  of  it  is  seen  in  the  light,  steep,  roomy,  and  lofty  structures 
at  Clovenfords.  Nor  with  all  their  length  of  rafter  are  the  Vines 
limited  to  one  rod.  Few,  if  any,  are  thus  restricted.  Some  have 
two,  some  three,  others  four,  and  if  there  is  any  difference  in 
vigour  and  productiveness  it  is  in  the  direction  of  a  plurality  of 
rods.  This  was  perhaps  the  most  notably  so  in  a  finely  filled  house 
of  Muscats,  the  Vines  in  this  case,  however,  not  being  so  old  as  those 
in  the  original  lofty  structures  that  we  particularly  went  to  see. 
They  were  seen  by  the  scribe  when  about  seven  years  old — not 
he,  but  they — and  were  in  fine  condition  then  ;  they  were  seen 
