Octobar  8,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
359 
naturally  surprised,  and  so  was  I  when  I  saw  it;  and  as  the  modern 
practice  is  to  encourage  shoots  on  the  stem  to  stiffen  it  and  strengthen 
the  plant, 
A  batch  of  standard  Apples  looked  simply  like  a  wood,  such  as  you 
might  expect  to  shoot  Pheasants  in.  You  could  only  see  into  it  a  very 
short  distance.  Yet  the  soil  looked  clean  and  well  cultivated,  and  I 
said.  How  can  you  hoe  or  cultivate  the  ground  among  those  trees  1  He 
then  showed  me  a  small  caltivator  with  three  hoes  or  tires,  about  ?,  feet 
“6  inches  wide  I  suppose,  and  be  said  it  was  dragged  by  a  pony.  "  But 
who  can  possibly  lead  the  pony  ?  ”  As  I  understood  him,  it  was 
managed  by  a  couple  of  boys,  one  on  each  side  ;  that  one  turned  the 
pony  in  with  the  cultivator  behind  him  down  one  row,  like  a  ferret  into 
a  hole  ;  and  that  the  other  boy,  on  the  other  side  of  the  wood,  caught 
him  when  he  came  out,  and  turned  him  in  at  the  next  row,  and  so  on. 
I  could  not  help  wondering  what  would  happen  if  my  pony  was 
turned  in  among  those  jolly  green  leaves  and  tender  shoots,  and  guessing 
the  boy  on  the  other  side  would  have  to  wait  a  long  while  before  he 
came  through  ;  but  I  suppose,  like  the  grocer’s  boy  and  the  sugar, 
Mr.  Bunyard’s  pony  is  as  proof  against  the  temptation  of  Apple  leaves 
as  his  boys  are  against  Apples. 
Of  course  the  extent  is  wonderful,  but  I  was  prepared  for  that.  I 
think  I  was  surprised  at  the  very  great  preponderance  of  Peaches  above 
Apricots  ;  that,  I  take  it,  is  because  the  latter  do  not  do  so  well  under 
glass.  The  Apricot,  I  should  say,  wants  improving,  I  suppose  it  is  a 
long  time  since  any  really  good  new  variety  was  issued. 
Knowing  that  the  very  best  and  most  strict  management  must  be 
required  to  build  up,  maintain,  and  increase  such  a  large  business,  it  was 
interesting  to  hear  Mr.  Bunyard  state  that  all  bis  men  were  paid  by 
piecework.  It  is  readily  acknowledged  that  this  is  the  best  and  fairest 
system  where  employers  and  employed  are  determined  tc  do  each  other 
full  justice ;  but  even  then  many  contend  that  it  is  impossible  to  carry 
out  in  all  branches.  How  Mr,  Bunyard  avoids  scamping  in  such  work 
as  digging  and  budding  I  cannot  say,  but  1  am  always  glad  to  hear  of 
piecework,  and  rejoice  when  it  is  successful. 
I  am  afraid  I  did  not  thank  him  enough  for  the  valuable  time  he 
gave  to  the  “  mere  amateur,”  but  do  so  now,  with  hearty  congratulations 
on  his  successful  centenary. 
Another  thing  I  noticed,  which  I  bad  thought  of,  but  never  seen 
done,  was  the  tying  of  really  fine  specirr.en  Apples  to  the  trees  to  pre¬ 
vent  their  being  blown  off.  I  looked  cwefully  at  this  to  see  how  it  was 
done,  and  tried  it  when  I  got  home,  but  could  not  manage  it  without 
the  aid  of  a  special  stake  to  each  Apple.  There  was  no  stake  used  at 
Mr.  Bunyard’s,  but  the  stem  of  the  Apple  was  tied  to  the  bough.  I 
found  this  very  difficult  to  manage  so  as  to  get  just  the  right  amount  of 
tautness  ;  a  good  many  came  off  in  the  attempt  to  do  it,  I  gave  it  up, 
and  this  morning  (September  25th)  what  quantities  of  fine  Apples  are 
lying  on  the  ground  1  However,  if  the  ground  is  very  soft  from  rain 
Apples  from  low  bush  trees  sometimes  get  little  bruised,  and  will  keep 
after  all ;  but  they  should  be  carefully  examined,  and  kept  apart, — 
W.  E,  Raillem. 
HELIOPSIS  SCABRA  MAJOR. 
This  is  a  beautiful  autumn-flowering  composite,  and  one  that  will 
doubtless  become  a  favourite  in  many  gardens.  Several  bunches  of 
blooms  of  fleliopsis  scabra  major  have  been  exhibited  at  various  shows. 
The  deep  yellow  flower?  are  from  2  to  3  inches  in  diameter,  and  have  a 
slightly  conical  disc.  4lor  the  embellishment  of  gardens  this  is  a  most 
desirable  plant,  which  requires  similar  treatment  to  the  perennial 
Sunflower.  Fig.  60  represents  the  flowers.  “Amateur”  will  find  the 
addition  of  a  few  plants  of  this  to  his  borders  very  acceptable. 
THE  KIPPEN  YINEYARDS. 
I  HAVE  often  seen  the  Grapes  and  Tomatoes  grown  by  Messrs* 
D.  &  \V.  Buchanan  at  the  Kippen  Vineyards,  and  was  always  struck  by 
the  high  quality  of  both  the  crops,  therefore  I  gladly  accepted  an 
invitation  to  join  the  company  of  a  few  persons  interested  in  Grape 
culture  to  go  and  see  these  famous  vineyards.  We  were  welcomed  by 
Mr.  D.  Buchanan,  and  at  once  oonducteff  throngh  the  several  houses, 
which  I  may  here  state  consist  of  seven  vineries  and  three  Tomato 
houses,  which  are  all  span-roofed  and  so  constructed  that  the  thinning 
may  be  done  without  the  aid  of  ladders. 
The  first  vinery,  which  is  300  feet  by  20  feet,  is  planted  with  Gros 
Colman,  Cooper’s  Black  (this  variety  is  very  largely  grown  and  deservedly 
so),  and  Alicante  is  a  sight  to  see,  with  its  1000  grand  bunches.  There 
is  also  in  this  house  a  sealing  Vine,  raised  by  Mr.  Murray,  gardener  at 
Culzean  Castle,  which  has  already  been  honoured  by  the  Royal 
Caledonian  Society.  It  is  almost  as  large  in  berry  as  Gros  Colman — one 
of  its  parents — and  finishes  earlier  and  better  than  that  variety  under 
heavy  cropping. 
In  the  second  vinery,  which  is  of  about  the  same  dimensions  as 
the  above,  are  seen  the  following  varieties — Alnwick  Seedling,  this  is 
grown  extensively,  and  it  much  thought  of  by  Messrs.  Buchanan  ;  Gros 
Colman,  Black  Hamburgh,  Canon  Hall  Muscat,  and  Gros  Guillaume. 
The  third  and  fourth  vineries,  which  are  parallel  to  each  other  without 
any  dividing  wall,  are  planted  with  Alnwick  Seedling,  Alicante,  and 
Black  Hamburgh,  andlare>ithout  a  doubG  tbefineit  houses  of  the  lot 
These  vaneUes  are  remarkable  for  quality  of  bunch,  berry  and  finish. 
The  Black  Hatnburgh  has  not  put  on  sufficient  colour  under  heavy 
cropping  for  market  purposes,  and  is  being  replaced  with  Cooper’s  Black. 
I  was  told  that  these  houses  give  two  or  three  very  good  crops  of 
Tomatoes  after  the  Vines  were  planted  without  the  least  detriment  to 
the  Vines.  In  the  fifth,  sixth,  and  seveuth  vineries,  which  are  each 
130  feet  long,  are  planted  Cooper’s  Black,  Gros  Colman,  and  Alicante, 
and  are,  like  the  rest  of  the  houses,  a  sheet  of  fruit,  and  not  a  bad  bunch 
in  the  lot.  The  three  remaining  houses  are  planted  with  Buchanan’s 
Selected  Tomato,  which  is  a  good  cropper,  smooth,  very  firm,  medium 
size,  and  red  in  colour. 
Outside  we  saw  several  thousand  Strawberry  plants  in  pots,  princi¬ 
pally  Noble,  and  u  few  Royal  Sovereign,  though  the  latter  does  not  find 
PIG.  66.— HELIOPSIS  S:iABBA  MAJOR, 
much  favour  here  for  forcing  purposes,  owing  to  its  liability  to  mildew. 
One  is  apt  to  wonder  under  what  special  treatment  the  Vines  live  to 
gain  such  results,  especially  when  one  learns  that  the  Vines  are  planted 
in  the  natural  soil  without  any  drainage,  and  with  a  depth  of  soil  of 
not  more  than  15  or  16  inches.  The  subsoil  rests  on  red  sandstone, 
and  is  so  hard  that  it  requires  a  pick  to  remove  it,  and  appears  to  be 
impervious  to  either  water  or  roots.  We  were  told  that  the  only 
manure  used  is  Thomson’s  Vine  aod  plant  manure,  which  proves  the 
adaptability  of  this  special  mixture  for  Grape  culture.  I  may  state 
that  the  vineyards  are  standing  on  the  face  of  a  hill,  rather  highly 
situated. 
The  Kippen  Vines  enjoy  a  pleasing  freedom  from  red  spider.  The 
Vines  are  not  syringed,  but  are  well  watered,  which  I  am  sure  is  no 
light  matter  in  such  shallow  borders,  but  these  are  well  covered  with  a 
mulching  of  hay.  One  of  the  points  Messrs.  D.  &  W.  Buchanan  put 
great  faith  in,  along  with  others,  is  no  front  ventilation.  Not  a  single 
vinery  on  the  place  ever  receives  any — in  fact  it  is  impossible,  for  the 
houses  are  not  constructed  for  iU— William  Rhshton, 
