238 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  9,  1897. 
One  of  the  most  instructive  things  to  me  round  Darwen  was  to  see 
the  interest  the  amateurs  and  cottagers  took  in  the  things  they  were 
growing  for  exhibition.  These  men  are  nothing  if  not  enthusiasiic  ; 
lighting  as  they  have  to  do  against  soil  and  climate,  the  results  they 
obtain  are  surprising.  A  visit  to  Blackburn  Park  was  a  treat  not  to  be 
missed,  whilst  my  Lancashire  tour  was  brought  to  a  close  with  a  hiu-ried 
glance  into  Milnshaw  Park,  Accrington. 
On  the  12th  I  returned  to  the  broad-acred  shire,  with  a  few  days  to 
take  leave  of  my  friends  ere  proceeding  to  my  home  in  the  Garden  Isle. 
What  one  sees  and  hears  on  these  short  visits  would  till  columns.  One 
o-ardener  is  a  strong  advocate  for  hotbeds  :  another  thinks  the  periodical 
fifting  of  Peach  trees  and  root-pruning,  with  the  addition  of  new  material, 
is  a  necessary  operation  to  obtain  the  best  results  ;  whilst  a  third  dissents 
from  this  altogether,  believing  that  feeding  with  liquid  manure  and 
top-dressing  is  quite  sufficient.  And  so  1  might  go  on,  giving  the  opinions 
of  men  I  met  whilst  on  my  northern  tour.— S.  Heaton. 
IS  (IRAPE  GROWINQ  DEPRECIATING? 
Doubtless  we  are  very  reticent  in  these  go-ahead  times  to  admit 
that  in  any  phase  of  the  gentle  art  we  are  in  reality  not  going  forward, 
but  losing  ground.  It  is,  however,  questionable  whether  such  is  not  the 
case,  and  though  “Traveller,”  on  page  170,  ventured  on  dangerous 
ground,  there  appears  to  be  a  good  deal  in  what  he  says  that  it  is 
difficult  to  refute.  His  arguments  will  doubtless  be  met  from  different 
standpoints.  In  the  first  place,  there  are  men  who  are  always  ready  to 
uphold  anything  that  favours  the  good  old  days,  and  are  unwilling  to 
admit  the  effectiveness  of  any  modern  development.  “  Traveller’s  ” 
notes  will  serve  as  a  balm  to  their  spirits,  and  if  I  mistake  not  his  senti¬ 
ments  wilt  be  fully  re-echoed  in  the  mind  of  many  a  gardener  of  the  old 
school.  Secondly,  there  are  the  young  bloods  -  gardeners  trained  in  a 
more  recent  school,  who  are  apt  to  look  disdainfully  on  the  methods  of 
the  “old  fossils,”  as  your  correspondent  terms  them,  and  think  that 
nothing  can  be  good  if  it  is  not  original.  It  is  somewhat  surprising  if 
this  section  of  the  craft  do  not  i)0ur  the  vials  of  their  wrath  on  the  emend¬ 
ing  head  of  “  Traveller,”  or  set  him  down  as  being  some  ancient  fogey, 
who  stands  up  for  old  times  simply  because  they  were  the  days  before  he 
was  bowled  out  by  some  youngster,  who  perhaps  had  once  upon  a  time 
crocked  pots  for  him. 
Thirdly,  there  is  another  section  of  readers,  men  who  have  no  par¬ 
ticular  prejudice  either  way,  but  are  ready  to  look  at  any  argument  fairly 
and  squarely,  and  then  a'tack  or  defend  it  as  their  convictions  direct. 
There  is  a  distinct  tone  of  sadness  running  through  the  article  on  page  170, 
and  one  gathers  the  idea  that  the  writer  is  fully  decided  that  the  whole 
thing  is  going  to  the  dogs  as  fast  as  it  can,  and  in  a  few  years  the  time- 
honouretl  craft  will  be  nothing  more  than  a  name.  Fear  not,  “  Traveller;” 
the  ground  gained  is  considerably  wider  than  that  which  is  lost,  and  if  as 
the  Editor  suggested,  you  went  to  Shrewsbury,  let  us  hope  that  you 
returned  home  a  re-assured  man,  with  some  feelings  of  satisfaction  that 
after  all  everything  relative  to  gardening  is  not  in  a  state  of  decaj'. 
In  agreeing  with  the  sentiments  respecting  the  decadence  of  Grajie- 
growing  to  some  extent,  perhaps  1  may  be  referred  to  the  great  provincial 
exhibition  as  an  undeniable  proof  of  the  high  standard  of  excellence  still 
maintained  in  the  cultivation  of  this  popular  fruit.  It  is  true  that  mag¬ 
nificent  Grapes  are  always  .seen  at  Shrewsbury,  and  is  it  surprising  when 
we  consider  the  magnitude  of  the  show,  the  wealth  of  prize  money,  and  the 
all-important  fact  that  it  takes  place  at  the  very  best  time  of  the  year  for 
the  exhibition  of  Grapes?  The  Grapes  at  Shrewsbury  are  an  exception, 
and  allowing  their  excellence  by  no  means  does  away  with  the  con¬ 
tention  that  we  rarely  see  the  (luality  that  was  exhibited  years  ago.  Even 
the  Shrewsbury  prizewinners  may  be  counted  on  the  fingers,  and  while 
we  worthily  sing  their  praises  we  must  remember  that  some  of  the  chief 
of  them  belong  to  the  same  school  as  Mr.  Henderson,  who  did  great 
things  at  the  time  to  which  your  correspondent  refers. 
Leaving  Shrewsbury  out  of  the  question,  let  us  turn  to  the  earlier 
shows,  when  to  get  white  Grapes  an  amber  colour  and  black  Grajjcs  like 
Sloes  is  an  art  worthy  of  the  best  of  gardeners.  “  Traveller  ”  speaks  of 
Hamburghs  weighing  nearly  20  lljs.,  doubtless  exhibited  at  a  summer 
show  ;  I  refer  to  Hamburghs  that  were  subjected  to  hard  forcing  through 
the  treacherous  early  months  of  the  year,  and  exhibited  in  May  and 
early  June  in  a  high  state  of  e.xcellence,  that  nowadays  is  rarely  seen. 
There  will  doubtless  be  those  among  the  readers  of  these  lines  who 
remember  the  splendid  examples  of  Grape-growing  skill  that  used  to  be 
staged  at  the  Whitsuntide  shows  at  Manchester.  There  I  have  seen 
perfect  bunches  of  Hamburghs  weighing  from  2  to  3  lbs.,  and  similar 
bunches  of  Foster’s  Seedling  and  Buckland  Sweetwater,  with  large  highly 
coloured  berries,  in  every  way  fit  for  table.  Consider  that  the  Vines 
which  bear  Grapes  at  that  time  of  the  year  have  to  be  sharidy  forced, 
and  the  most  consummate  skill  of  the  gardener  must  be  brought  into 
play  to  bring  them  to  anything  like  perfection.  The  question  asked  is. 
Are  such  Grapes  shown  now  at  the  early  shows  1  I  append  also  my 
answer  —  an  emphatic  No. 
Again,  turn  to  the  great  R.H.S.  show  in  the  Temple  Gardens.  In 
most  respects  its  excellence  and  magnitude  have  extended  wonderfully, 
and  visitors  attend  in  increasing  numbers  yearly  with  the  exi)ectation 
of  seeing  the  highest  results  of  gardening  skill.  There  is  indeed  much  to 
admire,  but  what  of  the  Grapes?  Neither  at  the  last  nor  the  preceding 
show  was  there  anything  worthy  of  more  than  passing  recognition. 
It  might  be  that  the  Society’s  award  is  not  considered  sufficient  by 
gardeners  to  repay  them  for  the  expense  and  labour  incurred  in  showing 
at  the  Temple  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  gardeners  or  their  employers 
exhibit  collections  of  vegetables,  fruit  trees  in  pots,  and  groups  of 
[ilants.  No,  the  argument  is  not  strong  enough,  so  it  must  be  that  first- 
class  Grapes  at  Temple  Show  time  are  scarce  so  scarce,  that  a  meri 
torious  exhibit  rarely  now  appears  on  the  tables. 
The  Crystal  Palace  Fruit  Show  is  rai)idly  drawing  near,  and 
“  Traveller,”  with  others  who  are  interested,  will  have  an  opjiortunity  of 
noting  whether  there  is  or  not  real  ground  for  fear.  At  a  great  show’ 
devoted  entirely  to  fruit,  and  held  directly  under  the  auspices  ot  the 
])remier  Society,  we  certainly  oxujht  to  see  the  best  examples  of  (irapes 
that  our  gardeners  can  jiroduce.  \et  is  it  so?  According  to  last  years 
standard  a  negative  answer  can  only  lie  given.  With  a  few  exceptions 
the  bunches  were  loose,  and  the  berries  lacked  the  colour  and  finish  that 
all  good  Grape  growers  love  to  see.  In  the  lilack  Grapes  there  was  a 
redness  easily  noticeable,  and  with  the  w’hite  ones  there  was  a  tinge  of 
green  instead  of  the  golden  amber  that  should  characterise  them  in 
Se])tember.  I  hope  this  year  will  see  an  im]irovement,  as  tbe  Show,  in 
the  deterioration  of  the  Grape  section,  will  lose  one  of  its  brightest 
features. 
At  the  Drill  Hall  meetings,  too,  we  get  almost  everything  in  the  way 
of  fruit,  fiowers,  and  vegetables,  but  rarely  any  Grapes.^  The  solitary 
instance  I  can  call  to  mind  was  the  exhibit  last  year  which  came  from 
Chisw'ick  Gardens.  Gardeners  show’  collections  of  Apples  and  other  fruit, 
including  Melons  galore,  and  why  not  Grapes  ?  The  only  answer  seems 
to  be  because  they  have  not  got  them.  Drill  Hall  meetings  in  magnitude 
and  variety  have  grown  amazingly  during  recent  years  ;  yet  no  one  ever 
seems  to  look  for  Grapes,  and  would  doubtless  be  surprised  to  find  any 
there.  Surely  this  ought  not  to  be  if  the  art  is  not  declining. 
I  have  recollections  of  gardeners  who  would  have  proudly  e.xhibited 
their  Grapes  before  the  Fruit  Committee,  and  been  satisfied  with  the 
award  it  gave.  No  such  feeling  appears  to  exist  in  these  days.  It 
these  defects  are  so  apparent  in  the  greatest  centres  of  horticulture, 
what  must  it  be  at  shows  of  lesser  importance  ?  But  perhaps,  and  let 
us  hope  there  are,  shining  lights  in  the  Grape-growing  world  who  as  yet 
are  only  glimmering  in  a  little  local  hemisphere.  Like  your  correspondent, 
I  claim  to  be  by  no  means  of  a  pessimistic  turn  of  mind,  yet  when  1  com¬ 
pare  the  Grapes  of  to-day  with  those  of  not  many  years  ago  1  agree  with 
him  that  so  far  as  this  important  branch  is  concerned  gardening  is 
decaying. —  A  Kentish  Man. 
Impkoving  Vines. 
The  paper  that  first  drew  attention  to  the  state  of  our  Navy  could 
certainly  have  caused  no  more  astonishment  than  have  “Traveller  s  ’  Notes 
on  the  above  subject  '^page  170).  We  have  been  accustomed  to  read  of  the 
progress  of  gardening  during  the  Victorian  era,  and  of  classes  being  set 
apart  at  some  of  our  great  shows  to  demonstrate  the  advance  in  horti¬ 
culture,  and  then  to  find  we  are  so  far  behind  our  forefathers  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  king  of  fruits  comes  as  a  revelation.  That  “Traveller  ” 
was  not  struck  with  anything  in  the  Grape  classes,  except  it  was  an 
absence  of  finish  in  so  many  of  the  bunches,  1  have  no  doubt,  but  I  feel 
that  there  are  many  beside  myself  who  think  that  if  the  glass  and  money 
were  forthcoming  there  are  still  men  who  can  turn  out  noble  bunches, 
and  so  uphold  the  reputation  of  British  horticulturists. 
“  Traveller  ”  has  pointed  out  why  Roses  are  not  shown  so  well  as 
formerly,  but  his  inference  cannot  be  applied  to  gardeners.  A  hy  is  the 
high-class  cultivator  being  crow'ded  out?  Why  is  the  smart  (with  his 
tongue)  up-to-date  young  man  taking  his  place  ?  Cannot  employers 
afford  to  pay  a  good  cultivator?  This  is  the  only  reason  I  can  assign 
for  any  decadence  in  gardening. 
I  will  close  this,  my  first  contribution,  by  a  few  cultural  notes.  ^  It  the 
Grapes  are  unsatisfactory  (and  this  is  the  time  of  year  to  judge), 
endeavour  to  ascertain  the  cause.  If  sjmrs  or  rods  are  too  crow'ded  cut 
the  weaker  out.  If  there  is  a  doubt  about  the  roots  being  in  an  unsatis¬ 
factory  state  lift  them.  What  is  the  best  compost  to  use,  and  how  the 
border  should  be  made  would  be  a  good  text  tor  a  cultivator  who  has 
proved  the  material.  We  are  not  allowed  turf,  yet  we  have  lifted  most 
of  our  Vines.  What  w'e  have  used  with  the  most  satisfactory  results 
some  may  like  to  know. 
We  get  a  good  accumulation  of  rubbish,  and  this  we  burn,  as  described 
by  Mr.  Iggulden  (page  115).  We  commenced  the  work  of  lifting  in 
November,  taking  three  Vines  at  a  time.  W’e  removed  all  the  soil  from 
among  the  roots,  and  as  this  was  thrown  out  the  burnt  earth  was  mi.xed 
with  it,  this  frequently  being  red  hot.  This  with  mortar  rubbish  was 
freely  used,  and  after  all  had  been  well  mixed  and  stood,  while  the 
drainage  was  seen  to,  till  in  a  condition  suitable  for  potting,  the  soil 
was  returned  and  trodden  as  firmly  as  possible  until  nearing  the  surface. 
The  roots  were  then  laid  in  and  the  soil  pressed  moderately  firm  about 
them.  How  much  burnt  material  may  safely  and  advantageously  be  used 
in  making  up  a  Vine  border  I  cannot  say,  but  I  do  think  that  it  a  great 
deal  more  were  used  with  the  turf  that  is  so  frequently  recommended, 
and  that  put  together  firmly,  we  should  improve  our  Grapes. 
We  may  not  get  canes  so  quickly  or  stout,  but  what  we  have  last 
longer  and  finish  the  crops  better  than  those  grown  in  decaying  turves. 
The  manure  our  Vines  get  is  from  earth  closets,  with  liquid  manure  from 
the  home  farm.  They  are  watered  with  weak  licjuid  through  the  summer, 
and  during  wet  weather,  when  the  liquid  is  weakened  by  autumn  rains, 
we  throw  it  on  as  brought  from  the  farm.—  S.  B.  O. 
[A  very  good  “first  contribution.”  We  like  to  hear  from  gardeners 
who  can  describe  clearly  how  they  succeed  under  difficulties,  and 
“  S.  B.  O.”  may  treat  his  pen  to  a  little  exercise  again.  Perhaps  the 
“  Traveller  ”  had  not  had  a  good  day  among  his  clients,  and  sought 
solace  in  publicity.] 
