Bpcemter  2,  1897. 
JOURN-AL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
521 
It  is  true  that  a  strong  wind  will  blow  off  or  displace  some  of  the 
leaves,  but  this  inconvenience  is  well  worth  attending  to  for  the  sake 
of  having  good  salad  in  winter.  If  plenty  of  mats  or  netting  were  at 
hand,  these  might  be  employed  for  laying  on  the  leaves  to  keep 
them  secure.  One  point  is  to  have  the  leaves  raked  up  as  clean  and 
dry  as  possible.  I  have  not  tried  the  Horse  Chestnut  leaves,  but  if  I 
had  no  leaves  of  the.  Plane  I  should  do  so,  for  they  are  large  and 
fairly  light  if  gathered  up  as  fallen  from  the  trees.  The  Improved 
Broad-leaved  Batavian  Endive  if  well  bleached  is  not  at  all  bitter,  as 
are  the  curled  varieties  sometimes,  and  makes  a  salad  much  appre¬ 
ciated  by  those  who  require  it  throughout  the  year. — A.  Harding, 
Orton. 
[We  have  found  the  plan  of  protecting  and  blanching  Endive  by 
covering  the  plants  with  leaves,  as  described,  excellent.  The  samples 
sent  to  us  by  Mr.  Harding  were  the  best  we  have  seen  this  year.  They 
were  not  m  the  least  bitter,  but  white  and  crisp,  with  an  agreeable 
“  nutty  ”  flavour.] 
VEGETABLES  FOB  HOME  AND  EXHIBITION. 
iContinued  from  page  434.) 
Peas. 
To  maintain  a  constant  supply  of  this  most  popular  vegetable 
requires  considerable  judgment  on  the  part  of  a  gardener,  particularly 
as  it  is  seriously  affected  by  the  caprices  of  climate.  This  season  we 
have  had  striking  proof  of  this.  The  protracted  drought  and  great 
heat  of  summer  had  much  influence  over  the  crop,  inasmuch  as  it 
caused  premature  ripening  of  the  straw  of  early  Peas  and  brought  the 
midseason  and  late  varieties  on  so  quickly  that  in  some  cases  they 
were  all  in  at  once,  and  the  whole  season  only  lasted  a  few  weeks.  To 
avert  this  as  far  as  possible  judgment  is  necessary  in  the  proper- pre¬ 
paration  of  the  soil,  successive  periods  of  sowing,  and  the  choosing  of 
the  best  varieties. 
The  Peas  most  suitable  for  the  dinner-table  are  the  best  for  exhi¬ 
bition,  and  they  should  be  shown  just  when  they  are  in  the  best 
condition  for  cooking.  A  variety  that  is  heavj'’  cropping,  produces 
large  well  filled  pods  of  good-flavoured  peas,  is  the  best  to  grow  for 
supplying  the  kitchen,  and  as  a  Pea  of  this  character  fills  all  the 
requirements  of  the  exhibitor  there  is  no  need  to  make  any  discrimina¬ 
tion  between  the  two.  Some  vegetables  are  subject  to  special  treat¬ 
ment  at  the  hands  of  exhibitors  in  order  to  get  extraordinary  specimens 
for  the  show  table,  but  with  Peas  it  is  not  so.  The  treatment  that 
gives  the  best  returns  to  the  cultivator  also  results  in  the  finest  pods 
for  show,  so  that  in  following  out  the  most  accurate  details  of  culture, 
W’ith  soil  and  climate  suitable,  the  advantages  are  mutual. 
Frequent  opportunities  have  occurred  during  the  past  summer  of 
marking  the  difference  in  crops  of  Peas.  In  some  gardens  the  cropping 
period  was  infinitely  short,  presumably  on  account  of  the  drought,  but 
in  another  garden  under  exactly  the  same  conditions  of  soil  and 
weather,  the  crop  was  considerably  heavier  and  lasted  longer.  The 
latter  state  of  affairs  may  be  traced  to  deep  cultivation,  for  no  vege¬ 
table  pays  better  for  deep  and  thorough  working  of  the  soil.  An 
excellent  way  of  preparing  Pea  ground  is  to  dig  out  trenches  to  a 
depth  of  a  couple  of  feet  and  two  spades  wide.  Place  a  layer  of 
manure  in  the  bottom,  and  fill  up  with  alternate  layers  of  soil  and 
manure,  adding  a  little  loam  from  a  pasture  if  obtainable.  Several 
trenches  may  be  prepared  in  this  way  during  the  early  months  of  the 
year,  and  the  sowings  take  place  in  succession. 
The  ambition  of  everyone  who  has  a  kitchen  to  supply  is  to  get 
Peas  as  early  as  possible  in  the  season,  and  keep  this  up  as  long  as  is 
practical.  Artificial  forcing  of  this  vegetable  has  not  taken  the  atten¬ 
tion  of  gardeners  to  any  extent,  but  whether  this  will  be  so  in  the 
future  is  an  open  question.  An  old  -and  common  mode  of  forcing  is 
-that  of  sowing  Peas  at  the  end  of  January  or  early  in  February  in  pots 
or  turves  cut  into  small  squares,  and  placing  them  in  a  heated  pit  or 
hotbed  frame.  They  must  be  kept  close  to  the  glass  or  they  will 
become  drawn  and  weakly,  and  after  being  gradually  hardened  they 
should  be  planted  in  the  permanent  quarters  in  April,  by  which  means 
Peas  may  often  be  gathered  a  week  or  so  earlier  than  if  sown  in  the 
open  ground.  In  some  favourable  districts  a  little  time  is  gained  by 
sowing  in  November,  but  the  risks  are  too  great  to  be  generally 
recommended. 
A  south  border  having  the  shelter  of  a  wall  is  the  place  for  early 
Peas,  the  sowing  of  which  may  take  place  during  favourable  weather 
in  January,  having  previously  made  the  soil  friable  by  thorough 
working  and  free  use  of  well-decayed  manure.  It  is  an  open  question 
which  is  the  better  to  sow  for  the  first  crop — an  early  dwarf  variety 
like  Chelsea  Gem  or  English  Wonder,  or  a  taller  grower  such  as 
William  I.  The  last  named  is  one  of  the  best  known  Peas  for  early 
use,  and  has  no  superior  ;  but  if  the  border  be  a  narrow  one  a  dwarf 
grower  will  be  more  profitable,  as  the  rows  may  be  2  feet  apart,  and  if 
run  parallel  in  a  slanting  direction,  at  an  angle  of  about  60°,  a  longer 
length  of  row  is  obtained.  Where  mice  are  troublesome  it  is  a  good 
plan  prior  to  sowing  to  wet  the  Peas  and  roll  tliem  in  dry  red  lead. 
When  the  Peas  appear  they  must  be  carefully  watched  and  dusted 
with  soot  to  prevent  slugs,'*and  also  guarded  against  birds.  As  soon 
as  they  are  a  few  inches  above  ground  it  is  an  excellent  practice  to 
draw  up  the  earth  to  the  row  on  each  side,  as  this  forms  an  excellent 
means  of  protection.  In  addition  to  those  named,  Daisy,  American 
Wonder,  and  William  Hurst  are  useful  varieties. 
For  succession  there  must  be  sowings  at  intervals,  and  if  William  I. 
and  Ilingleader  are  sown  about  the  same  time  as  the  dwarf  varieties 
mentioned  the  whole  will  provide  a  good  early  supply.  Other  sowings 
of  early  and  midseason  varieties  should  be  made  in  March,  including 
Stratagem,  Veitch’s  Perfection,  and  Sharpe’s  Queen.  Some  growers 
raise  objections  to  the  tall  growing  later  sorts,  but  they  are  so  prolific 
they  cannot  be  dispensed  with.  Telephone,  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  and 
Duke  of  Albany  form  a  capital  trio,  though  it  must  be  remembered 
that  to  obtain  the  best  pods,  fit  either  for  exhibition  or  table, 
abundance  of  room  must  be  given  between  both  rows  and  plants,  and 
stout  stakes  provided,  otherwise  they  become  top-heavy.  Attacks 
of  mildew  among  Peas  during  the  past  season  have  been  very  common, 
in  most  cases  the  result  of  drought.  As  a  preventive  deep  cultiva¬ 
tion  to  begin  with  and  afterwards  soakings  of  water  or  liquid 
manure  are  recommended,  but  after  water  has  been  given  the  rows 
should  be  mulched  with  strawy  manure,  litter,  or  short  grass  from 
the  lawn,  so  as  to  conserve  the  moisture.  Sulphide  of  potassium  at 
the  rate  of  half  an  ounce  to  a  gallon  of  Avater,  sprayed  on  affected 
parts,  will  destroy  the  mildew,  but  when  once  Peas  are  badly 
attacked  they  rarely  recover  fully. 
Large  piods  for  show  are  sometimes  obtained  by  stopping  the 
growth  of  the  plant  after  the  pods  are  formed,  and  then  feeding  with 
liquid  or  chemical  manure  ;  but  if  plain  practical  methods  of  culture 
are  adopted  pods  quite  capable  of  winning  A  first  prize  may  be 
picked  from  the  row  that  is  supplying  the  kitchen. — Grower  and 
Judge. 
SUCCESSFUL  GBAPE  GBOWING. 
Having  seen  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  an  interesting  account 
of  Grape-growing  at  Cobham,  on  page  452,  and  a  photograph  of  the 
vinery  (page  459),  I  thought  I  should  like  to  send  you  a  photo  of  the 
vinery  at  Tilehurst  Nurseries,  near  Reading,  also  a  bunch  of  Grapes, 
so  that  you  may  examine  the  colour  and  sample  the  flavour. 
When  this  photograph  was  taken  there  were  4635  bunches  in  the 
house,  some  of  them  Aveighing  3  lbs.,  and  on  the  average  the  bunches 
would  not  weigh  less  than  1  lb.  These  Vines  were  only  raised  from 
eyes  in  February,  1892,  and  planted  in  February,  1893.  The  site  is 
over  200  feet  above  the  Thames  on  the  Berkshire  side  of  the  river,  and 
until  1892  grew  only  Briars,  Brambles  and  Furze.  It  was,  in  fact, 
common  land.  Part  of  it  Avas  let  to  a  farmer  for  £1  per  acre,  but  he 
had  to  give  it  up  in  despair,  so  you  see  the  soil  Avas  poor  Avhile  the 
aspect  is  bleak. 
The  soil  is  composed  of  a  mixture  of  sand,  gravel,  and  irony  clay. 
It  is  only  about  9  inches  in  depth,  so  I  had  to  take  the  top  off  the 
places  where  the  buildings  Avere  going  to  be  erected.  This  I  mixed  Avith 
bones,  and  made  the  border  5  feet  wide  on  each  side  of  the  house. 
Tavo  years  afterwards  I  added  5  feet  more  on  each  side,  and  have  still 
5  feet  of  space  in  the  centre  of  the  house,  Avhich  I  hope  to  fill  up  this 
season. 
The  house  photographed  is  151  feet  by  25  feet.  I  have  taken  over 
6  tons  of  Grapes  from  it  since  1893.  Of  course  I  do  not  expect  to 
keep  cropping  the  Vines  for  fifty  years.  I  should  expect  to  plant 
three  lots  of  Vines  in  that  time  for  market  work. 
The  Vines  are  planted  5  feet  apart  at  the  back  of  the  pipes,  each 
Vine  consisting  of  tAVO  fruiting  rods.  One- rod  Vines  were  planted 
5  feet  apart  in  front  of  the  pipes  to  get  a  crop  of  Grapes  at  the  top  of 
the  house. 
The  first  season  after  planting,  the  Vines  Avere  allowed  to  carry  six 
bunches  each,  on  a  10  feet  length  of  rod.  Only. the  front  row  Vines  AA^ere 
allowed  a  length  of  10  feet  for  fruiting,  the  back  3  feet  each  season. 
The  rafters  of  the  house  are  15  feet.  The  second  season  the  house 
looked  pretty  full  of  Grapes,  the  fourth  season’s  crop  you  can  see  by 
the  photo  ;  it  was  taken  by  an  amateur  photographer  in  the  village. 
Trusting  thisAvill  interest  you,  and  possibly  encourage  your  readers 
by  showing  them  that  they  need  not  despair  in  growing  Grapes,  even 
if  they  have  only  “  common”  soil  to  work  with.  The  nurseries  are 
ten  acres  in  extent,  and  contain  fourteen  houses,  thirteen  of  them 
151  feet  by  15. to  25  feet;  one  house  100  feet  by  18  feet.  The  pro¬ 
prietor  is  Ambrose  Petrocokino,  Esq. — John  Bradley,  Manager. 
[The  bunch  of  Grapes  received  was  an  excellent  example  of  the 
Black  Alicante.  The  photograph  is,  unfortunately,  far  too  dark  for 
reproduction,  but  evidently  represents  superior  cultivation,  and  both 
proprietor  and  manager  are  to  be  congratulated  on  the  change  they 
have  effected  from  “  Briars,  Brambles,  and  Furze”  to  splendid  fields 
of  Grapes.] 
