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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDE NEH 
April  10,  1902. 
Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  other  proverbially  bad  setting 
varieties  not  infrequently  have  more  fuss  made  about  them 
than  is  necessary,  while  those  sorts  with  good  reputations 
for  setting  are  neglected  more  than  desirable.  A  con¬ 
siderable  increase  of  heat,  both  by  night  and  day,  is  thought 
to  be  needed  by  Muscats  during  the  flowering  period  ;  yet 
those  who  religiously  carrj^  out  this  detail  are  not  invariably 
successful  in  effecting  a  good  set.  If  they  paid  more  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  other  point  I  have  raised — that  of  exposing  the 
developing  bunches  to  abundance  of  light  and  as  much  sun 
as  possible,  and  attached  less  importance  to  high  tempera¬ 
tures — they  would  most  probably  succeed  oftener  in 
producing  an  even  crop  of  perfectly  set  bunches.  This  by 
no  means  novel  notion  was  most  forcibly  brought  home  to 
me  in  a  situation  where  the  bulk  of  the  Muscats  ripened  had 
to  be  grown  in  an  old  house  heated  with  flues,  in  which  were 
also  I’ods  of  Black  Hamburgh,  Madresfield  Court  and  Gros 
Guillaume.  If  any  attempt  had  been  made  to  raise  the 
night  temperature  higher  than  60deg  to  65deg,  other  than 
on  very  mild  nights,  the  flue  where  it  entered  the  house 
would  have  become  dangerously  hot,  and  red  spider  also 
have  gained  an  ascendancy.  What  may,  therefore,  be 
termed  low  temperatures  were  maintained  ;  but,  thanks  to 
taking  the  precaution  of  well  exposing  the  bunches  and 
assisting  in  distributing  the  pollen,  the  set  was  perfect, 
many  of  the  bunches  gaining  good  prizes  at  Bath,  Taunton, 
and  elsewhere.  Since  that  time  I  have  been  equally 
successful  in  effecting  a  good  set  in  the  case  of  Muscat  of 
Alexandria  growing  in  a  house  primarily  devoted  to  Gros 
Colman,  the  latter  only  being  really  studied.  These  two 
varieties  seem  to  go  well  together,  and  I  have  never  yet 
experienced  any  difficulty  in  ripening  them,  Alicante,  and 
other  late  Grapes  in  houses  with  Black  Hamburgh,  Madres¬ 
field  Court,  and  Foster’s  Seedling  without  detriment  to  the 
three  last  named.  In  one  famous  Muscat  house  Gros  Colman 
has  been  repeatedly  tried  on  a  small  scale  ;  but  owing  to  the 
practice  never  departed  from,  of  maintaining  high  tempera¬ 
tures  for  the  benefit  of  the  Muscats,  the  bei’ries  of  Gros 
Colman  when  fully  ripe  were  foxy  red  in  colour.  Mixed 
houses  should  be  started  early  or  about  the  middle  of 
February  Avith  a  view  to  ripening  the  crops  at  a  time  of  the 
year  when  abundance  of  air  can  be  admitted. 
Without  this  the  black  varieties  will  not  colour  properly, 
and  a  free  circulation  of  air  during  July,  August,  and  early 
part  of  September  is  not  injurious  to  the  Muscats.  Starting 
late  Grapes  thus  early  I’esults  naturally  in  comparative  early 
maturation  of  crops,  and  gardeners  Avho  saw  my  Gros 
Colman  well  advanced  in  colouring  b-"  the  end  of  August 
were  disposed  to  think  they  would  ripen  too  early  for  keep¬ 
ing.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  berries  on  the  bunches  left 
on  the  third  week  in  January  were  quite  plump,  and  would 
have  kept  much  later  had  there  not  been  a  brisk  demand 
for  them.  When  late  Grapes  ripen  during  the  best  part,  of 
the  summer — this  including,  for  my  purpose,  the  first  fort¬ 
night' in  September — the  quality  is  bound  to  be  better  than 
in  the  case  of  the  same  varieties  ripened  later.  Their  keep¬ 
ing  properties,  thanks  to  the  extra  amount  of  sugar  deve¬ 
loped,  are  also  more  pronounced.  Give  Gros  Colman  fair 
play,  or  a  good  early  start,  and  there  would  be  fewer  com¬ 
plaints  or  poorness  of  quality.  Time,  air,  and  sunshine 
effectually  get  rid  of  the  objectionable  Ivy-like  taste 
observ^able  in  faultily  ripened  examples. 
After  this  digression,  and  which  was  not  contemplated  at 
the  outset,  I  propose  to  complete  my  remarks  upon  setting 
Grapes,  adding  a  few  brief  comments  on  reducing  the 
number  of  bunches.  Although  I  fail  to  see  the  necessity  for 
high  temperatures  during  the  flowering  period  of  any 
popular  Grape,  I  would  yet  warn  my  inexperienced  readers 
against  resorting  to  the  other  extreme.  Low  night  tempera¬ 
tures,  ranging,  say,  from  40deg  to  50deg,  and  following,  as 
often  is  the  case,  upon  clear  days,  are  more  or  less  injurious. 
Much  moisture  collects  on  the  leaves,  and  with  the  morning 
sun  striking  early  on  the  houses,  rapid  evapoi’ation 
frequently  ends  in  the  scalding  of  the  leaves. 
At  the  extreme  end  of  a  compartment  of  the  afore¬ 
mentioned  flue-heated  vinery  three  rods  of  Gros  Maroc  were 
located,  and  owing  to  the  coldness  (unavoidable)  of  the  flue 
at  that  point,  and  a  comparative  low  temperature  of  the 
compartment  generally,  many  of  the  best  leaves  “  damped  ” 
off,  to  the  no  small  injury  of  the  Vines.  Gros  Colman  and 
extra  strong  Black  Hamburgh  leaves  are  also  liable  to  injury 
from  the  same  causes,  added  to  which  low  temperatures 
militate  against  a  good  set  of  berries.  A  night  temperature 
of  55deg  to  60deg  up  to  the  flowering  period,  with  an  increase* 
of  5deg  on  mild  nights,  accompanied  by  a  chink  of  top  air 
when  the  bunches  are  flowering,  answers  well  in  my  long 
span-roofed  house.  In  reality  I  pay  little  heed  to  the  ther¬ 
mometer.  If  the  house  and  hot-ivater  pipes  feel  comfortably 
warm  at  10  p.m.  I  am  content.  A  current  of  warm  dry  air, 
brought  about  by  opening  the  top  ventilators  only,  and  more 
or  less  wide,  according  to  the  state  of  the  weather,  with, 
gentle  warmth  in  the  hot-water  pipes,  dries  the  flowers  early, 
and  about  11  a.m.  the  pollen  distributes  freely  if  the  laterals 
carrying  the  bunches,  or  even  the  rods  only,  are  smartly 
tapped  at  that  hour  rather  than  later.  The  pollen  should  be- 
dust  dry,  but  the  stigmas  moist  enough  to  hold  all  of  this 
that  collects  on  it.  That  is  all  that  is  really  necessary  in  the 
case  of  Muscat  of  Alexandria ;  but  those  who  are  at  all 
doubtful  and  anxious  may  try  the  effects  of  gently  passing 
the  bunches  through  the  soft  palm  of  the  left  hand.  The 
latter  proceeding  is  absolutely  necessary  in  the  case  of  the  ■ 
worthless,  shy-setting,  if  not  manipulated,  Alnwick  Seedling. 
Because  I  want*  as  many  large  perfectly-set  berries  as  pos¬ 
sible,  the  precaution  is  taken  of  tapping  the  rods  of  all  other- 
varieties  grown. 
One  grower  of  my  acquaintance,  who  has  been  very 
successful  with  the  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  ceases  topping  the 
sub-laterals  for  about  a  week  prior  to  the  flowering  period 
and  till  after  the  berries  set,  under  the  impression  that  a 
diversion  of  some  of  the  Vines’  energies  away  from  the- 
bunches  is  favourable  to  a  good  set.  It  is  regarded  as  a 
safety  A^arte  or  a  preA*entiA^e  of  too  much  viscid  matter  col¬ 
lecting  at  the  stigmas.  This  view  of  the  case  is  a  little - 
chimerical.  Personally  I  am  averse  to  wasting  Vines’ 
energies  on  the  production  of  superfluous  growth,  and  rarely 
delay  topping  either  laterals  or  sub-laterals  long  enough  to  • 
hinder  carrying  out  this  operation  Avith  the  finger  and  thumb. 
Besides,  I  want  the  daylight  to  reach  the  bunches.  If  too- 
much  moisture  bollects  on  the  stigmas  it  can  easily  be 
removed,  as  before  hinted,  AA'ith  the  soft  palm  of  a  hand. 
Nor  do  I  belieA'e  in  the  practice  of  leaAung  far  more  bunches, 
than  it  is  intended  to  finally  reserve  till  after  the  thinning 
of  berries  is  nearly  or  quite  completed.  •  Each  time  I  pass 
through  my  Auneries  during  April  and  the  early  part  of  May 
I  rarely  fail  to  pinch  off  a  few  or  many  superfluous  “  shoAvs,” 
an  early  and  seA'ere  reduction  in  their  number  greatly 
benefiting  those  resei’ved. — W.  Iggulden. 
Harmonising  Colours. 
The  question  of  satisfactorily  arranging  or  harmonising 
colours  together  is  an  important  one  in  placing  out  bedding 
plants,  as  nothing  tends  to  so  upset  the  decided  tastes  of  cultured 
or  artistic  pei’sons  as  inharmonious  blending  of  colours.  Colours 
are  divided  into  tAvo  classes,  Avhieh  may  be  termed  warm  and 
cold  colours,  one  class  being  complementary  to  the  other.  For 
instance,  the  Avarm  colours  are  red,  purple,  and  orange.  Thg 
cold  colours  are  green,  blue,  and  yelloAv.  White  goes  Avith,  or  is 
complementai'y  to,  any  colour.  In  arranging  colours,  use 
together  red  and  green,  or  red  and  white ;  puriile  and  yelloAV  or 
Avhite;  orange  and  blue  or  Avhite.  Red  and  blue  aa  IU  harmonise 
AAmll  Avith  Avhite  betAA'een. 
Beds  filled  Avith  Avarin  coloured  flowering  plants  are  attractive 
on  grass,  and  if  any  other  colour  is  introduced  let  it  be  an  edging 
or  band  of  Avhite  next  the  grass.  The  cold  colours  Avould  not 
“  come  up  ”  sati,sfactorily  on  grass,  unless  an  edging  of  one  of 
the  warm  colours  was  used,  then  a  splendid  effect  could  be 
obtained-;  in  short,  if  the  centre  of  the  bed  is  filled  Avith  green, 
blue,  or  3mlloAV,  use  edging  of  red,  orange,  or  purple  respectively. 
White  inay  come  in  between  any  one  colour  Avithout  causing  aiiA’ 
ill  effect, except  perhaps  it  does  not  associate  quite  so  Avell  Avith 
yellow. 
The  effect  produced  by  dark-leaA*ed  Cannas  and  the  j'elloAv  or 
golden-leaA*ed  Abutilons  is  A*ery  pleasing.  With  these  Ivy-leaved 
Pelargoniums  Avould  associate.  White  Violas  as  a  groundwork, 
with  Heliotropes  and  Fuchsias  dotted  about  at  fairly  Avide 
distances  apart,  are  most  effective.  The  mixture  of  colours 
afforded  by  a  roAv  of  SAveet  Peas  usually  makes  an  excellent 
display.  Besides  the  principal  colours,  there  ai’e  usually  abundant 
shades.  By  observing  the  natural  arrangement  of  colours  In 
floAvers  much  may  be  learned  as  regards  artificial  blending.  In 
arranging  a  border,  the  colours  may  be  placed  in  the  folloAving; 
order; — Redi-Avliite,  A*elloAV  ;  purple,  orange,  blue.— E.  D.  S. 
