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succeed under similar disadvantageous circumstances. A good pear, however, is such an important auxiliary to the dessert, that a portion of walling should, if possible, be devoted to the finer kinds, particularly to that prince of pears, the Chaumontel, the delicious glout morceau and Easter beurré, and the long-keeping beurré rance. The last three are naturally so prolific, that one tree of each variety, if well managed, would produce sufficient fruit for the supply of a small family; and they would be fit for the table in succession. But the principal object of this communication is to make known a method of training pear trees which might be advantageously adopted in gardens where walls cannot be afforded, and standards will not thrive. It has been practised several years in the garden of S. Peploe, Esq., Garnstone, Herefordshire; and, I believe, has been found eminently successful. A trellis, which may be made either of wood, as at Garnstone, or of iron rods, as in fig. 99., is used to train the trees on.

This trellis might be made of any dimensions; but, of course, its height and width should be restricted within convenient limits for performing the necessary operations upon the trees. The trees are to be planted against the front of the trellis, at distances regulated by its width; and they should be trained in the fan manner. Young trees, with flexible branches, should be chosen, because such are better adapted to bend easily over the front part of the trellis.

A frame of this description, placed close before at all and thick evergreen hedge, fully exposed to the sun, and with a properly prepared border for the trees, would, I think, be almost equal to an east or a west wall; and, for obvious reasons, greatly to be preferred to the method suggested by Mr. Errington (Vol. XII. p. 128.). The soil recommended by Mr. Errington is unquestionably that best suited to the nature of the pear tree; and, although contrary to the directions promulgated by most writers on horticulture, I fully concur in his opinion as to the superiority of shallow well-drained borders to the deep pits usually made for the reception of the roots.

Feb. 1837.

ART. VII. On the Shriveling of Grapes, and Recommendations of the early White Frontignan. By J. ROBERTSON, Nurseryman.

THERE has been much discussion in your Magazine on the cause of, and remedy for, the frequent shriveling of grapes, about the period of ripening, in stoves and vineries. Being unluckily privileged, by my own ill success, to offer an opinion, I must attribute it, in my case (for I think it may proceed from various causes), to their being enveloped, at that season, in the warm humid atmosphere generally maintained in stoves, particularly where they are filled with exotics; by the constant process of watering, steaming, and dashing necessary to preserve their health, when it is an object of superior consideration to the success of the grapes. These, at the same time, being prematurely excited by the extreme heat near the glass, absorb the vapour in excess, and are hurried rapidly into the acetous fermentation before perfecting the vinous one.

Fruits of all sorts, during the process of ripening, and none more so, I believe, than the grape, require a pure dry atmosphere for the purpose of carrying off their redundant watery juices, which would otherwise dilute perniciously the saccharine principle, or prevent its formation. This redundancy may also proceed from the root; and in the correction of these causes must lie the remedy. I have found the thick-skinned grapes less liable to be affected in this manner than the thin.

In my collection I have got an early white Frontignan, or the muscat blanc de Jura, which, I think, is well adapted for the open walls about London, as it ripens in my pine stove as early as the Pitmaston white cluster, or the white muscadine. It is as highly flavoured as the old white Frontignan, and bears better, though not quite so large. I marked it in the Luxemburg catalogue as being set down earlier; and I procured it from Paris through M. Noisette. It may be had, I dare say, at the Chiswick Garden, I having sent a plant there.

Kilkenny, March 18. 1837.

ART. VIII. On the Shriveling of Grapes. By AGRONOME'S NEPHEW.

IN my former communication on the shriveling of grapes, (Vol. XI. p. 603.), I fancied I had hit on a plan that in some degree prevented the footstalks of the berries from turning black; but now I am a year older, and have had another year's practice, and chance, as it often does, has thrown in my way something which I could never have discovered without it, I am convinced that too moist an atmosphere is not the cause of the

shriveling of grapes, but that it arises from the inability of the vine to provide a sufficient quantity of nourishing matter for the berries. Though this disease is not generally noticed until the footstalks are gone black, yet any person who looks at grapes, or any thing else, as the Rev. W. T. Bree looks at them, (that is, with an observant and accurate eye), would see that the supply of nutriment is stopped a fortnight or more before the blackness on the footstalks appears. The inability of the vine to provide for its fruit may arise from different causes; such as over-cropping, the foliage being too crowded, &c. That crowded foliage will do it, I think the following will show: A friend of mine sent me an eye of, as he said, a superior kind of white grape; and, as I had no rafter to spare for it, rather than throw it away, I planted it between two old vines, and trained it up under the sash. The first year I cut it down to one eye; the second year I did the same, and the old vines right and left did not seem to be the least affected by the presence of their new neighbour. Last year, being the third year, I cut it within a few buds of the top of the house, for the purpose of throwing it into bearing. This vine proved to be of the Vitis vulpina family; consequently it made very large leaves, as well as immense branches. I left the usual quantity of bunches on my old vines; and things seemed to proceed in a regular manner, until the colouring time came; when the old vines, that have ripened a good crop for many years in succession, lost half their crop, at least, by shriveling. I therefore decapitated Vitis vulpina. Three years ago, I planted some vines in a little green-house, the roof of which is immovable, and it was my intention, at the time of planting, to have ventilators put in the top of the back wall. However, other things intervening, time went on, till the vines became two years old, and no ventilators had been made. The vines having made good ripe wood under the fast roof, I thought I would risk the trial of their making good grapes under it. I therefore determined to try the effects of more heat and more moisture than ever I either practised or heard tell or read of. These vines pushing with the natural spring, I tied them up under the rafters, and had the floor of the house well saturated with water every morning, and two or three times during the day whenever it proved hot. The vines soon came into flower; and a few days afterwards, as I was thinning them, the heat was such, that it induced me to have a thermometer placed close to the topmost bunch, which in the hottest days stood at 120°; and, indeed, the temperature was quite that of a vapour bath. The berries swelled apace, and ripened off in the best manner, except two or three bursting, when green, with the violent heat. The above, I think, goes to prove that excessive moisture does not shrivel the grapes. Scpt. 19. 1836.

ART. IX. On the Rust on Vines. By J. WIGHTON, Gardener to Lord Stafford, Cossey Hall.

IN p. 9. of the present Volume, there appears a notice of the old vine at Hampton Court having become diseased, during the last year, by what is termed the rust; and you invite communications on the probable cause of that disease. I have often witnessed it on vines; and am aware that much difference of opinion exists among gardeners as to its cause. I am acquainted with a gentleman who resided for several years in Portugal; and he gives it as the current opinion in that country, that the rust is caused by unusually hot weather. He has often observed that it never appeared on both sides of a bunch of grapes, but only on the side exposed to the sun; and that it prevailed most in seasons of intense heat, when the leaves of the vine were parched and fell off, thus exposing the grapes still more to the hot sun.

My own opinion is, that the rust on vines is an external disease, produced by friction in various ways. It is observed in the article above alluded to, that the early vines at Hampton Court are not infected by the disease. I have seen it on early vines, but not so frequently as on the late ones. If it be enquired why the late vines are more liable to be infected with rust than the early ones, I think it can be satisfactorily accounted for, by the fact that early grapes are in general taken most care of. The head gardener usually thins the berries of early grapes himself; but the late vines are left to the attendance of his men. Their hands are generally very rough with labour; and, in handling a bunch of grapes, they can scarcely avoid scratching some of the berries; and such scratches on the tender skin of the grapes are sure to produce rust. I do not affirm that the disease is always so produced; but I believe it to be uniformly caused by some kind of rubbing or scratching. I hope that these observations may elicit further remarks from your correspondents, and that the question may thus be satisfactorily solved.

Cossey Hall Gardens, Feb. 28. 1837.

ART. X. On the Cultivation of Currants. By T. SYMONS.

CURRANTS being a very useful fruit for the table, as well as for tarts, preserving, &c., a hint may not be amiss to such as fail in cultivating them to that perfection which they are capable of being brought to by summer pruning. My method is this: At the time they are about to set the fruit, I cut back, or pinch off, all such shoots as are not likely to be wanted for next year's

wood to about 2 in. from the spurs whereon the bunches of fruit are formed, taking care not to pinch them off too close, in which case the young fruit would wither. By this simple means, the fruit, by receiving more light and air, as well as a greater portion of assistance from the tree, will swell to the greatest perfection. Should other superfluous branches shoot forth when the fruit is in a more advanced state, they are removed in a similar way, remembering, throughout the season, to keep the bushes as clear as possible of unnecessary wood. The result of this mode of treatment gained me the first prize last year at the Cornwall Horticultural Show at Truro. I should imagine this mode of treatment will answer well for gooseberries; and I should like to know if the Lancashire growers pursue, in any way, a similar method to the above.

The remarks in Vol. X. p. 41. first induced me to try the effect of summer pruning upon the currant; and I shall certainly now generally adopt it. I trust that others will follow the example.

Clowance, April 3. 1837.

ART. XI. A Mode of preserving Cauliflowers through the Winter. BY PETER MACKENZIE, Gardener, West Plean.

CAULIFLOWERS are a great favourite with all ranks of society; and I believe that, ever since they have been cultivated, means have been used to preserve them through the winter. I, like the rest of my brethren, have tried various methods to effect this; such as burying them in the earth, hanging them up by the roots, keeping them in frames, &c. But by none of these methods have I succeeded so well as by the one I will presently state, which I have not seen nor heard of being practised by any one else.

Towards the end of autumn, I make a bed, or beds, according to circumstances, of moist sand, in any cool house that will exclude the frost. The beds should be 4 in. deep. Having previously planted a greater number number of cauliflower plants than would be required at the time they are to come into use, I take the surplus, when in a good condition, and cut off their roots, leaving a stalk about 3 in. or 4 in. long; I then cut off all the leaves, except the innermost row; and, after shortening these, I insert the stalk into the sand-bed, and cover the cauliflower with a flower-pot. In this manner a large quantity may be contained in a small space: for example, a bed 12 ft. square will hold 288 heads, allowing 6 square inches to each head. Again, by taking those plants that are not in flower when the frost sets in, and preserving them, in a growing state,