REMARKABLE VINES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2567, 22 December 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

REMARKABLE VINES.

Lovers of grape-lore may be intererested in a brief account of pome of the most remarkable vines which are now in existence in this country, and producing tons of grapes of the finest quality annually. AmongHt these, varieties of the Black Hamburgh, which may be considered as the national grape and the gardener's friend, are the most numerous. The vine at Hampton Court, although not the oldest, is perhaps tho best known to the general public, and on that account is worthy of the first place in this record. It was planted in 1769, and was raised from a cutting taken from a large vine at Valentine-house, Essex. Its girth now is forty-two inches, and it fills a house Bixty-eix feet long and thirty feet wide. For the past hundred years it has been an object of great interest to growers and the public, who marvel at this fine specimen of extension training. It is etill in excellent health, and produces from 1,200 to 1,800 small bunches annually. In 1882 the girth of the stem was thirteen inches, and the produce in one year amounted to 2,200 bunches of lib. each. William Cobbett, in hii description of it fifty years ago, says:—"There is the vine in the King's gnrden which has for half a oentury produced annually nearly a ton of grapes." George 111 must have been a good judge of their quality, as he enjoyed the fruit for fifty years. The tine at Cumberlandlodge, which is now about aetenty-five years old, is much larger than the Hamburgh at Hampton Court. It was originally planted in a small pit, which it soon filled; then a house was erected over it, and enlarged from time to time, until its present dimensions are 138 ft. in length and 20ft. in width. The circumference of the stem is 3ft. 6in. where it branches into two rods. Eaoh of these again break into two stems, which extend the length of the house, and cover every part of the trellis with branches. These branches are pruned on the close-spur system, the space 2,500 ft., of trellis for extension having long since been filled. Seven years ago it was my privilege to be present when the first box of grapes of the season was out, to be forwarded to the Queen, then in Scotland. Many of the bunches, as well as the berries, were remarkably fine, and appeared to be the counterpart of the produce of the vine at Eastnor; but they were slightly deficient in colour. I have since learned that this year's produce exceeded 1,2001b. The houses in which these two veterans .ire grown are heated by fires, but the vines are allowed to come on with the increasing warmth of the season, consequently little fire-heat is used. A worthy descendant of the Hamburgh at Cumborland-lodge may be seen at Sillwood park, near Ascot. It is upwards of fifty years old, and fills a house ot 120 feet in length, with a rafter of twelve feet. The vine, planted in the centre, is about three feet in circumference, and throws out eight lateral branches, which are trained horizontally the whole length of the house. These rods furnish the bearing wood, which covers 1,500 feet of trellis, and produces 1,800 bunches of grapes unnually,—Cassell's Gardening.