As it has become one of the questions of the day whether Vines propagated and grown in the usual way in pots or on turves are best for planting the same season, or which of the two systems gives the quickest results, I venture to give some details of the two systems worked side by side at this place. On entering on the superintendence of the gardens here, in the last week of February 1868, the getting up of a stock of young Vines for planting was a matter that called for early attention. Having visited Mr Simpson at Wortley Hall early the previous autumn, I was very much pleased with the appearance of his young Vines, and was informed by him that they were reared as described by him recently in the 'Gardeners' Chronicle.' I resolved not only to adopt the turf system, but to test it against the more common practice of growing the young plants in pots. The Vines being all pruned on my arrival here except Lady Downes, Black Alicant, and West St Peter's, along with these, I got from Mr Henderson of Thoresby some Black Hamburgs and Muscats, taken from his cutting-pots; and the day after their arrival I put one half of them singly in 3-inch pots, and the other half in turves 6 to 9 inches square, with a hole in the centre, which I filled with the same soil used for the eyes in pots.

They were placed in a Cucumber-house which is used for propagating in the early spring months, and their position here was as good as could be desired. All went on equally for some time, but it soon began to be apparent that those in pots were pushing with greater vigour; and they rapidly outstripped those in turves, and grew more rapidly and vigorously. Waiting for some time, until it became quite evident that those on turves were not going to do so well, with a measure of disappointment I transferred them turf and all into pots, but they never made such fine Vines as those grown in pots from the beginning. So much for turf versus pots in this instance.

The following spring (of 1869) I had two vineries to plant - one a Muscat, and the other a mixed house, the greater proportion being Black Hamburgs; and being anxious to give the planting of newly-struck plants a trial against those raised the previous spring, in striking the young stock I adopted the pot system. Some were shifted into 6-inch pots, and some into 10 inches, and from these pots they were transferred into the border. From the enormous quantity of wireworm which had unfortunately found their way into the border in the fresh turf, the chances were against the newly-struck Vines with their young fresh roots, about the destruction of which wireworm I will say a word by-and-by. Still, the young Vines had the advantage, running vigorously to the top of the house the first year, and making a great amount of growth besides; and last year they lacked nothing that could be wished. To-day, the 13th March, I measured one of the Black Hamburg canes at its smallest point after being pruned, and find that it measures 2 ½ inches in circumference; and some of the stronger-growing varieties are stronger in proportion.

Very likely, had these Vines been raised and planted on any other system, their vigour would have been attributed to whatever that system might be.

I do not wish it to be understood that I am averse to the system of raising Vines on turf, although it so far did not succeed so well as the old system with me. I have good reasons for knowing that the way in which Mr Thomson has raised his Vines at Tweed vineyard is something gained by horticulture. A young man has recently left here and gone to a situation in Scotland, where he has just had five new vineries planted with Vines from Mr Thomson; and he informs me he never saw such Vines for roots before: so dense and fibry were the roots that he compares them to those of a Holly or a Box-tree. Mr Thomson's idea of Vine - roots extending away beyond the borders without benefiting much from them, strange to say, occurred to me in the early part of last winter. In our two vineries already referred to, I had the inside borders turned up to the bottom early last winter, beginning at the back of the house and working the roots out carefully as we went forward about 6 feet in the border. The roots were pruned back according as I thought they required it, with the idea of making them branch more, and take more advantage of the food supplied them, instead of running to the back wall and working there.

They were all laid carefully in the soil, slanting upwards instead of downwards.

It occurs to me that, when Vines are raised on Mr Thomson's principle, the sooner they are transferred to the border after they are rooted the better; but perhaps the facilities for root-pruning the first year would thereby be lessened.

A word about the destruction of the wireworm. I first coated the surface of the borders thickly with rape-dust, smoothed it down, and covered it with 2 or 3 inches of old Mushroom-bed manure. The latter material was carefully turned over every alternate morning, and hand-picked by women, when from three to five hundred of the enemy were destroyed at every picking, which extended over a good many weeks. James Hunter.

Lambton Castle Gardens.