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TJic Country Gcntkniaiis Magazine 



auxiliary to this range were some large 

 vineries, which had been originally pine stoves, 

 but looking to some of the vines they must 

 have been planted at the beginning of the 

 century, being quite i8 inches in circumfer- 

 ence. Such vines as these yield large crops 

 of fruit, not remarkable either for size of 

 berry or bunch, but the flavour is particularly 

 rich and of a high vinous aroma. 



Plants for dining-room decoration purposes 

 were very plentiful. It seems to be an 

 object of the first importance the getting up 

 and maintaining a varied collection. Mr 

 Connon has an immense multitude of 

 youngsters growing vigorously for this sort of 

 work, and it seems to be somewhat puzzling 

 how he can get up, and store through the 

 winter, sufficient plants to provide at "bedding- 

 out " time some thirty or forty thousand, and 

 at the same time have so fine a lot for the 

 decoration of the table, the entrance-hall, and 

 the drawing-room. He appears, however, to 

 trust to young plants, and when they have 

 served their annual duty to despatch them to 

 the rubbish heap, only laying the discarded 

 ones under contribution for cuttings. The 

 various species and varieties of coleus form 

 capital material, so does Tillandsia zebrina, 

 old Mangles's is variegated pelargonium, the 

 variegated honeysuckle, lobelia, saxifrages of 

 sorts, the variegated dactylis, dracoenas, the 

 useful Centradenia rosea, gesneras, caladiums, 

 alocasias, begonias, ferns, and chiefly plants 

 remarkable for fine or variegated foliage. 

 Such things as most of the foregoing are easily 

 replaced by cuttings, and they serve indoor 

 purposes far better than a lot of nondescript 

 flowering plants. If death or weakness over- 

 take any of those named the loss is trifling, 

 and such therefore ought to be the material, 

 that our readers interested, should look after 

 and provide. 



But there is a right and a wrong way of 

 doing things. A tawdry assortment of plants, 

 however well cultivated, looks hideous, and 

 how often do we see plant-houses, and show- 

 tents, and plant collections open to the mean- 

 ing that such an extravagant adjective bears ! 

 A good eye and a cultivated taste only can 

 approach a sight of the kind with reluctance. 

 An entrance-hall even, generally a very in- 

 compatible site for the introduction of plants, 

 can be improved by a careful selection of 

 articles, and a nice way of setting them off. 

 Mr Connon does this sort of thing admirably. 

 He provides three different sets of wire 

 baskets, has them filled with light and elegant 

 material, some shooting up, and some in 

 graceful \vi-eathing folds depending, in all the 

 gay colours which such an array of foliage, 

 from diversified plants described above, pro- 

 duces. These are all established in the plant 

 and other service houses, and, when trans- 

 ferred to the places allotted them indoors, are 

 suspended tier above tier, at equal distances, 

 each set of three being quite a picture ; and 

 the lesser and lesser concentric rays of colour 

 adding powerfully to the effect. 



The gardens, as a whole, have undergone 

 within these last half-dozen years a very 

 marked change, and it does Mr Connon much 

 credit the general superintendence of them. 

 The woods and plantations are also well kept, 

 the trees being as a rule most valuable both 

 for effect and for timber purposes. Due 

 regard is evidently manifested for the protec- 

 tion of game, if we look to the quantities of 

 pheasant boxes in sheltered localities, and to 

 the quantities of copse preserved throughout 

 the plantations. To give some idea of the 

 extent of woods, there are no less than 20 

 miles of road all under keeping in the forestry 

 department. 



