56 THE FLORIST. 



them to participate with themselves in the enjoyment of scenes of 

 kixurious beauty, wliich were formerly inaccessil)le to the plelieian 

 portion of society. Tlie liberal kindness of the Dukes of Noif Ik and 

 De.onshire, in allowing the [lublic to see their beautiful gardens, is 

 worthy of the most " honourable mention," and it is most gratitying to 

 observe many others " followmg in the wake" of them. Men who, 

 like these and other illustrious personages, do so much to elevate and 

 improve the minds and condition of the middle and humble classes, will 

 never require castles for their protection, as of old. They have strong- 

 holds in the affection of their countrymen, which will endure when 

 massive walls shall have fallen io decay, and the record of such will be 

 verdant and undying, when that of the Warwiiks and Leicesters of past 

 days — the warriors anl accomplished courtiers that were, (^«/ a?-^ »o; 

 — shall have been forgotten ; when their proud castles, with their 

 " clr,ud-capt towers" shall have perished, and left "not a wreck 

 behind." 



The kitchen -garden at Arundel Castle is a fine and extensive esta- 

 blishment. ""] he houses are light useful metallic structures ; and the 

 Peach trees are worthy of es|iecial mention — the hearing wood is laid 

 in very thinly, and it is hard as mahogany. ]\lr. M'Kweii's practice is 

 » — do all necessary pruning in the summer months. 



In some of the houses there were trees, as low standards, having 

 their heads trained down in the balloon fashion : these, when the ripe 

 fruit is on them, must be very pretty objects. Strawberries are largely 

 and most successfully grown here; and, among others, Mr. M'Ewen 

 has tried the llautbois for forcing ; all the plants in course of prepa- 

 ration were magnificent. Pears, eveiywhere abundant, were here par- 

 ticularly fine; more particularly Marie Louise, on tall pyramidal trees. 

 Passing from the kitchen-garden and forcing-houses, I entered a flower- 

 garden, radiant with colour, charmingly arranged. I ascended a lofty 

 tower, called Bevis's Keep, from whence the isometrical view of the 

 garden was perfectly beautiful. Descending again, I went into the 

 garden, and found that at one end of it there were three terraces, with 

 vails, one above the other, each covered with beautiful Peach trees, 

 leaded with high-coloured, fine Peaches. This display of fruit and 

 flowers was, to my mind, exquisite ; it seemed as if Pomona and Flora 

 were striving to outvie each other, and I know not which of them 

 deserved the palm — certainly, I never saw anything so charming as the 

 tout enseniUe. An old apartment of large size, near this place, has 

 been converted into an excellent fruit-room ; the great thickness of the 

 walls being conducive to the equability of temperature essential to tb.e 

 long keeping of fruits. 



I have seen few places where good taste is, in my humble opinion, so 

 conspicuous as it is at Arundel Castle. Unity of expression pervades 

 the whole, aud the introduction of the flower gaiden I have mentioned, 

 in an episodical manner, rather than mixing it with the sterner features 

 of this fine old place, is, I think, a lesson in its way. 



Flowers are ever abstractedly beautiful, and callous is' the soul that is 

 insensible to their charms. We strew the joyous paths of youthful 

 life with them, and we place them on the graves of our dearest friends. 



