358 THE FLORIST. 



its breadth is 6 feet. — No. 2. Ophirie, 12 years old, is 15 feet high 

 and 7| feet wide, with leaders so beautifully covered that I could not 

 count even the base leaders ; the gardener thinks there are about 10. 

 This is the best wall Rose I have ever seen, because its leaves and 

 branches cover the leaders from the top to the bottom of the tree ; for 

 these attributes Madame Plantier is the best pole Rose that I ever saw; 

 when properly managed, she presents to the eye nothing but foliage 

 and flowers. — No. 3. Solfaterre, 12 years old, the parent of No. 5, is 

 15 feet high and 6 feet wide, and has 9 stout leaders at the base. — 

 No. 4. The Cloth of Gold was planted by (Jill, of Blandford, 12 years 

 ago, is 17 feet high by 6 feet wide ; it is very stout in wood, and 

 luxuriant all over ; the measured circumference of the root, close to the 

 ground, is 17 inches ; this beautiful tree has, at the base, 18 main 

 leaders ; like Smithii, it requires more room ; this Cloth is, for training 

 and general appearance, though not for altitude and extensive range, as 

 you shall see presently, the best Cloth of Gold I ever yet saw. — No. 5. 

 Solfaterre, six years old, was struck from No. 3, and is 14 feet high by 

 6 feet wide, and has six main leaders at the base. — Thus there are 

 two Cloths of Gold and two Solfaterres on their own roots, while 

 Ophirie is on Manetti. I asked the gardener, " Do you cut these Cloths 

 of Gold and the other wall trees?" He said, " I cut them all hard 

 every year. I cut out of No. 4 faggots, last year, from the top of the 

 tree, but cut sparingly at the base and centre." You will hear presently 

 what Mrs. Fowler says on the subject of cutting. In the centre of the 

 house is a fine Magnolia, 24J feet high by 15J feet wide, whose 

 beautiful blooms I have seen. These six trees, with an Austrian 

 Briar and Persian Yellow, well trained, Red Currant fashion, decorate 

 the frontage of Keynstone Rectory ; and, glorious in the season, to use 

 Mr. Milne's words, is the display of " floral grace." At the back of the 

 house are two fine trees of Jaune Desprez and Bonaparte. There is 

 one tree there which, though not a wall tree, I cannot pass over. It is a 

 large standard of the Triumph of Milton, about 18 years old, measuring 

 in diameter over 14 feet ; in the season, it is a blaze of crimson glory. 

 Should any amateur, travelling this way, think it worth his while to 

 call on me, I will show him my neighbour's trees, my Solfaterre, which 

 is 13| feet high by 33 feet 5 inches wide, and also a fine tree of sweet- 

 scented Jaune Desprez. I need hardly say that there will be a bed 

 and knife and fork ; I now come to speak of three Cloths of Gold, 

 which, at Mr. Ingram's request, I went to see on the 10th of October, 

 and which I have now revisited, with a view to correct measurement ; 

 No. 3 is, I think, a most wonderful tree. 



Fourthly, then, we proceed to describe Mr. and Mrs. Fowler's Cloths 

 of Gold, at Kingston, near Blandford. No. 1 Cloth of Gold, on a 4-feet 

 Briar, independent of a wall, planted by Mr. Gill, of Blandford, in 

 1849, was then a young tree, and has never since been moved. It is 

 trained down to hoop wire, umbrella fashion, and has thrown out this 

 year three branches, each of which is 10 feet long, and one 13 feet. — 

 No. 2 Cloth of Gold was planted four years ago, on a 4-feel Briar, 

 against the east gable end of the house, with a wall to the south of 



