1879.] THE CULFORD VINE SPORT. 93 



cascade, where we first realise that the lake is artificial, we enter the cot- 

 tage flower-garden — a sweet little garden of varieties in Roses, and arbours, 

 and shrubs, and borders, and bedding of Pelargoniums, and succulents, and 

 hardy carpeting -plants. The cottage itself is almost unique — a piece of 

 fancy-work like a cabinet from floor to roof. The pavement of the veranda 

 is a piece of mosaic itself in small pebbles, one design in commemoration 

 of the visit of Queen Victoria to Ireland. Within is a room of curiosities, 

 a museum of antiques, foreign and native ; and still within is another room, 

 exquisitely done in shells of every imaginable shape and clime, which cannot 

 be described — the design is marvellous, and marvellously executed, and all by 

 ladies of the Fitzgerald family, with the help of an old labourer. This is only 

 surpassed, so far as we have seen, by the grotto at St Giles, in Dorset, which is, 

 of the sort, possibly the finest thing in the three kingdoms, or elsewhere. Re- 

 turning by the opposite side of the lake, the dressed grounds are still on an 

 extensive scale of undulating slopes, with fine old forest-trees, and modern 

 Conifers, very old Cedars of Lebanon with lobes 3 or 4 feet in diameter, Tulip- 

 trees, old Larch and Scotch Firs, a very large and old Cupressus funebris, which 

 must have been planted on its first introduction, which has now assumed a 

 habit distinct altogether from the plant in its young state. A hunting-tower 

 on a rising ground within the park has a fine effect from beyond the lake ; and 

 a monument to the late Duchess is seen for many miles in all directions, even 

 to a point very close to Dublin. We — for there were three of us — returned 

 by the long avenue to Maynooth much delighted, with only one regret, that 

 Mr Knowldin was, like ourselves, from home. 



The Squire's Gardener. 



THE CULFORD VINE SPORT. 



I was under the impression that the above "sport" had vanished. 

 I observe, however, in ' The Gardener ' for January of the present 

 year, that it has appeared in the past season at Brayton Hall, and 

 gather from the remarks referred to that Mr Hammond is doubtful 

 whether the Brayton " apparition " was a genuine Golden Champion 

 or not. I think, however, that a little consideration of the scientific 

 reason given for the " sport " at Culford will convince Mr H. that 

 the bunch with the large berries produced by his Trebbiano Yine 

 last season was a real Golden Champion. If I remember aright, the 

 appearance of Golden Champion Grape on a rod of Trebbiano at Cul- 

 ford was accounted for at the time on the " gemmule theory ,; by one 

 of the gentlemen who saw the " apparition." He supposed that a 

 gemmule had escaped from the rod of the Champion, and found its 

 way into the rod of Trebbiano, both rods having originally been 

 grafted on the same stock, and that, after the Champion had been 

 entirely cut away, the said gemmule, in due season, developed into a 

 bunch of Champion Grapes on a particular shoot of the Trebbiano 

 rod. True, the Golden Champion has some peculiar properties, but 

 the most singular of all is being able to reproduce itself by means of 



