106 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ February 1, 1872 



potting, packing, and tool sheds, gardener's rooms, and mider- 

 neath spacious root-cellars. 



The plant houses are not large, and are chiefly filled with 

 subjects suitable for in-door decoration, such as Poiusettias, 

 Adiantums and other Fenis, Chinese Primroses, Cyclamens, 

 Geraniums, Gardenias, which arc great favourites for the 

 button-hole. Begonias, fine-foliaged plants, and Azaleas. 



In the pleasure grounds much has been done and much is still 

 to be done. One great improvement is a new drive up to the east 

 or main front of the house (of this we give a view taken by Mr. 

 Pridgeon, 'of Lynn) ; formerly the drive led past the offices, 

 and iu unpleasant proximity to them, but now by a graceful 

 curve they have a wide berth, and tlie approach is more in 

 accordance with the dignity of the house, and will bo still more 

 so when the Deodars at the sides among the Laurels shall have 

 attained a greater height. It is, however, on the west front that 

 the principal alterations have been made , and the most important 

 of these is the new flower garden wliich is represented on page 

 101. The beds of this are sliglitly raised above the rest of the 

 surface, the outer edge of the soil forming a minhature ramp as 

 practised by Mr. Gibson, in Hj'de Park, and this is surrounded 

 by various evergreens. The interior at present is filled with 

 autumn-sown annuals and plants for spring flowering, and 

 already, though the ground was only laid out last autumn, the 

 appearance is very ornamental, and it will be much more so in 

 summer. The evergi-eens round the beds of themselves give 

 an aspect of life even in winter. The length of this panel, of 

 which one-half is represented in the engraving, is within tlie 

 walks 192 feet, its breadth 60 feet. On the same front, but 

 nearer the house, there is a small garden on gravel with Box- 

 edged beds, and beyond the larger new flower garden a neatly 

 laid-out bulb garden, of which the efi'ect from the terrace walk 

 in frent of the mansion is no doubt gflod when the bulbs and 

 other plants are in flower. 



A few more notes on the pleasure ground and we have done. 

 There are many pretty views from the terrace on the west front, 

 over the flower gardens just noticed, especially towards the 

 church, of which more than one view is obtained ; and the simple 

 tomb of the young Prince of a day, so well deijicted in The 

 Graphic two or three weeks ago, can be seen from a point near 

 the south-west end of the terrace walk. 



The pai'k and pleasure grounds are not so extensive as those 

 attached to many country mansions, extending only to about 

 120 acres ; in the pleasure grounds Deodars, Picea uobUis, and 

 a considerable variety of Conifers have been introduced with 

 excellent effect, and on each side of one walk is an avenue 

 of various species of these planted by distinguished visitors 

 as mementos of their visits. The old lake, merely a pond, 

 has been abolished, and a new one formed, indeed, re-formed 

 as well, for since it was made the depth throughout has been 

 reduced to 4 feet as a safeguard against accidents on the ice. 

 The rockwork about it is weU executed in the earr stone of the 

 neighbomhood, we believe by Mr. Pulham,of Broxbourne,who 

 also constructed a boat-house or boat-cavern, which has been 

 highly approved of. 



The park is well wooded, but contains no trees remarkable 

 for great age and size; there is, however, an avenue of fine 

 Limes leading from the Norwich gates to the house. Great 

 impi-ovements have been effected in remaking walks, in plant- 

 ing trees and shrubs in all parts of the grounds ; and the 

 energy with wliich all this has been carried out and the good 

 immediate effects produced are highly creditable to Mr. Car- 

 michael, whose courtesy iu explaining aU works connected 

 with the garden no one who has had the pleasure of visiting 

 it can fail to appreciate most highly. 



_ Mowing Machines. — We warn our readers from emplojiug 

 tinkers or any but the makers of the mowing macliine or one 

 of their agents to repair it. It is unfair to the makcri, and 

 mistaken economy in the purchaser. We have known instances 

 when the tinkered machines would not mow, and the owners 

 blamed the makers ! 



DEATH OF MR. THOMAS OSBORN. 

 It is with the greatest regi-et that we have to announce the 

 sudden death of Mr. Thomas Osborn.of the Fulham Nurseries, 

 on the 28th ult., at the age of 53. Mr. Osborn was one of the 

 two sons of the late Mr. Robert Osborn, whose death we noticed 

 a few years ago, at a very advanced age, and like his father 

 was a man whom to know was to respect and to admire. He 

 was a thorough gentleman in the best sense of that word, and 



he will leave a great blank behind liim among those with whom 

 he was bo long associated in the world of horticulture. Mr. 

 Osborn was present at the last meeting of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society, apparently in the enjoyment of his usual 

 health, and took part in the proceedings of the day ; anil we 

 feel assured that the mtelligeuce of his premature death will have 

 a saddening effect on the numerous friends he has left behind. 



MRS. PINCE'S MUSCAT GRApE. 



Notwithstanding aU that has been said against this Grape> 

 it is crident that it begins to be a great favourite with many. 

 For my own part I consider it the very best late variety in 

 cultivation, and I have no hesitation iu saying that I beUeve it 

 will be, when its culture and merits become better known, the 

 most popular late variety in every garden establishment. 



I say culture, as I think there is something in this that has 

 been misunderstood, and so has caused disappointment, con- 

 sequently bringing much abuse on this good variety. It is 

 well known that most of our best Grapes require some special 

 treatment to bring them up to that standard of perfection so 

 prized by all good Grape-growers ; neither is Mrs. Pince's 

 Muscat an exception to this rule, and if growers were to give 

 their experience for and against, doubtless the special requu'e- 

 ments of this variety would be elicited, for, as Mr. Pearson 

 justly states at page 17, a man may miss his way in the 

 cultivation of a new kind of fruit without being exactly a fool. 



With your permission I will state my experience. In my 

 previous situation I received some of the first Vines of Mrs. 

 Pince that were sent out. There were at that time, and still 

 are, various opinions with respect to the right place to plant 

 this variety ; some advocated for it the heat to which Muscat 

 houses are iu general kept, others cool treatment, if I may 

 so term it. I planted a Vine of it iu the Muscat house ; also 

 one in a comparatively cold house. The border iu both ui- 

 stances was well prepared, and the Vines received the same 

 treatment as regards pruning, &'C. Perhaps I ought to state 

 they were not allowed to carry any fruit the first season. The 

 following season they broke freely and very strongly, showing 

 an abundance of bunches, which were reduced to the required 

 number. 



The Vine in the Muscat house showed the largest bunches iu 

 the embryo state, in fact throughout ; in both instances they were 

 all that could be desu-ed with regai-d to setting. In the Muscat 

 house the berries swelled off evenly and to a large size, but the 

 somewhat drier atmosphere and the extra amount of light 

 which was admitted by lateral pruning, and which give a 

 good finish to the Muscat of Alexandria, failed to do the same 

 with Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat, and the colour of the latter 

 as grown under the circumstances may be described as 

 dingy red, although in bunch and berry it was everything that 

 could bo desired. 



In the cold house the berries swelled evenly at first, but 

 many of them after attaining the size of Peas remained 

 stationaiT, which fault often destroyed the appearance of the 

 hunches ; notwithstanding, the Vine finished off a fair propor- 

 tion of good-sized bunches, the berries of a medium size, with 

 a deep bloom, and as black as Sloes. The flavour of tliis variety 

 is generally acknowledged to be good. In my opinion it im- 

 proves like that good variety Lady Downe's by being allowed 

 to hang, and the flavour does not arrive at its best until after 

 Christmas when the Grapes are grown for late use. My experi- 

 ence with Mrs. Pince's leads me to believe that to grow it to per- 

 fection it requh-es a house devoted to its culture, similar treat- 

 ment to that generally given to Muscats until the ripening 

 process commences, when a cool moist atmosphere should be 

 maintained with an abundance of air ; I would even ailvoeate a 

 little shade during bright weather. If these points are at- 

 tended to, with the culture generally given to the Grape Vine by 

 skilfiU cultivators, I have no doubt but this variety wiU pro- 

 duce bunches and berries of such a size, with a deep bloom, 

 as black as Sloes, a rich agreeable flavour, and such good 

 keeping qualities, that it cannot bo equalled by any Grape 

 in cultivation. I have drawn this conclusion not only from 

 my own experience with it, but from what I have seen of it 

 when it was growing in the Exeter nursery previous to its 

 being sent out, and from what I have seen of it siuce in several 

 good gardening establishments. — Thomas Foote, Gardener to 

 Sir A. F. Elton, Bart., Clevedon Court, Somerset. 



Babometrical Fall. — My barometer to-day (24th lUt.) was 

 28.24° ins. in the morning — lower by O.IC than I ever registered 



