Sertember 18, 1878. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



213 



gravel of the home counties have been passed, the pasture 

 fields become green, and the corn is unripe, and even in places 

 quite green, while the bulk of grass shows that moisture has 

 been more abundant than nearer Loudon. Orchards are also 

 less frequently met with, and would seem to be confined to 

 supplying the requirements of the farmhouses which they ad- 

 join. Occasionally, however, a favoured neighbourhood pre- 

 sents larger breadths of garden ground ; for instance, the 

 environs of Grantham in Lincolnshii'e, and considerable tracts 

 of North Cheshire, are devoted to market gardens and fruit- 

 growing for the great towns which are near, and even the ex- 

 tensive plain on which the city of York stands is not without 

 its market gardens. Farther north, Carlisle and the vale of 

 the Eden are a land of orchards and gardens. Still more 

 fruitful, though further removed from market, are the large 

 fruit plantations of Worcester and Hereford. 



Assuming our journey to the north to be by the Great 

 Northern Une, we find that after passing through the hUly 

 district of Herts and Beds we encounter very few deep cut- 

 tings or tunnels until a considerable way beyond the city of 

 York, all the important towns that are passed, including that 

 famed city, with its walls entire and noble cathedral, are placed 

 on tolerably level ground, so that it is only when we reach the 

 city of Hurham that we find the railway is so far elevated 

 above the bulk of the houses, that it would appear almost 

 possible to throw a biscuit into many of the chimneys. The 

 venerable cathedral and the castle occupying the rugged pro- 

 montory that is washed by the river Wear stand out in all 

 their beauty — in fact, I know of no railway station more pleas- 

 ingly situated than that of Durham, and the traveller by day- 

 light ought always to avail himself of the opportunity of look- 

 ing out on a sight that somewhat resembles that from the 

 Calton Hill, Edinburgh. 



Amongst other attractions placed before the miner and weU- 

 paid artisan of the north, it is pleasing to observe that some are 

 of a character to enhghten and elevate the mind, and among 

 them flower shows are much in vogue. Many country vUlages 

 have their shows, with schedules of prizes equalhng those of 

 similar institutions in country towns in the south of England. 

 Into how far the shows in a colliery village fall short of their 

 more favoured compeers in the districts of sunshine instead of 

 smoke I will not enter, but in the amount of entrance money 

 paid by visitors there is a decided superiority, and sometimes 

 growers from a distance find it to their interest to send sub- 

 jects ; for however skilful the cultivator may be, there are 

 many subjects that will not thrive in a cUmate not the most 

 congenial even for its latitude, and more especiaUy where clouds 

 of smoke invest everything with a grimy coating. 



The show to which I would especiaUy caU attention is now 

 one of the established institutions of the country, having 

 existed for many years, and, I beUeve, it has always been a 

 success; it is that held at Bishop Auckland, which occupies a 

 sort of central position between the great uon-miniug and 

 smelting district of the south, and the colUeries and ship-build- 

 ing yards that lie to the north, while lines of railway running 

 in every conceivable direction unite it with all the great 

 centres of industry for which the district is famed. 



Bishop Auckland, many of your readers will remember, is the 

 residence of the Bishop of Durham, and certainly no nobleman 

 conld have selected a better site than that on which his palace 

 stands. A noble stone-built residence, in style partly eccle- 

 siastical and partly castellated, occupies a position in one of the 

 prettiest parks I kiiow. Leaving the railway station, the visitor 

 passes through a town that to all appearance owes its origin 

 to the Bishop's seat, for the portion called the Market Place is 

 very near the entrance to the park ; in fact, the street would 

 seem to point to the Gothic-arched gateway, which is itself 

 not more than a stone's throw from the episcopal palace. After 

 entering the gate a broad and well-kept carriage-road leads for 

 some distance in a straight line, then diverges to the left 

 through the dressed grounds, which are shut-out from the 

 park by a series of open arches surrounding a rectangle of con- 

 siderable extent, in the midst of which the mansion is placed. 

 The whole occupies an elevated tract of tabic land in a park 

 offering great diversity of surface. Through the opeuiugs of 

 this enclosure the visitor obtains a view of the well-fiUed flower 

 beds, which, arranged in a pretty design on grass, occupy a 

 position on one side of the plateau which surrounds the palace. 

 The beds seemed to be well filled with bedding plants, which 

 at the time of my visit were exceedingly gay. As I went on 

 the beauties of the park soon unfolded themselves, and its 

 popularity for Jete purposes was easily accounted for. After 



passing the palace the ground begins to descend irregularly 

 with many undulations of surface, while at the bottom one c'f 

 the principal tributaries of the river Wear meandered beneath 

 overhanging trees of great luxuriance. The opposite bank rises 

 precipitously in places — so much so, that at one spot there 

 is an almost perpendicular rock from 200 to 300 feet high, 

 with its base washed by the stream. This wooded height is 

 intersected by walks, with seats and summer-houses at their 

 sides, and here and there a stream of water fresh and pure 

 bubbles out of the steep hillside, while the overhanging trees 

 and the Ferns lend a charm to the whole, and render it a 

 pleasant retreat for those whose avocations lead them daily 

 among brick walls and stone pavements. 



The managers of the Show had thrown several temporary 

 bridges across the river (which was not less than from 40 to 

 .50 feet wide), for the accommodation of the visitors, in addition 

 to the permanent rustic bridge ; and it was on a piece of level 

 ground adjoining the stream that the tents for the Show were 

 pitched, while on a sort of natural terrace at a higher elevation 

 than the tents, the band-stand was erected, and surrounding it 

 were seats for the numerous visitors. 



Continuing the description of the park, I may say that the 

 river curves round it for a considerable distance, afterwards 

 joining the broader expanse of the Wear. The surface of the 

 ground is well diversified by hill and dale, with trees in abim- 

 dance. Amongst others I noticed some very fine Sweet Chest- 

 nuts apparently in the best of health. Beeches equally good, 

 likewise Elm and Alder, while Oaks were to be seen at every turn- 

 ing, occasionally grouped with others crowning an eminence, 

 elsewhere standing alone in all their beauty. Some good 

 examples of Scotch Fir were judiciously grouped on the steep 

 by the river, but I was sorry to see one or two specimen of this 

 and another Fir or two dead, and several Birches in a similar 

 condition ; I suspect smoke was the cause. It was any- 

 thing but pleasing to witness there fine trees io such a plight, 

 and the question naturally arises. Will not the fine Oaks, 

 Beeches, Ash, and other trees some day be also kUled ? StUl, 

 as far as the foliage of the present year is concerned, it would 

 seem as if there was no immediate prospect of such a result. 

 Let us hope that science will in time devise some means of 

 preventing the evils which the smoke of factories brings in its 

 train, and that fine- wooded tracts like the park of the Bishop 

 of Durham (to which thousands were admitted), may remain as 

 ornaments to their districts. I was glad to see that the future 

 requirements of this fine park had not been neglected, for 

 young trees had been planted in suitable places, and among 

 them more than one Wellingtonia in convenient positions. 

 Architectural features had not been neglected ; a rising ground 

 at some distance from the palace had been crowned by what 

 might be taken for an ecclesiastical structure — a square of some- 

 thing like 100 feet to the side, with a castellated centre, and 

 surrounded by what might be taken for a continuous corridor 

 on Gothic arches, but this on closer inspection was found to 

 be only a place to feed the deer. 



As regards the Show, the great fault was that too little tent 

 room had been provided. The principal tent devoted to plants 

 had a central stage about 14 or 15 feet wide in the centre, with 

 too little space for the public between that and the side shelves, 

 which were of course narrow. An improvement over the ar- 

 rangement of many of the south-country shows was the central 

 table or stand being only about a foot high, which was ample for 

 most if not all the specimens exhibited; but it was so crowded 

 with plants that their foUage hung over at the sides, and they 

 must have suffered very much when the place was thronged 

 with visitors. A greater extent of tent room and a rope-guard 

 a httle way from the plants would have prevented all damage ; 

 and if the shelves or platform had been covered with green 

 baize it would have been better, and possibly cheaper, than 

 planing the boards, as was done at this Show. A very good 

 plan, however, was adopted in protecting the fruit from injury. 

 The shelf it was on was lower than is often the case, and made 

 hke a long continuous trough, the top being covered with wire 

 netting. This, I presume, was put on after tho Judges had 

 done their duty, and it was certainly a very wise precaution, 

 and enabled the visitors to approach close to them, and, in 

 fact, lean over without doing any harm. The same arrange- 

 ment was adopted as regards the Dahlias, Asters, and other 

 low flowers ; but tall spikes of Gladiolus, &c., stood erect, and 

 I found that If oUyhocks were also shown in lilce manner. Tho 

 hand-bouquets, which in ordinary shows form a very attractive 

 feature, over which the fair sex delights to linger, were here 

 huddled together — in most cases touching each other. Want 



