Ootobcr l(i. 1878. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICDLTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDESEK. 



295 



flower gwden on so extensive a scale, that taken in connection 

 with the ribbon borders on the terrace wall, the flower-beJs 

 on the grass slopes, and those met with elsewhere, I was told 

 about a hundred thousand were yearly bedded-out ; for be it 

 observed that in immediate connection with the mansion there 

 were not any, or at all events very few beds ; and properly eo 

 too, for a Norman fortress-like residence does not seem the place 

 for such kind of decoration. But wo must return, and, accom- 

 panied by Mr. Hunter, endeavour to give some description of 

 the occupants of the glass houses, as well as other matters 

 connected with this fine place. 



To such of our readers as visited the late fruit show at Man- 

 chester, the remembrance of the fine Grapes exhibited from 

 this place must have Itft an impression not easily forgotten. 

 A bunch of Black Hamburgh Grapes weighing upwards of 

 13 lbs. is a horticultural phenomenon that does not present 

 itself every day. In fact, there is reason to believe that it 

 never did so before ; besides which, other Grapes were equally 

 well grown with the Hamburgh. Another feature in fruit- 

 growing has been achieved at Lambton, which, though not 

 unexampled, is but seldom accompUshed, and that is the rear- 

 ing and fruiting of I'ines from seed ; and one at least, if not 

 more, is of groat promise and likely to make its way as a new 

 fruit, while others are also coming on. But we will take a 

 glance at the Grapes first, and by way of commencement may 

 say that the bulk of the Vines — in fact, I believe the whole of 

 them — are planted inside the house, and the whole of the 

 interior is formed into borders ; not but that the roots may 

 have access outside as well, but all are planted inside. Fur- 

 thermore, I may add that most of the vineries are lean-to 

 houses of ample width and medium pitch, while most of the 

 pineries are span or partly span-roofed, and one or two orchard 

 houses are also of the latter class. The central house of 

 the lower tier differs from all the others in being made into 

 an interesting conservatory, and united with the upper tier 

 by a broad flight of steps in its centre leading to the level on 

 which the other houses stand, the whole being judiciously 

 arranged with choice specimen plants, so that the difference in 

 the levels of the two compartments which compose this con- 

 servatory is an advantage rather than the contrary. In this 

 house I noticed a very fine pair of Dicksonia, the same of 

 Yucca gloriosa variegata. Phormitmi tenax variegatum was also 

 well represented ; so were the Dracainas, Lataniaa, and other 

 line-foliaged plants, with the necessary admixture of flower- 

 ing ones, amongst which Campanula pyramidalis was ex- 

 ceedingly well done. The roof was draped with climbers, and 

 baskets were suspended at suitable places ; one or two formed 

 of Lomaria gibba looked very well, while those of Tradescantia, 

 Ivy-leaved Geraniums, and other plants, were also good ; but 

 the end of August is not the time a conservatory is thought to 

 be the most attractive. After noticing some good plants of 

 CamelUas that were being prepared to occupy the house at the 

 proper time, with plenty of Azaleas and the like, I again turned 

 my attention to the contents of the fruit houses. 



The extraordinarily fine Grapes exhibited by Mr. Huuter 

 from this place at the late Manchester Show will have pre- 

 pared your readers for hearing of something wonderful, and I 

 can fully bear out all that has been said about the merits of 

 these (Jrapes from having seen them in their growing state. 

 Bat first of all I will advert to the character of the house in 

 which they were grown, which, be it observed, did not differ 

 in any essential particular from what is met with everywhere 

 — a rather broad lean-to house with front lights consisting 

 of about 2 feet of glass ; and the character of the glazing and 

 817.6 of the squares were of the ordinary typo. The top air, 

 however, was admitted by leverage moving flaps on hinges, 

 rather than by sliding the lights down, and the front upright 

 lights were made to open, and were on the whole more often 

 used by Mr. Hunter than the back ones. The pitch of the 

 root was of a medium kind. The length of the rafter, however, 

 was greater than is often the case, though not remarkably so, 

 while in all other respects the houses presented tho ordinary 

 stamp of vineries of their class, and were all heated with hot 

 water, Ihe pipes being in most cases divided rather than 

 mnning in cjnsters ; they were also all near the ground. The 

 Vines — tho all-important Vines — were in every case planted 

 inside, the permanent ones against tho front lights, while in 

 some houses recently planted the back wall was also covered 

 with Vines, from which excellent Grapes were also obtained, 

 and even in one or two cases that Mr. Hunter pointed out to 

 me, where the roof Vines had almost entirely deprived the 

 back ones of every blink of sunshine, there were some fine 



bunches of fruit equally well coloured with those on the rafters, 

 thus showing that the soil, the treatment, and the et-ceteras 

 which constitute the requirements of Vines were all to their 

 liking ; and the best of health, not coarse and gross pithy 

 shoots, met the eye e\isry where, and in all esses where the 

 fruit had not been cut excellent crops were to be seen. 



As there were several houses devoted entirely to Grape-grow- 

 ing, most of the popular kinds of the day were duly repre- 

 sented, the most general one, of course, being Black Ham- 

 burgh, which was remarkably fine. Most of the rods bearing 

 this variety were heavily loaded, and in general the bunches, 

 if we call them such, resembled a cluster of Lunches, and 

 as well as being large were also well coloured. Mr. Hunter 

 pointed one out to me as being not unlikely to weigh 12 lbs. — a 

 monster of a bunch, which, as the sequel proved, he had under- 

 estimated, for it proved to exceed 13 lbs. ! As your readers 

 wUl be aware, it was shown at Manchester and carried oft the 

 pri/.e as the heaviest black bunch at the Show, and possibly it 

 was the heaviest that was ever produced ; but other bunches 

 exceeding 9 lbs. were also furnished by the same house and of 

 the same kind, and I was told one upwards of 9J lbs. had 

 been cut a few days before. I should hardly expect that 

 houses containing such large bunches of Grapes of this variety 

 were ever met with before, and the Vines had not been limited 

 to a small number of bunches, but the crop, taken as a whole, 

 including the rods having the heaviest bunches on was good ; 

 even the shy-bearing kinds, as Barbarossa and one or two 

 others, were equally loaded with the Hamburghs and Muscats, 

 which, as everyone knows, in general show plenty of bunches. 



Next to the Black Hamburgh alluded to, the Madresjield 

 Court was very fine. It is certainly a fine Grape ; and as it 

 appears to have carried off honours at the Show above alluded 

 to, it may be mentioned here with something Uke an exception 

 to its useful quaUties, as Mr. Hunter reports its keeping 

 badly. This, however, need not mUitate against its merits at 

 the time being as looking exceedingly well, and there were 

 some large bunches of it. Although neither so good nor so 

 large as the Hamburgh and Barbarossa, and, perhaps, one or 

 two other kinds, stOl it is evidently a deserving Grape, one that 

 is often met with elsewhere in good condition, and which is 

 highly spoken of at table. 



Catabrian Lai/in. — A fine, large, white Grape tolerably well 

 known, but not always well managed. Here it was grown 

 to the size which imparts value to a Grape whose chief merit 

 is its size ; and Calabrian Kaisin or Eaisin de Calabre, for it 

 has both names, carries with it a noble appearance as a white 

 Grape, and is, morevover, a good keeper, and one which when 

 well ripened is not without its merits at table. Bunches of 

 enormous size were, of course, furnished at Lambton. 



Barharoiisa [Gros Guillaumej. — This fine Grape is but 

 seldom met with now-a-days, its reputation as a bad cropper, 

 or, in other words, of being shy in showing bunches, had told 

 sadly against it ; but anyone who has seen it at Lambton must 

 be of a different opinion, for like all others the crop was good, 

 and the bunches remarkably good. I should think the largest 

 must have exceeded 10 lbs., and that, too, a long nicely-tapered 

 hunch, not tho short, stubby, cluster of bunches represented 

 by the Black Hamburgh. The bunches, though not quite ripe 

 at the time I saw them, looked nevertheless likely to attain a 

 good black hue, which is not always the case with this va- 

 riety. As a Grape it would seem to require some especial 

 treatment, being tender, and like Lady Downe's and some 

 others, late in ripening. It is, however, well worth a place in 

 a collection. 



Trcbbiano. — Also a large white Grape, which when well 

 ripened is very good. It is likewise a good keeper, and one of 

 the lest setters we have. The bunch, however, is generally 

 short and irregularly-shaped ; even when it attains a large size, 

 as is the case at Lambton, the bunches seem all shoulder, and 

 there is often a deficiency in bloom in this land which mars its 

 appearance at table or at an exhibition. It is, however, a useful 

 Grape for ail that, and although it belongs to .a section that 

 has long had only an indifferent name in tho country, it is 

 reaUy a good f irapo when thoroughly ripe, and immense bunches 

 of it are not unusual, there being some excellent examples at 

 Lambton, but nothing to compare with the Hamburgh pre- 

 viously spoken of, nor some of the other kinds that will be 

 noticed. It is, however, often denied tho necessary amount 

 of fire heat required to ripen it thoroughly, and when not - 

 finished-off well it is only a second-class Grape. Miny of the 

 best examples we see of it at horticultural shows aro far from 

 ripe, and consequently of indifferent llavour. 



