46 



JOUENAL OF HOETICXJLTTOE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 21, 1863. 



In another house-a narrow one-I noticed some well- 

 grown Vines in pots. The pots containing the Vmes were 

 placed along the front and the canes tramed up the root 

 but 30 closely together as to cover tne whole of it. iiy t^^s 

 plan double the quantity of fruit is obtained, and ear y 

 L-apes ripen more surely than when the roots ^'^fout.ide m 

 a colder medium than the canes. Each Vine m a pot i^ 

 aUowsd to carry from six to nine and even twelve bunches 

 and aner Muscats could not be wished for. T^e Muscat of 

 Alexandria, White Muscat, Canon HaU, and Tottenham 

 Park Muscat, all do weU -, and the last, although m every 

 respect like the White Muscat, is yet a much treer setter 

 than any of the Muscats and not so hable to spot as most ot 

 them Mr. Clarke, who has had ample opportunities ot 

 comparing the Vines in aU stages of theu- growth, says the 

 Tottenham Park is as fi-ee a setter as a Hamburgh. Tne 

 bunches are stiffer, and the footstalk of the berry is con- 

 siderably stouter than that of the Muscat of Alexandria. 

 InoSer^kind, under the name of Wlute Muscat is in no 

 wav different, I think, from the Muscat of Alexandria ; but 

 as I have seen it elsewhere under that name, I may be wrong 

 In some pits were Peas in full bearing, a row eacn of 

 Sangster's and Eclipse; the fii-st dish, however, had been 

 trathered three weeks previously. \ 



The southern division of the garden is occupied by a pond 

 with an island in the centre, and near to it is the approach 

 from the park, and a neat Uttle flower garden mostly occu- 

 pied by herbaceous plants ; but I understand a re-arrange- 

 ment of this garden is contemplated. _ 



A barn-like budding in its external appearance is used tor 

 th° growth of Mushi-ooms, and has in its mterior a bed m 

 the centre on the floor, and two shelves, or beds 'iJi. round. 

 These shelves, or beds, are formed in a very substantial way 

 the sides being of iiou, and are about 15 inches deep and 

 5 or 6 feet widl, with iron-grated bottoms. Two beds weie 

 iust coming into bearing, and promised a prodigious crop. 

 I understand this house produces a succession m aoundanoe 

 of very fine well-flavoirred Mushi-ooms. 



AUthe garden walls are covered with fruit trees in good 

 order, and bearing weU. A Pear that Mr. Clarke speaks 

 very highly of, the crops of which are enormous, ^ Hacon s 

 Incomparable. It is a large melting Pear- m use for dessert 

 fi-om November to January. A black Mulben-y on tne waU 

 adioining a Fig-house has the branches tramed perpen- 

 dicularly downwards, and annually produces good ci-ops. 

 Besides thewalled-in portion of the garden mentioned there 

 are other two compartments, in one of which was a Fig-house, 

 with Vines on the rafters. The Fig trees are planted mside 

 the house, in narrow borders at the back, about 1 foot wide 

 and 2 feet deep, and the trees trained to the back wall. Ihe 

 fi^t was large, plentiful, and ripening. The variety was. 

 if I mistake not, the Brown Turkey, the best of Figs for 

 any pui-pose whatever. The nai-rowneas of tne borders 

 would cramp the roots, and unless this is the case Figs make 

 too much wood to bear weU. The Vines were only newly 

 planted, but Vines in pots were bearing splendidly thus 

 making use of the house untd the young Vmes are of suth- 

 cient size to bear. I incline to the opinion that Vines can 

 be grown ecxually well in pots as planted out, and better 

 wi,oT.o t-hp bovrlpr is outside on a cold wet subsod. ine 



l)e grown et|iutiiji .rcji iii 1,^,-- — r — — -- . , ■, rpi,, 



whlre the border is outside on a cold wet subsod. ine 

 house can then be used for a variety of purposes m winter , 

 but where the Vines can be planted in the house or the 

 border heated it saves time and labour to have them planted 

 out. In this house I noticed a vei-y fine plant of Coleus 

 Verschaffelti in preparation for planting in the flower garden 

 to form a centre bed. It was more than 6 feet across, and 

 by planting Golden Chain Geranium round it, edged with 

 Amaranthus melanchoUcus ruber, it was expected an ettec.ive 

 bed would residt. Should Mr. Clarke carry out his idea and 

 And it answer, I hope he wiU favoiu- this Journal with a 



notice. „, ^r. , 



Two vineries adjoin the Fig-house. The Vines however, 

 had been cut down and grafted with newer and better kinds 

 than the old ones, and beside each Vine was a Vme in a pot. 

 The grafts were just beginning to break. Inarching, how- 

 ever, I consider a better way of working the Vine than 

 orafting. Inarching can be done at any time, and a much 

 stronger cane can be had the fii-st season than from graftmg, 

 however well done. 



Here, again, were more Vines in pots bearing profusely. 



The pots were only 9 inches m diameter; and by pUcmg 

 them about 2 feet apart, and bringing the canes of both pots 

 too-ether, they were tied in the shape ot a halt-circle. 



Some of the pots, or arches, had twelve bunches, and one 

 beino- White Frontignan and the other Muscat Hamburgh, 

 they were, indeed, very handsome. The Gnzzly Frontignan, 

 so liable to shank when planted in an outside border, was 

 here in pots colouring beautifully, the bright amber colour 

 of the berries contrasting well with the jet black of the 

 Hamburo-hs. In this and the next house I noticed good 

 plants o1- Graptophyllum pictum; Crotons pictum, longi- 

 foHumvariegatum,andvariegatum; Pothos argyroea; Cordy- 

 Une indivisa ; Dracaena terminaUs, and a host ot other varie- 

 gated and fine-foliagcd plants too numerous to mention Ot 

 the crolden-veined Lonicera aureo-reticulata, Mr. Clarke 

 possessed a good stock, and shoidd this stand oui- cb^te 

 in summer only, it wiU make a very effective edgmg. Who 

 will be the first to try it ? Mr. Clarke intends doing so this 

 summer, and I hope he will communicate the result. 



In the centre of the gardens stands a large greenhouse, 

 or rather vinery, used as a late house. The Vines were just 

 : tJ^g anTprLised an abundant crop, tinder the Vmes 

 on a high steep stage were a great many wmter-flowering 

 plants, as Cyt&uses. Camellias, Azaleas &c makmg good 

 wood, the Azileas being neatly tramed The house is heated 

 by a combination of smoke-flues and hot water, just re- 

 minding one how ineffectual flues are m large houses. 



Probfno- Mr. Clarke on the subject of flues versus hot- 

 water hil reply was in favour of flues for small houses and 

 Tseries of houses wide apart; but in favour of hot water 

 for large houses or a series or range of houses requurmg 

 a forcing temperatm-e. Notwithstandmg that the houses at 

 Studlev are wide apart, most of them are heated by hot 

 water and the oU fl'J.es done away with, for aU the houses 

 are very old. Most of them, however, are kept at a high 



^^CkTse^ by\ere ai-e the under-gardeners' rooms, not so 

 bothy-like as some of the like kind in other places, nor half so 

 inconvenient. A commodious frmt-room, or rooms, potting- 

 sheds &o adioin. Another waUed compartment, called the 

 orchak contains aU the best kinds of hardy fruit trees m 

 foU bearing; and on the north wall (south aspect) were 

 s2e very fine Apricot trees, Moorpai-k chiefly, .loaded w,th 

 ^dt How many Apricot-houses have 700 fruit m them? 

 Yorkshii-e is " a county where Green Gage Plums are never 

 Jeen iTperfection," says the writer of a book reaching into 

 tens of editions ; but so far is this from being tnie, that not 

 only Green Gage Plum trees m Yorkshu-e bear weU as 

 standards and yTeld bushels of fruit, but there are Apricots 

 on many cottages the fruit of which annually pays their rent 

 In a Cucumber-house heated by hot water, the old flues 

 being done, we saw Reynolds's Winter Cucumber It is a 

 free bearer ; but as for being ahaiidsome 6^*. ^^ f J^f *^« 

 contrary. Nevertheless, it is said to be good for use, and it 

 hani a^ on- time. Adioining is a Pine-pit with plants m a 

 flo^irlMn- condition, and some young Vines preparing for 

 for"amongst which were Chavoush,I)enbies Muscat, and 

 other "select and new kinds. In a small compai-tment were 

 MocasTa metaSica, A. macrorhiza variegata, and other choice 



^'^In^'the way is another Cucumber-house planted with 

 Carter's Champion (will any one teU me the difference 

 between ChXpion and an' old kind that was formerly 

 ^0^ under the name of Smither's Wmter Cucumber, or 

 fco^^s winter?) and on Bome shelves at the^ck^ere 

 Oscar Strawberries bearing profusely m pots. Thib variety 

 promises to be a good forcer. 



^ Time would not allow of my seemg i""* more ; but in a 

 duno--frame I noticed an abundant crop of Melons, l^ge 

 enouo-h for anything. The kinds were Onon, Golden Per- 

 fection and a new kind. Princess Alexandra, evidently a 

 Jood cropper, large, and of handsome shape^and if it be a. 

 well flavoured as it looks it wdl merit its name. 



CrosTin" the pai-k I reached the old flower gardens, and 

 these caU for a few remarks. They form one ot those old- 

 tuese call lor a .j^nding paths, verdant lawn dis- 



fi^^-^d by S hire anHioth'erVere and ^^^V^^^ 

 hau hazard An old greenhouse with high front-hghts or 



ta'^dts andan opaqu^ roof f o-^^JVaf^'^^h Tome 

 course, of Uttle value for plants, but it was gay with some 



