JOTJKNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. T October 20, mi. 



useful and accommodating plants for decorative pm-poses ; 

 and there can be no doubt as to its capability of great im- 

 provement. l!y proper and very simple management it can 

 be had in bloom every month in tlie year, and wherever 

 placed it never fails to attract attention and to be admired. 

 It has a large share of distinct and striking character to 

 distinguish it; and in spring, when bulbous plants form so 

 large a proportion of the gaiety of the di'awing-room and 

 the consei'vatory, the Amarj-Uis would contrast and vie 

 with any or all of them, and as a flower at the dreary dead 

 of winter it outstrips tliem all. It is, moreover, a plant 

 ■which requii'os but a comparatively small amount of cai'e 

 in the way of potting, &c. ; and any one in possession of 

 a pit or waim greenhouse can command it, although it is 

 when expanded in stove heat that the colours come out in 

 •tjieii' highest pitch of purity. Seeing that it is a plant 

 possessing many good qualities to recommend it, we hope 

 some of oui' groat societies, now that they are busy framing 

 their schedidcs for another year-, will set the example and 

 give libei-al encoui'agement to the Amaryllis ; and it may 

 be prophesied that it will vei-y soon become a plant of wide- 

 spread popularity and great usefulness, while, no doubt, its 

 improvement will not be the least noticeable feature in its 

 character. We would be the last to attempt to throw any 

 discouragement in the way of keeping any class of plants 

 before the public ; but, as it is evident that all cannot have 

 that amount of patronage bestowed upon them which might 

 perhaps be desirable, would it not, thei'efore, be wise to 

 lessen the amount of notice which has been taken of and the 

 prizes offered to some given plants, and direct the funds of 

 societies to other objects which have been so long neglected Y 

 . Say, for instance, that the Cineraria, or whatever may be 

 deemed most advisable, should meet with less encoiu'age- 

 ment now, after the long patronage and the firm hold which 

 it has of the public for certain purposes ; and that others, for 

 example, the Amai-yUis — for which we mean these lines as 

 a good word spoken — should be more libei-aUy and frequently 

 rewai'ded. D. Thomson. 



TOEST HILL. 



On the northern slope of the elevated ridge of liills which 

 divides the valley watered by the river Len and the creeic 

 which separates the Isle of Shepway fi-om the main land 

 stands the pleasant mansion of Torry HiU, the seai, of Lord 

 Kingsdown. The position of the house is sufficiently ele- 

 vated to command a very extensive view without at the 

 same time being bleak and exposed : on the contrary, the 

 abundance of healthy and vigorous trees gives the gi'ovmds 

 and park, as well as the neighboiu'hood in general, a clothed 

 appearance not usually met with in situations so elevated ; 

 while the riclily cultivated district over which the view 

 intends is perhaps second to none for general fertility and 

 the good quality of its produce. The gentle and easy slojie 

 terminates in the creek or inlet above refeiTed to, and the 

 whole of the Isle of Sheppey, with its verdant fields and 

 waving crops, is entirely brought under view; and beyond, 

 the waters of the Nore with the numerous craft which enter 

 the Port of London may be distinctly seen fi-om the more 

 elevated portions of the mansion. I am also told that the 

 more distant Essex coast may be made out on a fine day. 



A situation possessing so many natiu-al advantages may 

 justly be regarded as a tine one ; and it is only proper to say 

 that in caiTyiug out the arrangement of the mansion and 

 ^•ounds genorsdly these advantages have been duly made 

 use of. The present spuited nobleman having made it his 

 principal residence, he has remodelled, or, he may be said to 

 have rebuilt, the whole of the mansion during the last few 

 yeai'S ; ,aud the many qualifications of beauty, utdity, and the 

 other matters which form a weU-arranged mansion of the fii'st 

 class have been all didy considered. The piincipal fi-onts are 

 to the north and east ; the latter Iseing the can-iage-front, 

 while the former looks over a terraee gai-den of considerable 

 dimensions, which at the time I saw it was gay with flowers. 

 On the west side and connect-ed with the iiiansion is a lofty 

 conservatory upwards of (iO feet long by 42 feet wide, while 

 at the north-east angle of the mansion a chcular tower is 

 cai'ried up to a considerable height; in this a spiral stair- 

 case of more ample dimensions than is usually met with in 



such places leads up to the summit, fi-om whaice a very 

 extensive prospect of the adjacent country may be obtained. 

 The shipping at Sheemess and the winding serpentine course 

 of the Medway may be traced with tolerable clearness ; 

 while the pleasant town of Sittingboume seems almost 

 within rifle-shot of the place. The offices are connected 

 with the south-western angle of the main building ; and 

 the dressed grounds, which are extensive, are mostly on the 

 north, east, and south sides. 



Some plant and forcing-houses occupy a walled-in garden 

 on the south side of the mansion, but other glass struc- 

 tures are detached, and differ much in the aspect they 

 present ; but as many of the plant-houses are span-roofed, 

 their position with regard to the back wall against which 

 they ai-e placed is of little moment. Suffice it to say 

 that they are aU new, or such as have been buUt in the last 

 sis or eight years, and many of them since that time. The 

 large conservatory has not been long finished, and, of course, 

 the pei-manent creepers, &c., have not yet occupied aU the 

 space allotted them ; but a plant-stove of considerable size, 

 having a projecting bay in front with a semicircular roof, 

 and facing the east, was well furnished with plants, aU of 

 which did well. We noticed that the southern side, which 

 was a blank wall, was wisely taken advantage of to introduce 

 a few Ferns ; while the body of the house was well filled with 

 the most popidar plants of the day, amongst which were some 

 very fine specimens of Croton pictum in excellent health, 

 equally good specimens of Marantas, Alocasias, Caladiums, 

 Draca?nas ; and the many other plants which form indispen- 

 sable features in a plant-stove had excellent representatives 

 here. In another house were several dozens of that beautiful 

 jilant for winter decoration — Poinsettia pulchenima, from 

 1 to 2 or 3 feet high, the whole, including the shortest, 

 giving promise of flowering well. In another place were 

 Chinese Primulas in robust health and knotted for flower; 

 and the other popular plants necessary to furnish a large 

 conservatory were in their various stages of preparation in 

 other houses devoted to that piu-ijose. 



The great featm-e of attraction, however, was the finiits, 

 more especially the Peaches and Kectarines, which, even afc 

 the late period I saw them, were magnificent, and those 

 that had ripened earlier in the season had been stUl better. 

 They were partly gi-own under- glass and partly on open walls ; 

 but the latter had the advantage of being flued — a plan well 

 worthy of more general adoption, and the success which has 

 attended it here entitles it to every consideration. The wall 

 appeared to be about 13 feet high ; and the face against 

 which the trees were planted, though plain, was nevertheless 

 separated from the back pai-t of the wall by a cavity which 

 formed the flue, the heat from the fii-e travelling three 

 times the length of the wall, there being partitions to direct 

 it that way. Flued walls are common in the north of Eng- 

 land, and the expense in making one is trifling compared 

 with covering a wall with glass ; but as I may retm-n to 

 this subject another time, it is needless saying more on that 

 head now than that such walls produced excellent fruit, 

 the trees occupying them fi'om the bottom to the top. 

 Most excellent fi-uit was also furnished by the Peach-houses 

 or glazed walls, of which there was also a considerable 

 length adjoining those not so covered ; and I was told that 

 Peaches weighing 12 ozs. had been gathered in the past 

 season. There were also a few trees in pots, and a house 

 had been accorded to them ; but I understood thou- produce 

 was not so satisfactory, and they were being done away with. 



The Grapes in the various houses were also excellent, 

 particularly some Muscats of Alexandria, whUe the Canon 

 llaU Muscat was not so satisfactory ; but the Black Ham- 

 burghs, of which there was a gi-eat quantity, were excellent 

 in berry and well colom-ed. I may here obsei-ve that a 

 mode of heating the borders of one or more of the Grape- 

 houses intended for early forcing, and which is well worth 

 general adoption, was pointed out to me. I have seen a modi- 

 fication of the plan before, but not exactly the same as is 

 here carried out. The Vines in the houses in question are 

 planted outside ; and, the borders being liigher outside than 

 the tier of hot-water pipes wliich run along the front, inside 

 near the breast wall, holes are made in the fi-ont wall at 

 distances about 5 feet apart ; communicating with these 

 holes are drains laid through the border, which is about 

 12 feet wide, the ends of the drains turning upwards, and 



