November 3, 1863. ] JOURNAIi OP HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



355 



alternately, and all the trees seemed to be in the finest order 

 and full of bloom-buds, from a regular system of stopping, 

 though, from the frosts in May, the crop was much thinner 

 than usual. All the lean-to houses, and some of the upright 

 ones, are on the west side of this walk. Another walk 

 nearly divides the garden from east to west, and has an 

 ai-ch thrown over it 10 feet in height, with a width at base 

 of fr-om 6 to 7 feet. This arched walk, now weU filled with 

 Pear and other fruit trees, must be a pleasant promenade in 

 a hot summer's day, and the fruit can also be easily seen 

 and examined. 



By the side of other walks we found narrow arched 

 trellises 2i feet at base, and 5 feet in height, as we noticed 

 at Keele the other week, and whole quarters filled with 

 various devices as to training Apple and Pear trees, &c., 

 with beautiful standard and pyramidal Currant and Goose- 

 berry trees, that produce fine fruit, whilst the ground can 

 be worked comfortably about them. Close to the Pine- 

 ground vinery we noticed also two rows of upright Pear trees, 

 that might be called rope-of-onion trees, being from 8 to 

 10 feet in height, and the branches or spui-s not more than 

 a foot through, and regular in width all the way. The ap- 

 pearance of the spurs indicated that by such training and 

 good management a great quantity of good fruit could be 

 obtained in little room. 



With this glance at the kitchen garden we will accompany 

 our readers thi-ough its ranges of glass houses, taking the 

 east side fii-st, and beginning with the upright Trentham- 

 houses, in the back range, in line with Mr. Henderson's re- 

 sidence. This range consists of four houses, each 66 feet in 

 length. As the gi-ound rises to the eastern boundary, there 

 are ramps with proportionate steps fr-om one house to 

 another, these ramps averaging 24 inches in depth, some 

 being less, and some more. The whole of the upright houses 

 are similar in size, and all are placed against walls. There 

 can be no doubt as to the elegance of their appearance, and 

 as little question that in the hands of Mr. Fleming, and now 

 under the management of Mr. Henderson, they thoroughly 

 answer the purpose, so far as plenty of good fruit is con- 

 cerned. At first I believe they were chiefly intended for 

 protection, as orchard-houses now are, but now they are 

 mostly heated by hot water. They are all furnished with 

 neat, narrow slate paths in the centre, are 6 feet in width, 

 10 feet high at back wall and front glass, the span-roof 

 being about 15 inches higher at the apex, and one side of 

 the span opens with lever rod. The upright front sashes 

 are wide, with large squares of glass, and move easOy 

 behind each other by wheels running in a groove, so that 

 abundance as well as little aii' in front may be given. In 

 several of the houses there ai-e also louvre boards beneath 

 the plate on which the sashes rest. 



The back wall is covered with fiTiit trees trained either to 

 a treUis, or oft«ner to nails as studs driven regularly into the 

 wall. Trees are also planted in front, and trained to a 

 trellis from 15 to 18 inches from the glass, and 4.i feet in 



height. At that height it is found there is abundance of 

 light to colour the fruit at the base of the back wall ; in 

 fa°t. Grapes in very shady places were exceedingly well 

 coloured. Besides this upright treUis in front, aa arch 

 a foot in width is taken across trom it to the back wall at every 

 12 feet, which gives these houses an elegant appearance as 

 you look along them. It is also almost uniformly the case, 

 that whatever the tree. Cherry, Plum, Peach, or Vine, these 

 arches produce the very best fruit. The dotted line in 

 the section wUl give some idea of these arches as we re- 

 coUeet them. Mr. Henderson has tried them nearer than 

 12 feet, but then he considered the back wall suffered. 

 Having proved conclusively that the front trellis and these 

 arches at 12 feet apart do no injury to the back wall, I 

 would be glad if Mr. Henderson would set apart one house 

 entirely to the front trellis, and arched all the way along to 

 the back wall, which would then be useless for fruit, and 

 report the result, not merely as to appearance, but as to the 

 question of profit and loss, a matter which in all its bearings 

 is nowhere more rigidly studied than in these gardens. 



The outside borders of these houses, besides being drained, 

 slope considerably to the walk. The fii-st house is filled 

 back and front with Plum trees, from which the fruit was 

 aD gathered in June ; the short-jointed wood, the promi- 

 nent well-sweUed buds, and the leaves now turning yellow, 

 being everything that could be desired. The second house 

 was tilled with Peach trees, the crop all gathered, this being 

 the fourth house, and the wood getting in excellent order. 

 The third house was a vinery. One rod is taken along the 

 front at 44 feet from the floor, and the bunches hang down 

 from it, but the side shoots fr-om the Vines help to fill up 

 the space, and there is the arch across at 12 feet apart. At 

 one end the fr-ont was thinly covered, and yet there were 

 some huge bunches of the Marchioness of Hastings against 

 the back wall. Against the wall were fine bunches of Lady 

 Downes' as blat-k as black could be, and there was also a 

 fine crop of the White Tokay, which Mr. Henderson prefers 

 much to the Trebbiano and Raisin de Calabre for late 

 keeping, having fr-equentiy had it fine from late houses in 

 Api-U and the Lady Downes' in March. In this house the 

 wood was strong, short -jointed, with large round prominent 

 buds. The fourth house was devoted to Cherries, the leaves 

 browning, the wood hard, and the buds strong and promi- 

 nent ; this house bore a heavy crop in April. On 

 examining the short stubby shoots we found that nipping 

 and stopping had vei-j' seldom been resorted to, the heavy 

 crop having rendered such care and attention unnecessai-y. 

 In these houses no part of the gi-ound is ever seen all the 

 winter, the bottom being filled with bedding plants; and 

 there, until the houses are regulated for then- respective 

 crops, abundance of an- fan be given in mild -n-eather, and 

 a little heat in the pipes keeps them all right in winter. 

 Even in this splendid place the most is made of every bit 

 of glass at all times. 



In the front range, beginning again at the west end, next 

 to the garden residence, we come first to a Peach-house, 

 the thii-d in succession, from which all the fi-uit had been 

 gathered. The next was an eai-ly vinery, also in a state of 

 rest. The heating being insufficient, pipes were iJlaced 

 along the back as well as in front. The Vines at the west 

 end of the house not doing so well as Mr. Henderson wished, 

 owing chiefly, as he believed, to a great accumulation of 

 moisture, the front ones were raised and planted in fresh 

 material against the back wall. The outside border was 

 removed, and well drained, and we saw the process going on 

 for raising the border much higher than before. For this 

 purpose the front pipes were elevated fully 20 inches higher. 

 A slate was put down to separate the inside from the out- 

 side border, and prevent the roots in the meantime mingling 

 together. Fresh Vines will be planted in the outside border, 

 and when these are well established the inside border and 

 the back pipes and floor wUl also be raised ; and thus, whilst 

 securing the best treatment for each, both back and front, 

 the house -will never be destitute of a crop. The third 

 house was a Cherry-house ; and here much the same method 

 will be followed, as it is to be made into a hite house for 

 Lady Downes' Grape. The new border for the Vines is 

 making in front in much the same way. The Vines -will be 

 left pretty much to themselves until established, so as not 

 to have more heat than will suit the Cherries, so that a 



