November 17, 18G3. 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENBE. 



393 



all the winter. It would be endless to enumerate the fine 

 plants in the beds of this house, mostly trained less or 

 more iu the pj-ramidal form, which gives more room for the 

 streamers of climbers and the baskets of creepers suspended 

 chiefly over the jjathways. The house is always kept gay 

 by fresh introductions during the season. In the end of 

 August we were most struck with fine-flowered Fuchsias ; 

 large Brugmansias ; a fine jjlant of Luculia gratissima covered 

 with buds ; a huge bai-rel-shaped plant, reaching nearly to 

 the roof, of Camellia reticidata, well supplied with large 

 buds ; veiy large plants, in the highest luxuriance, of other 

 Camellias and Aaaleas, less or more in the pyi'amidal shape ; 

 fine masses of Hedychiums, as Gardnerianum and the sweet 

 white-flowered coronarium ; a good plant of Rhododendron 

 DaUiousianum with weU-sweUed flower-buds ; and at the 

 north corner of the west front, inside, was a strong plant of 

 the New Zealand Flax, with a seat on the pathway behind 

 it, ii'om whence you could see any one crossing the iron 

 bridge over the river, and be yourself concealed bj' the thick 

 foliage of the Flax, possessing as it does a luxuriance we 

 might look for in vain out of doors in the wai'mest parts of 

 these islands, though it thrives pretty well in some par'ts of 

 the south of Ireland. 



The west fi-ont of this conservatory is separated from the 

 river by gravel and a sloping bank of turf delightfully 

 green ; and a little farther north, opposite the foot-bridge, 

 is a large parallelogram of gi-avel backed by evergreens; 

 and on that parallelogram are inscribed in broad letters of 

 Box the names of the foiu- sisters of the present Duke, with 

 "Viveat mcmoi-i'i." beneath them. On om- previous visit to 

 Trentham Ma-. Fleming told us he could use salt water for 

 destroying weeds inside and round these letters without 

 injuring the Box, though for oiu'selves we always found Box 

 veiy easily injured by salt in any shape. \Vjiether and 

 how salt is now applied we failed to inquire, but all the walks 

 were in excellent condition. 



Close to the north side of tliis fine conservatory are 

 elegant gates that form, we jiresume, the chief entrance 

 to the kitchen garden from the mansion, these gates 

 being in a line with the arched Pear-walk running fi-om 

 east to west which we have ah-eady noticed. At the back 

 of the conservatoiy is an open square of gi-avel, as if 

 for setting plants on in summer if desu-able. The back of 

 the house was clothed with Ivy, biit beautifully draped with 

 long streamers of Honeysuckle and Aji'shii'e and other 

 climbing Eoses allowed to dangle natiu'ally, with little or 

 no appearance of training to molest them. Trim training 

 would have spoiled their beauty. It would be well if gar- 

 deners could be persuaded at tinies to "let well alone." 



We now pass the gardener's house again, cross the road- 

 way and the rustic bridge over a brook that falls into the 

 Trent, and find om-selves in the village of hoiises and pits 

 on the north side of this main entrance. Here too we are, 

 as in the principal division, jiresented ^vith the same ideas 

 of the ornamental. Here is the backgi'ound of shrubbery aU 

 round, raised beds skirted with Ivy and Cotoneaster alter- 

 nately, filled with Geraniums, Humeas, &c., and in the front 

 of the large stove-range is a beautiful flower garden, the 

 beds edged with Thiift, ajid the coloiu-s chiefly belted and 

 well contrasted. 



We first come to a very long house called the Brook-house, 

 and almost entii-ely fUled with fine plants of Azaleas, as it is 

 found useless to put them out of doors in summer. Then 

 opposite this at right angles is another long range with ridge- 

 and-furrow roofs, the fii'st a gi'eenhouse with a stage, walk 

 along the front, and Tea Eoses against the back wall. These 

 Eoses are exposed to the full air, and are kept rather di-y in 

 autumn so as to harden the wood, and then there ai'e plenty 

 of fine Eoses all the winter and spi'ing m the usual gxeen- 

 house temperature. The stage iu this house is also cleverly 

 managed, the end and the front, as high or higher than the 

 front shelf, are covered by a treUis filled with CameUias, 

 Acacias, and Scarlet Geraniums. 



Next and much wider is the moist stove or tropical 

 aquarium conservatory, there being a tank supplied with 

 hot water immediately in fr-ont of the entrance. The back 

 wall is formed into a rovigh rockery for Ferns, ilosses, &c. 

 The plants over the aquarium and elsewhere in pots were 

 chiefly distinguished for the beauty of their foliage, as 

 Cyanophyllum mag-nificum, Alccasia metalliea, very fine 



plants of varieties of Croton, Dracanas, Marantas, ilusas, 

 &.C., and fine specimens of the beautiful finer kinds of 

 Caladium. We presume the Nymphseas and other water 

 plants were chiefiy in a state of rest. The front curb of 

 this house is fitted with a shallow pan, and for the whole 

 width it was a dense green mass of the dwarf Lyoopodiom 

 apodum or densum. The beauty of these plants as speci- 

 mens was more than rivalled with the wild grandeur of the 

 flaunting creepers above. For natural magnificence (for the 

 art to efi'ect it was completely hidden), we have seen nothing 

 to compare with it except the middle division of the 

 stove of Mr. Bewley near Dublin. In this latter case, how- 

 ever, the striking effect was produced entirely by the rich- 

 leaved streamers of the Cissus discolor. Here this plant 

 was also in its glory ; but mingled, .shaded, and contrasted, 

 with the foliage and flowers of Stephanotis floribunda, 

 Ipomffia HorsfaUije, &c., Passiflora princejis and quadrangu- 

 laris, lie, Allamanda cathartica, Bignonia venusta, &c. So 

 wUd, mingled, and luxiu-iant are these and others that it 

 requii-es close examination to perceive whence the stems 

 come fr'om, and to note that aU ai-e under control. The 

 beaxity of these cUmbers in summer depends greatly on the 

 treatment they receive in autumn and spring. In September 

 the tank is dried, plants requiring a moister atmosphere are 

 removed elsewhere, and the house, as a whole, is kejit drier 

 and warm, but with more air to harden and ripen the shoots of 

 these climbers, which are gradually j^runed pretty close home 

 in winter when more light is wanted for the plants in the 

 house. This causes the climbers not only to break strongly 

 and healthily, but with shoots that will be smothered with 

 flowers. At the end of this house is another greenhouse 

 fUled with fine close-trained plants of the later kinds of 

 Azaleas, and here too the back wall is covered with Tea 

 Eoses treated as already detailed. 



Amongst other things we must state that we looked 

 into a beautiful sjjan-house devoted chiefiy to Heaths, Epa- 

 crises, and other New Holland plants, the path being sunk 

 in the middle of the house and the stage on each side of 

 it ; then into a span stove-house, where, among other fine 

 things, were a great many of the most beautiful plants of 

 Crotons j^lunged in a hotbed after being potted afresh; 

 then into another long span-roofed stove, small as to width, 

 but not small as to length, filled with Euphorbias, Gesneras, 

 &c., and the roof a picture fi-om end to end with Hexacentris 

 mysorensis and Thunbergia laiurifoha, the latter in very fine 

 condition. Then we looked into a pit filled with softwooded 

 stove plants of the most free-flowering kinds, as Poinsettias, 

 Justicias, Gesneras, &c., that had not long been under- 

 potted, for these plants are wanted iu such quantity for 

 house-decoration and to go into vases, basins, &c., that 

 after they have been pretty well grown it is often necessary 

 to shake away a good portion of the sod, to undei-pot them, 

 and have them well established again before packing 

 them thickly in vases, &c. Many vases and zinc pans are 

 fUled and kept ready for moving into the finer receptacles 

 designed for them. We also noticed whole beds of Linum 

 monogynum in smallish pits. Cinerarias, Primirlas, Crassulas, 

 Calceolarias, for everything is made to serve its purpose. 

 Were we to tell of Cucumber-houses in all stages. Melons in 

 houses and pits in all stages, pits and houses filled with 

 beautiful Vines in pots, ditto with Figs, and all the rest of 

 it, and all in small pots for then- size, telling that they 

 had something to notirish them besides the earth you saw 

 at the sm'face, we should want a Number for the express 

 pm'pose. 



One secret we did find out in our soUtary ramble in the 

 morning — a large shed filled with mellow cowdung and a 

 huge heap of boiled bones beside it, and the men were 

 cutting the dung with a gusto as if they knew its value. 

 A second secret was a huge mound of bright-looking coals 

 at a price which we in the south must not yet think about, 

 and it is always well to keep down every rising of that nasty 

 spfrit called envy. A third secret, we did not find out, because 

 we forgot to make inquiries about it, though we had plenty 

 of reminder too in seeing a vapoury smoke issue from a 

 Ijlack fimnel among some trees, and not a wTeath over all 

 these houses and pits. The secret, the great secret which 

 we ought to have found out, is how from aU these houses and 

 furnaces the smoke is conveyed by tunnel, and in low ground 

 too, to this one concealed funnel as a chimney top. 



