December 22, 1863. ] JOUENAL OF HOETICTJLTtrEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



493 



WELTON PLACE, WEAE DAVENTEY. 



Antiquakies, like the mummies and other relics with 

 which they are conversant, are proverbially dry fellows, and 

 no exception to this characteristic was the trustworthy anti- 

 quary of Northamptonshire when he wrote of Welton Place, 

 — " It is a commodious residence, pleasantly situated on a 

 gentle elevation west of the village." These are facts, cer- 

 tainly, but they are very dry facts, and give no more correct 

 idea of Welton Place than would the statement that the 

 Venus de Medici is " the figure of a naked woman with her 

 head inclined on one side." Let us enter a little more into 

 detail; but before doing so we must indulge in a thought 

 forced upon us, that this Daventry and its vicinity appear 

 more than most localities to have been the seed-bed and 

 harvest ground of plots and revolutions. 



We spoke two or three months ago of Fawsley, and its 

 connection with the Cromwellian revolution. Not far away 

 is Naseby and Holdenby, the fatal battle ground and prison 

 of Charles I. ; Kenilworth, so associated with the evil 

 days of Amy Eobsart, is within a few miles ; still closer is 

 Catesby, whose owner was so connected with the Gunpowder 

 Plot, and this Welton Place had for its lord another Catesby, 

 who bowed down before the headsman for being the partisan 

 of Richard Crookback, from the miu-der-night of the Princes 

 in the Tower until his last struggle on Bosworth Field. 



The present lord of Welton, however, is not likely to be- 

 come imjilicated in any such undertakings. His pursuits, 

 though more obscure and less stirring, are far more enno- 

 bling and peaceful ; and when we state that this same lord 

 is none other than Major Trevor Clarke, the ardent horticul- 

 turist and successful hybridiser of several important genera 

 of plants, our readers will be able to form an opinion as to 

 the "goings on" at Welton. 



The house is " pleasantly situated " on a high elevation, 

 the ground falling away from it rather abruptly to the east 

 and the north. On the latter side, and immediately in front 

 of the house, is a large sheet of water clothed with the white 

 and yellow Water Lilies, and very tastefully planted round 

 the mai'gin. Here and there beautiful landscape effects are 

 produced, stretching far away into the fine old timbered park 

 beyond, and these heightened by the introduction of some of 

 the best Coniters, such as Cedrus deodara, Cryjitomeria 

 japonica, which succeeds admirably near the edge of the 

 water; Abies Douglasii, Pinus excelsa, and several others. 



There is no attempt at what may be called the modern 

 school here. No "bedding-out," no "polychromes," no 

 blazes of colovu- ; but there are good examples of the old- 

 faghioned botanieo-horticultural style, where there is a fine 

 ooUeotion of curious plants now never seen in modern 

 establishments, and which are grown for the love of them. 

 Here, too, experiments are conducted of all possible kinds 

 in cultm-e and hybridising : and those who can appreciate 

 scientific gardening rather than garden decoration, wiU find 

 here much to amuse and to instruct them. 



Unfortunately, when we called Major Clarke was from 

 Lome, and we were consequently deprived of the key to 

 much that would have been interesting to us. StiU, how- 

 ever, ■«•« made the most of it, and remarked a gi-eat deal 

 that requu-ed no iUustration. 



The principal glass struotm-e is a half-span botanic stove 

 60 feet long by 18, and about 16 feet high. Down the 

 centre runs a long bed built after the fashion of a tan bed, 

 but is now covered in with perforated malt-kiln quarries 

 supported on shoi-t brick walls, and heated by a hot-water 

 tank upon Weeks's principle. This forms a central stand 

 for tall tropical plants in large pots, which thi-ive remark- 

 ably well on this warm floor, while a continual ciu-rent of 

 moistened air rises through the pierced qviarries. A part 

 of this bed or jjit is converted into a tank through which 

 the hot-water pipes pass ; and this again is sm-mounted by 

 a taU piece of rockwork. In front of this is an ordinary 

 plant-stage ; and behind it, shaded by the taU tropicals, 

 are grown a select lot of Ferns, Orchids, and other shade 

 and moisture-loving plants. The back waU is allowed to 

 be as damp and moist as possible ; and is covered with a 

 perfect crop of seedling Ferns, with Orchids and epiphytes 

 of various kinds. The house is kept at a low temperature 

 with much ventUation, especiaUy at night ; and was designed 

 by the owner to grow plants from all climates, and as a 



convenient place for horticultural experiment all the year 

 round. A great number of species, and many rare and 

 cui-ious things, are collected here — more than met the eye, 

 in fact, and the owner was not there to explain. A few 

 handsome specimens of plants of interest, such as Cinnamon, 

 Ginger, Nutmegs, and Cloves, with Pepper and Allspice, 

 AiTow-root and Rice, Tea, Coffee, Sugar, &o., were visible 

 signs of the peculiar taste of the owner ; and a plant of 

 VaniUa rambling about the rock, with Renanthera and other 

 strange things, had taken to the rafters, and is bidding fair 

 to be in a condition to flavour the Coffee. Many of the 

 j)lauts, large and small, were turned out to grass in the 

 experimental hot border out of doors. Bulbs and Scitaminese 

 were well represented. Mantisia saltatoria, Canna iridiflora, 

 glauca, and flaccida, Coburgia in bloom, Stenomesson brevi- 

 florum, and other rare Chilians, and Crinum Forbesianum 

 were noted, with the rare and curious Water Sensitive 

 Plant Neptunia plena. Cotton plants of various kinds were 

 being crossed with a view to producing improved sorts for 

 cultivation in India, the result of which has recently ap- 

 lieared in the pages of our contemporary ; a sufficient 

 number of such things as Ficus, Dracaena, &c., to give orna- 

 ment. The houses contain thi-ee water-tanks besides the 

 central one. One of these, in a shaded part of the house, 

 was backed by rockwork alive with Ferns, and overtopped 

 by a huge growth of Philodendi-on in ii-uit and blossom. 

 Water is laid on, so that the rocked parts are made dripping 

 at pleasure. 



After the range of houses, the subject of greatest interest 

 is the geothermal-bed, or, as it is, we believe, sometimes 

 called, the tropical garden. This bed is on an elevated 

 terrace a little higher than the range of houses, and is fully 

 exposed to the atmosphere. It is 21 feet long and 9 feet 

 wide. The whole bottom of the bed is a hollow chamber, 

 upon which the soil rests, 18 inches deep. All round this 

 hollow chamber is a three-inch hot-water pipe connected 

 with a Burbidge & Healy's boiler, and this forms the heating 

 arrangements. In this bed we observed fine specimens of 

 Aloe arborea; an immense Cockscomb, 15 inches across; 

 Bamboos ; and a thriving Sensitive Plant. Btephanotis flori- 

 bunda was making a fine growth, as was also Mandevdla 

 suaveolens, which had every appearance as if it would bloom 

 in September. Of Ficus elastica there were fine, taU, robust 

 plants, as there were also of Datura arborea, Poinsettia pul- 

 cherrima, Jasminum Sambac, and numerous Canuas. Aralia 

 papyrifera appeared to do better here than it did in-doors, 

 having made larger foliage, and Riehardia ajthiopica stood 

 out all the winter, forming stout, stocky plants, and making 

 luxuriant growths. 



In the kitchen garden is a noble standard Apricot tree of 

 the true Brussels variety, which had an excellent crop on it. 

 Here we also observed a novel method of treating the White 

 Rocket Candytuft. It was managed much in the t>ame way 

 as the large Chrysanthemums were, which this season 

 so astonished the halituds of the South Kensington Con- 

 servatory. AU the side shoots were jjiinched off as they 

 appeared, and the plant trained to a single stem, which was 

 terminated in consequence of this treatment with a spike 

 of unusually large flowei's, 6 inches long, like that of a 

 Hyacinth. 



After strolling about tiU we had seen aU the gardening- 

 matters, and just as we were about to leave, the gardener 

 asked us if we would like to see Lady Pearson's wilderness. 

 After such a gardening treat we thought we did not care 

 much about a wilderness, and so thanking him we declined, 

 determining to return with all speed to Daventry. " It's 

 well worth seeing, sii'," said the gardener. " Her ladyship 

 takes a great interest in it, she has half a dozen men always 

 doing something to it." At this intelligence we were some- 

 what interested, and wondered what sort of a wilderness it 

 could be that had half a dozen men always doing somet h ing 

 to it ; and so- we recanting, agi'eed just to have a look. 



Entering by a small wicket near the north-east comer of 

 the mansion, we were led along a naiTow winding path, 

 not more than 5 or 6 feet wide, which, if we recoBect rightly, 

 becomes narrower still as we jiroceed. After travelling some 

 distance we turned shai-jjly to the left, and entered what 

 aj)pears to be a rustic summei'-house, and there "the wilder- 

 ness," as represented in our engraving, bursts upon the eye. 

 " Do you call this a wilderness ? " Yes, sir ; that's what her 



