August 29, 1867. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOUTICULTDBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



153 



endeavouring to discover the cause of the evil, I found that 

 the greuud was char(;ed with water, and I at once liad some 

 deep drains put in near it. In cutting the main drain through 

 the arboretum, there were scores of drains discovered that had 

 long been partly filled up, and in these water was continually 

 standing, so that the whole of the ground surrounding the tree 

 was full of stagnant water. It was astonishing how soon a 

 change for the better took place after the water had been drawn 

 away from the roots ; the foliage soon began to assume a 

 healthy, dark green hue, and during the following summer the 

 tree threw out vigorous shoots all over its branches, and now it 

 looks as if it would weather the storms of several hundred 

 years. 



liehind this noble tree there is a fine background of shmbs 

 and evergreens of various kinds. The belt of trees and shrubs 

 is continued in on irregular line all round the south tide of the 

 arboretum and llower garden, concealing also the stables, hiuu- 

 dries, brewhouse, itc. 



After entering the arboretum we turn to the left, this brings 

 us on to a terrace-walk, on each side of which are planted most 

 of the choice kinds of Hybrid Perpetual Koses ; these are 

 planted in beds about 2 feet square, which are tilled with bed- 

 ding plants, which look exceedingly gay, and when care is 

 taken to plant coknirs in each bed to harmonise with the colour 

 of the Hose above them, as at Oulton, such beds not only give 

 a beautiful linish, but are useful for shading the ground, and 

 keeping the roots of the Itoses cool. If, moreover, a good 

 supply of fresh manure and loam is added every year, there is 

 no fear of the Roses being impoverished by the bedding plants. 



On leaving the arboretum we enter the lluwer garden, but be- 

 fore proceeding furtlier, I will note what I saw in the houses in 

 this garden. The first house I entered was filled with a miscella- 

 neous collection of plants in bloom. Amongst these I noticed 

 several well-grown specimens of the old Fuchsia fulgens, in 

 splendid condition. This is a plant one very seldom meets 

 with now ; the rage for new Fuchsias has almost driven this fine 

 old plant out of cultivation, which is to be regretted, for few 

 plants are more useful or ornamental than it is when well 

 grown. In the same house I noticed fine specimens of several 

 of Mr. W. Paul's Nosegay Pelargoniums. These arc also most 

 useful for conservatory decoration. .■Vftcr passing through this 

 house I entered the Camellia-house, in which there is a splendid 

 collection of well-grown plants, which promise to afford the 

 usual magnificent display of bloom. The late Mr. Erringtou 

 more than once referred to these be.iutiful plants. There is 

 something in the soil at Oulton that suits the Camellia remark- 

 ably well, for more magnificent Camellias I never saw than those 

 grown in this house. The house in which Mr. Krrington origi- 

 nally grew them was swept away in my time, and was replaced 

 by a new one, yet the plants, when I first undertook the manage- 

 ment of the gardens in 18U0, were looking well, although tliey 

 might almost as well have been in the open air. They have 

 still that tine appearance under Mr. Miiir's management. In 

 the front of this house I planted, in lSu2, some Koses, one or 

 two of them were Gloiro de Dijon, worked on the Manetti 

 stock. I also planted some young plants of Fortune's White 

 lianksian Rose, in which I inserted several buds of some of 

 the most choice and delicate of the Tea Roses. These have 

 all done well, and. Mr. Muir informed me, furnish an abundant 

 supply of beautiful blooms throughout the winter and early 

 spring months. These, I am sure, Mr. Muir finds invaluable, 

 us Lady Grey Egcrton is so fond of Rjses. 



I have before recommended very strongly Fortune's White 

 Banksian Rose as a stock on which to graft or bud any of the 

 tender kinds of Tea Roses. It possesses this great advantage 

 over every other kind of Rose stock — namely, that at any 

 season of the year the bark will separate very freely from the 

 wood, whether young or old, so that if good buds can be ob- 

 tained the plant is always ready to receive them. I mention 

 this fact particularly, because I do not think it is generally 

 known how valuable this stock is for working the Tea Roses on. 

 It is also so easily propagated, and grows so freely, that plants 

 fit for working may very soon be obtained after the cuttings 

 are struck. 



Leaving the Camellia-house we enter the cool Orchid-house. 

 Here there are several really good species growing very luxu- 

 riantly, and amongst them Mr. Skinner's new Epidendrum 

 cnemidophorum. This plant is the finest in the country, and 

 ■was the first that flowered in it. In 1965 it threw up a good 

 spike of bloora, this season it has borne several ; it appears to 

 be in good health, and is growing very freely. 



The next house entered was the East India-house ; here the 



plants were all looking well, and growing very freely. Much 

 credit is due to Mr. Muir for his skilful management of the 

 Orchids which it contains. When I gave up their manage- 

 ment in 18G5, they were just emerging from the " Blough of 

 Despond." 



Between the East India-house and the cool Orchid-house 

 there is a space left, with the view of building another house. 

 Here Mr. Muir has a lot of AYills's Bronze and Gold Pelargo- 

 niums, and a grand sight they are. Mr. Muir is very much 

 pleased with them, and told me he thought they were much more 

 useful as beddiug plants thau the Tricolors, an opinion which 

 is now becoming somewhat general. 



At the end of the East Indian Orchid-house the flower-gar- 

 den commences. The beds are all on grass, and there is no 

 particular form assigned to them. They are, however, all 

 very skilfully planted; in fact, I liave not seen any bedding- 

 out so well done this season. All the beds were covered with a 

 perfect mass of bloom, and the colours were v.'ell balanced. 

 The garden is bounded on the south side by a remarkably line 

 belt of evergreens, which were much adrairol by my friend 

 Mr. R. Fish, when ho visited me at Oulton, in 1«C3. 



Quitting the flower garden, I entered the kitchen garden. 

 Hero cine of the grandest sights to be seen in the garJens of 

 this country met my view. There are no ribbon borders that 

 I have ever seen to equal those at Oulton Park, and this season 

 Mr. Muir has in them a very pleasing combination of colours, 

 wiiich are well blended, and the calculations as to the height of 

 each individual plant have proved quite correct. Mr. Muir's 

 variety of Lobelia speciosa, which is the best I have ever seen, 

 is hero most beautiful ; this, and Mr. Tyermau's variety of 

 Blue King, are perfect gems. Mr. Muir has raised the ribbon 

 borders at the back ueveral inches higher than they were in my 

 time, and this has very much improved them. Mr. Fish told 

 me, in 18CI!, that this was all that was wanted to make them 

 the finest borders in the country. Passing through this blaze of 

 flowers towards the north end of the gardens, two rows of 

 Viola cornuta met my view, these were planted on the border 

 in front of the forcing-houses. They were a mass of bloom,, 

 and had continued so since the 15th of April. The rows were 

 nearly 4 feet wide ; of this, and Mr. Bennett's variety, which 1 

 saw in great beauty with Mr. Tyermaa, a few days ago, I shall- 

 have something to saj- ere long. 



The kitcheu gar Jens were well cropped, all the crops were in 

 a very flourishing condition, and every part was scrupulously 

 clean, and free from weeds. There had been splendid crops of 

 Grapes, Peaches, and Nectarines, in the early houses, and there 

 were fine late crops of Grapes, itc, coming on. In the Fig- 

 house was one of the finest crops of fruit I have ever seen, and 

 the crop which I saw Mr. Muir told me was the second the 

 trees had borne this year. 



After passing through this fine range of houses, I took a stroll 

 through the pinet".m and pleasure ground. Here all the mag- 

 nificent specimeus were growing very freely, and I was pleased 

 to see that very little harm was done them by the severe spring 

 frosts. They suffered terribly in the never-to-be-forgotten 

 winter of ISilO. which commenced just three months after I 

 undertook the management of the garJens at Oulton Park. 



In conclusion, I must again say how delighted I was to visit 

 Oulton once more, and to find it looking so well. It was 

 doubly gratifying to me after spending several years of anxious 

 labour in restoring this line old place, to see my efforts brought 

 to such a successful issue by Mr. Muii-, whose kindness will 

 always make mv visit to Oulton one of the bright spots in my 

 memory. — J. Wills. 



POTATO CULTURE. 



PnEVEXTioN is said to be better than cure. As no effectual 

 remedy is yet known for the Potato disease, our attention 

 might be directed towards the former rather than the latter. 



I grow a few varieties of both Round and Kidney Potatoes, 

 and I invariably secure a Cue crop, and almost entirely free 

 from disease. My success I mainly attribute to the thorough 

 ripening of the tubers that are intended for seed, before they 

 are dug up. They are afterwards allowed to lie on the giound 

 to green before they are stored away for the winter. The old 

 plan of greening I believe to bo good. It prevents premature 

 spronting in tho early sorts, rendering the removal of the 

 sprout unnecessary. Wc know that the tfteuer a Potato is sub- 

 jected to this process the more it loses its productive qualities. 



In sehcting the seed-tubers I find that, for early purposes, 



