V 



Juae 13, 1987 . ) 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



doUaris, and Cibotium prinoeps. Some seedling Gymnogrammas 

 were also worth mentioning. 



A propagating-pit was the next building we entered. This 

 contained cuttings of plants of valuable species, all affording 

 good evidence of their careful culture. Wo were then con- 

 ducted along the back of the building, taking the orchard- 

 house on our way ; and passing by a side walk towards the east 

 we entered the new kitchen garden. Tliis has only been 

 recently formed, but promises full well under the management 

 of Mr. Young, the head gardener. It ia three acres in extent, 

 admirably laid out, and walled in, and the various crops are in 

 a thriving state. There is a number of new pits for forcing 

 vegetables, and Cacumbers and Melons were in a flourishing 

 state. 



Passing out of the kitchen garden, through the shrubberies, 

 we soon arrived at the new carriage drive, on one side of which 

 is a thickly-planted border of Rhododendrons, and on the other a 

 neat plantation of choice Conifers on a well-kept piece of turf. 

 We continued our walk along this winding and ornamental 

 drive towards the mansion, which is about 350 yards north- 

 west of the kitchen garden. A new conservatory, a lofty and 

 imposing structure, graces the south front to the mansion. 

 Being unfinished there is nothing worthy of remark here, save 

 the extensive and lovely landscape which is opened to the view, 

 bounded by the hills of the Isle of Wight, and with the sea in 

 the foreground. Hayling Island is distinctly seen, and right 

 and left is spread a panorama of picturesque scenery as beau- 

 tiful as any in this country. A narrow spiral staircase con- 

 ducts from this conservatory to a vaulted corridor, open to the 

 west, on the lowest level of the west front. This is designed as 

 a promenade on rainy days. From this corridor we passed on 

 to the green turf before the house. It is an elegant edifice, 

 very unlike the general massive and stately architecture em- 

 ployed in England. The style is pure Swiss, with all the 

 gables and terraces prominent as in a mountain chateau. 



Descending about 500 yards of gentle slope we came to the 

 borders of a sheet of ornamental water. This miniature lake, 

 three acres in extent, has an island in the centre nearly covered 

 in the season with brilliant Rhododendrons. We were told that 

 a former owner of the estate had a regular war slonp lying here 

 completely rigged and manned, and a ruined fort is still shown 

 on the island, which was made to resist mimic bombardments, 

 for the amusement of a generation that has now passed away. 

 There are various points of attraction in the grounds we tra- 

 versed around the water, such as the rustic bridge connecting 

 the island with the mainland, some rustic shady retreats, a very 

 pretty grotto, and a rockery, where hardy Ferns were flourishing 

 amongst early spring flowers. 



Leaving this we ascended the hill towards the Conifer ground. 

 Having gained one of the walks which wind through a part of 

 the pleasure grounds, we pa<!sed one of the Rose gardens and 

 along the south and west side of the fruit garden. Here we 

 saw Camellias in full bloom trained to the wall. Not one of 

 them had suffered by the severity of the late winter. We 

 were now among the Conifers. All these are certainly worthy 

 of remark individually, and the least that I can say is, 

 that amongst others two magnificent plants of Araucaria im- 

 bricata may be seen there without a blemish in any tier from 

 top to bottom ; also, a Picea pinsapo, superior to any which 

 I have seen in uniform growth and size. A few steps further 

 brought us past another Rose garden to the old conservatory, | 

 the freshness and beauty of its tenants being unsurpassable, 

 and the grouping and arrangement excellent. 



Making such a hurried visit I had not time to pay attention 

 individually to the various specimens of plant life with which 

 this place is enriched. 



Altogether Leigh Park is a vei-y charming place ; and as Mr. 

 Young (to whose courtesy I shall always feel indebted), is con- 

 tinually making improvements, in which he is warmly sup- 

 ported by the owner of the estate, I have no doubt that in the 

 course of time it will become one of the finest residences in 

 England. — George Newltn, Daiujstein. 



EFFECT OF FROST ON PITH OF ROSES. 

 I OBSERVE that your correspondents " D., Deal," and Mr. 

 Eadclyffe, have alluded to the dark brown colour in the middle 

 of the wood of many Roses, and it is a very interesting question 

 why some trees were injured in the bark, and others in the 

 centre of the wood. Can it be that the discoloration of the 

 centre was the effect of the frost on the roots ? 



Three facts have suggested this explanation : — 1st, The rods 

 when pruned were mostly discoloured near their base, and were 

 in many cases quite untouched towards their tips. 2nd, Xhose 

 pruned in April were much more discoloured than those praned 

 in March, though of the same sorts and in some cases even oa 

 the same plants, from which I think we may coaelade "»»» 

 the colour was connected with the rise of the sap. 3rd, I found 

 some briars as much affected as the most tender Hoses. 



It would also be interesting to know what is the effect of tbe 

 brown colour on the health of the plant. Some which I gave 

 up as hopeless, have made thus far very vigorous shoots; while 

 others which appeared at first more promising have mtheiei 

 and died. — E. H. 



THE CLOUDS AKD SUNSHINE OF OECHAKD 

 HOUSE CULTURE. 



I HAVE been much charmed with the letter of your eom- 

 spondent, " A Constant Reader," page 342, in which that great 

 end is attained — instruction without dulness. How fatigoed 

 one often feels with some of our good gardeners becanse they 

 cannot tell what they know without being constrained. I fed 

 half ashamed to contribute my experience of orchard-honsco 

 something after the manner of our friend and instructor; it 

 seems something like those authors who, after Cervantes, conld 

 never write a novel without a species of Saucho Panzu in 

 attendance on their hero. 



Sdnny. — My Cherry trees, all pyramids in pots, are crowded 

 with fruit, from some of which I gathered ripe fruit May 24tk. 



1 have had a Cherry feast daily since, and shall continue to do 

 so till the end of July. My earliest sorts, some of them now 

 (June 3rd), dead ripe, are the Early Purple Guigne, Gnigne 

 Trts PriJcoce, and Empress Eugenie. The trees are in I3-ineh 

 ))ots ; they were top-dressed early in November by taking ont 

 the surface soil i or 5 inches in depth round the sides of the 

 pots, and replacing it with loam and rotten manure. 



Cloudy. — Some fine seedling Peach trees three and four 

 years old in 11-inch pots, after blossoming abundantly and 

 giving much promise, shed all their blossoms without setthig 

 any fruit. The cause I attribute to their roots being slightly 

 injured by tlie severe frost in January. The pots were pro- 

 tected with hay, but not sufiioieutly to resist the severity of the 

 frost of that month, when on the 5th the thermometer outside 

 registered 28° of frost. 



Sonny. — Some larger seedling Peach trees in 13-ineh pote, 

 and all my Peach and Nectarine trees budded on Plum etocte, 

 are bearing fine crops. They were top-dressed early in No- 

 vember, were soundly watered a week aftervfards, and remained 

 dry all winter. 



Cloudy. — Some fine standard Peach trees growing in the 

 border of the house, and capable of bearing a peck each, sbed 

 their blossoms, and have set but very few fruit, while thoae 

 mentioned in the preceding paragraph, in pots, and standing on 

 the floor of the same house, are full of fruit. I am at a loss to 

 account for the failure of the standard trees, as they are in the 

 most vigorous health. 



Sunny. — My numerous Apricot trees in pots are full of fruit. 

 They have been treated according to the new rules given to ok 

 by Mr. Rivers in his paper written for the Congress last spring 

 — that is, not top-dressing them in autumn as usual, but giviBR 

 them a sound watering about the first week in November, and 

 allowing the pots to remain dry till the first week in March; 

 they are then watered ; and in May, as soon as the fruit are the 

 size of horse beans, the surface mould is scraped off to a.bmtt 



2 inches in depth, and a surface-dressing of finely chopped 

 manure, or horse-droppings from the roads thoroughly satniated 

 with strong manure water, is placed on the surface of the pots 



3 or more inches deep, so as to be above the rim of the pot, 

 and made concave to retain water. It is good practice to add 

 malt combs to this compost. This dressing should be renewed 

 in June and July if it settles down sufficiently. This is the 

 grand secret of Apricot culture in pots under glass, and has 

 never failed. 



Cloudy. — Some fine old Apricot trees, which were top-dressed 

 last October, and which blossomed abundantly, have set bat a 

 scanty crop of fruit. This top-dressing was an experiment. 

 I am now quite satisfied that the new method is the best. 



Sunny. — My pyramidal Pear trees in pots, which blossomed 

 beautifully in my orchard-house in April, have set fine erops 

 of fruit. I was sorely tempted to place them out of doors 

 during the hot weather in May, thinking that summer bad 



