Angnst 20, 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOUTIOULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



19S 



Mr. Bass, and then he quioWy added, " but we are your pupils, 

 Mr. Pearson, you know, and yon may tell anyone to come and 

 see our orchard house wlio '.vould like to gee it." 



Those who have seen tlio mixed expressions of vexation and 

 pride depicted in the face nf the old man when beaten at 

 draughts by his grandson, will understand my feelings. If I 

 do not beat him next year it shall not be my fault. — J. B. 

 Peabson, CliihccU. 



NEW AND NOTABLE FRUITS. 



Mr. Rivers, who has added so largely to our collections of 

 new fruits, has forwarded us specimens of some seedling 

 Peaches and Nectarines which have not yet acquired publicity. 

 Unfortunately when they arrived they were a good deal bruised 

 outwardly, so that we are somewhat in doubt as to the exact 

 colouring of them. The flavour of all was excellent, that of 

 Peach S. 89 unapproachable. They are all decided acquisi- 

 tioDB. We append the following brief descriptions of each : — 



Peach S. 4'2. — Fruit of medium size, round, flattened ; skin 

 light and delicate, with slight flushes of pink ; flesh exceed- 

 ingly white, juicy, tender, rich, and pleasant. Raised from 

 Belle Beauce Peach, and ripening ten days before Grosse 

 Mignonne. A very excellent Peach. The flowers are large, 

 and the glands round. 



Peach S. 187. — Fruit of medium size, roundish ; skin soft, 

 of a pale yellowish colour ; flesh yellowish white, very tender, 

 melting, and juicv ; flavour peculiar but surpassingly rich and 

 luscious, a combination of the flavour of its parent, Rivers's 

 Orange Nectarine with that of a Peach. Flowers large ; glands 

 kidney-shaped. This is the richest-flavoured Peach] we have 

 ever tasted. A very decided acquisition. 



Nectarine S. 189. — Fruit of medium size, of a pale greenish 

 colour like the Stanwiek ; flesh yellowish, tender, and juicy ; 

 flavour rich but peculiar, partaking of that of the Peach. 

 Flowers large ; glands small, kidney-shaped. Raised from 

 Early Albert Peach. 



BENTLEY PRIORY. 



This magnificent place was at one time the residence of the 

 Marquis of Abercorn, and is now that of John Kelk, Esq. 

 Around it there is much to interest not only the townsman 

 bent on a few hours' rural enjoyment, but also those whose lot 

 is cast amid the pleasant scenes frequently to be met with 

 within a few miles of our great metropolis. Strolling through 

 the cool and pleasant groves of Bentley, one calls to mind that 

 it was here the good Queen Adelaide spent some of the later 

 years of her life, and that here, amid noble scenery, she 

 breathed her last. Her kindness to the poor is still recounted 

 by many of the aged people in the neighbourhood, who remem- 

 ber with pride and gratitude her virtues and the benefits which 

 she bsstowed. The present owner, too, as if inspired by the 

 spirit of the place, is ever ready to relieve distress with a 

 liberal hand, and to promote with his influence and purse every 

 scheme likely to conduce to the advancement of his poorer 

 neighbours. 



To one who, like myself, has known this fine old place both 

 before and since Mr. Kelk became its owner, a visit is doubly 

 interesting and instructive. I hope, therefore, to communi- 

 cate to the reader a portion of the pleasure and interest I felt 

 on visiting the beautifully kept gardens, which, by the liber- 

 ality of Mr. Kelk and his taste for horticulture, have within 

 the last ten years been brought to their present state of ex- 

 cellence. Much credit is also due to Mr. Rutland for the care 

 and thought which he has bestowed upon their improvement 

 during the last three years. 



I was much gratified on a late occasion to find the Priory 

 looking so well in such a trying season as the present. The 

 terraces presented a mass of floral beauty (but of these I shall 

 speak more fully hereafter), the crops in the kitchen gardens 

 were looking remarkably well for such a hot, dry season, the 

 houses were also in keeping with the rest of the place. All 

 this is owing to the forethought displayed by Mr. Rutland in 

 providing an ample supply of water for all purposes ; this he 

 did by making last winter a large reservoir at a considerable 

 elevation above the gardens. From this reservoir pipes are 

 laid to convenient parts of the gardens, and thus an abundant 

 supply of water has been obtained throughout the late exces- 

 sively dry weather. Had it not been for the forethought of 

 providing a supply of water to meet any requirement that 



might occur, the consequences would have been disastrons ; 

 for the greater portion of the magnificent evergreens, such as 

 Rhododendrons and Portugal Laurels, which give such charac- 

 ter to this fine old place, must inevitably have perished. As it 

 is, many of them looked in a very deplorable state ; and had 

 the Priory boen in the hands of any one who had not sufljcient 

 means to constantly employ a large number of labourers in 

 watering during the long drought, the general appearance of 

 the place must have been spoilt for a great number of years. 

 It was also threatened with another danger, which appeared 

 likely to at one fell stroke to have swept away all the beautiful 

 trees and shrubs on the north- east side of the house. As wo 

 pass up the main road from the romantic village of Stanmore, 

 towards Bushy and Watford, after ascending a very steep hill 

 we come upon a level piece of road, bounded on the north by 

 a considerable extent of waste land, called Stanmore Common, 

 which is tliickly covered with large patches of furze, and many 

 of the spaces not clothed with furze are in summerjoccupied 

 by gipsies. Nothing but the turnpike road divides this mass 

 of furze from the wooden park fence which encloses the Priory 

 on the south side of the road, and which is surrounded both 

 inside and out by large masses of inflammable matter, such as 

 dry fern and dead brambles for nearly a mile. This state of 

 things existed until a late occasion, when the furze on the north 

 side was found to be on fire, and in consequence of the exces- 

 sively dry weather was being consumed with great rapidity. 

 Fortunately the wind was blowing from the south at the time, 

 for nothing else could have prevented the destruction of the 

 magnificent trees and shrubs which cover some scores of acres 

 on the north side of the Priory. Such a disaster would have 

 completely spoilt this noble place, and robbed it of its shelter 

 from the north-east winds, which sweep with such force across 

 Stanmore Common ; but, as I have remarked, the wind blowing 

 from the south, and prompt measures being resorted to, the 

 fire was soon subdued. How it originated no one could tell, 

 but it was conjectured that the furze had been set on fire by the 

 carelessness of the gipsies, who were encamped close at hand 

 at the time. Every means has been resorted to both before 

 and since to prevent these people from encamping there, but 

 without success. 



The Priory when seen from the London and North-Westem 

 Railway, shortly after leaving the Harrow station, has a most 

 beautiful appearance. The building, with its magnificent con- 

 servatories, is seen just in the eye of the south, and surrounded 

 by large masses of fine trees, giving at once an idea of affluence, 

 peace, and happiness. Directly opposite, and on the right oi 

 the railway as we journey from Harrow to London, is to be 

 seen the beautiful church and spire of Harrow-on-the-Hill and 

 its classical surroundings, the scenery on every side being all 

 that an admirer of Nature could desire. 



Bentley Priory is situated on the south side of a beautiful 

 range of hills about twelve miles from London, and is well 

 sheltered from the east, west, and north by slight projections 

 of the hills on each side, thickly covered with great masses of 

 trees. From the high ground on the north-west of the Priory 

 a splendid view is obtained of the fertile grain-growing county 

 of Herts. From this point of view, as on every other, the view 

 is extremely fine. Beyond, in a westerly direction, a fine view 

 is obtained of Windsor Castle in clear weather, the towns ol 

 Watford, Elstree, and the neighbourhood of Moorpark, Caahio- 

 bury Park, The Grove, and many other places of interest to the 

 lover of horticulture and of fine natural scenery. — J. Wills, 

 F.R.H.S. 



(To be continued.) 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



J. RcssELL Reeves, Esq., F.R.S., of Woodhayes, Wim- 

 bledon, has presented the following valuable works to the Lind- 

 LEY Library— viz , Thornton's •' Philosophy of Botany," four 

 vols. ; Curtis's " Flora Londinensis," five vols. ; Kiempfer's 

 '■ Amipnitatum Exoticarum," one vol.; Nees Von Esenbeck, 

 " Genera Flora Germanic*," seven vols. ; Thornton's " British 

 Flora." five vols.; Withering's "Botanical Arrangement of 

 British Plants," four vols. : " Flora Medica," two vols. ; Sie- 

 bold's " Synopsis " (Japan), one vol. ; Raspail, " Physiologie 

 Vi'gutale et Botanique," one vol. ; G:urtner, '• De Fructibna 

 et Seminibus Plantarum," four vols. 



The Gardens of the Royal Hobticdltural Society, at 



South Kensington will be open free on August 26th, from 

 10 A.M. to 6 P.M., as usual, in commemoration of the anniver- 



