November 12, 1808. J 



JODENAL OF HOETICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



361 



tioulturfti Society's gardens at Chiswick, which (trusting to 

 memory), Mr. Gordon, who then had the care of the new 

 introductions, told me waa sent from the Himalayas as the 

 original species from which the Green Gage Plum had been 

 raised — in other words the wild Green Gage Plum. I loolted 

 at its vigorous glossy shoots with great interest, and obtained 

 some buds, being then as now a Fellow. In a year or two my 

 young trees were placed in pots, and I gloated over the idea of 

 seeing our favourite Plum of the shape and size of a Sloe, 

 only green instead of purple, and thus being able to trace it to 

 its origin. Alas ! my trees, placed in one of my orchard 

 houses, bore abundantly, and gave a death blow to my hopes, 

 for they produced a fine crop of true Cherry Plums. — T. 11." 



Another proof of the influence of last summer in 



ripening fruit has been sent to us by J. B. Daubury, Esq., 

 Buckingham Villa, Eyde. It is a well-ripened though rather 

 small PoHECKANATE, borne by a standa.rd tree in the open 

 garden, and which never bore fruit in any previous year. 



BENTLEY PKIORY. 



{Continued from page 187.) 



Before entering the conservatory Mr. Rutland called my 

 attention to a fine quarter of Strawberries in front of the long 

 range of vineries. They had preserved their fine foliage and 

 vigour all through the trying season, and the quantity of fruit 

 they had produced was extraordinary ; I am afraid to say how 

 many bushels were gathered from a plantation about 30 yards 

 square. This was owing to the mode of preparing the soil 

 adopted by Mr. Rutland before making his plantations. It is 

 one which I have before described, and will amply repay the 

 cultivator for the extra trouble taken at the commencement. 

 For the benefit of those who may contemplate making new 

 plantations, and who may not be acquainted with this system, 

 I will hero give a brief outline of it as pursued by Mr. Rutland 

 with so much success. 



In the first place, the ground should be trenched to a depth 

 of 2 feet G inches, or more if the subsoil is good. Secondly, 

 plenty of manure should be placed in the bottom of every 

 trench (when I say plenty, it means from 3 to 5 inches) ; then 

 after the whole of the piece intended for the new Strawberry 

 plantation has been trenched over, another slight coating of 

 well-decomposed manure should be spread all over the surface 

 of the ground and pointed-in with the spade, leaving the smtaee 

 as rough as possible, so as to expose it fully to the action of 

 the air and frost. The present- is an excellent time to prepare 

 the ground as above described, and it may so remain till March, 

 when a favourable opportunity should be selected for planting 

 out the Strawberry plants in the new ground. If an early lot 

 of runners was taken off in the previous summer and pricked 

 out about Ij inches apart in a piece of rich ground, by this 

 time they will have grown into fine healthy plants, and care 

 should be exercised in their removal to injure the roots as little 

 as possible. If a small trench is taken out at the commence- 

 ment of the nursery bed the plants can he removed row after 

 row, with balls of earth attached to them, without the slightest 

 injury to their roots. They should then be planted with the 

 same care in rows about 3'. feet apart, and 2\ feet from plant 

 to plant in the rows. After planting, the soil may be just 

 pointed over with a fork between the plants, shaking a little 

 manure about them as each row is finished, to shelter them 

 from the March winds and spring frosts. 



In such a season as we have experienced, the benefit to be 

 derived from placing the manure at the bottom of the trenches 

 will at once be seen ; the roots go down in search of moisture, 

 they are also attracted by the manure, and the plants will then 

 be able to withstand uninjured any amount of dry hot weather 

 such as we have had this year, and in this way they produce 

 immense quantities of first-rate fruit. The manure pointed 

 into the surface of the soil is for the purpose of encouraging 

 root action as soon as the plants are planted out, and to enrich 

 the soil brought up from the bottom of the trenches, which is 

 generally very poor unless the same piece of land has been 

 subjected to a similar course of treatment in previous years. 



The conservatory, one of the most magnificent buildings of 

 its kind in the country, is situated on the west side of the 

 mansion, and is approached by three entrances ; one commu- 

 nicating with a splendid suite of rooms in the mansion, another 

 with the terrace gardens, and the third with the corridor men- 

 tioned at page 187. From the last-named approach I entered 

 this noble structure, which gives one an idea of the gi'eat wealth 



and taste which the owner of this fine estate posBossos. The 

 building is l.'iO feet long, 2.'} feet wide, and 3(i feet high in the 

 centre. There is a path through the centre paved with Minton'g 

 tiles, and on each side at intervals fine pedestals, on which are 

 placed some of the costly Majolica vases, which wore pur- 

 chased at the Great Exhibition of 1802. They are exceedingly 

 handsome, and appear to preserve all their colours perfectly. 

 They are filled with flowering plants. Ferns, and two or three 

 of them with large plants of the graceful Adiantum cuneatum, 

 about 3 feet in diameter. 



Behind the vases are arranged numerous flowering and oma- 

 mental-toliaged plants, amongst which 1 noticed fine specimens 

 of tlio following — Musa ensete, Oleanders, Oranges, Camellias 

 splendidly set with flower-buds ; noble plants of Dicksonia 

 antarctica and D. fibrosa, Cyathea meduUaris, having a clean 

 stem, and fronds in perfect health from 12 to 11 feet long, a 

 splendid Seaforthia elegans, and Chamicrops excelsa, with 

 several handsome trees of Araucaria excelsa. 



In the centre of the conservatory is a beautiful fountain, and 

 at the back of this a magnificent half-circular seat, the back- 

 ground of which must have cost a very large sum, the painting 

 being very rich and good. Opposite to this there is a grand 

 entrance to the terrace gardens, and on each side of the door is 

 the finest pair of Dicksonia antarctica I have over seen. The 

 plants are dwarf, but have fronds of great length and beauty, 

 which have a very pleasing effect. These noble plants now re- 

 quire more than double the space at present allowed to them. 



Whilst standing at the door of the conservatory, one of the 

 most charming views I ever beheld was presented to my gaze. 

 In the distance is seen a beautiful undulating country thickly 

 clothed with trees, and directly opposite me was the classic 

 hill of Harrow, with the beautiful spire peeping up above the 

 dense masses of trees. As soon as tiie mind has comprehended 

 these beautiful distant views, and there is time to look around, 

 one of the grandest scenes of floral beauty which it is possible 

 to imagine commands our admiration and invites inspection. 

 Here, upon a position eminently calculated to produce an effect, 

 much care and thought have been brought to bear. Accord- 

 ingly the ground has been made the most of, and the arrange- 

 ment of the terraces are thoroughly in keeping with the mansion, 

 and other surrounding objects. 



A noble flight of stone steps leads down to the first level of 

 the flower garden. In front of the conservatory there is a 

 mixed border, which had a very pleasing effect ; this border is 

 continued eastward for some distance in front of the mansion, 

 and terminates where a fine flight of steps leads up to a balcony 

 at a considerable elevation above the terrace gardens, and from 

 which a view can be obtained of the whole of the beds, as well 

 as of a large tract of beautiful woodland beyond. The walls of 

 the mansion are covered with large scarlet and other Pelargo- 

 niums and with suitable climbers ; and in front of the balcony 

 wall a narrow border, on the same level as the first terrace 

 walk, was filled with a miscellaneous collection of flowering 

 plants. Beyond the balcony, and at the eastern extremity of 

 the mansion, there is a recess, which seems to me a most 

 suitable place for a handsome orangery or tropical conservatory, 

 which would be a very important addition, and would give the 

 mansion and the terrace in front a more uniform appearance. 

 On this piece, which is only grass at present, there are three 

 large circular beds (see k in the accompanying plan), which 

 are filled with Eoses an! scarlet Pelargoniums, and trained in 

 the form of pyramids. The bed filled with the scarlet Pelar- 

 goniums was the best I have ever seen, being at the time of 

 my visit one complete mass of scarlet from top to bottom. 

 These beds were about 12 feet high in the centre, and as many 

 feet in diameter at the base. The effect produced by such 

 masses of scarlet flowers at a distance was magnificent, backed 

 up as they were by large masses of evergreens. 



Retracing one's steps along the first gravel walk, which is 

 17 feet C inches wide, to the west end of the balcony, on the 

 side of the walk nearest the mansion there is a very pretty 

 group of beds. These have a neat chain of beds round them, 

 and were planted as follows :— The eight-sided bed with Mrs. 

 Pollock Pelargonium ; the two long angle beds with Pelargo- 

 nium Lady Middleton, splendid masses of colour ; the two trian- 

 gular beds, yellow Calceolaria ; the narrow border. Purple King 

 Verbena ; the chain beds surrounding the group, Gold and 

 Silver-edged Pelargoniums alternately ; outer border, Verbena 

 Tweediana. This was ar very pleasing and tastefully-arranged 

 group. 



Continuing to pass along the walk towards the west, we come 

 to two more groups of beds in front of the conservatory, the 



