114 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ February 6, 1868. 



certain whether this arrangement existed in the back house or 

 not, as the pathway there is of a serpentine character, but so 

 arranged that the curves approach (lie south side at each place 

 ■where a door enters into one of the other houses. This path- 

 way is upwards of 4 feet wide. The house is planted entirely 

 with hardwooded plants of large size, as Camellias, Acacias, 

 Azaleas, and New Holland plants of an ornamental character, 

 the back wall and roof being covered with climbers, and the 

 ■whole in the most excellent health, forming a shrubbery which 

 at no distant day threatens to block up the path ; but judicious 

 pruning ■will, no doubt, keep it in order for very many years. 

 The extent of this house, 200 feet in length, by 20 feet wide, 

 ■will enable the reader to judge there was ample space for a 

 great variety of plants, and the serpentine form of the path- 

 ■way brought the visitor in presence of a fresh set of plants 

 at every turn, which would not have been the case had the 

 path been as straight as in some corridors leading to conser- 

 vatories or other objects at a distance. The curves are uni- 

 form and easy. 



The space between each house is just the width of the house 

 itself — i.e., 20 feet. This space constitutes the Vine border, 

 where the houses are devoted to the culture of that fruit 

 or of the Peach, and probably the climbers of the plant 

 houses luxuriate in the like open space. Where Vines are 

 grown they are planted inside, the whole of the floor of the 

 house being also reserved as a border. 1 am not sure whether 

 any bottom heat was supplied or not, but a drain ran along 

 the centre of each outside border, and rubble stone al- 

 most to the top received what superfluous water might fall on 

 the borders. These slightly inclined from each house to the 

 centre, where the drain and rubble stone existed, and I am not 

 sure but shutters were provided to carry all the rain water 

 there. Be this as it may, the excellent condition of the fruit 

 gave unmistakeable tokens that the border and all its accom- 

 paniments were just such as the Vine delights in, as most ex- 

 cellent fruit were hanging in great abundance in all the houses 

 where the Vines were growing. The Peaches, of course, were i 

 over ; but the condition of the trees showed that they, too, i 

 were in the best possible health and bearing. I regret that the 

 liun-ied manner I passed through this fine range of houses in I 

 order to again reach a train prevented my inquiring into tlie 

 various details as I otherwise would have done, but Jlr. Rose 

 kindly furnished me with the following : — 



No. 1 was a plant house devoted to hardwooded plants, 

 many of which were, of course, out of doors at the time of 

 my visit, and their place for the time being was occupied by 

 showy flowering plants suitable for the season. 



No. 2, Peach house. Of course the crop here had been 

 gathered some time, but there were plenty of excellent fruit 

 from a glazed Peach wall, forming the southern boundary of 

 the kitchen garden. 



No. 3, Muscat house. Excellent fruit of several varieties. 

 Mr. Rose was trying some experiments on stocks. His 



opinion that the Muscat of Alexandria would always retain 

 as high if not the very highest place in collections of Muscats, 

 seems to be generally confirmed by that of other growers. 



No. 4, Plant stove. There were some good specimens ol 

 plants of various kinds, including Marantas, Crotons, Alocasias, 

 and Allamandas, all in good health and weU arranged for 

 effect. 



No. Ti, Vinery. The Vinos were mostly Hamburghs, of which 

 there was a considerable variety, all in excellent order, and I 

 noticed the Black Muscat of Alexandria, or Muscat Hamburgh, 

 as it is commonly called, in better condition than we had ever 

 before seen it. A white Grape, called Catawba, was also a 

 favourite with Mr. Rose ; but I regret not remembering pre- 

 cisely its features. Calabrian Baisin was in promising condi- 

 tion to ornament a dessert at Christmas. 



No. 0, was a late vinery. Here Mr. Rose had Lady Downe's, 

 West's St. Peter's, and Alicante iu excellent order, and one or two 

 others on trial; but he considered that a very good supply 

 might be had by growing only three or four kinds — namely, 

 Black Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria, Lady Dawne's, and 

 another. He was of opinion that each variety should have a 

 house to itself, and considered that none more wanted this 

 than Lady Downe's. The Vines in all these houses were yoimg. 

 All were bearing full and heavy crops, and were healthy, luxu- 

 riant, and without the least appearance of red spider or any 

 disease. The house, having a span roof of such an cxteat 

 covered with fruit, had a very fine effect. 



No. 7. This, like No. 1, was a plant house, but for the soft- 

 wooded plants. It was well filled at the time of my visit with 

 plants in flower, for tlie great bulk of the Chinese Primulas, 

 Cinerarias, and Pelargoniums were in cold pits elsewhere. 



Having roughly and imperfectly described these houses and 

 their contents, I should remark that a broad terrace walk 10 or 

 18 feet wide passes along the front of them, the doors in the 

 ornamental gable end of each house opening upon this walk. 

 To the south of this walk is a geometrical flower garden on 

 grass. The panel containing the flower beds is somewhat 

 longer than the front of these houses, 2G0 feet, by gaining some 

 feet at each end. This panel, a square, or nearly so, is sunk 

 on three sides, so that the terrace walk commands a good view 

 of the flower beds ; and as the extent affords ample space ba- 

 tween each bed, their contents were seen to every advantage. 

 I need hardly add that the beds were all planted with the 

 choicest plants used for such purposes, and that the only 

 failure, or partial failure, was in a Verbena of that intermediate 

 class related to Velvet Cushion which only succeeds well in a 

 few places. i 



The terrace walk just mentioned unites with others, carrying 

 the visitor forward to the mansion. Groups of choice shrubs 

 were judiciously planted by the way, and these and the 

 rich verdure of the turf, as well as of the timber trees left 

 in groups here and there, promised that the present appear- 

 ance of new or rather extended grounds, will cot be of long. 



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Plant and Froit Housl-s at Floors Castle. 



duration. ~ As it is, there is no lack of anything to give im- 

 portance to a place that is connected with so many historical 

 associations. The ruins of Roxburghe Castle are but a short 

 distance from the front of the mansion, and in the park be- 



tween the two, a Holly bush is said to mark the spot where 

 James II. of Scotland was killed by the bursting of a cannon. 

 A little higher up the Tweed, the EUdon Bills, are seen peep- 

 ing over the trees. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



At the Royal Horticultural Bociety's meeting on the 18th I These consist of seedling hybrid Caladiums, Peperomia mar- 

 inst., there is to be a ballot for twenty-five lots of plants. | morata, Bertolonia guttata, Cissus porphyrophylius, and several 



