Jane 26, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



513 



and Bignonia, where, to tlio usual mechanical disposition of 

 the parts, there is added irritability of the stigmatic lobes 

 whici close together spontaneously when touched, expanding 

 again after a while, if not already poUenated. The second 

 point to which I have alluded is the close hairy lining of the 

 fore part of the spur, forming a narrow groove at the base of 

 the lowest iretal. This groove generally contains a quantity 

 of pollen that has fallen from the overhanging anthers. There 

 is also a small tuft of hairs at the base of each of the lateral 

 petals, arching over the essential organs, and forcing an insect 

 to approach the nectary from below. These lateral tufts are 

 present, 1 believe, in all the Violets, but V. tricolor (including 

 therein several sub-species) is the only British species which 

 has the spur lined with hairs, as well as the only one not 

 known to bear self-fertile cleistogeuous flowers. Although the 

 flowers of the wild Heartsease are quite scentless to our bluut 

 organs, does it follow that they are necessarily so to an insect's 

 far more delicate sense ? (The flowers of V. palustris, which 

 are nearly unicolorous with a few dark lines pointing to the 

 nectary, are apparently scentless ; but after standing for a 

 short time in water in a warm room, they become quite sweet.) 

 Some of the cultivated Pansies are very sweet, and I am not 

 aware that this quality has ever been made an object for selec- 

 tion by florists. These large garden Pansies are much fre- 

 quented by Bombus muscorum, which may be watched while 

 performing the act of pollenation, as described by Professor 

 Hildobrand. — W. E. Hakt, Kildernj, Co. Donerial- — {^^ature.) 



Me. T. Meehan last year called the attention of the 



Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia to the fact that in 

 some Scrophulariaceous plants, such as Toreuia and Mimnlus, 

 tho biloliod-flattened stigmas closed when touched, as does the 

 leaf of Dionsea muscipula. 



The largest Viuo in the world is to be found near S.anta 



Barbara, California, and certainly, from the account given of 

 it by the New York Herald, it seems to put the famous Hampton 

 Court Vine to the blush. The trunk of the Santa Barbara 

 Vine is nearly i feet in circumference where it leaves the 

 ground, and continues the same size for 8 feet up, where it 

 branches out very regularly, and, although kept well trimmed 

 back it covers a surface of some iOOO square feet. Eight thou- 

 sand bunches of Grapes, weighing 12,000 lbs., or (i tons, were 

 picked from it last year. It is owned by an old Spanish 

 woman who cannot speak a word of EngUsh, but who knows 

 very well how to calculate correctly the amount due to her for 

 a drink of wine made from the Grapes of the " big Vine," 

 which everyone is expected to drink who visits it. The age of 

 this Vine is variously estimated at from thirty-five to fifty 

 years, and romance has woven the tale that tho original cut- 

 ting was given to a Spanish girl by her lover as a riding whip, 

 and that she planted it as a memento of their engagement. 

 Tho appearance, however, of the Spanish lady who now owns it 

 is such to lead visitors to the conclusion that she never could 

 have had a matrimonial engagement, or that if any such con- 

 tract was ever entered into, her lover was perfectly justified in 

 forgetting it. 



GARDENING IN THE WEST.— No. 3. 



VISIT-WOBTHY PLACES NEAR BATH. 



Leaving Bath by the Great Western Company's line to Wey- 

 mouth we reach Trowbridge, at one time one of the decayed 

 towns of the West of Eugland cloth districts, but now one of 

 tho most prosperous, and nothing indicates its prosperity more 

 than the encouragement of horticulture and the extent to 

 which it is practised in the neighbourhood. During the last 

 thirty years there has sprung up at Hilperton, only a mile 

 distant from the town, a considerable nursery of general 

 slock through the energy of Mr. S. Walters, who is now well 

 kuown in the West of England as one of the most successful 

 of plant-growers. With some of the fine old-fashioned speci- 

 mens, such as Heaths, Chorozemas, Rhododendron Gibsoni, 

 Ilogoria gratissima, Statice Holfordi, and others we saw there, 

 he appears to excel. On the road to Hilperton we pass two 

 villa residences, The Prospect and Highfield, which are models 

 worth imitating for tho skillfuluess with which they are 

 designed and the neatness with which they are kept. We 

 could not but indulge the thought that the owners of both 

 were readers of The Journal or Horticulture, and devoured 

 its pages with avidity. 



ROOD ASHTON. 



But the great place in the neighbourhood of Trowbridge is 

 Rood Ashton, the splendid domain of Walter Long, Esq., 

 whose family has been settled here for many centuries ; yet we 



have sought, but without success, for a history of this resi- 

 dence, because, having a slight knowledge of .\uglo-Saxon, wo 

 concluded that tho original name was Rowd ^Escdun, " the 

 sweet quiet hill of tho Ash trees." The park is of immense 

 extent — we do not know how many acres, but it makes a very 

 distinct appearance on the Ordnance map. The entrance to 

 the park is about a milo distant from the town of Trowbridge, 

 and on approaching it one is reminded of the remark of 

 Ivepton, that the entrance to a place of importance should 

 novjr bo at right angles to the public road, but branch from 

 it, and be so much wider than the road as to diminish its im- 

 portance and give greater importance to the approach. This 

 has been well managed at Rood Ashton, for the turnpike road 

 is dwarfed to the dimensions of a lane, and the entrance to 

 the approach appears really to be a continuation of tho turn- 

 pUiO road. From the lodge to the mansion is a distance of 

 upwards of two miles. The direction is that of a curve, and 

 tho road is flanked on either side by a double line of Scotch 

 Firs, at present small, perhaps not more than twelve or four- 

 teen years old, but which, when they have attained greater 

 dimensions, will have an excellent effect, and when seventy or 

 eighty years old will become one of the finest avenues in 

 England. Here the Scotch Fir succeeds to perfection, judging 

 from specimens we observed in the park, and when the trees 

 forming this avenue attain such dimensions as these the effect 

 will be grand and imposing. It is surprising that this stately 

 and picturesque tree is not more planted for this purpose. 

 With the exception of the Lime and the Oak there is a great 

 poverty of good avenue trees in Eugland. The English Elm 

 and Horse Chestnut cannot be said to be good avenue trees ; 

 the former, when it attains its full growth and greatest beauty, 

 being so liable to suddenly lose its branches and become a dis- 

 abled, dismantled, and dangerous object; while the Horse 

 Chestnut is comparatively a short-lived, and, when cut down, 

 a worthless tree, and it very early loses its foliage in autumn. 

 Behind this avenue of young Scotch Firs there are solid 

 masses of plantation, which for some distance give the ap- 

 proach an enclosed appearance ; but after proceeding some dis- 

 tance the park opens up, and then the road passes through 

 what appears to be a piece of ancient forest, consisting of old 

 pollard and coppice Oak. On emerging from this the park ex- 

 pands in all its beauty, and the house is seen in the distance. 

 The trees in the park consist almost entirely of English Elms, 

 which luxuriate in this part of the country, and which for size 

 and beauty will vie with any in England. Our only objection 

 to them is that they are too crowded, and really spoil the fine 

 effect which the park would otherwise have if the single trees 

 were removed and the groups only were left. The place may 

 be said to be all park, which reaches close to the house (see 

 accompanying engraving), there being a flower garden on the 

 south side only, and a rather extensive lawn to the east ; but 

 of dressed grounds there are scarcely any. But Mr. Long has 

 recently enclosed a small portion beyond tho lawn, which has 

 been well planted, and which in time will add to the beauty of 

 the place. 



Before we visited Rood Ashton we were warned not to expect 

 to see anything in the way of gardening. This was said in 

 general terms, and we went, as we were told, merely to see tho 

 park. Now it depends very much on what people mean by 

 gardening. Gardening of late years has, unfortunately, become 

 to mean flower-bedding, and unless a place can exhibit a great 

 expanse of varied colours on lawns and terraces, it, in the 

 minds of some, is not a place for gardening. We at once tell 

 the people who hold these views that Rood Ashton is no place 

 for them, and yet there is good gardening there — high garden- 

 ing, it you like, which is not often surpassed. There are fruit- 

 gardening and kitchen-gardening, under the direction of Mr. 

 George, which are well worth seeing ; a profusion of every- 

 thing, and no stint. There are 100 yards of Peach houses, 

 40 yards of vineries, 95 feet of Pine pits, and 90 feet of other 

 pits. The Vines were hanging as thick of bunches of fruit as 

 it was prudent to permit them, and are in the rudest health. 

 The earliest vinery was still well supplied with fruit of fine 

 Hamburghs, to tho excellence of the flavour of which we can 

 testify through Mr. George's kindness. Tho house of Muscats 

 is splendidly set, and there will not bo an imperfect bunch or 

 berry in it. The way by which Mr. George insures this result 

 is by going over tho bunches when they are in bloom, and 

 brushing them over with one of those long-bristled brushes 

 used by painters, and called a duster. This not only distri- 

 butes the pollen, but removes the globule of moisture secreted 

 on the stigma, and which prevents the pollen fertilising tho 



