April 17, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



2S7 



Opening from the dining-room there is a very handsome 

 consen'atoi"y surmounted by a dome, which at the time of my 

 visit was fiUed with fine speeimens of Azaleas in full bloom ; 

 while in the passage up to it were aiTanged flowering plants, 

 Hyacinths, Laehenalias, Tulips, itc, in pots. Nothing can be 

 more satisfactory than a conservatory like this, ailordiug as 

 it does a treat at all times to the lover of floral beauty — in 

 weather when, perhaps, a person would be very unwilling to 

 trudge down to the garden. The house is situated on a terrace, 

 and in front is a well-arranged geometric garden, which, doubt- 

 less, further on in the season wUl be resplendent in those 

 varied hues of the rainbow which the modem system is so well 

 calculated to supply. The walk from the mansion to the 

 garden is ilined on each side with some fine pillar Roses, 

 backed with specimens of various conifers, among which were 

 two of the best feathered Araucarias that I have seen. 



The range of hothouses and greenhouses, frames and pits, is 

 very extensive, and they were all well at work. In the Muscat- 

 house were some very promising bunches of the Muscat of 

 Alexandria, looking as if they would sustain the fame that 

 Preston Hall has acquired for its Grapes. At the other ex- 

 tremity of the range was another house, the Vines in which 

 had suffered from the extreme heat of the autumn of last year. 

 They had been pruned back in August in order to get an early 

 Stait for this season ; but the hot September had started many 

 of the eyes, and hence the crop was irregular. Peaches and 

 Nectarines were forward, as large as hens' eggs, and the trees 

 evidently in healthy condition. In the plant-houses there was 

 an excellent assortment of plants with finefohage, &c., suitable 

 for the decoration of the conservatory, &c. ; while in the pits 

 were appliances for forcing flowers of all kinds, and Camellias 

 and Azaleas, which had already yielded their sweets, were 

 being started into fresh growth for another season. Straw- 

 berries also were bloomed in these pits, and then brought into 

 the houses to be placed on shelves to be fruited, Mr. Bradley 

 preferring this plan. The Cucumber-pits were filled with an 

 excellent crop of Lord Kenyon's Favourite, this, I believe, being 

 generally considered the best kind for winter purposes. The 

 fruit is not long, has no spines, but is straight and well-formed. 

 Personally I do not think it in flavour or crispness equal to 

 some others, although it is used here all through the year. 

 All Mr. Bradley's plants are grown from seed' not cuttings, so 

 that each process seems to answer when properly managed. 



Leaving tliis portion of the garden you pass down a long 

 shrubbery, in the centre of which is a handsome aviary, to the 

 kitchen garden, where there is a long range of glazed walls, 

 which, however, I find are not much in favour here ; and after 

 all, if you want to obtain flavour, richness, and size, there is, 

 despite all that has been said to the contrary, nothing like the 

 regular Peach and Nectarine house ; and to my mind one good 

 fruit is worth half a dozen of inferior merit. Everything in this 

 garden seemed to be in admirable order, and I only regretted 

 that weather and season were so against my seeing it. How- 

 ever, I promised Mr. Bradley I would pay him a visit again at 

 a more propitious season ; and I have no doubt that if any of 

 the readers of " our Journal " (for we had a little chat about 

 it, too), are in that neighbourhood, they would be cordially 

 received. I believe that the house may also be seen on the 

 presentation of a visiting card ; and if the visitor has even a 

 sovpron of a taste for art, I warrant that he will not consider 

 the time thrown away. — D., Deal. 



VINES FRUITED IN ALTERNATE YEARS. 



I HAVE grown Grapes in a late vinery for many years on the 

 jilan suggested by your " Constant Keadee," page "255 — viz., 

 the Vines are planted '2 feet apart, and fruited alternate years. 

 The Vines which bore fruit last autumn were cut down to the 

 ground about Chi-istmas, and are now making new rods for 

 fruiting in 1867. 



The plan answers well. I had upwarda of five hundred 

 btmches last year, many large, out of a house 30 feet long by 

 12 feet wide. These rods of last year's growth are now show- 

 ing two and three bunches of fruit from each eye. The sorts 

 are Black Hamburgh and Muscadine, or Sweetwater. — ^Robert 

 Wabjjeb, Bruomfield. 



round. It may be interesting to know that I had soEie fruit 

 on trees in my orchard-houses last season that measured 

 11 J inches in circumference. — Richard Smith, Nursenjmait, 

 Worcester. 



Size of Peacdeb. — In your Number of the 3rd inst. I see 

 Mr. Snow, of Saltram Gardens, speaks of having seen Peaches 

 that were grown in an orchard-house measuring 9i inches 1 



TOBACCO CULTURE IN ENGLAND. 



Undeii the title " Growing Tobacco," page 263, in answer to 

 a correspondent, "J. H. M. K.," there appears the following 

 reply- — " It is not illegal to grow Tobacco for your own use." 

 Now, it seems to me that this statement is too broad and 

 ought to be qualified, and my reason for saying so will appear 

 more plainly if the Acts which prohibit the planting, setting, 

 or sowing of Tobacco in England, Scotland, or Leland are 

 referred to. 1 & 2 WiUiam IV. c. 13 (1831), seems to be the 

 last Act on the subject, and at the end of section 1 of that Act 

 the following passage occurs : — " And that it shall not be law- 

 ful to plant, set, improve to grow, or cm'e either in seed, plant, 

 or otherwise, any Tobacco in any part of the LTnited Kingdom, 

 save and except in the places and in the quantities and for the 

 purposes in the said Acts mentioned and allowed." 



The first Act, referred to in the Act of 1831, is 12 Charles II. 

 c. 34 (ICGO), which was passed for prohibiting the planting, 

 setting, or sowing of Tobacco in England or Ireland. Section 4 

 of that Act contains a saving clause — " Provided always, and it 

 is hereby enacted, that this Act nor any thing therein con- 

 tained shall extend to the hindering of the planting of Tobacco 

 in any physick garden of either University, or in any other 

 private garden for physick or chirurgery only, so as the quan- 

 tities so planted exceed not one-half of a pole in any one place 

 or garden." This Act, therefore, last quoted confines the 

 growth of Tobacco to certain limits, to certain places, and for 

 certain purposes in England or Ireland. 



The same saving clause occurs in 15 Charles II. c. 7 (1663), 

 also referred to in the Act of 1831. So much, however, of the 

 two Acts of 12 & 15 Charles II., which prohibited the planting 

 of Tobacco in Ireland, was repealed by 19 George III. c. 35 

 (1779). 



The Act of 1831 was passed to repeal the Act of 1779, and 

 contains in section 1 the following passage : — " And whereas 

 it is exjjedient to repeal the said recited Act of the nineteenth 

 year of the reign of his said Majesty King George the Thu-d, 

 and to revive in and extend to Ireland the said recited Act of 

 the twelfth year of King Charles the Second, and of any other 

 Acts since passed for prohibiting the growth and culture of 

 Tobacco, be it enacted," ■tc. ; and at the end of the section 

 appears the passage above quoted, ending with "mentioned 

 and allowed." 



Another Act, containing in the 13th section the same saving 

 clause, was passed in 1670 (22 & 23 Charles 11. c. 26), to con- 

 tinue in force for nine years. This Act was coutmued by 

 5 George I. c. 11, sec. 19, so long as 12 Charles II. c. 4 (1660), 

 should continue; and by 22 George III. c. 73 (1782), the Acts 

 prohibiting the culture of Tobacco in England were extended 

 to Scotland. 



Now, there is no doubt in my mind but that the question of 

 " J. H. M. E." was suggested when reading the article on " The 

 Growth and Manufacture of Tobacco forPumigating-purposes," 

 which appeared in your Journal (page 137). On seemg that 

 paper I myself was suqirised that no mention was made as to 

 the quantity allowed by English law to be grown on EngUsh 

 soil or elsewhere, and my curiosity was aroused into a search for 

 the "Tobacco Acts," when the reply appeared to " J. H. M.R.'s" 

 question at page 263. In Tobacco cidtiu-e it is best to be care- 

 ful ; for section 4 of the Act of 1831 provided (subject to tho 

 above-mentioned saving clauses), " That if any Tobacco the 

 giowth of any part of the United Kingdom, manufactured or 

 unmanufactured, or mixed with any Tobacco of foreign growth, 

 shall be delivered to, received by, or found in the possession of 

 any manufacturer, dealer in, or retailer of tobacco or snuff in 

 any quantity whatsoever, or if any such tobacco shall be de- 

 livered to, or received by, or be found in the possession of 

 any other person or persons whatsoever in any quantity ex- 

 ceeding 1 lb. in weight, the person offending iu any 



of the cases shall forfeit the sum of £100." Is there not then 

 some limit to the growth of Tobacco for private use ? Can 

 any of your readers throw any light upon the subject? — X., 

 Surrey. 



[Yon are quite correct in observing that our answer was too 

 broad. We intended to reply that any one might grow a few- 

 plants of Tobacco for his own use for gardening purposes. 

 Even this may not be strictly legal, but would not be visited 



