24G 



JODENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE QAJiDENER. 



( SopUmber 28, iee9. 



BtandiDg the attractiTcceBS of tbie magnificent crop of Grapes, 

 as one pasBes alotif; tbe house the e;e is qnickly attracted by 

 the fine health; foliage and abundant crop of Peaches and Nec- 

 tarinee. It would occupy so much space were I to notice tbe 

 trees individually, that I will only note here a few of the more 

 prominent kinds. Of Peaches, Vineuee is a favourite sort ; it 

 has a fine, evenly-disposed crop. Early York is much valued 

 for its earliness, ripening before any other kind. Among the 

 others are Royal George, Red Magdalen, Noblesse, Barringlon, 

 and Bellegarde, highly valued for its keeping qualities. Amongst 

 Nectarines, Monstraeuse comes lirst ; it had an abundant crop 

 very highly coloured, and was named to me as a splendid va- 

 riety. The others are Violette Hiitive, Roman, Hunt's Tawny, 

 and Stanwiek ; the last is cropping freely, but here, as at many 

 other places, its propensity to crack has brought it somewhat 

 into disrepute. Pun^ing to take one last glance, tbe only thing 

 to regret was that the house was not loftier, and it might have 

 been easily made so, by making it hip-roofed. From the skilful 

 way in which every inch of space was turned to account, and 

 the high state of health and fruitfulness of the whole of the 

 occupants, I could not but think so much success must be a 

 matter for congratulation, especially in a season like the present, 

 of orchard-house failures. 



In an early vinery adjoining, from which the Grapes bad 

 just been cleared, a few fine examples of Orchids treated on 

 the cool-house system were looking very healthy. A fine plant 

 of Oncidium altissimum had produced a short time previous to 

 my visit thirteen largo flower-spikes, and it was calculated that 

 they bore at least two thousand blossoms. A Maxillaria 4 feet 

 in diameter, Trichopilia tortilis, and Miltonia spectabilis just 

 coming well into bloom, were the most prominent plants. At 

 the extremity of this range is another early vinery, from which 

 the fruit had all been taken, but the Vines were still clothed 

 with large foliage of a deep green hue. Here were some hand- 

 some specimen zonal Pelargoniums. From these, as being of 

 first-class excellence as pot kinds, I selected Lucius, bright 

 rose with an abundance of large trusses ; Eoi de Platze, Re- 

 becca, and Madame Mfizard, very deep red; Alexandrine, a 

 bright pink ; and Louis Veuillot, a fine bold scarlet. 



In front of the house last mentioned are two short ranges of 

 glass, the first a pit in which some Melons were fruiting well, 

 and the next a low hip-roofed Cucumber house ; tbe plants 

 here had been fruiting for a length of time, and a few good 

 Cucumbers were still hanging on the trellis. The kind most 

 iiked is a hybrid bearing a close resemblance in all points to 

 Rollisson's Telegraph. The flue by which tbe house is heated 

 is carried on into a Mushroom house adjoining. A glance at 

 the beds showed that tbe culture of Mushrooms was thoroughly 

 understood. Nothing could he more satisfactory than the 

 abundant crops of Mushrooms, varying in size from the smallest 

 button to the full-sized Mushroom. I have frequently heard 

 it remarked that cultivated Mushrooms are rarely equal to 

 those gathered from a meadow. If cultivated Jlusbrooms could 

 always be cooked when just expanding from the button state, 

 this complaint would never be heard ; but, in order to maintain 

 a constant supply, some Mushrooms must always be left on the 

 beds for a day or two after attaining maturity, and it is in 

 these that a deficiency of tenderness and delicacy of flavour is 

 perceptible. 



On passing from this garden under an archway in the wall 

 opposite to the orchard house, a small lean-to stove facing the 

 pleasure grounds is the next object of interest. It contains an 

 interesting and healthy collection of stove plants. Ferns, and 

 Lycopods. The usual kinds of Caladiums were here too, and 

 good plants of Alocasia metallica, Sanchezia nobilis variegata, 

 Dioscorea marmorata, and a Gongora maoulata with some 

 fine spikes of bloom. Tbe collection of Selaginellas is good, 

 sJthougb many of the newer kinds are not yet grown ; yet fine ' 

 plants of S. variabilis, Willdenovii, umbrosa, and viticulosa 

 must always command attention. The Ferns are well-selected 

 and choice. I was much pleased with a handsome plant of the 

 beautiful Pteris tricolor ; a large plant of Nephrolepis distans 

 was also conepieuoua from its pretty fronds and graceful trail- 

 ing habit. The Fennel-like fronds of Asplenium viviparum 

 were i|eo very striking. Many other elegant kinds were equally 

 worthy of notice, but I do not think a long dry list of well- 

 known plants can possess much interest for the general reader ; 

 I shall, therefore, conclude my notice of this house by observing 

 that Passiflora Decaisneana trained under the greater part of 

 the roof afforded an agreeable and useful shade to the plants 

 beneath it. 

 From the etoye a winding path passing throngb, or rather 



along, the margin of tbe lawn, leads to the oonaerratory and 

 mansion. On each side of this path are flroups of flower beds, 

 in tbe arrangement of which no particular design is followed, 

 yet tbe eflect produced is very pleasing. Tbe beda are simple 

 in form, and are well filled with plants, tbe colours of which arc 

 arranged in exceedingly good taste. Some beds were so beanti- 

 ful as to be quite worthy of notice. Tbe first that attracted my 

 attention had a broad margin of PeriUa pegged cloeely ; next 

 this was an equally broad band of Pelargonium Cryetal Palace 

 Gem, and in the centre was a bold mass of Pelargonium Rose 

 Queen. A circular bed had a broad margin of Mrs. Pollock, and 

 tbe centre was divided into quarters with the silver-variegated 

 Pelargonium Silver Queen. The quarters were filled with Ver- 

 bena Purple King, and a plant of Bicinua pnrpureua major oc- 

 cupied the centre. The lines of Silver Queen were very skil- 

 fully planted, tall plants concealing tbe stem, and meeting tbe 

 foliage, of tbe Ricinus ; and from these tall plants tbe lines 

 were beautifully graduated with others of suitable heights ont- 

 wards and downwards to the border of Mrs. Pollock. Although 

 this bed was very beautiful, yet had Lobelia specio-^a been used 

 in place of Purple King Verbena, the effect would have been 

 still better. In another bed a novel and pretty e£fcct was pro- 

 duced by planting a broad margin of Antennaria tomcntosa ; 

 inside this margin the surface of tbe bed rose abruptly in a kind 

 of miniature •' ramp " a few inches high, and tbe centre of the 

 bed was level with the top of the ramp, on the face of which 

 was a single row of carefully-selected plants of the common 

 Houseleek (Sempervivnm tectorum) ; next this came a row of 

 Lobelia speciosa, and the centre was filled with golden Tricolor 

 Pelargonium Lady CuUum. A striking feature in another bed 

 was a particularly handsome broad line of the silver EnonymuB. 

 The arrangement was — first row, .\rabis variegata ; second row, 

 Altemanthera spathulata; third row, Euonymus radicans va- 

 riepatus ; fourth row. Lobelia speciosa, and the centre, a mass 

 o' Pelargonium Mullifiorum, an excellent deep scarlet variety, 

 of a compact, yet spreading, very free-flowering habit. I was 

 especially struck with the simplicity both in the form and 

 arrangement of these beds ; there was no intricate geometrical 

 design, no attempt at any of those imitations of larger places 

 which so often prove abortive, but just a few simple beds well 

 filled with plants of sterling merit skilfully arranged ; and 

 when the eye became dazzled with iheir bright hues, tbe broad 

 expanse of the beautifully-kept lawn stretching away from them 

 till it was lost under the shade of overhanging trees, offered 

 the most agreeable repose. 



The conservatory has a plain exterior, in perfect harmony 

 with the mansion, and is a few yards distant. It may te de- 

 scribed as a lean-to, but it has a few feet added to its origuial 

 width in a rather singular manner, very much increasing its 

 usefulness, but not adding to its beauty. This house contained 

 the finest collection of Fuchsias it has ever been my privilege 

 to see. Let my readers picture to themselves a bank of these 

 beautiful flowers formed of plants ranging from 1 to 2 feet high 

 up to enormous giant standards of 12 feet, with beads of bloom 

 many feet in diameter. There are nearly eighty varieties, not 

 one, but several plants of each kind, taking us as far back in 

 the history of Fuchsias as Banks's Glory, with its closely- 

 folded corolla, and enabling one at a glance to compare it and 

 other old " standards" with kinds of a later date, having such 

 expansive corollas and broad recurved sepals, as War Eagle, or 

 Father Ignatius. There was almost every shade of colour 

 hitherto developed in this charming family, and every plant 

 appeared in robust health, the rich hue of the deep green 

 foliage serving to increase the splendour of the thousands of 

 pendent blossoms. I had, therefore, before me such a sight 

 as is very rarely to be met with. Fuchsias, Fuchsias every- 

 where ; in the body of tbe conservatory the magnificent bank 

 I have attempted to describe ; along tbe front of the house a 

 row of fine pyramids plunged, and just coming into bloom, 

 most of tlem being from C to 8 feet high, and well furnished 

 with branches from "keel to truck;" on the side stages at 

 each end smaller plants ; and on the pillars, tbe stems of 

 others whose branches were trained to the roof, their blossoms 

 hanging in rich clusters overhead. Amongst these Madame 

 Comeliseen was very conspicuous, its pretty blossoms of white 

 and pink producing a charming effect. Tbe standards at tbe 

 back of the group were very fine ; one of Venus de Medici 

 must have been 12 feet high ; its enormous head was a perfect 

 mass of blossom ; so was that of Banks's Glory, which was 

 quite i feet in diameter, and the height was tbe same as that 

 of Venus de Medici. Souvenir de Chiswick, too, had a fine 

 head 4 feet in diameter; it was not so tall as some others, bat 



