411 



JOUENAL OP HOBTICULTUltE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. [ NoTcmber is, vm. 



now. — A WiGTOSBniRE Laird, asd an 

 JOCKNAL OF UonxiocLTcr.E. 



Old Fbiekd of the I ever seen, ^ith tracks nearly 3 feet in diameter. There is not 

 much berfl in tlie way of pleasure ground or ornamental gar- 

 [Tbe scheme sbadowecHorth in this commnnioation ia a good i dining to attract notice; the gardens proper being quite a 

 one, but some of tbo details and the mode ot carrying tliem out I distinct eetablii<bmcnt, about half a mile distant, on the op- 



are optn to grave objections. The portion of the echemo which 

 we consider unexoeptioiiable, is a great central school of horti- 

 culture, wbcie kctures would be delivered on the theory and 

 practice of borliculture, botany, and other natural sciences 

 benr-DK upon horlioulture, and this we hope some dav to see 

 realised; but before anytbiriK of this kind can be carried out 

 perfectly, we must tet about iuitialinR a system of instruciion 

 ia our primary schools, which shall prepare the masses of the 

 pcj'ulation to beuc-fit by that which may bo obtained in a great 

 central school. In Germany, Switriorland, and Franco, this is 

 aheady done; but in our "land of liberty," everybody talks 

 and does as he likes, without regarding his neighbour's or the 

 aational need. There is so much talk, and so little result. — 

 Eds.] 



GLAMIS CASTLE, FOKFARSHIKE. 



The Se.vt of the Eabl of Sieatumoke. 



TJ-STiL the holding of tho Great International Horticultural 

 Exhibition in Edinburgh, in September last, how few amongst 

 the thousands of the readers of this Journal knew anything of 

 Glamis and its magnificent gardens ! Historically acquainted 

 we may have been with the name, as one of tho most ancient 

 castles in Scotland, as well as with that of its noble owners, 

 'the Earls of Slratlimore, whose names are intimately associated 

 with their country's history. Glamis, however, and its noble 

 owner, are new additions to horticulture ; but young as they 

 may be, they have already attained a position high and honour- 

 able in the gardening world. Few finer kitchen gardens, or better 

 examples of Grape cultivation, have we to see than at Glamis, 

 and no more generous nnd ardent patrons of horticulture have 

 we to admire and honour than the noble and aucient house of 

 Strathmore. It is a pleasant duty, then, to tell our readers of 

 this new accession, and to make them acquainted with what 

 Las been done in this northern situation during the past four 

 years, and wiih what is now to be seen in gardening at Glamis 

 Castle. 



Travellers by the Caledonian Railway between Perth and 

 Aberdeen, may remember Glamis station, twenty-four miles 

 north of the "Fair City," as one of a series attracting the atten- 

 tion of the most careless passenger by their neat and trim ap- 

 pearance, their pretty gardens, and brilliant display of flowers, 

 examples which we should like to see imitated elsewhere, but 

 which wo are sorry to see are now somewhat neglected even 

 here. A walk of a little more than half a mile will bring us to 

 the gates of Glamis, and another ot nearly a mile to the Castle 

 itself. Here, then, is silnated the sul'ject of our notice, in one 

 of tho richest and most fertile valleys of Scotland, familiarly 

 known as the "Howe o' Strathmore," celebrated for its high- 

 class farming, and vieiug in some places with its neighbouring 

 district, the famous Carse o'Gowrie itself, in its Apple orchards. 

 To the north, a few miles distant, rises the mighty chain of the 

 Grampian mountains, thus forming a fine natuial shelter from 

 the bleakest winds. The whole district is of a finely diver- 

 sified character, the surface gently undulating, well wooded, 

 and watered with the downward mountain streams, and with a 

 soil, pure and fresh, of a rather light and sandy nature, yet 

 rich and easily worked. Thus there are few places to compete 

 with Glamis in the way of natural advantages. 



The Castle, which dates from a.d. 800, is a splendid example 

 of the old Scottish baronial style, built of a reddish stone, and 

 it is still inhabited, still the residence of tho family, which very 

 few of the ancient castles of Scotland now are. There are many 

 much more handsome-looking new edifices to be seen, and with 

 much greater pretensions. New buildings may, however, be seen 

 any day, but very seldom an ancient one like this, which can 

 compare in its interior comforts and oonveuieuoes with the best 

 of our modern mansions. How well the art of building and ar- 

 chitecture must have been understood in those bygone ages — 

 ages on which v,e fancy we have made such vast improvements ! 

 Yet in this one art we are immeasurably inferior. A great 

 many of tho old castles in Scotland are very models of ugliness, 

 mere piles of stone and mortar, with loopholes for windows ; 

 Glamia, however, although it is so very old, has even a modern 

 and comfortable look about it. 



Surrounding the Castle is the park, of upwards of 1000 acres, 



in which are some fine trees, of Ash and Oak especially ; the _ — . 



former, near the Castle, about as fine examples as any we have I ISfeet in height at back, the other eis being "20 feet wide by 



posito side of the river Dean, a snift mountain current dividing 

 that portion of the policies with the Castle, park, and pinetnm, 

 from tue kitchen and flower gardens, whither we tball now 

 proceed. 



The gardens at Glamis, as already stated, are entirely new. 

 It is only about four years since the present Karl succeeded to 

 the title nnd estate, and the first work entered upon was the 

 formation of the gardens. How different this from a great 

 majority of cases, where the gardens come last in the scale of 

 improvements I The old garden being entirely worn out, a 

 new site was selected, and none more favourable could have 

 been chosen. Well sheltered by neighbouring woods, and 

 sloping to the midday sun, on the brow and side of some 

 ground rising somewhat above the surrounding level, the 

 situation is all that can be desired. The work of construction 

 and formation having been entrusted to Mr. Fowler, of Castle 

 Kennedy, who as a gardener and cultivator hos alreadj- reaped 

 high honours, we have here a sjiecimen of his skill in the form- 

 ation of gardens, and we feel bound to admit that the talk 

 has been well and ably performed, and the kitchen gardens at 

 Glamis can now take their place as equal to the best in Scotland. 

 Conspicuous as the first object in view on coming to these 

 gardens, conspicuous also by its elegant and handsome appear- 

 ance, is the gardener's house. Here it forms a pleasant feature 

 of the place, and occupies the most prominent position, as it 

 undeniably should do; yet in how many instances do we not 

 find the house of the gardener hidden away in some of the 

 back slum.'', as if it were an eyesore, and he and his family a 

 sort of nuisance on the place. The gardener's house at Glamis 

 is worthy of its tenants, and a credit to its noble owner. It 

 is pleasant also to tell how much of this is due to the 

 wishes of Lord Strathmore himself, who took a lively interest 

 in the whole proceedings, bnt more especially in this. Thus 

 said his Loidship one day on meeting Mr. Johnston, the very 

 able gardener here, with the architect. "W'e have a very im- 

 portant matter to settle to-day, and that is to select a site for 

 your house. Yon would, I suppose, like it close to the gardens, 

 to be convenient ; it ought also to be in a free and airy situation 

 for the health of your family, and in a position whence yon could 

 have a good look-out." The site selected ia in all respects ex- 

 cellent, just outside the north-west comer of the gardens. To 

 the front there is a beautiful view outside along the western 

 wall of the garden, with the walks leading direct to tho Castle 

 in the distance, of which a view is also obtained. On the 

 other side the eye takes iu that part of the garden between the 

 two ranges of IJouses where are the Pine pits, A-c, and the 

 young gardeners' rooms, which last are not the least deserving 

 of notice. Here pains have been taken to make them com- 

 fortable, pleasant, and commodious ; sitting-rooms and bed- 

 rooms, ic, being provided for all, with every convenience that 

 could be desired. 



We shall, before entering into general details as to cultivation, 

 i'C, take a survey of the general plan and arrangements of the 

 gardens ; we think we shall be beet understood thus. To begin 

 at the north, the form being that of an oblong, wo have first a 

 splendid range of three-quarter span-roofed houses, eleven in 

 number ; those in the middle of the range, tho show plant 

 houses, being much higher, wider, and altogether larger than 

 those at the two cxtrfmities. The latter are devoted, the first 

 four on one side to Melons, Cucumbers, and pot Vines, and the 

 other to Figs; then on the opposite side, the first two are 

 plant houses; then there is a propagating pit, and a Pine stove, 

 the two centre and largest houses being for Camellias and 

 greenhouse plants. This is a fine useful range, only we are in- 

 clined to object to the mixed character of the houses. Fruit 

 houses and plant houses should, we think, be kept as separate 

 as possible. In a small place this cannot well be done, bnt in 

 a large place like Glamis no such difficulty could occur. To 

 the front of this range there are fonr brick pits in two ranges of 

 about fif ly lights each, two only of which are heated ; and facing 

 us against the north wall of the kitchen garden, in one long 

 line, are the young gardeners' rooms, seed rooms, fruit rooms. 

 Mushroom house, tcol sheds, ic, all in first-class order. We 

 enter by a door in the centre, and to the right and to the left, 

 broken only by the gateway in the centre, we see a magnificent 

 line of lean-to houses extending to a length < f 110 feet, in ten 

 divisions. The centre fonr houses are 22 feet in width by 



