March i, 1875. 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



181 



not possibly find room for all." Very true ; but I would Fay, 

 Do as I do, make an effort, aud yon will Boon find the truth of 

 the adage, " Where there is a will there is a way." When 

 thev have finished blooming I let them remain under glass to 

 finish their growth. It is true they do not get the best posi- 

 tion in the houses, but are stood by the sides of pathways, or, 

 in fact, anywhere, so as thf-y get light aud water. I am fully 

 sensible of the diflioulty of finding room for such things at 

 this important season of the year, when every inch of space 

 is valuable. But how many places are theie where room 

 could by a little forethought be had — room suited to the simple 

 requirements of Lilies, and preferable to a withering north 

 aspect out of doors ? My plan is, when out of bloom, to stand 

 them in a late vinery or Peach house, to remain there say to 

 the end of May, or whenever bedding plants are turned out to 

 harden. 



The reason I make these remarks is to corrtct an erroneous 

 idea that they will not force a second year, and therefore by 

 some they are considered as useless. Beyond que.stion that is 

 a mistaken idea, as I shall presently show ; but let it bo under- 

 stood that I do not write for the purpose of crying down the 

 practice of buyiug-in fresh clumps every year— nothing of the 

 land, for I never seem to have sufficient, although we buy-in 

 annually. Then why take further troublo if they can be 

 bought-in yearly? The reason is that I find, as a rule, that 

 old plants reasonably cared for — that is, plants from two to 

 three years old, serve me better than the newly imported 

 clumps. For some years I have ceased to force the latest im- 

 portation the first year, but simply let them bloom in their 

 own season in a cool house. 



Every batch of roots received is labelled with the date of 

 the year and the time of potting, and at this present time I 

 have a pot dated 1872 containing thirty-two spikes of blooms. 

 When I attempted to force tho newly imported clumps it was 

 rarely they did much good the first year ; but when they have 

 been gently forced a year or two and allowed to finish their 

 growth under glass they scarcely require forcing. We had 

 them in bloom early in January with but a very slight forcing, 

 which I could never manage so early with the newly imported 

 clumps. After turning them outside they get water with other 

 things as they require it until the foliage dies down, then they 

 are simply turned on their sides for a period of rest. I com- 

 mend this plan on account of its utility, (-fficieney, and economy, 

 as, of course, no gardener ought to incur a larger expendituie 

 than is needful in tho discharge of his duties. — G. E. Allis, 

 Hartsholme Hatl, 



DALKEITH.— No. 1. 



DaiiKKith is a small parish of Mid-Lothian, lying on the 

 banks of tho North and South Esk rivers.' Adjoining the 

 town is Dalkeith Park, the seat of the Duke of Buccleuch. It 

 is easily reached by rail from Waverley Station, Edinburgh, 

 and the gardens are only a few minutes' walk from the station 

 of Dalkeith. A very brief outline history of the place is ap- 

 pended ; to treat at length, however interesting it might be, 

 would supplant much gardening lore of paramount moment. 

 Dalkeith Palace was erected about tho beginning of the last 

 century. It is a large square structure, in which the Corin- 

 thian order of architecture is visible. The site was previously 

 occupied by the old castle of Dalkeith, which was a place of 

 considerable strength, and withstood some sieges. Its first 

 occupants were the Grahams, afterwards it became the seat of 

 the Douglas family, succeeding in turn to the Mortons, one of 

 whom was Regent of Scotland and resided here, subsequently 

 ending his life on the scaffold. On this event the castle ap- 

 pears to have been considered public property. Eventually 

 the estate came into the possession of the Buccleuch family, 

 and has been held by them for upwards of two centuries. 



The park is a noble piece of ground of about 8000 Scotch 

 acres ; its surface is gently undulated, and is broken by the 

 rivers above mentioned, whose streams unite about half a 

 mile below the house. The South Esk has a romantic appear- 

 ance by the overhanging wood, its twin sister coming more 

 into the open day, but has pleasing walks on its banks, from 

 which we obtain glimpses of the town and church of Dalkeith. 

 The park is well timbered with old Oaks and other valuable 

 trees. There is nothing elaborate in the style of the orna- 

 mental grounds — that is, they contain few artistic landscape 

 touches. 



Passing through these grounds from the kitchen gardens to 

 the Palace wo follow a winding walk along the hi ink of a steep 



slope on the north side of the river Esk to the Montague 

 Bridge. This bridge, with its noble arch which spans the 

 bounding river below, forming at its base a small cascade (to 

 be figured in a subsequent issue), is an attractive feature of 

 the place. This bridge cariies the principal carriage drive 

 from Edinburgh to the Palace. The massive old pile, which 

 has weathered so many storms, is situated on a steep pro- 

 montory overlooking the river. On its north-east sides the 

 old sandstone walls are clothed with a rich and luxuriant 

 growth of Ivy, reaching occasionally to the eaves, which are 

 upwards of (iO feet high ; this adds much freshness and beauty 

 to the plain and weather-beaten exterior. On the south-west 

 front the walls are destitute of covering, and the architecture 

 is more broken. This front is approached by a fine sweep of 

 carriage drive (fig. 47), and overlooks a prospect of simple 

 rural beauty rather than of pretty gardenesque touches, which 

 would mar by their artificialism the natural boldness and 

 dignity which chariiclerise the demesne. A broad grassy 

 terrace and wide gravel walk extends from the base of the 

 Palace to the top of the slope, some 50 feet high, running 

 down again to a smooth mossy lawn lying in tho bottom of 

 the valley a few feet above the level of the Ei^k. 



The slope is covered with an even growth of Portugal 

 Laurel, pruned-back annually to a height of about 2 feet, and 

 irregularly interspersed with ornamental trees and shrubs, 

 giving a very pleasing effect, and forming the best of all cover- 

 ings for such a high terrace elope. Wo may remark that 

 evergreens of most kinds grow here with great luxuriance, and 

 are seldom or ever injured by frost. The plantations are a 

 perfect jungle of Holly, Laurel, Box, Yew, Ivy, &c. ; and even 

 Rhododendrons thrive well, considering the dry nature of the 

 soil. We follow the drive away to the left through a wide- 

 spreading grove of fine old trees, noting the great height 

 (over 100 feet) and size of many of the Beeches, Limes, Syca- 

 mores, and Chestnuts, and entering a small enclosure through 

 which the South Esk river flows we soon arrive at the circular 

 conservatory. 



This is a richly-designed piece of architecture, and, as a 

 specimen of elaborately-cut stonework, said to be unequalled 

 in the kingdom ; but the site being low aud shady end out 

 of the way its effect is comparatively lost, and consequently 

 there is no effort made to keep it filled with such a display of 

 flowering and other plants as one would expect to find in such 

 an imposing and lichly carved structure. It is chiefly filled 

 with plants that can be comfortably left to themselves for a 

 time in a greenhouse temperature, and amongst others we 

 noticed several fine specimens of Tree Ferns, Palms, Rhodo- 

 dendrons, &a and a good-sized specimen in fine condition 

 of the beautiful Japanese plant, Eui^a latifolia variegata. 

 Leaving the conservatory we notice on the surrounding lawn 

 some fine specimens of ornamental trees, particularly three 

 Cedars of Lebanon, with clean straight boles 10 to 12 feet 

 in circumference, and 15 to 20 feet high, branching into 

 massive limbs and wide-spreading heads, forming a very dis- 

 tinct feature with the deciduous trees clothing the adjacent 

 slopes. There are here also a specimen of Salisburia adianti- 

 foha over 40 feet high, Magnolia conspicua 21 feet, a Weeping 

 Ash nearly 50 feet which sweeps the ground, and a fine old 

 spreading tree of the Hemlock Spruce. 



Retracing our steps towards the Palace we pass in front of 

 it, regretting that time will not permit of a closer inspection of 

 it and its rare and valuable contents, which by the kindness 

 and liberality of his Grace the Duke of Buccleuch are freely 

 open to tLt public on certain days of the week; the surround- 

 ing pleasure grounds being also thrown open at the same time, 

 a boon highly appreciated by the inhabitants of the busy 

 crowded towns and villages in the neighbourhood. Just before 

 leaving the grounds we pass on the left the private chapel of 

 the Buccleuch family, a massive and elegant structure, built 

 about thirty years ago, in which full Episcopal service is re- 

 gularly held 'for the benefit of the neighbourhood, whether 

 the family are resident or not. 



Returning to tho kitchen garden enclosure we will proceed 

 to note the contents of the very extensive glass structures for 

 which Dalkeith has long been so deservedly famous, and will 

 confine this paper chiefly to the plant-growing department, 

 deferring a notice of the fruit ranges to a future occasion. I 

 am not aware that Dalkeith is generally regarded as a "plant 

 place," yet it has good claim to this distinction, and it is not 

 too much to say that, well as the fruit-growing department is 

 conducted, the plants merit equal note and observation. Hard 

 and soft-wooded plants are ahke well grown. Entering the 



