Ootober 22, 1874. 1 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



357 



royal navy, bad them all beheaded. So says tradition, which, 

 as is well known, is very often a good exponent of history. 

 And some of the oldest trees in the park at the present day 

 certainly bear traces of having been Bulijected to something of 

 the kind years ago, and probably many more whoso growth 

 has since removed all traces of such an operation. But when 

 we consider the long period that has elapsed since Monmouth's 

 ill-starred rebellion there has been time for another generation 

 of fine trees, of which there is no lack at the present day. It 

 would seem that Moor Park, notwithstanding its vicissitudes, 

 has been singularly lucky in the preservation of its fine old 

 trees, and, what is equally important, the judicious planting 

 of young ones ; for in looking over it one finds trees of all ages, 

 from the aged skeleton with scarcely a vestige of life upon it 

 — (some one or two, in fact, are still preserved after ceasing to 

 live) — to the young tree planted during the last ten years, 

 with all intermediate ages between. The soil has perhaps had 

 something to do with their longevity — a gravelly soil more or 

 less mingled with chalk, although the latter is not just at the 

 Burface. A considerable diversity in the surface has also, no 

 doubt, been beneficial, for we certainly always meet with the 

 finest trees on hiUsides rather than on plains ; and the whole 

 lies dry. 



The park, though undulating more than the bulk of the 

 surrounding district, has none of those wet valleys one meets 

 with sometimes, the whole being dry, excepting that a small 

 portion to the left of the entrance by the village of Eickmans- 

 worth, which lies close to the side of the principal river in the 

 neighbourhood, is of course much moister, and one or two 

 trees special to it will be noticed. I may here observe that 

 Lord Ebury with considerate liberality allows picnic parties 

 who have obtained leave to be held in the outside enclosure, 

 which is kept much in the character of pleasure ground. The 

 river forms its boundary on one side, and the high road the 

 other ; and immediately on entering, a ribbon border at the 

 opposite side confronts you, which being backed by shrubs con- 

 sists of partly hardy and partly half-hardy plants, and at the 

 time I saw it looked well, the predominance of light-coloured 

 flowers being well set off by the greenery by which they were 

 surrounded. To those who are fond of having the contents of 

 ribbon borders detailed, I may say the planting was as follows : — 

 Commencing at back with the evergreen shrubs as a back- 

 ground — viz., back row Helianthus multiflorus, double yellow; 

 next row African Marigold ; next row Geranium, a tall scarlet ; 

 next row Verbena, a pale blue tall variety ; next row French 

 Marigold, striped ; next row Geranium, pale-coloured variety ; 

 next row Lobelia, blue. The whole was edged with turf, on 

 which at another place there were also some other beds of 

 flowering plants, with now and then a fine tree. Notably so 

 was a good Weymouth Pine, and a still more remarkable fine 

 Tulip Tree, which must be 80 feet high, with a more upright 

 growth than this tree usually has. Its bole at the height of 

 10 feet was divided into two leaders, each of which were npright- 

 grown, and gave the whole more the habit of a Poplar than a 

 Tulip Tree. 



Entering the park we see an abundance of very fine Oak 

 trees, with also some of other kinds, and near to the carriage 

 road we find a fence has been put round two, one of which is 

 dead. These relics of a bygone day, to which I believe some 

 historic legend is attached, as being of the time of the unfortu- 

 nate Duchess of Monmouth's period — these venerable remains 

 of a time very different from our own are not so large as many 

 others are ; but as all trees alike do not attain the same size, 

 we need only say that they would be esteemed very large 

 everywhere, excepting in a place -like this, abounding with 

 large trees. One of these has a portion of one of its sides alive. 

 This pair stands about 2i feet apart, and from the appear- 

 ance would seem to be very ancient. Another Oak near the 

 last-named has some appearance of having lost its top, or in 

 other words of having been beheaded at 7 or 8 feet from the 

 ground, yet is still quite healthy, and its bole measures 17 feet 

 in circumference at the smallest part between the root-claws 

 aod breakings of its branches, and that too at a place where it 

 seems to be sound. Another Oak, not far from the above, is 

 20 feet in circumference at the waist. This is also healthy, and 

 like the former would imply a belief that it had been one of the 

 beheaded ones. Another Oak is 19 feet in circumference, but 

 is less healthy and sound-looking than the other; this also 

 has the appearance of having been beheaded. Another same 

 size of last, but more healthy — in fact sound, and does not 

 appear to have undergone the ordeal the others have. Another 

 Oak, a little way from the last, is 24 feet in circumference at 



about 5 feet np, and the top healthy and fine. This is a moat 

 remarkable tree. As the measurements are all taken at the 

 smallest parts within reach, it will be easily seen that larger 

 dimensions could easily have been given. Another Oak a little 

 way from the carriage road measures 31 feet in circumference 

 at 2 feet up, but it is only fair to say there were a number of 

 excrescences on the bole, which gives greater dimensions than 

 ought to be the case, but it was a remarkably fine tree, for it 

 would seem to be quite 16 or 18 feet in circumference at the 

 height of 20 feet or more, and this without any of the swellings 

 alluded to ; its top healthy. Another tree near the last nearly 

 as large. Besides the above we noticed a Sweet Chestnut 

 with a fine straight bole, the bark of which had the common 

 spiral twist or ribbing. This fine tree was 18 feet fi inches in 

 circumference at .5 feet up, where the bole was clear of all pro- 

 tuberance, and it must have been of large dimensions at 30 feet 

 up. It was a remarkably fine tree, and certainly one of the 

 best I have ever met with of its kind for timber purposes. 



The above trees are all in the park, but there are some fine 

 trees in the pleasure grounds also, notably so in that part of 

 the pleasure grounds detached from the mansion called the 

 Old Pleasure Grounds, an isolated portion of some 2.5 acres or 

 more, which, amongst other riches old and modern, contains 

 a most remarkable Spruce Fir tree, which at one time seems 

 to have lost its leader near the ground, and instead of suc- 

 cumbing to the disaster, to have cut out for itself a new 

 feature altogether, and formed a number of distinct leaders, 

 now like large trees, which issue at various places around the 

 original stock, and have every one the uniformity of seedling 

 trees. The circumference of the largest at about 3 feet from 

 the ground I found to be nearly 14 feet, an unusual size for a 

 Spruce Fir ; besides which it was evident its branches had at 

 times laid themselves on the ground and rooted there, pushed 

 up a fresh tree at their points, their connection with the parent 

 tree still remaining a proof of their being part of it. I may 

 add that the whole seemed healthy and likely to live many 

 years, differing widely in this respect from what we see of 

 Spruce Firs in many places, where they are liable to die at the 

 age of thirty or forty years, or even less. Here we have a 

 specimen with all the stamp and vitality about it of some of 

 our deciduous trees, a marvel in its way. At some little distance 

 from this was a fine plant of a lately-introduced Spruce which 

 we seldom meet with in good condition, which I merely men- 

 tion here to show that the soil suits such things. An Abies 

 Ksempferii was upwards of 8 feet high and as much through, 

 having lost its leader, or it might possibly have been 3 or 4 feet 

 higher. Now when we consider that there are many places 

 where this Conifer refuses to grow at all, even where other 

 choice ones make rapid progress, we are led to think there are 

 peculiarities in certain soils suited to certain plants, and 

 notably so to this. 



We must not omit noticing another fine Oak, which, although 

 appearing to be perfectly sound and healthy, was 2G feet in 

 circumference at the waist, and likely to live many years. 

 Another near to it was about the same in dimensions, but was 

 not BO sound, although still healthy. 



It might, perhaps, not be out of place here to mention that 

 a fine terrace wall bounds the pleasure ground adjoining the 

 mansion of something like 600 feet long, with thirty vases on 

 the parapet wall, all filled with scarlet Geraniums. The walk 

 by the side of this noble wall is 20 feet wide, and likewise per- 

 fectly straight ; but as these features were all described in a 

 former article they need not be rej^eated, neither is it necessary 

 to repeat what was said on the kitchen garden, but in a hasty 

 look over the latter a fine bright-looking Nectarine was pointed 

 out to me by Mr. Cunningham, the very intelligent gardener, 

 as being very good and deserving of more general adoption. 

 It was the Pine Apple Nectarine, a handsome full-sized fruit, 

 of the class coming in at midseason, and certainly a showy 

 one for table. — J. EonsoN. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



I HAVE not seen Garibaldi mentioned in the lists. The 

 following description of it may be of use to some of your 

 readers : — It is of close compact habit, with a good constitution, 

 is a free bearer, and in colour not inferior to Keens' Seedling. 

 In this county (Durham) it is a general favourite ; besides, it 

 is an excellent forcer, and I depend on it principally for my 

 supply. The fruit is of medium size and stands well above 

 the foliage, a great recommendation in a wet season, and it 

 comes ate nto fruit from the plants that have been forced. 



