June 22, 1876. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICtlLTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



493 



pillars were principally confined to two spots — -near the Ship 

 and Lobster tavern on the banks of the Thames, and along 

 the Old Dover Road, near the village of Chalk. N )w, how- 

 ever, they are distributing themselves along the Iliwthorn 

 hedges in various directions ; and though by natural habit the 

 species does not seem much inclined to migrate far, the cater- 

 pillars are carried along by the wind oconnioually, and when 

 onoe deposited in the road they will then go " on the tramp " 

 for a good distance. Ordinarily they are so attached to the 

 bueh on which the parent moth has depiaited her eggs that 

 they will gnaw the twigs after the leaves have been stripped 

 rather than quit it ; and I have even observed signs which 

 seem to imply cannibalism, an unusual thing amongst hairy 

 larvse. On mixed hedges, urged by nece-'Rity, some of the 

 caterpillars have passed from the defoliated Hawthorns to Elms, 

 Blackthorns, Maples, and even to a plant so different as the 

 Buckthorn. This indicates an adaptability of habit, which 

 renders it qnite likely the species might turn out to be a 

 formidable foe to our fruit trees. I suppose there cannot be 

 the slightest doubt that on the Continent the Browntail is 

 justly regarded as injurious to fruit culture, but as yet I have 

 Bought in vain for any undeniable modern instances of its 

 doing harm in English orchards. It is curious that though 

 the Moth is so hke its congener the Guldtail (Liparis auriflua) 

 that naturalists might almost mistake one for the other, yet the 

 larvffi of the two are markedly ditJerent in appearance. Liparis 

 auriflua, the Goldtail, too, does not form social nests during 

 the winter.— J. R. S. C. 



STUDLEY ROYAL— No. 2. 



THE SEAT OF THE MARQUIS OP EIPON. 



In the kitchen garden there are very extensive ranges of 

 forcing bouses. Pines are well grown in large lean-to houses 

 similar to those at Frogmore, but after the present batch of 

 succession and fruiting plants have been fruited no more Pines 

 will be grown at Stndley. The plants that are now fruiting 

 are very creditable examples. 



The vineries are very large, and the Vines give evidence of 

 skilful culture. It is quite evident that Grape-growing is a 

 speciality with Mr. Clark, as all the best new and old sorts are 

 grown. One sort that does remarkably well here, but which 

 is a partial failure at many other pUces, is the Black Muscat 

 of Alexandria. This old variety wan renamed Mu"Cat Ham- 

 burgh, and sent out as a new sort by Mr. Snow of Wrest Park, 

 Bedfordshire, about twenty years ago. Oa its own roots the 

 berries do not set well, but grafted on the Black Hamburgh 

 stock it has produced bunches of 5 and 6 lbs. weight, with 

 large, well-set, even-sized berries. It has been tied here ou 

 the Hamburgh stock, on the Royal Ascot, and it is also being 

 worked on the Alicante ; but by far the best stock for it (and 

 on this it is intended to work all that are required), is the 

 Muscat of Alexandria. At the time of my visit the bunches 

 from Vines on this stock were giving promise of grand results 

 this season. Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat has been worked 

 upon Lady Downe's Seedling, but this has not proved to be a 

 good stock for it, and my own experience has been similar to 

 that of Mr. Clark. I worked this variety on Lady Downe's, 

 thinking that it would supersede that excellent late-keeping 

 sort ; it was allowed to fruit for three or four years, and was 

 ultimately removed as a failure. Mrs. Pince ou its own roots 

 does remarkably well. The bunches are large, berries large 

 and well set, flavour very good indeed, but it is not a late- 

 keeping Grape. 



The next is a trio of white Grapes — Golden Champion, 

 Foster's White Seedling, and Buckland S^eftwater. Mr. Clark 

 prefers them in the order named. Golden Champion for ap- 

 pearance and quaUty combined is certainly the best, and when 

 it is well grown no other white Grape except the Muscat of 

 Alexandria is equal to it ; but some of the best growers in the 

 country have tried it and failed to produce good fruit. At 

 Loxford Hall it was grown in three houses, and only in one 

 have we succeeded in growing it well. It was cut-out from 

 the other two houses after three seasons of comparative failure, 

 and in every case the same stock was used — Black Hamburgh. 

 Even in the house where it has done the best many berries 

 have cracked and have also become spotted. As Buckland 

 Sweetwater is grown at Loxford it is certainly the best Grape of 

 the three. It is grafted on Black Hamburuh, and the Vine is 

 in that part of the house where it h'lH the full benefit of the 

 afternoon sun. Many growers prefer Foster's White Seedling ; 

 it is certainly a nsefal white Grape, and well adapted for pot 



culture. Mr. Clark's opinion of the more recent variety, Duke 

 of Buccleuch, ie, that it does not set so freely as Golden 

 Champion. I have been trying to grow it since the month it 

 wai sent out, but it has not yet shown a bunch. 



There are four Peach houses at Studley, and taking them 

 together I do not remember ever to have seen better-managed 

 trees. The wood is regularly laid-in over the trellis, as much 

 as will be required for next year's crop of fruit. Nor are the 

 trees at any time overcropped, and, what is of very great im- 

 portance, the leaves are kept clean and free from insect pests. 

 Seeing that Peaches and Noctarinee were so well grown I was 

 anxious to know what sorts were considered the best, and I 

 may say that very many have been tried by budding on the 

 old trees. Of PeRches the best early sort is Dr. Hogg, next to 

 it comes Royal George, followed by Stirling Castle and Bar- 

 rington. Mr. Clark thinks highly of a seedling he baa raised 

 from Princess of Wales, which resembles Barrington. Of 

 Nectarines, Lord Napier, Violette Haiive, and Pine Apple are 

 the best and ripen in the order of their names. 



Figs are grown in narrow restricted borders and in pots, and 

 they do very well indeed in a low span-roofed house. The 

 old variety Brown Turkey is considered the best and most 

 useful sort. Negro Largo is also an excellent Fig and a very 

 free bearer. A variety named Harrison's Seedling is also an 

 excellent sort for pot culture, and though the fruit is of small 

 size it is of pood flavour. It is of the Singleton Perpetual 

 type. White Marseilles is esteemed for its delicious flavour ; 

 it is also a good forcer and bears well. Gros Verte is also 

 included in the list of good Figs. 



Melon culture as practised by Mr. Clark is rather different 

 from the usual practice. The plants are put out in a bed in 

 the usual way, except that they are mnoh more thickly placed 

 than usual. The plants are then trained to an upright stick 

 about 3 feet 6 inches high, and one or two fruits only are ob- 

 tained from each plant. The plants are also managed so that 

 the fruit does not come in all at once, a small house giving 

 one month's supply. Queen Emma and Victory of Bath are 

 two favourite sorts. The Cucumber house is a low epan-roofed 

 structure, and seems well adapted to the requirements of the 

 plants. They were in very good health and bearing freely. I 

 had an opportunity to examine some of the new sorts which 

 were grown together. Sutton's Duke of Connaught is an 

 excellent sort both for appearance and quality. It will doubt- 

 less be much grown for exhibition purposes. It is of the 

 Tender and True type, and bears considerable resemblance to 

 that variety. Duke of Edinburgh (Daniel's), we thought the 

 least desirable of any. It is a coarse-lookiog fruit, and as 

 there are so many good sorts that have appearance and quality 

 to recommend them this may be omitted. 1 uke of Edinburgh 

 (Monro), is a very useful sort ; the fruit is small in size, which 

 is in its favour as a winter sort. In many gardens a small 

 house is usually devoted to winter Cucumbers, and very often 

 one small fruit is suflicient at a time, and it is very certain 

 that if the fruits are large a plant cannot produce so many of 

 them. Indeed, I know one gardener who cuts half of a fruit 

 in the winter season, and allows the other half to hang for 

 another occasion. Monro's Duke of Edinburgh is just the sort 

 for such a grower. Marquis of Lome was also noted as being 

 a very good variety, Mr. Clark has the best type of it. As 

 I have seen it grown and exhibited it has been quite different j 

 a spurious variety has evidently become mixed with the tru» 

 sort. 



From the forcing honses we take a stroll round the walla 

 and find the fruit trees are clean, healthy, and well trained. 

 There is a good collection of Pears grown as trained trees on 

 walls and as standards. Beurr*; Ranee does very well, but 

 Mr. Clark thinks there are, to use a florist's definition, more 

 " strains" of it than one. It is most likely that the difference 

 in the quality and formation of the fruit is due to the influence 

 of the stock. It has been worked on Citron des Carmes, one 

 of the earhest Pears, but this does not hasten the ripening of 

 Beurrfi Eance. A variety also grown on the wall under the 

 name of Soldat " Desprez " [Soldat Esperen, a synonym of 

 Soldat Laboureur] ripens in October and November, and ia 

 a delicious and very sugary Pear. Pitmaston Duchess does 

 very well on the wall ; the fruit is large, handsome, and of the 

 finest flavour, ripening in November. Forelle, or Trout, is not 

 only a very pretty fruit from its crimson-spotted skin, but it is a 

 Pear of delicious flavour. Bezi Mai is a fine-looking Pear, very 

 late in the season, but it never ripens, and must be classed 

 with stewing Pears. Winter Passe Colmar is also good here 

 This variety was exhibited in January by Mr. Barron from the- 



