April 2, 1871. ) 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE QAEDENEK. 



275 



300 lbs. is ordinarily sufficient for an acre of corn, it will be 

 seen that the manure from one hundred fowls will make com- 

 post enough for live acres. The experiment has been tried by 

 the writer of applying to one acre of corn the manure of twenty 

 hens one year, mixed with swamp muck, in the proportion of 

 one part hen manure and three parts muck, and the result was 

 a better crop than upon an adjoining acre enriched, for the 

 sake of experiment, with a good fair ordinary dressing of stable 

 manure. 



THE OLDEST EXISTING HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



At the centenary meeting of the Nottingham Horticultural 

 Society, held on the 'jaad April, 18C1, it was unanimously re- 

 solved to print the following record of the revival of this 

 ancient Society: — 



The first record found of the revival of this Society is in 

 " AyscQugh's Nottiiujham Couraiit," vol. 35, under date 

 April 4th, 17G1, in which is contained the following advertise- 

 ment : — 



" To ALL Gentlemen and Others who Delight in Floweks. 

 — To revive the Ancient Society nf Flowerists their company is 

 desired to dine at Mr. WiUiam Taylor's at the Eoe Buck, in 

 James's Lane, Nottingham, on Wednesday, the 2'2nd day of 

 April, 1761. There will be a Show of Flowers for the following 

 prizes :— Five shillings for the best Auricula ; the same for the 

 best seedling ; and the same for the best Polianthos." 



The word revive in the above advertisement is printed in 

 italic, clearly proving the Society to have existed before that 

 time. The next advertisement is from the same paper, dated 

 25th July, 1701. 



" All GL'utlemen and others who delight in flowers are desired 

 to meet at Mr. William Taylor's, the sign of the Eoe Buck, in 

 St. James's Lane, Nottingham, on Wednesday, the 5th of 

 August, 1761, being appointed by the Society for the Carnation 

 Show, and are desired to bring with them what rarities their 

 gardens afford." 



This, it is submitted, proves, considering especially the words 

 " being appointed by the Society for the Carnation Show," 

 that the Society was revived according to the previous adver- 

 tisement, and the Exhibitions have been regularly held from 

 this revival until the present time, and were first held at the 

 Eoe Buck, in St. James's Lane, where, by the same paper, they 

 remained until the year 177.3, when on Mr. William Taylor's 

 removing from the Eoe Buck to the Bull's Head, Middle Pave- 

 ment, in that year, the Society removed with him, and held 

 their Exhibitions there during that year only. This year (1773) 

 likewise, Mr. William Archer was elected President and Secre- 

 tary, and so remained for twenty-three years — viz., until the 

 year 1795. 



The title of the Society from 1761 to 1784 was " The Ancient 

 Society of Florists;" from 1785 to 1828, "The Ancient and 

 Friendly Society of Florists ;" from 1829 to 1845, " The 

 Nottingham Floral and Horticultural Society;" and now, 

 " The Nottingham Horticultural Society," and in union with 

 the Eoyal Horticultural Society. 



BLENHEIM HOUSE. 



THE SEAT OF THE DUKE OF JIAELBOEOUGH. 

 We know of no mansion in England similarly connected 

 with celebrities. Here is believed to have been a Eoman vUla. 

 In Saxon times Alfred the Great resided here, and here he 

 translated Boetius. Subsequent Saxon monarchs were here 

 resident, and some of their laws are hence dated. When the 

 Norman dynasty prevailed it still remained a royal palace. By 

 Henry I. it was recoustructed, and the park enclosed by a 

 wall. Hero Henry II. lodged Fair Rosamond. Here was born 

 Edward so celebrated as " the Black Prince." Here Queen 

 Mary confined her sister and successor Elizabeth. Chaucer 

 lived at Woodstock, looked upon the palace from his garden, 

 and passed to it in his walks down the valley of the Glyme. 

 During all that period and down to the reign of Queen Anne 

 it remained a part ol the Crown domains. She recommended 

 it to be alienated and settled in perpetuity upon the Duke of 

 Marlborough and his heirs. This was sanctioned by Parlia- 

 ment, and it was to be thenceforward named after his most 

 celebrated victory. Blenheim comprises the honour of Wood- 

 stock. The whole is extra-parochial. It is held of the Crown 

 by grand serjeanty, being the presentation at the Castle of 

 Windsor on Ang:ust 2nd, the anniversary of the victory of 



Blenheim, of a French standard. The grant was confirmed by 

 Act of Parliament in 1705, and £500,000 voted to complete 

 the residence. It was completed in 1715, but at a cost ap- 

 proaching to double the sum named. The outlay is said to 

 have been £950,000 ; the kitchen costing £10,000 of that sum. 



Sarah, wife of the great Duke, unfortunately had no tasto 

 for the antique, so she had the remains of the king's palace 

 pulled down and sold the materials. The remains were near 

 Blenheim, and part of them were the Gatehouse in which 

 Queen Elizabeth, when Princess, had been imprisoned, and a 

 part of the world-famed " Rosamond's Bower." They might 

 have been planted around, so as to be highly ornamental. 



Princely as the Palace of Blenheim is, not less so is the 

 domain surrounding it, for the park is nearly three thousand 

 acres in extent, and variously estimated at from twelve to 

 fourteen miles in circumference. Its surface Is naturally 

 well suited for the exercise of the landscape gardener's art, 

 especially in the production of grand eiJects, being marked with 

 bold undulations, and by the deep valley of the Glyme, which 

 now forms the bed of an extensive lake, whilst the extent admits 

 of woods and plantations which would in a smaller space be 

 altogether inadmissible, and of vistas miles in length. The 

 pleasure grounds cover three hundred acres, 160 of which are 

 under the machine and scythe, and the extent of kept ground 

 is probably not equalled at any other place in the three 

 kingdoms. 



We will start from that part of the grounds which lies to the 

 east of the palace, and endeavour to give an idea of their present 

 state and what is being done by way of improvement. Here 

 there is a space of forty acres or more, in which ancient Ivy- 

 covered Oaks, in many instances much decayed, occur at 

 intervals amongst sweeps of Laurels ; and through it runs an 

 avenue terminating with a view of the gate leading to Wood- 

 stock, erected by the first Dachess the year after the Duke's 

 death. Other ways strike right and left in every direction 

 among beds of Laurels kept dwarf with the knife. Deodars, 

 Hollies, and Yews. A view is also gained of the outlet of the 

 lake as well as over the park. To secure these objects the 

 Laurels have been cut much lower than they were formerly 

 allowed to grow, and this is certainly an improvement, as it 

 has been the means of opening-up views which were shut out 

 by dense screens of shrubs. Much has been done by the 

 present gardener, Mr. Temple, in this respect, and one of his 

 predecessors, Mr. TurnbuU, who was famous for his Grape- 

 growing achievements, had before Mr. Temple's time done 

 good work in the same direction. Near this point are the 

 aviaries, principally stocked with Golden and Silver Pheasants ; 

 several fine Cedars are on the left of the main avenue, and 

 a selection of young specimen Conifers have, besides, been 

 planted to give variety. In order to form a continuation, 

 shrubs from all parts of the grounds have recently been brought 

 thither with great labour and planted with an excellent pro- 

 spect of success. Two old Oaks covered with Ivy here form 

 picturesque objects ; and a Uttle further on, where there is a 

 cross avenue, is a Grecian summer-house called the Temple of 

 Health, erected in commemoration of the recovery of George 

 HI. after a visit to Blenheim. Passing onwards we gain a 

 view of the south front of the mansion, but our way lies past 

 its east side, where the flower garden is. This has been 

 entirely remodelled, a number of specimen variegated Hollies 

 introduced as stand-points to give relief to the sunk beds, and 

 these reduced in size by increasing the breadth of the sur- 

 rounding turf. The whole is encompassed by a neat chain 

 pattern in Box. We consider that Mr. Tomple has done 

 wisely in reducing the size of the large beds in the centre of 

 this garden, for these, even as they are, must swallow-up 

 thousands of plants which require wintering under glass, and 

 a vast amount of labour not only there but in the ground. 

 The next important object after passing the eud of an avenue 

 of Elms averaging 100 feet high, running east and west, is the 

 handsome conservatory which occupies the site of the Titian 

 Gallery, which was consumed by fire some years ago. This 

 structure is 130 feet long, and is glazed with rough plate glass, 

 which is found to answer very well. A new edging, a com- 

 position in imitation of stone, has recently been laid down by 

 Messrs. Eosher, and so well is it liked that it is ultimately to 

 be carried throughout the house. At the time of our visit 

 there was an excellent display of Eoses, Cinerarias, Azaleas, 

 Camellias, Primulas, bulbs, &c. 



We now reach the north front of the Palace, and catch a 

 view, a mile off, of the column erected to commemorate the 

 victoriea of the first Duke, and which is 130 feet high. Here, 



