30 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jnly 8, 1875. 



the same way : the exception proves the rule, and so with that 

 which prescribes young plants. Trollope's Victoria bears as 

 well if not better on three and fonr-year-old plants than on 

 young ones. The walks in the kitchen garden were edged with 

 slate about 1 inch thick on the edge, and while looking very 

 neat afforded no harbour for slugs. Mr. Ingram had also a 

 capital plan for filling up the spaces on walls with Pear trees 

 when trees had become worn out. He had raised a number 

 of seedling Pears, and when these had been tried and found 

 worthless they were planted against the wall in the place where 

 the old trees were, and then grafted right up, so that in a very 

 short time a tree was formed and then the old one was taken 

 away. I may here mention that I saw near here the other 

 day some Apple trees grafted in a similar way all over instead 

 of, as is the usual plan of being cut down and the stump 

 grafted. As the soil is heavy some vegetables require to be 

 grown in a peculiar way. The Potatoes were planted on ridges 

 in single rows — a modification of the plan so often adopted in 

 the wet climate of Ireland and called the lazy- bed system ; bnt 



these are not beds, but simply ridges. In the same way Aspa- 

 ragus was grown in ridges, and thus an easy method of forcing 

 in the open ground can be adopted by filling up the spaces 

 between with fermenting material. I recollect seeing some- 

 thing of the same kind adopted at Montronge near Paris. 

 The houses and vineries were all in excellent order. Plants 

 do not, however, form a feature in this establishment, those 

 being cultivated only which are adapted for decorative pur- 

 poses, during which they undergo such a system of ill-treat- 

 ment aa requires all the skill of the gardener to resuscitate 

 them. 



In the reserve garden were to be found many of the once- 

 despised herbaceous plants, which are here fostered and petted. 

 And here let me subjoin a list of some of those which I noted, 

 and which Mr. Ingram spoke highly of. Some of them were 

 in bloom, others had passed, while some had yet to declare 

 their beauties. Erodinm manescavi, Schrevriekia podolica (very 

 early, white Arabis-hke flower), Potentilla Donberi (white), 

 Arum variegatum, Geranium subcauleseens (deep rosy crimson, 



Fig. 6.— Belvoie oastlb. 



dark centre), Cerastinm arvense, Veronica pectinata (very 

 dwarf), Iberis euperba, Iberis jucunda (very lovely). Campa- 

 nula Boldanella flore-pleno, Lithospermum Gastoni, Spirsea 

 fihpendula, Alyssum Wiersbeckii, Alyssum argenteum, Linaria 

 alpina (Alpine Toadflax, very pretty). Rhododendron prtecox, 

 Erigeron grandiflorum, Viola striata, Epimedium pinnatum 

 elegans, E. rubrum, E. striatum, Dodecatheon gigantenm, 

 Doronicum caucasicum, Polygala chama^buxus (pale lemon 

 and bright yellow, very fragrant), Gentiana verna and aeaulis, 

 besides many others well known and extensively used in most 

 gardens where herbaceous plauts are cultivated. 



Mr. Ingram spent some weeks last year in Norway, of which 

 he gave an interesting account in a contemporary. In a small 

 nook he has brought together some of the spolia op'nna of 

 his journey, including Sedum evense, Salix polaris (the small- 

 est tree perhaps known), Betula nana, Thalictrum alpiuum, 

 Arenaria prostrata, Viola bicolor, Saxifraga cotyledon, A-o. 



I have given but a very imperfect idea of the peculiar cha- 

 racteristics of this princely residence. I have not dwelt on its 

 architecture or its entourage, except only as it bore upon hor- 

 ticultnre ; and have bnt to add that from Mr. Ingram I re- 



ceived the utmost courtesy and kindness, and to Mrs. Ingram 

 I am indebted for the clever sketch of the garden on the slopes. 

 —P., Deal. 



THE PEUNING OF PEAB TREES. 



I WISH to enter my protest against the barbarous and un- 

 natural system which is now so prevalent of pruning bush Pear 

 trees with the shears in the same manuer as is practised with 

 Yews and Portugal Laurels. This practice, besides being most 

 injurious, as I cannct but think, to the health of the tree, 

 exposes only a small surface to the influence of the sun and 

 air, and much diminishes the area from which a crop may be 

 expected. In my opinion, as the result of several years' expe- 

 rience, a thinning-out of the centre of the tree so as to admit 

 plenty of sun from above, combined with a judicious and 

 moderate shortening-in of the side shoots, is the proper modo 

 of culture. 



A mulching or top-dressing in the spring, and, if thought 

 necessary, an occasional root-pruning, may also be resorted to ; 

 but the grand point is allowing the sun to shine into the 



