September 2, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



199 



you turned from the terrace and by which you approached the 

 kitchen garden. In front of this ran a canal, and a handsome 

 stone balustrade was continued the whole length of the walk. 

 On the loft-hand side was a wide border, at the back of which 

 was the wall, but this had been most judiciously hid by a line 

 of Thujas, Irish Yews, Liurus, Colohicums, A'C. In front of 

 this was a belt of Rhododendrons, then a row of Kalmias, and 

 the front of the border was filled with Phlox Drummondii and 

 Larkspur. The kitchen garden was well stocked, and in the 

 houses were some pot Vines exceedingly well done, and which 

 had been fruited three years in succession. The croquet 

 ground (although, alas ! croquet is becoming unfashionable) 

 was circular, and surrounded by a thick belt of Rhododendrons. 

 The place was in excellent order. 



At PoLTiMOEE I was kindly received by Mr. Lang, who has 

 lived aa gardener there many years, and who conducted me over 

 the place. It is, as I have said, no way remarkable, but all 

 about it bore witness to the intelligent care of one who evi- 

 dently loved his calling. The Conifers seemed, as were all in 

 this part of the world, in good condition. There is also, which 

 is not unusual in Devonshire, a very fine avenue of Iiimes 

 leading up to the house, which the bees much delight in. 

 Visitors to Torquay will remember the very fine one existing 

 there, and Mr. Lang told me that there was an idea that they 

 were planted as a compliment to William III., the Linden 

 being the favourite Teutonic tree. There were also some mag- 

 nificent beds of Rhododendrons, and in the pleasure ground a 

 very pretty circular rosery planted with all the best Roses. 

 The kitchen garden contained some good houses of fruit. 

 Peaches and Grapes being well done ; and as the soil of the 

 garden is a favourable one, vegetables of all kinds were in 

 luxuriant growth, while there were some of the best pyramid 

 Pear trees that I have seen for some time and well laden with 

 fruit. In fact the whole place, while containing nothing very 

 remarkable, was yet just what an intelligent gardener would 

 make it ; and this is no slight praise, for jnst as it is said the 

 test of a gentleman being well dressed is that you would not 

 notice anything in particular, so in a well-cared-for garden all 

 is well done, and yet nothing may come out very prominently. 



KiLLEKTON, the seat of Sir Thomas D. Acland, differs from 

 the other two places, and has an advantage over them in the 

 beauty of its position and the scenery surrounding it. The 

 house, a plain one, stands at the foot of a hill, with a pleasant 

 park stretching in front of it, the kitchen garden being at some 

 distance from the house. Owing to the peculiar condition in 

 which the property has been the glass has become old and out 

 of repair. Indeed for some years, I believe, the garden was 

 farmed by the gardener, and it is well known how very sue- 

 oessful Mr. Garlind has been in vegetable culture. Here again 

 a favourable soil helped him much. He is also a bee-keeper, 

 and I saw here some of the best-filled supers that I have seen 

 in this sadly indifferent year for bee-keepers. Bat the feature 

 of Killerton is the Deodar valley, and in the course of a few 

 years it will be an unique sight. The valley is perhaps a little 

 more than a quarter of a mile in length, and nearly the same 

 in width. The Deodars are judiciously planted amongst the 

 others which occupy the glen, and as they increase in growth 

 spaces are cleared away for them. Already they make a re- 

 markable feature in the landscape, and it was a happy thought 

 to place them there. The beautiful little chapel in the grounds 

 with its avenue of Deodars leading to it is also a noteworthy 

 object, and the whole place is one of those charming residences 

 for which our island is so famous. — D., Deal. 



DESTKUCTION OF ANTS. 

 Ik our Journal of August I'.tth " Beta " says he has often 

 smiled at the advice given in answer to the question, How to 

 destroy ants? — viz., sugar in a sponge, oil in a saucer; and 

 now I am going to add another means of destruction which I 

 have found perfectly successful on my lawn. One remedy is 

 useful in one case, another in another. For instance, the other 

 day a neighbour asked me bow to get rid of ants that infested 

 his kitchen cupboard. Here neither the slate nor the flower 

 pot would be likely to answer, but syrup of sugar or oil in a 

 eaucer could easily be used. Again, on my lawn close to the 

 windows a slate or a flower pot would be unsightly, even if my 

 numerous "olive branches" would leave slate and flower pot 

 unmolested. But my remedy is free from all these objections, 

 and is simple and easily applied. It is simply liquid manure 

 from the stable. If the first application does not entirely do 

 away with them a second application will complete the cure. 



I have no doubt but liquid manure of other kinds will equally 

 answer the purpose. 



I can corroborate "Beta's" experience with the slate, for 

 the other day, on lifting a flat stone in the garden, I found a 

 strong colony beneath it, but after being disturbed they ske- 

 daddled : so do not lift till you are ready to destroy. Another 

 plan, but which I have not tried, is to put an empty flower pot 

 over their nest upside down. Thoy will build up into this, 

 and it can be taken up with a shovel and handed over to the 

 chickens or young pheasants, or be otherwise disposed of. — 

 H. C. Ripley. 



THE PHLOX AND PENTSTEMON at LEA BRIDGE 

 ROAD NURSERY. 



I HAVE frequently had occasion to recommend the Phlox aa 

 a very valuable easily-cultivated plant for autumn flowering. 

 My reason for doing so baa been founded on the fact that, 

 although it is a fit subject for a royal garden, it may be grown 

 quite as well and to as high a state of perfection by the most 

 humble cottager. 



Its management may be summarised in a very few sentences. 

 First as to propagation. In spring when the young growths 

 are about 2 inches in length, which they will generally be in 

 March, they may be taken oiT and inserted one in the centre 

 of a thumbpot. The pots should then be plunged in a little 

 bottom heat in a hotbed ; the cuttings will soon strike roots, 

 and when a little growth has been made the plants should be 

 potted into 5-iuch pots. The compost most suitable is four 

 parts turfy loam, one leaf mould, and one of rotted manure. 

 A little sand should be added if the loam is not naturally 

 sandy. The plants should be grown in a sheltered position 

 out of doors, and be removed to the greenhouse when the 

 flowers begin to open. When the flowering period is over the 

 plants may then be cut-over and plunged out of doors, or else 

 planted-out at once, for these are the plants that will make a 

 splendid display out of doors the following season. Some of 

 the plants will throw-up a large number of spikes, others only 

 two or three. The last number will be enough to allow on 

 each plant, and it the ground is deeply trenched and well 

 enriched with rotted manure the plants will be certain to give 

 satisfaction. When the stalks are cut-down in the autumn 

 the ground between them should be mulched with frame dung 

 that has been well decayed, when a good growth may be ex- 

 pected the following season ; but cuttings should be taken from 

 the plants in the spring, aa after the third year the old plants 

 should be dug-up and destroyed. The Phlox needs but little 

 attention ; the spikes merely require fastening to a stoutish 

 stick, as they very easily snap-over at the surface of the 

 ground. 



I was induced to make the above remarks after visiting the 

 nurseries of Mr. John Fraser, Lea Bridge Road, where hun- 

 dreds of plants comprising all the best of the old and also the 

 newest sorts may be seen planted-out in beds. Mr. Fraser 

 was good enough to go round with me, and together we 

 selected the following as the very best in the collection : — 

 Riviere, bright salmon, purplish crimson eye ; Mme. Joubert, 

 purplish salmon, carmine eye ; Madame Meuret, rosy lilac, 

 crimson eye ; Josephine Towest, blush shaded, crimson centre ; 

 Deliverance, mauve, crimson eye ; Esperance, deep rose, crim- 

 son centre, each segment of the petals marked with white ; 

 Mons. Thibaut, salmon, purplish centre; White Lidy, fine 

 blush white ; Chanzy, bright rosy purple, small crimson eye ; 

 Menotti, lilac, large white centre ; Rose d' Amour, very bright 

 crimson salmon, darker centre; Coccinea, bright crimson 

 scarlet, very fine variety ; Mdlle. Hermine de Turenne, crim- 

 son, darker centre, splendid spike ; Madame Marin Saison, 

 white, large purple centre ; Madame Rendatler, striped lilac, 

 large flower; Etoile de Neully, white, large crimson centre; 

 Madame la Comtesse de Turenne, white, very fine rose centre, 

 grand spike; Souloque, blush, large purple centre, large 

 flowers; Virge Marie, white, purple eye, fine spike; Mrs. 

 Mitchel, white ; Mrs. Hunter, blush, crimson eye, fine flower. 

 With the exception of the two last-named sorts, all the others 

 belong to the decugsata or late-flowering section, which suc- 

 ceeds best in the south of England. The early-flowering 

 section succeed best in the north. 



Pentstemons are another class of autumn-flowering plants 

 requiring similar treatment to the Phlox, except that the cut- 

 tings are taken from the plants in autumn, and the pots are 

 wintered in cold frames, and when growth begins in the spring 

 the pliuti are potted-off, and th^-y are planted in beds in 



