EDITOR'S NOTE 



MR H. W. WARD, the author of the present volume, 

 has been during almost his entire life actively engaged in 

 various branches of gardening practice. His early train- 

 ing was obtained in the gardens of the Earl of Mansfield, 

 at Scone Palace, Perth; of the Earl of Portarlington, at 

 Ems Park ; of the Duke of Athole, at Blair Castle ; and 

 of the late Earl Sydney, at Frognall, Foot's Cray. Mr 

 Ward also gained experience in the nurseries of Messrs 

 Drummond, and Messrs Dickson, of Edinburgh; in the 

 Fort Prospect Nurseries of Limerick ; and in the nurseries 

 of Messrs John Laing of Forest Hill, and of Messrs 

 Dickson St Turnbull of Perth. He was for twenty-five 

 years head gardener to the Earl of Radnor at Longford 

 Castle, Salisbury, and during that period he designed and 

 supervised numerous alterations and extensions of im- 

 portance Mr Ward, whilst at Longford Castle, raised 

 several varieties of fruits and vegetables which have since 

 become well known to commerce, and was a very constant 

 prize-winner at leading shows; obtaining also several 

 medals from the Royal Botanic Society, and gold and 

 silver Knightian medals from the Royal Horticultural 

 Society. 



For a great many years he has been a frequent con- 

 tributor to The Gardener's Chronicle and other papers, and 

 is the author of several little practical guides to garden 

 work. 



The Editor wishes to express his thanks to Canon 

 Ellacombe for permission to obtain photographs of two 



