REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GARDENS. 297 



instead there is an air of quietness and repose about the entire 

 •estate which assures the visitor of a pleasant welcome. 



The fruit and vegetable gardens are admirably arranged and in 

 them were growing an assortment of both fruit and vegetables of 

 select and good kinds, all of which were in a very healthy and 

 flourishing state, showing good cultivation, care, and attention. 

 The soil is so heavy and retentive that P^nglish gooseberries find a 

 very congenial home here, and are grown quite as well as in their 

 native country. 



The glass structures are three vineries in five divisions, and four 

 plant houses in six divisions. Vineries Nos. 1 and 2 are planted 

 entirely with Black Hamburgs for early forcing, and for the past 

 six years have given excellent crops of well finished grapes. No. 

 3 is a Muscat house planted four 3'ears ago with Muscat of Alex- 

 andria and Golden Queen, which are now in full vigor. No. 4 is 

 also a Muscat house, six years old ; No. 5 is a late house planted 

 with Lady Downe's, Black Alicante, and Alnwick Seedling. The 

 vine roots are all inside, for Mr. Allan does not believe in outside 

 borders for foreign grapes in a climate like ours. The borders 

 are about four feet deep, and from twelve to eighteen inches is 

 filled in with broken brick, stones, and any other article suitable 

 for drainage. Over this is placed about thirty inches of the top 

 sod of a rather heavy soil tending to clay, mixed with charcoal to 

 keep it open after the fibrous roots of the grass have decayed and 

 been taken up by the vine roots. This is all the nourishment 

 given except wood ashes, either mixed with water, and sprinkled 

 on the surface or scattered over it dry. Wood ashes, besides the 

 feeding qualities of the potash, contains from thirty to forty 

 per cent, of lime, to which vine roots are partial. This is Mr. 

 Allan's statement of his treatment of the grape vines ; of his 

 success as a grape culturist, we need no other proof than the fine 

 •clusters which from time to time he has placed on our exhibition 

 tables. There have been none better. 



In a span-roofed house, the first of the six divisions of the 

 plant houses, Cyclamens are grown on the south side. On a visit 

 there, December 29th, we found them in a very promising state, 

 with a show for a great production of flowers, and by the middle of 

 February they will be in perfection. The varieties in this flower 

 are very numerous. A few in blossom at the time of our last visit 

 were beautiful, varying in color from a pure white to a deep 



