1857. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



375 



do it over on a hot sunny day with common boiled 

 oil ; \e<i\e that to dry for a day or two, and then 

 varnish it once or twice with what is commonly 

 termed "hard varnish." If well done it will last for 

 years, and prevent any annoyance from insects. 

 Now is the time for varnishino' such seats. 



For the Nete England Farmer. 



LETTER FROM MR. FRENCH. 



London, England, June, 1857. 



My Dear Brown : — Having to-day attended a 

 Flower Show held by a horticultural society at 

 Chiswick, near London, and having spent most of 

 the day wandering among the varied beauties of the 

 place, it seems to me that some attempt to trans- 

 fer to the columns of our paper the impressions 

 now fresh in my mind, may be worth my time and 

 that of our readers. Chiswick is the name of a beau- 

 tiful seat of the Duke of Devonshire, about five miles 

 from the central part of London. Here, it is said, 

 Fox and Canning both died, and the place has the 

 appearance of considerable antiquity. There is noth- 

 ing in the particular features of it to which I shall 

 allude, that distinguishes it from many other coun- 

 try residences of the nobility of England, but I have 

 thought that a somewhat minute description of the 

 points v/hich struck my eye at first view, might illus- 

 trate the costly and magnificent style with which a 

 wealthy aristocracy are accustomed to gratify them- 

 selves and the public. The public, to be sure, in 

 this instance, will be understood to be used in a 

 somewhat restricted sense, when it is stated that 

 the lowest admission fee to the exhibition, which 

 consisted chiefly of flowers and horticultural imple- 

 ments, was one dollar and a quarter, and they who 

 failed to procure tickets before they came to the 

 gates were charged one dollar and seventy-five 

 cents. Still the grounds of his Grace the Luke 

 were freely opened to all who were admitted to the 

 exhibition, of which number I happened to be one, 

 through the favor of a friend who presented me a 

 ticket. 



Of the flowers, I will attempt no description. — 

 They seemed to me far to surpass anything I have 

 ever seen in my own country. A few hot-house 

 peaches, not equal to many that grow in all our 

 gardens, attracted much attention. Strawberries 

 larger by far than any I have seen in Boston, were 

 upon the tables ; the variety known as the British 

 Queen afforded the largest specimens. The horti- 

 cultural implements, which were thought to be 

 worthy of special attention, can be matched at any 

 agricultural warehouse in Boston. A little ma- 

 chine for mowing lawns, and sweeping up the grass 

 at the same time into a box, would he convenient 

 to us in America, though the prices, which ranged 

 from twenty to one hundred dollars, according to 

 size, might induce an economical Yankee to con- 

 tinue to cut his lawn in the old way until he could 



invent some cheaper machine. The machine is 

 pushed by hand and cuts by knives set diagonally 

 in a cylinder like some of the hay-cutters. 



But it is of the gardens and ornamental grounds 

 that I intend chiefly to speak, to give some idea, if 

 possible, of a nobleman's residence. 



The house is large and low, with no great preten- 

 sions to beauty. Indeed, so far as I have observed, 

 there is not so much attempt at architectural show 

 in dwellings in general in England, as in America. 

 The surroundings of the house are beautiful be- 

 yond anything that we can imagine in our new 

 country. I will only attempt a few features of 

 the landscape that struck me in my hasty view. 

 A broad gravel driveway leads up to the principal 

 entrance. On the one side is a hedge of lime 

 trees, cut square at the top and sides, with the 

 branches interwoven so as to present a nearly solid 

 surface of verdure, some fifteen feet in height. 

 On the other side of the carriage way, at perhaps 

 eighty feet distance, is a double row of lime trees, 

 some twenty feet apart; these two rows are 

 trained across at the top so as to form a covered 

 archway of leaves, forming an arched bower, some 

 twenty rods in length, leading up towards one of 

 the principal windows of the palace, as perhaps it 

 should be called. The limbs of the limes are bent 

 down and fastened with wires, and interwoven at 

 the sides so as to form living walls of some three 

 feet thickness, and as if to show what art could do, 

 another archway, high and broad enough for a car- 

 riage road, is cut across this bower, the whole work 

 being almost as regular as masonry. Near in front 

 are huge dark yew trees, more like our hemlock 

 in color and foliage than any other of our forest 

 trees, though of an irregular, lower and more 

 spreading form. At the end of the vista, between 

 the lime trees, upon a pedestal, is the huge marble 

 or stone figure of a gladiator, and along on either 

 side are busts of ancient sages and heroes. A 

 huge go&t of stone dark with age, probably from 

 some classic model, is reclining in the shade. 



Everywhere, the grass of deepest green, soft as 

 velvet, and almost as even, spreads a beautiful 

 carpet beneath the feet. On the opposite front, 

 the occupants look out upon a lawn, open near the 

 house, but passing into a varied scene of beauty be- 

 yond. A figure of a wild boar, and opposite to this 

 a huge wolf, show Iheir teeth, and almost howl 

 aloud. Two or three gigantic yew trees stand upon 

 the left, with their long, heavy, lower branches 

 resting on the ground. 



Upon the right, nearest the mansion, is a large, 

 irregular group of lofty oaks, horse chestnuts and 

 beeches, and other trees, with swings and ham- 

 mocks suspended beneath them, a pleasant play- 

 ground for children of almost any age. 



Directly in front, beyond a considerable space of 

 smooth lawn, in the midst of a broad walk or drive 



