16 Observations on several 



oversight, or want of skill, in the outset, a great expense has 

 been incurred in the building of walls, hot-houses, sheds, &c., 

 and all to little or no purpose. The place was in tolerable 

 keeping, considering the little assistance that was allowed to 

 the gardener; but the present proprietor, I believe, is not 

 distinguished for auy great love of horticulture. 



Norman Court, the Residence of Baring Wail, Esq. — July 3. 

 This is an extremely well kept place ; the gardens and grounds 

 generally indicating that no small degree of attention is be- 

 stowed upon them : but, indeed, under the care of such an 

 intellio-ent man as Mr. Hughes, with anything like a moderate 

 share of support, they could not fail to present a scene of 

 order and neatness. Here 1 saw some remarkably fine clusters 

 of white muscadine grapes, far surpassing any I have before 

 observed, either in point of handsome cluster or large berry. 

 Mr. Hughes has got a peculiarly good method in managing 

 his Alpine strawberries, by which he retards their bearing to 

 August, when his crop is fit for the table, and continues so to 

 the middle of November. This he accomplishes by plucking 

 off the first and second show of flower-stems, and allowing 

 the third to come to perfection. To prevent the rain from 

 splashing the dirt upon the fruit, flint stones are closely laid 

 underneath the foliage, which not only keeps the fruit dry and 

 clean, but, I doubt not, accelerates its ripening. In connection 

 with the flower-garden, which is tastefully laid out, and well 

 stocked with a choice collection of showy and rare plants, 

 there are some very romantic walks leading through the 

 woods adjoining the mansion, whence, occasionally, a beautiful 

 peep of rich country opens to the view, varied by the thickly 

 wooded rising ground to the west. The stove and conservatory 

 are well filled by a goodly number of excellent plants in high 

 health and keeping. The Cactus family is well managed. 

 Mr. Hughes succeeds in flowering; Cereus truncatus better 

 than I have generally seen it, and at almost any season of the 

 year. He places the plants immediately under the glass roof 

 of the stove, where they have light and heat in abundance; 

 and, having various sets of them in preparation, he thus obtains 

 a prolonged season of this beautiful flower. 



July 5. Batts, Esq., has a small place on the west 



bank of the Avon. The gardens here possess very little to 

 attract, with the exception of some good fig trees in full bear- 

 ing, and a house of superior black Hamburgh grapes. The 

 frames contained a good crop of melons, many of them very 

 large. In the pleasure-grounds I observed some very fine 

 specimens of cedars, larches, and pines. 



After leaving this place, I called at Colonel Baker's, in 

 Salisbury ; a place which, before entering it, one might sup- 



