642 Notes on Gardens and Country Seats : — 



edgings, which have an exceedingly good effect. Indeed, we do 

 not know any edging which looks better, or is more suitable for 

 flower-beds on the entrance front ; and none is cheaper, either 

 in the first formation, or in after-keeping. Among the 

 flowers. Wall's seedling georgina was pointed out to us as 

 being the only variety of this splendid flower which is sweet- 

 scented. Mr. Wall is a nurseryman at Uxbridge. The 

 young ladies here amuse themselves by cutting off the de- 

 cayed flowers, for containing which they have very neat deep 

 baskets of wickerwork, painted green. No amusement can 

 be more appropriate, or more effective in making the flower- 

 garden look well ; and we wish we could see the practice 

 universal. Some ladies, however, who pretend to admire 

 flowers, will suffer decayed roses, dead leaves, and seed pods 

 to remain on plants under their drawing-room windows. We 

 sincerely wish that we could infuse a greater taste for order 

 and neatness into all such persons. The kitchen-garden 

 was the object of the greatest interest to us at Stoke Farm, from 

 its being under the management of our early, and now too 

 seldom seen, correspondent, Mr. Oldacre. As we expected, 

 the crops of every kind were excellent. We were particularly 

 struck with the great breadth devoted to late peas, which 

 looked so remarkably well, that, considering the extraordi- 

 nary dryness of the season, we could not help asking Mr. 

 Oldacre if he had any particular method of watering them ? 

 His answer was, that he never watered them at all after 

 they were above ground : he sowed them in the bottom of 

 drills 6 in. deep, filled the drill half full of soil, and then gave 

 such a thorough soaking of water as to saturate all the soil 

 under and about the seeds. After this he fills in the re- 

 mainder of the earth ; and, the whole compartment being now 

 dry in appearance, he rolls it quite smooth with a heavy roller, 

 and gives no other culture of any kind, till the peas are fit to 

 stick. Among the wall fruits, Mr. Oldacre pointed out 

 Salter's improved Moor Park apricot. He also remarked 

 that the violet hative nectarine was better than the elruge, 

 as the latter is apt to wither and become insipid when fully 

 ripe. The green gage plum always cracks on a south wall; 

 and Mr. Oldacre therefore prefers an eastern exposure for 

 this delicious fruit. He has raised a new seedling scarlet- 

 fleshed melon, with a smooth silver skin : the plant is a great 

 bearer, and the fruit is of superior flavour. Early cucumbers 

 are grown here and at Stoke Place, in an improved form of 

 M'Phail's pits, on trellises, about 4 in. under the glass ; the 

 trellis being about a foot above the soil. By this plan they 

 can be more easily managed in the winter season : there is 



