WakerilVs Nurso-y, Park Place. 661 



It is grievous to see General Conway's buildings all going to 

 decay, with the single exception of the druidical temple pre- 

 sented to him by the inhabitants of the island of Jersey, where 

 he was some time governor ; and the rustic bridge, over which 

 the public road is carried, and under which there is a vista 

 to the Thames. Near the house are some magnificent old 

 trees, particularly a cedar planted by George III., and sup- 

 posed to be the most stately cedar tree in England, which we 

 doubt not may be the case : if any surpass it, it must be some 

 of those at Whitton. The soil in most parts of these grounds 

 is a strong clay, very hard and dry in summer; and yet on 

 this numerous rows of spruce fir trees have recently been 

 planted, a tree which prefers soft soil in a low moist situation. 

 In consequence of this, these trees, though not more than 

 10 ft. high, are covered with cones. Perhaps there is no 

 tree for which the soil and situation are so ill adapted. The 

 Thames, as seen from the Druid's temple, contains an island, 

 which, with the banks and the general outline of both the 

 island and the river, might afford an excellent lesson to land- 

 scape-gardeners in imitating tame rivers in level parks. Park 

 Place has long been celebrated for its lavender plantations, 

 which occupy between 40 and 50 acres. The plants are raised 

 from cuttings, which are slipped oif and prepared by women 

 in the autumn, and bedded in, in rows, in any spare piece 

 of garden ground, where they remain for two years. The 

 ground into which they are to be transplanted being prepared 

 by shallow trenching, or double ploughing, the plants are 

 placed in rows 4 ft. apart, and at 2 ft. distance in the rows. 

 For three or four years a row of turnips or potatoes is grown 

 between the rows of lavender; after which period, or about 

 the time that the lavender plants in the row touch each other, 

 half of them are removed, leaving the field covered with plants 

 4 ft. apart every way. All the culture which is required after- 

 wards, is keeping the soil free from weeds. In a few years the 

 plants touch each other ; and in this state they will remain 

 from 15 to 20 years, according to the nature of the soil i 

 they are then taken up, and the ground cropped for two or 

 three years with turnips and other field crops ; after which the 

 lavender plantation is renewed. The flowers are obliged to 

 be either sold to a regular licensed distiller, or distilled on the 

 premises, on account of the excise laws. The oil from the 

 plantation here is said to be of the best quality; doubtless, 

 from the calcareous nature of the soil. 



The present proprietor of Park Place has built a very 

 handsome boat-house on the river side, and has finished and 

 furnished it interiorly with Elizabethan and Dutch fittings up 



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