Highclere. 255 



of several species and varieties of the same genus. If the great 

 woods of the place were to be planted over again, this principle 

 would be more attended to, with regard to the forest trees ; but 

 it must be recollected, that, when these woods were planted, 

 about the middle of the last century, and, indeed, not till near 

 the end of it, there was not, in any nursery in the island, above 

 a dozen kinds of forest trees to be procured, in quantities suffi- 

 cient for making large plantations. 



In a walled flower-garden, on a declivity facing the south, 

 and concealed by wood, are innumerable valuable plants. The 

 exterior of the wall is varied by piers and arches of ivy, the 

 panels between being filled in with choice deciduous climbers 

 and roses. In this garden we found fine collections of car- 

 nations, pinks, and other florist's flowers ; beds of hybrid ixias, 

 and other hybrid iridese, raised by that enthusiastic vegetable 

 hybridiser, the Hon. and Rev. William Herbert of Spofforth, 

 brother to the late Earl of Caernarvon, whose garden has been 

 described by a correspondent. (VI. 531.) We were delighted 

 to find here that Gladiolus natalensis propagates so readily by 

 offsets, that one bulb will produce 100 in a season, which, when 

 well treated, will flower the following year. We trust soon to 

 see it in every cottage garden. Cypella Herbert/, a beautiful 

 ixia-like plant, was in flower. In the plant stove there is a good 

 collection of epiphytes, well grown, especially rhinanthera. 

 Plumier/a bicolor was in flower; and also a large plant of La- 

 gerstroe v m/a indica, besides numerous smaller or more common 

 articles. The crops of grapes, peaches, and pines, in the houses 

 and pits in this garden, were good. To produce a moist heat 

 from hot-water pipes in the pine-pits, Mr. Carton (the very 

 excellent gardener) had them covered with moss, which he 

 watered occasionally with clear water ; and, if we remember 

 correctly, occasionally with horse-dung water, in order to pro- 

 duce ammoniacal gas to destroy insects, and carbonic gas to 

 nourish the plants. The practice of watering with horse-dung 

 water, we believe, originated with Mr. Pillans, late foreman to 

 Mr. Forrest at Syon, and now head-gardener to Lord Ducie at 

 Woodchester Park, near Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire; 

 who, we hope, will favour our readers with an account of this 

 and some of his other new and valuable practices. We observed 

 a number of vines, in pots, raised from the eye the same season, 

 which were expected to produce several bunches of fruit each 

 the next year. The cuttings of the vines are first planted in 

 very small pots, and shifted, as they advance in growth, into 

 pots of larger size, till the latter are, at last, a foot in diameter, 

 when they are placed in large saucers, and fed with liquid 

 manure. The pots are placed at the back of the house, close 

 under the glass, and the shoots are trained on wires down the 



