334 Notes on Gardens and Country Seats : — 



contains all the hot-houses and pits. In the two last we found 

 excellent crops ; particularly of pines and grapes. The grapes 

 grown here are almost entirely the Muscats and Frontignans ; 

 of one white variety of the latter there is here one of the only 

 three plants which are believed to be in England. The grapes 

 are round and of a large size, and the flavour is exquisite. We 

 hope Mr. Rogers will send cuttings of it to the London Horti- 

 cultural Society. As the Frontignans are known to produce 

 crops only in soil where the bottom is perfectly dry, and the soil 

 not deep ; and, as the bottom here is a dry chalk, the crops are 

 abundant every year. Indeed, we never saw such crops before 

 of this grape. There are also many Cape, Australian, and other 

 green-house plants, in the open air, which are found to stand the 

 winter with Httle or no protection. Among these are Ferbena 

 chamsedrifolia, Calceolaria bicolor, Lobelm fulgens and speciosa, 

 and several acacias, metrosideroses, melaleucas, psoraleas, &c. 

 The kitchen-garden is large, and is surrounded by an excellent 

 wall, with coping projecting about 6 in. ; it is covered with ad- 

 mirably managed trees loaded with fruit. The entire garden 

 seemed without a single weed or dead leaf. The whole of the walled 

 flower-garden and pleasure-ground scenery was also in the most 

 perfect order, with the exception of the sinking in of the sur- 

 faces of some of the flower beds and gravel walks, and the deep 

 and harsh edges consequently produced. These defects will, of 

 course, be remedied the ensuing winter. We have only to add, 

 what we can never sufficiently commend ; viz., that this place is 

 at all times open to all the decently dressed inhabitants of Bland- 

 ford, and to all other respectable persons. The grassy terraces, 

 called the cliff" walks, are scenes of extraordinary dignity and 

 beauty. Besides the views of the river, the park, the country 

 beyond the bridge, and the town of Blandford, they display in 

 the foreground some fine specimens of exotic trees, and of yews, 

 boxes, and hollies ; the surface of the ground was in some places 

 covered with vigorous plants of scolopendrium, and in others 

 with beds of native violets and primroses. In spring the whole 

 of the native woods of this place must afford a rich treat to the 

 botanist, and lover of native flowers. The box, which here 

 attains a large size, seeds itself, and young plants are rising 

 up by thousands : the same will soon be the case with rhodo- 

 dendrons and azaleas. There are a spruce fir 1 1 ft. in circum- 

 ference at 4 ft. from the ground, and about 70ft. high; some 

 very large and beautiful Oriental planes, purple beeches, acacias, 

 cedars, arbor-vitaes ; and a very large catalpa, now covered with 

 flowers, with a trunk 1 8 in. in diameter. Mr. Rogers has an 

 excellent librarjr, including both our Magazines from their com- 

 mencement. We only wish that he would be a more frequent 

 contributor to them. 



