in Somersetshire, Devonshire, and Part of Cornwall. 531 



With respect to the place generally, it was certainly, as we 

 have stated, in excellent order; but, notwithstanding this, the 

 open garden department was by no means in such high keeping 

 as the plant houses. There was not, for example, the same 

 proportion of care bestowed on the beds of the flower-garden, to 

 keep all the ground covered, and yet all the plants within 

 proper bounds ; to remove all the decayed flowers, and all the 

 seeds and fruits that are not naturally ornamental ; to tie strag- 

 gling plants into shape ; to prune and thin the branches of indi- 

 vidual plants so as to insure an even distribution of blossom 

 buds; to thin out groups, beds, and strips, so as not to allow 

 common shrubs or other plants to injure the more rare ones; 

 and not to allow any plant standing in dug soil, and conse- 

 quently coming under the character of gardenesque, to touch 

 another plant, at the same time keeping it just about to touch. 

 We have said that the edges of the walks are kept low, and so 

 they are generally; but we pointed out on the spot some defi- 

 ciencies in this respect. The order and keeping of the kitchen- 

 garden were defective in several points. We would have blanks 

 filled up in kitchen crops, as well as in flower beds, and the 

 edgings to the walks kept as perfect in the one department as in 

 the other. We have mentioned these things to show that, if, in 

 our former notice of Cowley House, we omitted to point out 

 some of its beauties, we were also equally culpable as to its 

 faults; these, indeed, are exceedingly few, and such is our 

 opinion of the gardener, Mr. Griffin, that we know they need 

 only be pointed out to him to be corrected. 



Sept. 7. — Mamhead ; Sir Robert Newman, Bart. We omitted 

 in our former notice to mention the name of the gardener, 

 Mr. Willis, an excellent cultivator, as the state of his fruit trees 

 testifies, and one of the earliest correspondents of the Gardener's 

 Magazine. We ought also to have noticed a number of fine 

 standard magnolias on a terrace-bank in front of the hothouses 

 in the kitchen-garden. The trees are upwards of 20 ft. high, 

 and with heads from 20 ft. to 30 ft. in diameter. Like all the 

 other old standard magnolias which we have seen in Devon- 

 shire, they would be greatly improved by having all the weak 

 straggling branches thinned out. The same power of roots 

 remaining, there would be great additional strength thrown into 

 the remaining branches by this thinning; and hence a greater 

 number of flowers, and more vigorous young shoots, would be 

 produced. We have already mentioned the portcullis being 

 in good repair, as contributing to destroy the illusion of an old 

 castle applied to modern purposes; but, if we had taken time to 

 develope the idea properly, we ought to have objected to the 

 new and fresh appearance of the walls and towers, and, indeed, of 



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