Jane 13, 1S6J>. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICtrLTTTRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



449 



to the Government that a body to be called the Army "Works 

 Corps should be formed out of these stalwart sons of toil ; 

 and the suggestion was at once adopted at the War Office. 

 It is due to them to say that the superior condition of our 

 army at the close of the war was in a great measure due to 

 the assistance rendered by the body raised on the suggestion 

 and from among the labourers employed by^ Sii- Joseph 

 Pax ton. 



In 1854 a, seat for Coventry had Ijeoome vacant. Sir Joseph 

 was then in the height of his fame, and it was almost a 

 matter of course that a man in his position should enter the 

 House of Commons. He offered himself to the electors on 

 extreme liberal principles, and was elected. He has held 

 the seat undisturbed, but continued ill-health induced him to 

 inform his constituents that at the next election he should 

 not request the renewal of their suffrages. 



He remained at his residence of Eockhills, next the Crystal 

 Palace, but though his declining strength had for a long 

 time inspired serious alarm among his friends, latterly it 

 had somewhat improved. On the occasion of the recent 

 flower show he entered the Crystal Palace for the laot time, 

 and before the public were admitted endeavoured, as was 



his wont, to review the whole display; but he was not able 

 to accomplish a journey round all the stands. During the 

 past week or two his state became gradually more pre- 

 carious, and at eight o'clock of the morning of the 8th inst., 

 he expired. 



Sir Joseph followed the profession of an architect and civil 

 engineer from the time when he constructed the great glass 

 building in Hyde Park ; but he did not relinquish his posi- 

 tion at Chatsworth. Sir Joseph Paxton was happy in having 

 won the esteem and friendship of many of the greatest and 

 best in the land, who were glad to assemble in a briUiant 

 circle as his guests at Eockhills. But he was happiest in 

 the constant esteem and love, often and truly expressed, of 

 the late Duke of Devonshire. Some time before his own 

 death his patron handed to Sir Joseph Paxton a life policy 

 for ^630,000, upon which he charged himself to pay the pre- 

 miums for Sir Joseph's benefit. This princely gift was the 

 last of many others; but on the accession of the present 

 Duke Sir Joseph had still a firm friend in the Lord of Chats- 

 worth. Sir Joseph was a Fellow of the Horticultural Society, 

 1826 ; of the LiunEean, 1833 ; and in 1844 he was made, by 

 the Emperor of Eussia, a Knight of the Order of St. Vladimir. 



CASTLE KENNEDY PIG. 



The Castle Kennedy Fig, of which the annexed figure is a 

 faithful representation, has existed at Castle Kennedy, in 

 Scotland, for upwards of a century, but how it came there, 

 or what was its origin, are matters on which we have no 

 reliable information. It is supposed that at some early 

 period a former proprietor received it from the continent, 

 but whether this was so, or 

 whether it is a chance seed- 

 ling, is not known, but there 

 can be no doubt that it is 

 quite distinct from any other 

 variety in cultivation in this 

 country. The great dis- 

 tinguishing feature of this 

 Fig in its remarkable earli- 

 ness. It ripens more than 

 a fortnight before the White 

 Marseilles, which is the only 

 early variety worth cultivat- 

 ing, and as a forcing Fig it 

 also surpasses every other for 

 the rapidity with which it 

 can be brought forward. The 

 fruit from which our present 

 engraving was taken, and 

 which was forwarded to us by 

 Mr. Fowler, the skilful gar- 

 dener to the Earl of Stair, at 

 Castle Kennedy, was taken 

 from a tree which was begun 

 to be forced on the 20th of 

 February last, and the fruit 

 was ready for use in May. 



The fi-uit is of the largest 

 size, turbinate or somewhat 

 obovate. The skin is of a 

 pale dingy brown on the half 

 nearest the eye, and of a 

 greenish yellow on the half 

 towards the stalk, and the 

 brown part is mottled with 

 ashy grey specks. The flesh 

 when fuUy ripe is of a dull 

 opaline colour with the 

 slightest tinge of red towards 

 the eye, very melting, and of good flavour, 



Mr. Fowler 



'The Castle Kennedy Fig, when grown alongside the 

 White Marseilles, planted out and treated in every respect 

 in the same manner, is about a fortnight earlier than the 

 latter, fully three weeks earlier than the Brown Turkey, and 

 more than a month eaiEer than the Brunsvrick. 



" The importance of this will be apparent to those in- 

 terested in the cultivation of Figs, not only for early 

 forcing, but also for out-door cultivation, as it may be e.x- 

 pected to ripen in cold and unfavourable localities where 

 Figs have not heretofore been grown. In our wet and cloudy 

 climate (Wigtonshire), it has ripened out of doors on a 



standard, and always ripens 

 on a wall having a south- 

 east aspect, early in August. 

 " When within a few days 

 of being ripe, a clear honey- 

 looking substance, of exqui- 

 site flavour, commences to 

 drop from the eye of each 

 fruit. When quite ripe this 

 substance becomes some- 

 what viscid, hanging like an 

 elongated dew-di-op, from half 

 an inch to three-quarters in 

 length, clear as crystal, giving 

 a very remarkable appeai'ance 

 to the fruit. 



"At page 428 of Thb 

 Journal of Hoeticulttjee, 

 Dr. Hogg, in addressing the 

 Scientific Meeting of the 

 Eoyal Horticultural Society, 

 held on the 30th ult., in 

 speaking of the Castle Ken- 

 nedy Fig, says : — ' The fruit, 

 as would be seen, v.as very 

 fine, and, instead of reqmr- 

 ing four months to ripen 

 when forced, it would do so in 

 two, which was a very great 

 recommendation.' Owing to 

 my cramp writing, or some 

 other cause, an error has 

 arisen which I am anxious 

 to have rectified — it should 

 read three montlis instead of 

 'two months.' 



"The fruit of the Castle 

 Kennedy Fig which was be- 

 fore the meeting was com- 

 menced to be forced on the 20th February. The first ripe 

 Fig was gathered on the 27th April ; the first dish on the 

 23rd May : thus proving that when forced early it can be 

 ripened in about thi-ee months. The Figs here are planted 

 out in a border in the inside of the house, and all treated 

 in every respect in the same manner." 

 Taking it altogether — its size, earliness, and fine hand- 



