262 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 3, 1878. 
soil, which must be at least fifteen hundred years old, and yet 
is still so hard as to show the annual growth of wood as clearly 
as when it was first burnt, a little of the outside only crumbling 
to the touch. What do the advocates for using charcoal in 
garden soil think of this slow rate of decay ? 
Beauty, brightness, freshness prevailed in the forest; the 
Heather was alive with bees, great cushions of the deep pink 
flowers of Erica cinerea sparkled on many a gravelly hillock, 
whole acres of the lovely Erica tetralix were covered with large 
pale pink flowers, more delicate and refined than those of many 
a rare Cape Heath, while there were such quantities of grey 
Sphagnum as would delight the heart of an Orchid grower. 
On some of the upper slopes beds of the rare Gentiana pneu- 
monanthe with three and four large blue clustering flowers on 
a stem were just expanding into beauty. Lower down, where 
springs of water burst out from the hillsides and occasional 
swamps were seen crowded with mosses, some green, others 
erimson, with various shades of yellow, orange, and brown. 
The Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) in full bloom, every leaf 
a picture in miniature, nestled abundantly among the moss ; 
there were also occasional patches of Menyanthes trifoliata 
(the Bogbean), but I was too late to find any of its exquisitely 
feathered white flowers, yet it was worth a walk of miles to see 
the lovely clusters of blue Marsh Campanula flowers trailing 
along the edges of the swamp ; and about the centre, quite out 
of my reach, an occasional Cotton Rush still retained its long 
white bearded head. 
Through this natural flower garden I went, pausing occasion- 
ally to watch the cloud shadows sweeping along the wide slopes, 
to admire fine views which kept opening out between the hills 
right across to the lofty South Downs bounding the distant 
horizon. Many a nimble lizard dashed across my path, many 
a curious insect flitting among the flowers tempted me to stop 
again and again, for “the forest” is a regular paradise for 
entomologists as well as for botanists. At length I reach Ash- 
down Park, and soon find the gardens and the gardener, Mr. 
Down, with whom I spent a pleasant hour, seeing and talking 
about matters that will amuse and instruct the readers of the 
Journal when my notes on Ashdown Park and its garden are | 
published. 
Under Mr. Down’s friendly guidance sufficiently far to make | 
my way clear through another portion of the “ forest,” I went 
on to Plaw Hatch, the seat of W. Arbuthnot, Esq., where I | 
found Mr. McBean engaged in the arduous task of converting 
a poor thin soil into a fertile garden, and exceedingly well was | 
he doing it. Like most of the new houses that are springing 
up with such marvellous rapidity in this part of Sussex, Plaw 
Hatch occupies a commanding position, overlooking magni- 
ficent and varied scenery. The building is massive and sub- 
stantial in character, having a carriage court on the north side 
of agreeable proportions to the buildings, to which it affords 
access on the west side, a terrace overlooking a subterrace now 
in course of construction, and on the south side a conservatory 
with a level expanse of lawn and beds well filled with summer 
flowers, and with two exceedingly bold central masses of soft 
rich velvety Coleus. The conservatory was not a large one, but 
it contained some of the best groups of plants I had seen for | 
many a day. Cultural skill of a high order and facility of 
artangement had been brought into play here in a manner that 
is not by any means common. On one hand, some Palms lent 
the influence of their elegant frondage to the gay-flowering 
plants with which they were intermingled ; on the other, two 
or three fine specimens of Coleuses trained cone-shaped with- 
out formality gave richness and warmth to a tasteful combina- 
tion of other foliage plants of more sober hue. These groups 
were only two beds of plants in pots, for there was no staging 
—nothing for the eye to rest upon but the plants; and this, 
when good taste is brought to bear upon the grouping and such 
good plants are used, is, I think, the best mode of conservatory 
arrangement. 
| come now to see us?” 
From the front of the conservatory the sight was a pleasant 
one ; the gay masses of summer flowers in the beds told well 
upon the close-mown lawn, which is level among the beds and 
ascends a slope to shrub beds and borders on the east side, 
forming so excellent a background to the garden as to cause 
one to regret it was not continued along the south side, where 
the lawn is made to ascend several feet by an abrupt slope to 
another level space, where more small beds were planted with 
hardy Heaths and dwarf flowering shrubs. Beyond this garden 
of hardy flowers a path led through more lawn and shrub beds 
to the kitchen garden—a square plot enclosed with substantial 
walls, and well cropped with vegetables, fruit trees being 
planted along the margins of the paths and against the walls, 
all in a flourishing condition ; a large open water tank in the 
centre, concrete paths of tar and sand, firm, clean, and pleasant 
to walk upon in all weather, with a neat edging of tiles, and, 
pleasant sight, no weeds. There was a range of lofty fruit 
houses along the north wall—vineries with vigorous young 
Vines bearing some noble bunches of Grapes of various sorts, 
and all alike good, those of Muscat of Alexandria being espe- 
cially remarkable for the golden colour of the large symmetrical 
bunches. Peach and Fig houses were also satisfactory, every 
tree in flourishing condition, and most of them beginning to 
afford some fruit. 
Outside the kitchen garden, behind the north wall, were 
other houses—a long low span-roofed Rose house, snug little 
houses where late crops of Cucumbers and Melons were just 
being started, and a large stove crowded with plants so well 
grown and so rare withal that one could have spent a day 
profitably among them. I was obliged to rest content with 
a glance at the noble forms of Marantas, Ferns, and grandly 
grown Caladiums, and to admire the tasteful way in which 
every inch of space along the margins of the paths and 
under the side stages was carpeted with a mingled growth of 
Lycopods, Fittonia, Tradescantia, Ferns, Caladiums, and Gym- 
nostachyum. I left Mr. McBean with that pleasant feeling 
which arises from the sight of work well done and energy well 
applied ; and so on to Brambletye, which lay right before me, 
full in sight upon the crest of a hill some three miles off. 
Brambletye has already been so fully and well described in 
this Journal that I have now only to tell how everything about 
the gardens continues to be well done. Mr. Jenks is to be con- 
gratulated upon his fruit crops in this year of scarcity. Nume- 
rous Plum trees on walls were heavily laden with fruit; Pears, 
too, on walls had abundant crops, but the greatest wonder was 
the Peach wall with a simple glass coping projecting from the 
top of the wall, and to which a canvas screen is fastened to 
protect the blossom and tender foliage in spring. Mr. Jenks 
| asserts that he always has a crop of fruit by means of this 
| simple agency, and certainly this year he not only has a crop, 
but enough iruit for two crops; there is the wall 300 feet long 
completely clothed with healthy Peach wood, all laden from 
top to bottom with fruit. Other Peaches under glass were also 
bearing a plentiful crop; the Grapes in the various vineries 
were all good, but the Muscats were superb, one house full of 
huge broad-shouldered tapering bunches surpassing anything 
of the kind I have ever seen. Well-filled plant houses also 
well rewarded me even for the hasty glance that I could only 
afford them, for evening was drawing on apace, and the train 
which Ihoped to catch at Forest Row would soon be due—that, 
however, I was able to dispense with by Mr. Jenks’s kindness 
in driving me back to the old forest again, and thus bringing 
my day’s stroll to a pleasant close EDWARD LUCKHURST. 
A DAY AT SLOUGH. 
“Bur, my dear, sir, you have come at the wrong time ; why 
This was the first question my genial 
host and old acquaintance Charles Turner asked as he welcomed 
me at his charming home the Royal Nurseries. I may reply 
by another question—When can anyone go at a wrong time 
to Slough? What season is there when you will not find much 
to interest you? Winter and summer, spring and autumn, 
there is always some strain of flowers in season which there 
may be seen to perfection. During my September visit Mr. 
Turner’s gardens were looking exceedingly gay. All round 
the house there are beds of Geraniums, Lobelias, Petunias, and 
other pants, and some annuals were yery attractive; these 
were For.u'acas, some of which were semi-double. Thenthere 
was a very fine collection of Phloxes, which always interest 
me. The Cannas reminded me of Battersea Park, and the 
carpet bedding of the Crystal Palace. In one ayenue I found 
a erand collection of Zinnias, and when I turned the corner 
I came upon a splendid collection of Dahlias. These occupied 
half an acre of ground, and consisted of show, bouquet, and 
Pompon varieties. Many of the varieties which I had admired 
at shows I found whole lines of here. Christopher Ridley, the 
finest formed Dahlia yet sent out by Mr. Turner, was magnifi- 
cent, as were also several seedlings sent out by the Rey. Mr. 
Fellowes. 
Mr. Turner showed me also a house 40 yards long filled with 
a grand collection of Bouvardias, and another with Tree Car- 
nations, which are just now coming in. As for Geraniums 
there were many thousands, but my host intends to give up 
