262 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ October 5, 1871. 



space in front of these eheds is not by any means to be re- 

 garded as backgronncl and rubbish corners, for there are other 

 glass strnctiires equally attractive to company, consisting of 

 lines of glazed pits heated and unheated, and a forcing pit in 

 ■which Cucumbers are to be had almost every day in the year. 

 This pit is span-roofed, and partly sunli in the ground — the 

 entrance at one end — and consists of four ecmpartmente, both 

 Melons and Cucumbers being grown. The pathway is down 

 the centre, and there is a raised bed on each side suitably 

 heated with hot water, and affording a good place for the plarts, 

 for it was about 3 feet or more wide. Other pipes by the sides 

 of the pathway gave the necessary top heat, and excellent crops 

 were the result. Both Melons and Cucumbers were trained 

 against the glass, with the fruit hanging down, that of the 

 former being supported in the usual way by small pieces of 

 netting, and both exhibiting the most robust health. Behind 

 this pit were two large span-roofed plant houses with glass all 

 round ; one of them was appropriated as a plant stove, the 

 other as an intermediate house. The former was fitted with a 

 tank and ample heating apparatus, and contained excellent 

 specimens of the most popular plants usually met with in such 

 places, some for flowering, others for their foliage. One plant 

 which particularly attracted my attention might be said to com- 

 bine the useful as well, for it had a very fine bunch or cluster of 

 the fruit of Musa Cavendishii ; the plant occupied a corner of the 



pit, and was by no means remarkable for size ; on the contrary-. 

 I have seen many much larger, but the fiuit-bunch was certainly 

 a fine one for such a plant. The length of stajk having fruit 

 upon it was 20 inches, the diameter of the cluster 18 inches, 

 the length of the largest individual fruit 8 inches, the girth 

 6 inches, and the total number 162. When gathered in mid- 

 June forty of them weighed 16 lbs. 5 czs., or a trifie over 

 6J czs. each, and a few days afterwards fourteen more fruits 

 were cut averaging over 6J czs. each ; so that it is fair to expect 

 the cluster altogether would exceed 60 lbs. 



The fruit-roc m here is not the mere lean-to shed met with iu 

 many places, but a structure elected for the purpose, and, ■with 

 the exception of one at Knowsley, about the best I ever met 

 with. I forget the construction of the roof, but the house is 

 placed under the shade of seme large trees, and is partly sunk 

 in the ground, two or three steps leading down to the door at 

 one end, and as the ground is very dry this is not attended 

 with any inconvenience. It is a span-roofed building, is ceiled 

 part of the way up the rafter, there are ventilators in the 

 centre, and windows at the north side and at each end, the doo7 

 being at the west end. Tiers of shelves run along each side, 

 and one tier in the centre, with ample pathways, and a fixed 

 table at one end for displaying special fruits. Mr. Bradley 

 would, I believe, like to have more ventilation in the room. 

 He says the openings at top are hardly sufficient to carry ofJ 





Terrace Garden and JFountain. 



all the vapour given off by such a mass of fruit ■when it is first 

 put in, and no doubt he is right. 



Eetracing our steps to the north front of the mansion we 

 have immediately beneath us the terrace flower garden as 

 designed by Mr. Nesfield, with its ample fountains, displaying 

 considerable artistic talent, and surrounded by a series of 

 f eroU beds of good size, and mostly edged with Box and gravel 

 ■walks, to which access is gained by a flight of steps down the 

 correctly-formed slopes and landings frcm the terrace. An 

 open balustrading on the retaining wall separates this symme- 

 trical garden from the park, and the same kind of fence returns 

 round the east side also, where there is also another set of 

 flower beds on the lower level of a different design ; but I ven- 

 ture to think the space enclosed here, in proximity to the 

 mansion, seems much too small and confined, while to the 

 south or carriage front there is ample space. 



The conservatory at the east side of the mansion is a poly- 

 gon, not very large, and united to it by a corridor frcm the 

 drawing-room. In the centre of this conservatory there is 

 nsnally a group of large ornamental plants on a permanent 



bed, while a few also stand around, leaving ample pathway.- 

 edged with stone kerbing. 



The broad terrace on the north side of the mansion exfenda 

 westward in a direct line for some distance, after first descend- 

 ing a few steps to a lower level, terminated at its western ex- 

 tremity by a summer-house of artistic design. This fine walk 

 is 14 feet wide, and at regular intervals standard Soses of uni- 

 form height and size are introduced on the broad turf margins, 

 as are likewise Irish Tews carefully trained to one stem each, 

 and a few flower beds. 



The entrance to the garden is through ornamental iron gates 

 partially gilded, while statuary adorns the sides of the widd 

 steps leading to it, and it is here the fine Tew hedges enclosing 

 the slip also terminate, a neat arch through the hedge giving 

 access to the slip. Continuing my walk westward along this fine 

 terrace path I found that it ccmmnnicates with other walks of 

 a subordinate character right and left. One to the right, & 

 little beyond the western end of the kitchen garden, and at 

 right angles to the main walk, is covered nith an archwork 

 of trailing Eoses, Honeysuckles, Clematises, &c., but mostly 



