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JOUENAL OF HORTICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



t October 19, 1871. 



house is of stone, the remainder of brick with stone dresEinge, 

 the window mullions being in all cases of stone. The north 

 and south fronts present a facade of upwards of 200 fest, the 

 other two sides being a little less. The building is also lofty ; 

 the two northern angles are surmounted by domed turrets, 

 which give a commanding appearance. 



The principal carriage entrance used to be on the Bonth side, where 

 a spacious courtyard of some *220 feet square, aU graveUed (more than 

 an acre), would seem to afford space for all comers, -while suitable 

 gates gave access to this enclosure, and the two comers furthest from 

 the mansion were each surmounted by a sort of bastion, in connection 

 -with a subterranean passage. Beyond this court is one of the finest 

 avenues to be met with, not of old, but healthy, middle-aged Lime 

 trees. It. consists of two rows of trees on each side, the distance be- 

 tween the inner rows being '250 feet. The ample space here shown is 

 further enhanced by the conformation of the ground, which starting 

 on a level from the house at length gradually rises to the south so as 

 to present to view the grandeur of the whole, the glades of grass on 

 each side being ample. The entire avenue, about a mile long, is 

 seen from the court above described. The effect is noble, the wide 

 and well-kept carriage road of course adding its share to the whole. 

 The south court has lately been altered, not shorn of any of its im- 

 portance, on the contrary beautified : for it has been found that 

 these railway times hare changed many things, and amongst others 

 ■visitors from a distance invariably travel by rail, and the north front 

 being more convenient of access by rail than the south front, for 

 the latter such a spacious area of gravel is no longer required ; the 

 space has therefore been cut up into panels of turf, one panel on each 

 Bide of the carriage road that passes through the centre, and each 

 edged with a stone kerb, while on each of these, panel beds for flowers 



are also formed — large, bold, well-proportioned beds with plenty of 

 grass space between them. The beds of Calceolarias exceeded in 

 health and vigour anything of the kind I had seen for many years, 

 and justly excited the surprise of two friends by whom I was accom- 

 panied, and who were well versed in the cultivation of this uncertain 

 yet indispensable member of the great bedding-out family ; and the 

 surprise may be still more increased when it is known that these Cal- 

 ceolaria plants were the same as those which Mr. Record described in 

 ! the pages of this Journal as having been wintered out of doors without 

 any further protection than the snow which encased them in the dead 

 months of winter. The variety is, I think, Aurantia, a more robust 

 grower than Aurea floribunda. and I heUeve also older. It was im- 

 possible for anything to exhibit a more perfect state of health — not a 

 1 dead leaf, and no prospect of any lack of flowers during the season, 

 j and, be it remembered, it was the middle of September when I saw 

 I them. I must say I was surprised at their being so healthy, for al- 

 though we have never here (Linton Park), had occasion to complain of 

 Calceolaria disease, it is a long time since we had nearly so good a 

 bloom iu September, and in many places that I have visited this 

 season they had completely gone o2 — not merely ceased flowering, but 

 absolutely were dying from some malady which everyone wanted a 

 cure for. If I were to venture a reason for Hr. Eecord's plants doing 

 so well, I should say that the fresh soil of the newly-made beds had 

 some influence, at the same time the extremely hardy way in which' 

 the plants were reared no doubt caused them to flourish better in their 

 improved position. I can only say I have not seen the same robust- 

 healthy growth and flowering of the Calceolaria iu September for 

 twenty years or more, and I hope if Mr. Eecord can enHghten us. 

 more as to the way to obtain a similar result he will do so. 



The other plants occupying the beds were also good, and consisted 

 of the most popular kinds of Geraniums, as Waltham Seedling and 



Hatfield House — South Front. 



Stella amorgst the scarlets, Christine and "Wiltshire Lass amongst the 

 pinks ; and that perhaps best of all flowering kinds, and one for which 

 I beheve the gardening world is indebted to poor Beaton, Indian 

 Yellow, also had a place. Other kinds there were also, as well as 

 some other bedding plants, but Sir. Eecord very wisely does not 

 attempt to spoil a good effect by that heterogeneous diversity which 

 is often met with elsewhere, for the kinds of plants employed were but 

 few, and no one who saw the effect could wish their number increased. 

 Having described the south court as having been recently converted 

 into a garden, I will nest proceed to one of the oldest flower gardens 

 in thje country, that still retains its original features, and this carries 

 US back to the time of Queen Elizabeth, or rather to the time of her 

 predecessor, for Elizabeth was a state prisoner at Hatfield for some 

 years during Mary's reign. The garden now about to be described 

 was in existence at that time, and the design of its flower beds, as 

 well as other objects about it, cannot well be improved upon at the 

 present day. This garden is situated on the west of the mansion, but 

 not immediately connected with it, as seme of the offices intervene. 



In form it ia a square of about 20O feet to the side, and is therefore 

 about an acre in extent. A circular basin of water is in the centre^ 

 and between the centre and each of the four comers is a Mulberry 

 tree. The four Mulberry trees are reported to have been planted by. 

 Queen Elizabeth. They are alive yet, but, of course, present an aged, 

 appearance, yet, like other old Mulberry trees, they bear well. and. 

 as I proved on my visit, produce good fruit. Some intersecting 

 circles form the principal flower beds, which are also enUvened by- 

 turf and well-proportioned gravel walks. One of the most remarkable- 

 features is a colonnade of Lime trees all round, outside of which is a 

 wall some 8 feet high. The Lime trees have been planted in pairs,, 

 and trained and cut so that no part of them is more than 10 or 12 feet 

 high, forming, in fact, a continuous arcade on all four sides, while the 

 inner or garden side is trained so as to represent twenty arches en a 

 side, there being that number of trees employed. These trees have 

 evidently been planted since the garden was made, very likely to re- 

 place others that might have been there before. The whole, taken in 

 conjunction with the geometric figures of the flower beds and other 



