318 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



[ October 26, 1871. 



over the pipe hole, and over that again firmly pack some animal 

 carbon. You will now make two lids of the two cask-heads, 

 nailing them on with leather bindings, and tack some extra 

 stont felt, with a deep flounce of the same, all round. I covered 

 all my outer cask with double felt, and then rendered the ice- 

 safe fit for human eyes by a coat of cheap red cotton cloth. 

 The last operation is to stufi all the space around the mouths 

 of the inner and outer cask with felt clippings, covering them 

 from view by a piece of cloth tacked on. — Eos. — {English 

 Mechanic and iro7ld of Science.) 



POSSINGWORTH. 



The Seat of Louis Huih, Esq. 



The elegant mansion of Poasingworth stands upon one of 

 those commanding eminences so frequent in the Weald of 

 Sussex. The position is well chosen, overlooking a most mag- 

 nificent landscape, which is expansive, but not flat or tame, as 

 ihe lower part of it is beautifully undulating, sweeping down- 

 wards and outwards in the most picturesque manner, and 

 rising again in the distance, till it meets the boundary line 

 formed by the bold uplands of the South Downs. Midway in 

 the field of view, and standing well back on either hand, are 

 high turf-clad banks crested with trees, sloping downwards to 

 a fine sheet of water, in a bold yet irregularly wavy outline, 

 the beauty of which is much enhanced by the introduction of 

 occasional admirably arranged groups of trees. Possingworth 

 and its gardens are very beautiful, seeing it as I did in all the 

 richness and beauty of one of those luxurious days when sum- 

 mer is gliding into autumn. 



The house may be said to be quite enclosed by the dressed 

 grounds. The carriage drive sweeping past the north front is 

 so beiutifnlly kept, as are the lawns through which it passes, 

 that the eye is at once attracted by the exquisite neatness. A 

 steep irregular bank springs from beside the drive to a con- 

 siderable height upwards, its highest part having a dense mass 

 of Eirs growing there, sheltering the house, and, doubtless, 

 forming an admirable background to it when viewed from the 

 valley. On the west side the chief features are, a conservatory, 

 whence a flight of steps leads on to a broad terrace walk with 

 vases raised upon pedestals along its outer edge, and a lawn in 

 fine order, level, and belted by a walk fringed on both sides with 

 bright masses of flowers in beds ; thus, while there was much of 

 brightness here, an air of repose prevailed from the unbroken 

 expanse of turf. This efieot, and the way in which it was pro- 

 duced, impressed one as being worthy of attention, repose in 

 gardetiesque scenery being frequently difficult to attain satis- 

 factorily. 



The flower garden by the south front is also in connection 

 with a terrace of handsome proportions. The flower-beds are 

 few in number, simple in form, and of large size. They are 

 upon turf, and are raised very high in the centre, forming a 

 garden of a peculiarly massive and dignified character. They 

 were well filled, the plants being beautifully graduated from 

 the high centres downwards and outwards. Some of the beds 

 were surrounded by a novel and pretty belt, consisting of two 

 outer rows of dwarf Box edging planted closely side by side, 

 and enclosing a compact band of Vinca major elegantissima, a 

 foot wide, of a beautiful clear pale yellow, The Vinca was 

 kept as dwarf as the Box, two more rows of which immediately 

 succeeded on the inside, then came a band or path of gravel 

 2 feet wide, with another double line of Box enclosing the bed 

 itself. 



Apart from the principal flower garden were numerous well- 

 filled beds, borders, and vases, all rich with summer's various 

 charms. In one long border a collection of herbaceous plants 

 is being gradually formed, this will in time be a very interesting 

 and attractive feature. I would commend this plan to the 

 notice of those who lament the sacrifice of many an old fa- 

 vourite to modern caprice. 



A Boee garden of a somewhat quaint and formal aspect con- 

 nects the flower garden with a shrubbery, to the east of which 

 are the kitchen garden and the glass houses. The Kose garden 

 consiats of a stiies of long unbroken borders, not straight, but 

 in the form of a gentle curve. They are upon sloping turf, in 

 tiers one below the other; between every two borders, and 

 rtmning parallel with them, are low clipped Laurel hedges to 

 shelter the Roses from the effects of high winds. 



It was a treat to walk through the glass houses at Possing- 

 worth. No trash, no plants sufiering from neglect, poor culture, 

 or overcrowding meet the eye, but everything betokened the 



most painstaking care and skilful supervision. I was glad to 

 see evidence on all sides of Mr. Eeid's fondness for cone-shaped 

 plants ; to my mind no form is so symmetrical and elegant. 

 The collection of Azaleas trained to this form, and clothed 

 with foliage of a most healthy green, was a refreshing sight.. 

 A number of flne AUamandas were also so trained, and I 

 noticed two fine specimens of the charming old favourite Ehyn- 

 cospermum jasminoides laden with bloom for the second time 

 this year, the plants having flowered freely in March. The 

 plant houses and pits were well placed in a compact block, 

 and the vineries and Peach houses ranged along south walls. 

 These structures are well btiilt, and had suitable fittings and 

 excellent internal arrangements. 



Of the Grapes which most attracted my attention were 

 some deep-coloured bunches of Alicante, well shouldered and 

 thoroughly finished, Bowood Muscat extremely fine, and Madres- 

 field Court Muscat. Mr. Eeid has this last fine kind grafted 

 on a variety of stocks, planted in different houses. The 

 bunches of it were of a useful, medium size, and the berries 

 were large, well-coloured, and altogether fully developed ; but- 

 there was the cracking or bursting of many berries, a blemisb 

 which aft'ected every bunch more or less. None of the various 

 stocks upon which it was grafted seemed to have much influ- 

 ence in checking this serious evil. Of the plants of it which 

 I saw bearing fruit, there were some upon their own roots, 

 others were grafted upon Dutch Sweetwater, Eoyal Muscadine,, 

 and Frankenthal, upon which last there did not appear to be 

 so many faulty berries, though they were not entirely absent. 

 Every means had been unsuccessfully tried to prevent the 

 cracking. It was not supposed to arise altogether from too 

 much moisture in the borders. I particularly inquired about 

 that. If there was a superabundance of sap it was checked 

 by cutting a deep notch in the wood both immediately below 

 and above the bunches. A few of them to which this treat- 

 ment had been applied with severity bore tokens of suiier- 

 ing therefrom in the small size and pale colour o'f the fruit. 

 Can a reason be given for this, or an effectual remedy be sug- 

 gested ? Eemember, it is not to Vines in the hands of a 

 novice that this has occurred, but to those under the care of 

 an experienced, energetic, clever man, who has given the matter 

 his most earnest attention, applying every remedy that he 

 thought likely to succeed, but without avail. My own idea i& 

 that a border containing a larger quantity than is usual of 

 crushed bones, broken bricks, and coarse gritty matter, and 

 elevated well above the surface of the surrounding soil, would 

 best suit a variety liable to be so affected. 



In looking over new gardens like these, one is disposed to be 

 more critical in the survey than when seeing old-established 

 places ; or rather, I should say, one is more keenly on the out- 

 look for lessons of usefulness which may be applied to future 

 practice. My visit was far from being a barren one in this 

 respect, and while refraining from entering upon details which 

 it would be wrong to make public without permission, I may 

 safely venture to promise to keep no useful hint from the 

 readers of " our Journal," but to introduce all such lessons in 

 any future articles upon which they may bear. — Edwaec 



LUCKHUEST. 



BULBS. 



In the ** Botanists' Repository " of Andrews, pnblished about the 

 beginning of the centni-y, there are plates of a vast number of Cape 

 bulbs, the names of which are not now to be found in nnrseiymen's 

 catalogues, but which appear to be very desirable acquisitions. The 

 greater number seem at that time to have been in the collection of Mr- 

 Hibbert at Clapham, and nowhere else in this country. What has 

 become of the Hibbertian collection ? If it has been dispersed, has it 

 fallen into any nurseryman's hands ? Andrews figures a number of 

 clwarf Gladioli that would be admirable for pot work, one of them a 

 lovely blue. He also has plates of a number of tuberous-rooted Gera- 

 niums with yellow flowers ; among these is one named r-adicans- 

 Van Houtte has one in hia catalogue under this name, but it is rosy 

 pink, not yellow. — K. I. N. 



KENDLE'S PLANT PKOTECTORS. 



I HEALLT must apologise for appearing again before jour 

 readers, but I cannot allow the remarks made by your corre- 

 spondent, the Kev. C. P. Peach, to remain nnchallenged. He 

 says my protectors were fixed in the corridors of the Inter- 

 national Exhibition. It is true a few of the specimens were 

 fixed there, but I was allowed by the Eoyal Commissioners to 

 erect large working protectors in the garden of the anneze* 



