^'OTember 9, 1871. 3 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



361 



being upwards of 20 feet long and as thick as one's thnmb; 

 and the frnit has been, and ie, very fine and of the first quality. 

 No fire is need except in damp weather to prevent decay and 

 a little while the bunches are coloaring, bet with plenty of air, 

 and that is the reason why the Grapes are like Damsons. 



In winter the house is used for Camellias, Oranges, and other 

 half-hardy trees and plants in pots and tubs, from which it is 

 merely necessary to keep the frost, and this is easily done by 

 means of two large boilers, which will efficiently heat the four 

 rows of 4-inoh piping carried down each side and one end. 

 Directly under the pipes on each side are tanks running the 

 whole length of the house ; these receive all the water from 

 the house. The accompanying sectional sketch will give a little 

 idea of the form and arrangement inside. 



.s'^ 



Section of large Vinery, 

 a. Gravel. e, c, Stone table. f, e. Vine border 



6, b. Stone path. d, d. Ventilators. ;', /, Tanks. 



A want has long been felt for something easier and less 

 dangerous than the five ordinary ladders that have been in nse 



Section of Ladder. — Height from gravel to platform 19 feet. 

 till the commencement of the present season. This want has 



Ease of Ladder.— Length 8 feet 6 inches, 

 at last been supplied by an elegant iight wrought-iron ladder 



on wheels, in form like the house itself. A distance of 3 feet is 

 allowed from it to the glass up the sides, gradually rounding, 

 off to 6 feet from the exact centre of the house, where it is fur- 

 nished with a platform, giving ease and comfort in the working, 

 and at the same time diminishing the labour nearly one-third.. 

 The wheels run against an iron ledge. 



There are now eighty-three Vines in all growing in the out- 

 side borders, some of them with two, three, or more rods. The 

 number of varieties has been reduced to twenty-six, some of-- 

 which are grafted on the older plants. The varieties grown 

 are Frankenthal, Black Hamburgh, Black Prince, Mill Hi'.l 

 Hamburgh, Dutch Hamburgh, Aramon, Muscat noir de Jara,. 

 West's St. Peter's, Muscat Hamburgh, Lady Downe's, Alicante, 

 Black Tokay, Black Monukka, Bspiran, Barbarossa or Gros 

 Guillanme, Madresfield Court Muscat, Mrs. Pince's Muscat, 

 Royal Ascot, Muscat of Alexandria, Chasselas de Fontainebleau,. 

 Golden Hamburgh, Chaouch, White Nice, Denbies Trebbiano,. 

 Backland Sweetwater, and Raisin de Calabre. — W. S. 



A GAEDENERS HOLIDAY.— No. 2. 



On my way to the north I stayed for a day or two at New- 

 castle, and, of course, the first and most natural inquiry for a 

 gardeiaer to make was for the best gardens in the neighbour- 

 hood, but I found that gardening was not carried on with much 

 spirit. There are two or three small places well kept, within a 

 short distance of the town, and Sir W. Armstrong, whose private 

 house is about two miles and a half from Newcastle, has had 

 the grounds adjoining his residence at Jesmond laid out with 

 much taste. There are here ranges of hothouses, numerous 

 but very inconveniently placed, and likely to give the gardener 

 a good deal Qf extra trouble in attending to them. The exotie-- 

 fernery is of a somewhat original construction, but the roof is 

 too low, so that some noble tree Ferns have not space enough, 

 to develope their fronds. The internal arrangement of this^ 

 house consists of artificial rockwork, disposed in a very effective- 

 and natural manner. Of course, in a house of this description 

 nearly all the plants are planted out ; even a bell-glass is not 

 admitted to protect such choice subjects as Todea pellucida and 

 superba. The Killarney Fern was tiriving in a shady position 

 sheltered by projecting rockwork. Specimens of the best cul- 

 tivated species were planted out in crevices and under pro- 

 jections of artificial rock ; others were festooned overhead. 



Crossing the pubUc road from Jesmond, we come to Jesmond 

 Dean. This also belongs to Sir W. Armstrong, and is open to 

 the inhabitants of Newcastle. It is an extensive ravine through 

 which a brook winds, on each side of which is a broad walk 

 running along the base of the somewhat precipitous banks. It 

 is very wild in places, and in keeping with the surroundings. 

 Patches of native Heath and of American plants have been in- 

 troduced ; and in conspicuous positions, sheltered by surround- 

 ing rocks, some choice coniferous trees have been planted. It 

 happened to be a wet day when I visited here, but under more 

 favourable circumstances Jesmond and Jesmond Dean are well 

 worthy of a visit. 



From Newcastle it is half an hour by railway to Tynemonth* 

 where' there is nothing of interest to the practical gardener. 

 For the botanist, however, there are specimens. A day spent 

 in walking from Tynemouth to the Marsden rock and baol'^ 

 would be one never to be forgotten. Starting to walk from the 

 mouth of the river on the south side, we come to extensive 

 quarries whence the Tyne Commissioners are taking stone to 

 build large piers on each side of the river. Near the edge of 

 the quarries, and growing abundantly, is the Burnet Rose, Rosa 

 spinosissima ; farther along the coast and on the top of the 

 rooks is to be found Genista tinotoria, Thalictrnm majne, 

 and a white variety of the common Bell-flower, Campanu'a 

 rotundifolia alba, also the white and yellow Melilot, Spergularia 

 marina, and abundant in moist shady positions is the eommcn 

 Scurvy Grass. Following the coast for three or four miles we 

 come to Marsden rock, celebrated (when the coast guard wbb 

 less effective than it is now), as being the best place on tie 

 coast for unloading brandy, tobacco, and other contraband goodf ^ 

 which were landed high and dry under a huge projecting rock. 

 A circular hole yet remains, cut through at least 20 feet of 

 solid rock, through which the packages were passed, as tie 

 readiest means of landing them on the top of the rooks. Heie 

 the botanist will find Betonica officinalis ; the Black Horehound> 

 Ballota nigra; also Euphorbia exigna, and Helminthia eehi- 

 oides. Other uncommon wild flowers are' likewise to be found 

 in the neighbourhood, such as the Salvia verbenaoea, the wild' 

 Sage or Clary, and Diplotaxia tenuifolia, at Tyneciouth Castle ; 



