330 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTOBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 27, 1870. 



remarkably well, arid gives access to the grounds on the oppo- 

 site side, on whioh the gardens, the subject of the present 

 paper, are placed. A carriage road from the highway and 

 town of Dalkeith leads in another direction, while surrounding 

 the noble pile grounds are judiciously laid out in that style of 

 natural ease becoming a place where so much of rural comfort 

 is united. No cutting up the lawn into petty insignificant 

 flower beds, where the occupants could be eaBily guessed at 

 as so many dozen, but large open spaces, intersected by corre- 

 sponding masses of shrubB and trees, the whole being remark- 

 ably well kept. One side of the grounds slopes down to the 

 river by a natural and agreeable incline of 50 or 80 feet ; while 

 on the opposite side is the carriage entrance and a fine lawn, 

 sufficiently extensive to exercise a battalion of infantry, yet it 

 is machine-mowed. Some fine trees form the boundary of this 

 open lawn, and join with others flanking the river. Turning 

 one's eye3 in another direction one sees still nobler trees cloth- 

 ing the opposite bank of the river ; and as the garden is in 

 that direction, I crossed by the bridge and passed along the walk 

 which intersects the woody ravine, noticing here and there Oaks 

 and Silver Firs toweiiog above shrubs of various kinds, which 

 have been planted to assist the undergrowth, while on the rocky 

 eminences grow Ferns and other graceful plants. On ascend- 

 ing the hill, after a walk of some distance, one finds himself 

 in the vicinity of the gardens, whence Mr. William Thomson 

 has at various times sent forth such examples of skill ; and 

 from what I saw, there seems to be no reason to expect that 

 Buch will cease. 



Large, noble, and exceedingly well managed as the garden 

 is, there is one thing wanting to give it that imposing appear- 

 ance which it ought to have, and that is a suitable approach — 

 an approach which would convey to the beholder an adequate 

 idea of its vastnese. I know it is impossible to have such an 

 approach from the nature of the ground, and it is also a fault 

 to be found in most gardens, There are few places where the 

 kitchen garden and forcing department have a sufficient air of 

 dignity and compactness, the cause of this too often being that 

 the place has been added to from time to time, and an incon- 

 gruous whole is the result. Perhaps one of the best examples 

 of a contrary desciiption is the garden at Belvoir Castle, Lei- 

 cestershire. But it must not for one moment be supposed that 

 I say the garden at Dalkeith presents a want of uniformity or 

 design : on the contrary, it is in this respect one of the best I 

 know, but being placed somewhat high, and there being no 

 higher ground commanding it, the various ranges of houses 

 and pits, and the brilliant flower borders and other fine adjuncts, 

 could not at one view give an idea of the grandeur which it 

 actually possesses. I will, therefore, take it in detail, and, 

 whilst surprised at its treasures, perhaps one cannot regret 

 being unable to see the outline of the whole at once. 



I have said the character of the country about Dalkeith is 

 somewhat hilly, and the kitchen garden and its appurtenances, 

 including, by-the-by, a large space of dressed ground, occupy a 

 plot of table-land or terrace, the garden part being level, or 

 nearly so. The principal kitoben garden, a parallelogram, is 

 ! situated about the centre of this plateau, while to the north there 



Fig. 1. 



1 Lobelia speciosa, with a single plant of Centanrea candidissima in the I 8, Gazania splendens, with an edging of Cerastium on the straight side 

 ' centre. 2, fccarlet Geranium. I . next the main walk. 



is a similar space nearly as large, almost entirely covered with 

 glass structures. Another garden, with plasB against the south 

 wall, was southwards of the main kitchen garden, and to the 

 south, again, a Rose arbour divided this plotfrom a lawn occupied 

 by some thriving Conifers. Still farther to the south, and on 

 what may be called the edge of the terrace Bloping to the south, 

 was an orchard of mixed fruits, while a large plot of kitchen 

 garden extended along the west side of the whole, enriched 

 with tastefully-arranged flower borders ; and on the east, 

 which may be called the approach Bide, a large extent of lawn 

 extended over the edge of the hill facing the river, and com- 

 municated with circuitous walks leading to the Palace. The 

 whole may be summed up as comprising three or four parallel- 

 ograms of equal length adjoining each other, with their long 

 sides to the south, their surroundings on the weet and south 

 sides being kitchen garden, reserve ground, and orchard ; while 

 on the east side is a large plot of dressed ground, with flower 

 borders, See., the lawn extending a considerable distance down 

 the hill until it meets the wood fringing the river Esfe. Taking, 

 therefore, these compartments in rotation, I will begin with the 

 northern one, which, as stated above, is mostly covered with 

 glaBS. 

 In a garden so renowned for its forcing it may be supposed 



that an extensive area of glass is devoted to each particular 

 purpose, and that nothing in the way of orowding would occur ; 

 but I have no doubt that those who have the privilege of seeing 

 these houses in winter or early in spring will see every inch 

 of tbem as full as smaller houseB usually are. Of course, in the 

 fine hot weather of the early part of September only the per- 

 manent occupants of these houses were in their places, with the 

 exception of things that were being prepared for other pur- 

 poses, and these were numerous enough. But it is better to 

 describe the outline of the houses first, and then their contents. 

 Unfortunately I did not take such careful notes as I ought to 

 have done, but I may remark that in general the houses were 

 large, or rather long, and being arranged not unlike the streets 

 of a town newly laid-out, their appearance from the high ground 

 to the south-west was imposing, some lean-to vineries occupy- 

 ing the north wall, with a central house of another description 

 undergoing alteration at the lime I was there; while on the 

 south side of these was a row of Pine pits, or rather houses, 

 for there was a path inside of them. These pits bad a short 

 norlh light over the pathway, as will be described hereafter. 

 Another row of pits of the ordinary description ran in front of 

 them ; then again another tier of lean-to houses, lower than 

 the back ones, and another row of pits, the whole presenting a 



