352 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 3, 1870. 



each tree, while on many the production would be fully 5 barrels, 

 Tears ago, when fruit culture was not so widely extended as 

 now, the produce of this orchard brought an annual income to 

 the College of over 24,000 dols. ; but now, so plentiful and cheap 

 are fruits of all descriptions, that the best terms of sale last year 

 could hardly reach above 100 dols., and thousands of bushels were 

 left to rot on the ground, or fed the hogs. "We estimated at 

 least 5000 bushels of prime fruit upon the trees at the time of 

 our visit, and if it could have enjoyed a market like New York 

 the lowest value we could have placed upon it would have been 

 10,000 dols. It is now a worthless property as a productive 

 investment, and already two hundred trees have been cut down, 

 preparatory to the devotion of the land to other purposes. The 

 ■varieties we noticed most freely grown are the Easter Beurre, 

 Bergamot, Madeleine, President, Bartlett, Beurre Clairgeau, with 

 a few of our most popular eastern sorts. The President Pear is 

 perhaps the most productive of all, the branches hanging down 

 completely covered with specimen Pears of fine size and colour, 

 The Pear, as a fruit, is quite as successful here as the Grape. 

 All varieties do well. The Californian horticulturist has noue 

 of the anxieties we Eastern fruit-growers feel whenever we 

 make our selection of varieties. With us we are fearful of the 

 blight, or anxious as to climate, soil, and popular preferences in 

 the market; but in California the grower sticks his graft upon 

 his tree, or his young shoot into the ground, and in less than 

 eighteen months he has his crop of fruit as perfect and luxuriant 



as heart can wish. Every variety succeeds, and only [needs 

 careful planting and culture. 



We notice that after the Pear trees have grown for ten or twelve 

 years, their full stature seems to have been attained ; they make 

 little or no new wood growth, and seem to stand still, bearing 

 themselves almost to death. Tear after year they bear heavy 

 crops without cessation, and it seems hardly possible they can 

 stand such constant and tremendous strains without sooner or 

 later exhibiting signs of exhaustion. However, most of the 

 orchards are young. We see as yet no signs of decay or wearing 

 out. The old orchard of the College is still a marvelof luxuriance. 



Among these Pear trees are planted some beds of Straw- 

 berries. Time was when a little bed of half an acre yielded an 

 income of 500 dols. per annum, but that time has passed, and 

 now the most they can obtain is but 60 dols. Their berries are 

 large and splendidly coloured. The Wilson, particularly, we 

 would hardly recognise. It has the same shape, but changes its 

 dark red colour into one of brilliant crimson ; loses some of its 

 firmness, and almost all of its acidity. We found it here quite 

 agreeable eating, pleasant and spicy, with but little sourness or 

 tartness. Still it is not their most successful variety. The 

 Longworth's Prolific is far more popular and profitable. 



They begin picking the fruit about the 1st of May, and it 

 continues ripening down to the 1st of November. As high as 

 10,000 lbs. have been gathered from three-quarters of an acre. — 

 {Horticulturist.) 



CASTLE HOWARD, 



The Seat of the Eabl op Carlisle, keae Tobk. 

 No. 1. 



Castle Howabd is finely situated in an extensive park. Dig- 

 nified and majestic in a very high degree, this magnificent 

 building is worthy of its position and its surroundings with 

 which it is in complete harmony. To those at all acquainted 

 with architectural history, Castle Howard recalls a time when 

 many noble mansions were built, in the designing of which a 

 prominent part was taken by its architect, Sir John Vanbrugh, 



poet and dramatist as well as architect. This noble pile forms 

 a fitting shrine for the rare and costly collection of art treasures 

 with which its stately apartments are so richly decorated. The 

 walls are crowded with paintings by many a famous hand,"and 

 I believe I am correct in stating that the interior of the 

 oapola was painted by Antonio Pelligrini, a contemporary of 

 the famous Sir James Thornhill. The south front (fig. 1), is 



Fig. 1.— Castle Howard, south front. 



richly embellished 'with Corinthian columns, statuary, and 

 balustrading, and a fine flight of steps leads up to the grand 

 entranoe, past which sweeps a noble carriage drive in a straight 

 line of half a mile. 



Viewed from this position, overlooking the lake and pleasant 

 undulations of the park, the scenery is very fine. Tae lake 

 IB a magnificent sheet of water, nearly one hundred acres in 



extent, and from all sides of it the park rises gently, swelling 

 into banks, agreeably diversified with finely-disposed groups of 

 noble timber trees. An imp srtant feature in the view beyond 

 the lake is the Mausoleum, (fig. 2), designed by Nicholas Hawks- 

 moor, a pupil of Wren, and an assistant of Vanbrugh's in build- 

 ing Castle Howard. The position is well chosen, and the dense 

 masses of umbrageous foliage on each side, while not approaching 



