452 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ December 8, 187fc 



carried about, so that we might well expect the plant to crop 

 tip in all directions. Mr. Lowe says that it is now to be found 

 everywhere in Funchal below 500 feet. — (Nature.) 



CHATSWORTH.— No. 2. 



The kitchen garden is across the park, and at a consider- 

 able distance from Chatsworth House; it is very extensive. la 

 addition to the fine crops of vegetables on all sides, the ranges 

 of glass houses and their contents are a most interesting and 

 instructive sight. Many of them rest against the cross walls 

 which intersect the garden at regular distances ; but there are 

 other ranges and separate houses near th6 entrance to the 

 gardens first claiming notice. The first in order of these is 

 the Amherstia house, containing the large plant of Amherstia 

 nobilis. The plant, I was told, had produced this season 

 nearly a hundred of its gorgeous racemes ; it certainly ought to 

 present an appearance of uncommon magnificence when in 

 flower to compensate for its very dull aspect at other times. A 

 variety of Pitcher Plants growing in thi3 house were very fiae, 

 especially Nepenthes Hookeriana and RafHesiana. Here was 

 also a striking group of the large-leaved Theophrasta imperialis. 



In pleasing contrast to the dullness of this house, the Victoria 

 house strikes one a3 a peculiarly light and attractive structure ; 

 its contents were all objects of interest, and every plant was in 

 fine health. Of course, the regal Lily in the central tank is 

 the first object for which one looks ; the foliage was good, but 

 there were no very extraordinary flowers visible at the time of 

 my visit, September 1st. Some fine specimen Achimenes, in- 

 termixed with Ferns and dwarf Palms, formed a graceful and 

 attractive margin to the L'ly tank. The rippling cadence of 

 the water fallieg on the little revolving wheels, which are 

 ingeniously made to constantly agitate the water in the tanks, 

 has a novel and pleasing effect. Growing in the corner tanks and 

 around the sides were fine pUnts of the huge-leaved Caladium 

 esculentum, Nympbaaa dentata ; Nymphaii stellata, with blue 

 and yellow flowers; Nymphaja Devoniana, with deep pink 

 flowers; the singular pendent Eush-like Bunapartea juncea; 

 the beautiful Pandanus utilis ; CleroJendron coccineum, a 

 perfect mass of bright scarlet flowers ; and Nelumbium spe- 

 ciosum, with deep green peltate foliage borne on long slender 

 stalks. The building is 68 feet long by 48 feet wide ; it has a 

 ridge-and-furrow roof, supported by light iron pillars, which 

 are painted blue and white. 



Tue New Holland house is about 100 feet long by 30 wide. 

 Some Fuchsias trained to the roof, and laden with flowers, had 

 a pretty efftct. The body of this house was filled with mag- 

 nificent specimen hardwooded plants ; some Heaths, pictures 

 of health, must have been quite 5 feet in diameter ; the Azaleas 

 and Camellias"were also very fine. 



A drive leads past this house to Lady Paxton's villa ; it was 

 covered with the white spar for which Derbyshire is so famous. 

 From its chaste appearance this material is admirably adapted 

 for walks in many parts of ornamental grounds ; in the flower 

 garden some caution must be exercised in its use, but among 

 the greenery of shrubs it is very effective. A winding flower 

 border on one side of the drive struck me as contrasting very 

 favourably with the formality of the ordinary straight ribbon 

 border. All the borders were planted with much taste ; one of 

 eight rows was particularly fine ; the front row was Cerastium 

 tomentosum, the second Lobelia speciosa, the third Golden 

 Pyrethrnm, the fourth Iresine Herbstii, tho fifth a variegated 

 Veronica, the sixth a brown Calceolaria, the seventh Stella 

 Pelargonium, and the eight Cineraria maritime. 



A span-roofed stove contained a fine collection of plants, 

 such as Clerodendrons, Dracasnas, Caladiums, a fine Allamanda 

 nobilis, the pretty- Meyenia erecta, Bougainvillea glabra laden 

 with its pretty pink bracts, and the beautiful Echites rubro- 

 venosa climbing under the roof. Next this were two very light 

 houses of a similar form, used principally for forcing Vines in 

 pots. Some Cucumber plants were being started in one house 

 for a winter supply, and in the other were Kidney'Beans in 

 pots, the young plants being just visible above the soil. Thes6 

 useful houses are also employed for forcing Strawberries and a 

 variety of other purposes. 



Of the other miscellaneous houses, an old stove contained 

 gome fine plants of Pandanus elegantissiraus and javanious 

 variegatus, and in a greenhouse were some immense pyramidal 

 Azaleas 8 feet high, and a very fine stock of healthy young 

 plants of large-flowered Pelargoniums trained to the usual flat 

 surface, also a fine batch of Primulas. 



Turning now to the vineries, the Vinos in the early house 



were already pruned and in readiness for work. In the next- 

 house were the Vines from which were cut the Grape3 that 

 were exhibited at Oxford. The young wood of these Vines was 

 not particularly large, but it was thoroughly firm and well- 

 ripened, with plenty of fine plump buds ; the foliage was large 

 and very healthy. There were plenty of bunches still hanging 

 to show how fine the crop must have been. The varieties were 

 Black Hamburgh, Black Prince, and Mill Hill Hamburgh ; the 

 last-named kind had magnificent well-shouldered bunches of 

 very large deep black berries, which had that hammered appear- 

 ance usually developed in well-grown Grapes of this class. 



In the first of the lean-to ranges, which I was told were 

 about 200 feet long, the first and second houses were both 

 wholly occupied with Black Hamburgh Vines, all carrying a 

 splendid crop of high-coloured fruit. The third division was a 

 mixed house of Black Prince, Cbarlesworth Tokay [Muscat of 

 Alexandria], small in bunch but fine in berry, and Frankenthal 

 with magnificent bunches splendidly coloured. In the fourth 

 house were more fine bunohes of Frankenthal^ Eoyal Vineyard 

 with tolerably large bunches and with very vigorous wood, 

 some very fine Black Tripoli, and some excellent examples of 

 the delicious Black Frontignan. Frankenthal appears to be 

 a favourite here, for in the fifth house it was in full force with 

 immense bunches splendidly finished. Black Alicante also 

 had a grand crop of fruit, and Lady Downe's was equally fine : 

 its wood of the current year was very stout and vigorous. The 

 sight of these fine houses of Grapes was a treat, the condition 

 of the Vines, and the very fine crops which they bore intact 

 when I saw them, were most satisfactory. The sixth and 

 seventh divisions were early and succession Peach houses, with 

 a healthy lot of trees ; and the last house was a mixed vinery., 

 the sorts being principally Muscats. 



In the next range, which is a new one, the first and second 

 divisions contained flourishing young Peach trees planted in the 

 borders, and a number of Fig trees in pots. The third division 

 is an orchard house ; the trees, which are Peaches and Necta- 

 rines, were planted in the border at regular distances, thus 

 forming a plantation all through the body of the house. The 

 form of the trees was that of a tall bush ; all of them were 

 very healthy, and bearing full crops of very fine fruit. The other 

 division of this range is a Plum house, with trees of a similar 

 form, and disposed in the same way as the Peaches ; the crop 

 of fruit was so abundant that many of the branches were bend- 

 ing beneath their luscious load. Some Apricots trained to the 

 back wall had also been cropping well. 



The third range presented as interesting a sight in fruit-culture 

 as any in the garden, in the two enormous old Peach trees which 

 occupy a large compartment of upwards of 100 feet in length. 

 The trees are trained to the roof, one of them has a spread of 

 fully 50 feet, and the other is larger still ; I did not measure 

 them, but I am confident I am within bounds. Both were in 

 robust health, and well furnished with young wood from the 

 bottom upwards; they also had an even crop of fruit, not so 

 large, perhaps, as that on some of the younger trees, but quite 

 large enough to be useful for furnishing hundreds of dishes 

 for table. 



In another range in the first division there were splendid 

 young Vines with some fine fruit ; the sorts were Muscat of 

 Alexandria, Gros Colman with fruit of an extraordinary size, 

 and Black Alicante fine. The second house also contained young 

 Vines equally vigorous. With the exception of an even crop 

 of Muscat of Alexandria, the Vines in the other divisions call 

 for no special mention. 



Several ranges of fruiting and succession Pine pits contained 

 a magnificent lot of Pines ; in one, especially, there was a batch 

 of Cayenne all with very fine fruit. The whole of the plants 

 appeared to be as clean and vigorous as could be wished. All 

 the pits had simple sliding sashes about, 9 or 10 feet long, and 

 they are overlooked from raised platforms at the back of each 

 range, so that it will be understood there is no door nor passage 

 to any of them. In fact, their appearance is just that of ordi- 

 nary brick pits, very different from the costly glass structures 

 for this purpose so frequently to be met with, yet I very much _ 

 question if the grandest modern Pine house ever contained a 

 better average crop of fruit than was to be seen in these very 

 humble-looking but most efficient pits. 



Taken as a whole the fruit-culture under glass at Ohatsworth 

 merits the highest praise, for not only were the crops of all 

 kinds of fruit most abundant, but from the^ way in which all 

 points of excellence were developed it was evident that skill of 

 a very high order had been brought to bear upon their manage- 

 ment. This remark applies with equal force to every depart- 



