December 15, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



475 



Sugar-cane, which rather attracted my attention, as I had never 

 seen it in such quantity. Mr. Smith informed me thai he 

 found it extremely useful and easily grown. Smill plants in 

 48-sized pots look particularly graceful. In some other pita I 

 noticed a few Orchids, the Cypripediums being good, also fine 

 plants of Alocasias, Cissus, Adiantums, &o. One span-roofed 

 pit contained a fine lot of Heaths, which I was well pleaded to 

 see, as these plants are such particular favourites. Azaleas 

 were here also in great number and in excellent condition. 

 Pelargoniums, of what are called the btage varieties, were extra 

 good, plainly proving that Mr. Smith is an adept at plant- 

 growing. At the Dublin Horticultural Show the Vice-Regal 

 gardens must show the example, and it is done, many plants 

 being grown for this especial purpose. 



It is for fruits, however, and Grapes especially, that the Vice- 

 Regal Lodge is chiefly famed, there being immense quantities 

 of them required. In what is called the forciug garden there 



is a range of houses 600 feet long, 450 feet of which contain 

 Grapes. It is divided into eight compartments. This is a 

 noble range, having a sort o! curvilinear front, with a short 

 sash behind, forming a sort of three-quarters span, with a back 

 wall about 9 feet high. These houses, or divisions, are all planted 

 «o as to produce a successional supply, No. 1 being the earliest 

 and planted chiefly with Black Hamburghs, No. 2 and 3 with 

 the same. From these the orop had been cat. The Vines 

 appeared to be in fine condition. No. 4 was, again, Black 

 Hamburghs. In this there was a splendid crop, over thirty 

 bunches on each rod, and all well finished. No. 5 was a rather 

 renurkable house, about 70 feet in length, the Vines treated on 

 what is termed the extension system ; three Vines — one at 

 one end, and two at the other — being made to fill the entire 

 house. The rods, seven in number, are trained lengthwise 

 along the roof of the house until they meet in the centre, and 

 right well they looked. The crop waB something marvellous — 



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The Vice-Begal Lodge. 



too heavy I fancied, yet the bnnches seemed to "finish" well. 

 Mr. Smith informed me that last season the crop was equally 

 heavy, over 700 lbs. weight being cut. The rootsof these Vines are 

 all inside the house, and the health, the training, and the genei al 

 appearance of the whole was very creditable. The next house, 

 No. 6, was filled chiefly with late varieties, such as Alicante, 

 Lady Downe'6 — the best of all late-keeping Grapes, Trentham 

 Black, and Foster's White Seedling. The examples of this were 

 excellent ;' it is, however, better suited for early than late work. 

 No. 7 contained Muscats, the king of all Grapes. In No. 8 the 

 Vines have only recently been planted. I observed a good many 

 of Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat, a much over-rated Grape : a 

 good keeper without doubt, and of fair flavour, but far from 

 satisfactory as a cropper. This must give way to Madresfield 

 Court Muscat, of which Mr. Smith had only one example. 

 Royal Ascot was here also. This is a good and useful variety, 



and well deserving of extended cultivation. The other variety 

 in this house was Lady Downe's. 



The Vice-Regal Lodge can boast of having one of the largest 

 Pine stoves to be seen. It is a low ridge-and-furrow structure, 

 44 feet in length, 24 feet in width, and about 7 feet in height 

 to the eaves of the ridges ; these are seven in number. There 

 is a broad walk leading through the centre, thus dividing the- 

 interior into two beds which are filled with tan. In this the 

 plants, which are grown in pots, are plunged. The appear- 

 ance of the house both externally and internally is rather 

 pleasing. The broad path in the centre gives ample facility 

 to view the plants, which can very seldom be done with 

 Pines. Mr. Smith grows his Pines here in all stages — fruiting, 

 succession, and suckers, and they all looked well, there being 

 some very fair fruit. Mr. Smith spoke in high terms of the 

 convenience in working such a house as this, and of its efficiency 



