September 27, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



253 



previously described, and the trees are planted along the front. 

 It is only two years since they were planted, and the wood made 

 both this and last year is splendid. The principal sorts here 

 are Barrington, Noblesse, Royal George, and Bellegarde. These 

 ranges are all facing the south. 



There are two span-roofed houses with their ends facing 

 north and south. Each is 60 feet long and 30 feet wide. Both 

 are divided in the centre. One division is plant-stove and 

 Melon house combined ; plants are grown in the centre bed 

 and on one of the side shelves. There is a narrow bed on the 

 opposite side to this, and here Melons are grown in summer. 

 The Melons here are treated differently to what they generally 

 are. They are watered constantly at the root from the time 

 they are planted until all the fruit is cut. That this is a good 

 plan the plants and fruit bore strong indications. At the 

 time of our viBit the fruit was all ripe ; many of them had 



been cut that morning. The leaves and stems were spotless 

 green and vigorous; and as to the flavour of the fruit, your 

 report of the Cardiff Show states that Mr. Pettigrew was first 

 for the finest-flavoured Melon, and this same fruit was out 

 from the plants in the damp soil. Mr. Pettigrew has a green- 

 fleshed seedling of his own raising, named Cardiff Castle, 

 which he grows extensively for its large size and superior 

 flavour. 



The next division of this house is Pine stove and Cucumber 

 house combined. Pines are grown in the centre bed and 

 Cucumbers at the sides. Some excellent Queens were swelling 

 here, and robust young Smooth Cayennes gave promise of 

 bearing heavy fruit. Winter Cucumbers were newly planted. 

 Telegraph is the favourite here. The next house, the same 

 size as this and in two divisions, is wholly devoted to Grapes. 

 All the Vines are young here, many of them not in full bear- 



Fig. 50. — Cabdiff castle. 



ing yet. Their health and strength is all that need be desired, 

 and the fruit they are bearing this year is fine in every respect. 

 Black Hamburgh and Black Alicante are the leading sorts in 

 one division, Foster's Seedling and Muscat of Alexandria in 

 the other. One side is wholly planted with Foster's. Mr. 

 Pettigrew speaks and thinks highly of this Grape, and certainly 

 he manages it well. Other pits and frames are devoted to 

 young Pines, Melons, Cucumbers, &c. 



Bottom heat is, as a rule, considered absolutely necessary to 

 mature both Melons and Cucumbers, but Melons especially. 

 In a pit here, with a bed in the centre and a row of hot- water 

 pipes around the outBide of it, there are both Melons and 

 Cucumbers grown without bottom heat. There are no means 

 of heating the bottom, and no fermenting material of any 

 kind is put in — nothing but the soil, and that iB not renewed 

 every year. Last year Melons and Cucumbers were grown in 

 the same plaoe ; the soil in whioh they were was never cleared 

 out. Young plants were again planted in it this season, and 

 the produce, both in point of quantity and quality, was as 

 fine as it possibly could be in the best heated structure. The 

 Melons are watered here until they are ripe, the same as 

 in the house, and yet, although there is no bottom heat to dry 

 up the soil quickly, they never wither up or die off just before 



the fruit is ripe, as is often the case. But be it understood 

 Mr. Pettigrew does not hold this as the very best way of grow- 

 ing Melons and Cucumbers. 



Passing into the kitchen garden, three acres in extent, the 

 eye iB most attraoted with the gay flower borders, but these 

 soon lose interest in admiring the fine crops of vegetables. 

 Many of the fruit trees here are young, and all bearing good 

 crops. Outside the walls there are sheds and other such 

 necessaries. In the soil yard there is a large heap of decayed 

 vegetables, leaves, grass, and other refuse. Vegetable Marrows 

 are grown on this. At the time they are planted bits of Mush- 

 room spawn are dibbled in all over the heap. These soon move, 

 no doubt with the slight heat that must come from such a 

 compost, and now Mushrooms are coming up thick under the 

 shade of the Vegetable Marrow leaves. 



About five minutes' walk aoross a field from this garden 

 there is another new kitchen garden five acres in extent. This 

 garden is in the corner of a picturesque field, where a high 

 brick wall would not have looked well from the Castle or cor- 

 responded with other surroundings. There is, therefore, no 

 wall round this garden, but it is surrounded with a high orna- 

 mental iron fence, which makes it quite in character with the 

 park. It might be thought this would be an exposed garden. 



