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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 1, 1877. 



forming a pleasant sight, and a useful lesson in the convic- 

 tion which they bring to the mind of careful planting and 

 judicious thinning, the free stout growth of the Oaks especially 

 presenting a striking contrast to the stunted appearance of the 

 Oak coppice, of which one sees so much in Cornwall. These 

 trees are seedlings, while the coppice growth is all from the 

 stools of old trees that have been cut down, hence the differ- 

 ence. At the river side a flight of steps leading down to the 

 landing-pier impress one as being in good keeping with the 

 position, consisting as they do of simple blocks of granite with 

 no elaborate balustrades, but with what may be termed natural 

 and certainly very ornamental spandrils of Eseallonia, Berberis, 

 Spiraeas, Cotoneaster, Garrya, and Pampas Grass, all mingled 

 together in wild and charming confusion. 



The only really level expanse is by the carriage front of the 

 Castle, not a formal court, but having its outline apparently 

 determined by the natural formation of the adjoining slopes, 

 falling away on one hand and rising on the ether in pictur- 

 esque variety. It forms a central point upon which the carriage 

 drive and the walks leading to the most important features 

 all converge. The idea is a happy one, and we will act upon 

 it by making one or two excursions from here, turning first to 

 a walk along the inner slope of the glen under the overhang- 

 ing branches of some " brave old Oaks," past several flourish- 

 ing Deodars and other choice Conifers, onwards for a consider- 

 able distance till it enters the wild woodlands beyond under 

 an overhanging arch of leafage, forming an appropriate end- 

 ing to the dressed grounds in that direction. The treatment 

 of this inner slope is so excellent as to merit a full description, 

 which shall be given in due course ; and I will only state here 

 that its frequent unbroken stretches of turf from the walk 

 down to the bottom of the glen tend materially to enhance 

 the effect of the densely wooded outer slope. 



Grand old plants of Yucca, Berberis, Arbutus, Rhus Cotinus, 

 and Rhododendron stud the banks which rise abruptly on the 

 other side of the carriage front. Upwards among them winds 

 another path to a charming little flower garden — a circle with 

 surrounding pillars and pendant chains, all covered with climb- 

 ing plants, and with a novel entrance through an arcade of 

 Cotoneaster microphylla. I am tempted to linger here, but 

 must not, for the constantly ascending path leads onwards 

 among rich masses of shrubs, and still invites us to explore. 

 We follow, and are well rewarded, as we enter an American 

 garden, which I must pronounce most excellent. Its outlines 

 are a serieB of long irregular symmetrical carves, with a back- 

 ground of tall trees. The beds, also having irregular curved 

 outlines, are on turf, and contain Rhododendrons, Azaleas, 

 Ealmias, and Andromedas, all of large size and in robust 

 health. The walk winds upwards among the beds, and it is 

 when one reaches the upper end and turns to look back that 

 the full beauty of this garden is seen. Nothing clashes, all is 

 in harmony : the beds in their disposal, their form, and the 

 shrubs which they contain. The enclosing belts of shrubs 

 and trees exclude all surrounding objects except just one little 

 opening at the lower end, where through a fringe of boughs a 

 narrow vista of the river, the swelling country beyond, and 

 the granite crags of a lofty tor on distant Dartmoor, meets the 

 eye like a vision of fairy land, the reality being far more 

 beautiful than any fanciful conception ever could be. It is 

 true that the garden itself is a work of art, but this glimpse 

 of rich natural scenery, lying far away beyond its boundaries, 

 and yet apparently so near, imparts a charm and finish to it 

 of which mere description can only serve to convey a faint 

 idea. 



From the Rhododendron garden the walk goes onwards 

 among other shrubs, still ascending under lofty trees, many of 

 which have Honeysuckles trained up the stems and left to 

 ramble wildly among the branches — till it leads out into the 

 grassy uplands of the park, where from the highest point the 

 whole magnificent landscape comes fully into view, spread 

 out before the eye — a veritable panorama. Nothing appears 

 to be wanting ; water, woods, hilis and valleys, breezy uplands 

 and shadowy hollows — all are here in infinite variety, stretch- 

 ing away far as the eye can reach in rich and picturesque pro- 

 fusion. In the foreground the winding Tamar stands out pro- 

 minently, and away to the south-east, over the waters of the 

 Hamoaze, are the clustering houses of Devour. :>rt and Ply- 

 mouth ; the Albert Viaduct at Saltash, Brunei's greatest work ; 

 the heights of Mount Edgcum'oe, whence the eye sweeps west- 

 wards over many other places " famed in ancient story," but 

 which I must not enumerate here, catching glimpses as it 

 passes of lofty hills which loom dimly in the far distance, and 



numerous tors that spring upwards from the bosom of rugged 

 Dartmoor. 



I must not conclude these notes without devoting a few 

 words to the kitchen garden. The path from the Castle to this 

 garden is a straight one 9 feet wide and 400 feet long, the 

 branches of large timber trees overhang it, and it has a broad 

 fringe of Fern on each side, so that it has a cool, shaded, re- 

 freshing appearance that is very inviting in summer. In the 

 garden I found some good black Grapes well coloured ; excel- 

 lent. Muscats — not exactly prizewinners, but with plenty of 

 those well-finished, compact, little bunches that tell best 

 upon the dinner-table. Peaches were abundant and the trees 

 in capital condition, both on open walls and under glass. 

 Cherries and Figs are grown in curious structures formed of a 

 framework of timber with fine wire netting stretched over it — 

 a novel and sure way of excluding birds, but not a desirable 

 object to see permanently established in a garden. 



There were Borne good plants in the houses and a capital lot 

 of Gardenias in a pit, with the pots plunged in leaves, which 

 impart that cool moisture in which this plant thrives best in 

 summer. A bed of Solanum Capsicastrum in an open border 

 was excellent, as the plants invariably are when so treated in 

 summer, the branches being laden with berries and well clothed 

 with deep green foliage. The treatment of these and other 

 plants in course of preparation for the coming winter, to- 

 gether with the excellent condition of the vegetable crops, all 

 betokened intelligent culture and painstaking alike worthy of the 

 garden and creditable to the gardener. — Edward Luckhurst. 



PEARS. 



In answer to " L.'e " letter on page 305 I beg to say we can 

 supply him with trees of the Pear he requires, Desirg Cornells, 

 as dwarfs or pyramids on the Quince stock. With us it is a 

 Pear possessing good flavour and is of medium size. 



I am very much surprised to hear that Louise Bonne de 

 Jersey does not succeed well with him, as with us it bears well 

 in the orchards as a standard, attaining a fair size, and is first- 

 rate in quality. Beurre Boee, another Pear he mentions as 

 variable, has with us proved to be one of the best orchard 

 Pears. Some years ago we grafted an old tree of Aston Town 

 or Grey Beurre standing in the orchard with this variety, and 

 it has borne large crops of fruit I believe every year since. 

 This season is in our neighbourhood a most wretched one for 

 nearly every kind of fruit ; notwithstanding this our friend 

 Beurrg Bosc has borne a crop of 8 pecks, 18 lbs. to the peck, 

 and the quality was sufficiently good to command a price of 

 6d. per pound. "L." does not mention Williams' Bon 

 Chretien. I should think it would succeed well with him. 

 With us it is very hardy, and bears almost every year ; this 

 year, however, it had but a poor crop. Beurre d'Amanlis is 

 another hardy Pear, which as a rale bears large crops as a 

 standard, but this year it has failed us. This is scarcely to be 

 wondered at, as on March 1st we enjoyed three hours' skating, 

 the thermometer having registered 16' and 18° of frost the two 

 previous nights. Pears which had set a fair crop and were 

 looking well lost all their fruit. I can fully endorse all that 

 your correspondent Mr. Witherspoon says respecting Marie 

 Louise d'Uccle. It is extremely hardy, and of first-rate 

 quality for an orchard Pear. Each season we have an increas- 

 ing sale for this Pear. — Alfred H. Pearson, Chihcell, Notts. 



GLOIRE DE DIJON EOSE. 

 It is somewhat remarkable that this, the most popular and 

 best known probably of all Roses, should not rank high as an 

 exhibition Rose, but it is none the less true ; and rarely where 

 the class is limited do we see an exhibitor venturing to place 

 it with his Marie Baumanns, Alfred Colombs, &c. ; it lacks 

 the form and permanency so desirable in an exhibition Rose. 

 But wherever a few Roses are grown, there in some form or other, 

 as a standard, but more frequently as a climbing Rose, is old 

 Gloire to be found. A detailed history of it is given in the 

 " Journal des Roses " for October, but, as has been remarked, 

 nothing is said of its parentage. There is a very good reason 

 for this — nothing is known of it. Some years ago I had the 

 pleasure of visiting the gardens of M. Henri Jacotot at Dijon, 

 where it was raised, and he told me that it was entirely a 

 chance seedling, coming up in an out-of-the-way corner of his 

 garden, but from whence he knew not. It would indeed be a 

 carious thing to know of how many of our best Roses can the 

 pedigree be traced, and whether hybridising is much resorted 



