September 26, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



249 



"between the fire in his apparatus and that in a horticultural 

 toiler where the ignited fuel conies in direct contact with the 

 iron, which never rises above the temperature of boiling water. 

 In his apparatus it comes in contact with fire lumps, which I 

 quite agree with him is the right thing for all air stoves, but it 

 is here they contrast disadvantageously with boilers. Thanking 

 Mr. Housman for his courteous reply, I am — Youb Reporter. 

 [Here this controversy must close. — Eds.] 



ADARE MANOR.— No. 3. 

 County Limerick, Ireland. 

 (Concluded from page 233.) 

 The ground at the entrance front of the Manor is the Knoll, 

 that is so effective in the picture as seen from the old Abbey. 

 Here it is undulating and broken-up by large mounds, on which 

 stand some of the great old Elms. Here there are some good 

 masses of shrubs and some promising evergreen trees. Until 

 Mr. Laidley took charge of the grounds at Adare the planting of 

 Coniferse was a failure. This arose from the peculiar subsoil, 

 which is a white limestone gravel of a very hard texture. On 

 this natural formation the English Elm is the only tree that 

 grows freely and to a good size, and Mr. Laidley deserves the 

 highest credit for the successful way in which the ornamental 

 trees are growing up. The success has been accomplished by 

 excavating large quantities of the subsoil, and securing good 

 drainage, and substituting soil suited to the growth of the trees 

 to be planted. The trees here referred to have been about ten 

 years planted, and were then small ; yet a Wellingtonia is now 

 21 feet high with fine branches ; a Cupressus macrocarpa 30 feet 

 high and 20 feet through the branches. Others are equally 

 thriving. Some Cedars of Lebanon on this ground were in a 

 sickly state, the points of the young shoots dying back, but they 

 have now a fine healthy appearance. The Abies Douglasii is 

 the most difficult to deal with on the limestone formation, and 

 with few exceptions this tree is not thriving at Adare. A fine 

 broad walk running parallel with the terrace garden, and sepa- 

 rated from it by a green ramp, leads to the kitchen garden and 

 pleasure grounds south of the Manor ; on each side of this walk 

 is planted, at 20 feet distant, fine pyramidal specimens of Gold 

 a,nd Silver Hollies. At about 200 yards from the Manor there 

 is on a rising ground a group of good Cedar of Lebanon. These 

 trees are quite a feature, but their future beauty will be greatly 

 impaired if some of the Sweet Chestnuts are not cleared away 

 from them. 



Near this is a broad-headed gnarled Oak called the Killarney 

 Oak; the circumference of the branches is 90 yards. This is a 

 hoary-looking tree, but its age is only about fourscore, as we 

 find inscribed on a large block of stone that "I left the woods 

 of Killarney in 1791 in the pocket of Sir Richard Quin's shooting 

 jacket. Dear owner of Adare, don't put me into your pocket." 

 Just under the Cedar branches is a group of peculiar interest to 

 the antiquary ; this is a collection of Ogham stones, presented 

 to the late Earl of Dunraven by Mr. Shine Lawler, on whose 

 property they were found in Co. Kerry, in an old Danish moat. 

 The stones now stand as arranged by the late Earl, assisted by 

 the late Dr. Petrie of Dublin, and Dean Graves, now Bishop of 

 Limerick. 



At this spot are some fine trees of the common Yew, which 

 luxuriates in the stiff limestone formation ; but here we find the 

 Araucarias a failure. Never will that tree thrive on that reten- 

 tive soil, unless special means are taken to provide the tree with 

 .its natural requirements, which, singular to say, the late Earl 

 did not believe. 



Further on the enclosed pleasure ground extends considerably, 

 -and great part of it has been planted within the last twelve 

 years. Here is a fine old specimen of Pterocarya caucasica, and 

 we notice a good Ailanthus at least 30 feet high, which was 

 transplanted two years ago, and is growing as if never moved. 

 In this new ground is an extensive collection of rare trees and 

 .shrubs. Thriving well is a large plant of the elegant Cupressus 

 Knightii, a species which should be largely planted in Ireland. 

 Before passing from this ground, the outside, of the garden wall 

 deserves notice for its peculiar battlements and the great old 

 Magnolias which, up to the winter of 1860-61, were a great fea- 

 ture of Adare ; the old tree-like stems have thrown up suckers, 

 which are again flowering as of old. In passing through this 

 part of the grounds it is gratifying to see the Pinus insignis in 

 such a fine thriving state ; and we learn a most important lesson 

 from Mr. Laidley's practice — namely, to plant this rapid-grow- 

 ing tree in a seedling state. When the P. insignis is planted in 

 an exposed position, it will rarely stand the wind unless planted 

 when young. 



We now foUow a drive leading towards the river through the 

 open park, and enter a wood of considerable extent, where we are 

 at once attracted by the extraordinary fleeces of lichens on the 

 trees. Some years ago Mr. Laidley wrote some very practical 

 articles on the injury done to trees by such excess of lichens, 

 but we cannot enter into this matter now further than to state 

 that the plantation is seriously injured by the lichens. 



On a strip of ground close by the river, and about a mile from 

 the Manor, we come upon a plantation of Conifera?, of which 

 the great Californian Cypress is the most remarkable. This 

 ground lies between the hydraulic ram which supplies the Manor 

 with water and the river, and is covered for a large part of the 

 winter with water, yet th? tree is in the best of health ; and so 

 pleased was the late Earl with the unexpected growth of the 

 Cupressus macrocarpa in such a position, that he greatly in- 

 creased the planting of this tree up the river until we come on 

 an open meadow, where are planted Evergreen Oaks in groups. 

 This meadow is backed by a rising pasture, in which is the wood, 

 where stand the ruins of the house built by»a son of " Shady 

 Quin," and here still remain the ancient rows of Elms. 



We are now at the Islands, round which the river divides in a 

 very peculiar manner, and the three streams are crossed by flat 

 iron bridges. The first island stands nearly in the centre of the 

 river., and is planted chiefly with groups of Poplars, Golden and 

 Scarlet Willows. On the other island is planted a variety of 

 Cypresses, Piceas, &c. ; and from the centre of this island is 

 seen the historical tower of Dysart, which stands on the farm 

 of Messrs. Christy, the celebrated short-horn breeders. This 

 tower is 67 feet high, and is said to have been founded by a friar 

 in the eighth century, and tradition says the master builder was 

 a woman. 



We are now over the river and pass through some good Beech 

 trees, ascending to a plateau, from which there is a beautiful view 

 of the valley through which the river flows ; andtheManorand old 

 Abbey, divided by the great Elms, also present a grand picture. 

 The drive leads on to Mount William opposite the Manor, where 

 the young plantation is most interesting. Here are striking 

 groups of Sequoia sempervirens and Cupreous macrocarpa, 

 also fine thriving Pinus insignis, and promising trees of Abies 

 Douglasii. Farther on we come on deep old gravel pits well 

 planted with choice trees and shrubs. From here we get the 

 splendid view of the Manor (see page 232), with the terrace wall 

 and fine Cedar tree. Again we sweep round on the old Abbey 

 and cross the bridge, turning to the right on the drive towards 

 Adare village, and coming in front of the massive ruins of Des- 

 mond Castle. We can scarcely move a step without being re- 

 minded by some monument of the stirring events of this his- 

 torical place, while we stand looking at Desmond Castle, the old 

 rains and burying ground near it ; the Augustinian Abbey, now 

 the Protestani Church; the Trinitarian Abbey, now the Roman 

 Catholic chapel, and founded by Maurice second baron of Offly 

 in 1230. We are asked to note a stone at our feet, which had 

 been placed at an old Ash tree now decayed, telling that beneath 

 the roots of this tree the valuable silver plate, &c, was secreted 

 in the troublesome times of 1798. We must now leave this 

 group of ruins by stating that in 1599 the Earl of Essex slept 

 within the ruined walls of the Augustinian Abbey when he came 

 to Ireland to assail the Geraldines. 



We now reach the main walk, and sit where we may suppose 

 Griffin sat when composing the following hues — 



" Oti sweet Adare 1 Ob. lovely vale 1 



Oh soft retreat of sylvan splendour 1 



Nor summer sun nor morning gale 



E'er hailed a scene so softly tender." 

 This walk leads us on the highest ridge of the grounds into the 

 kitchen garden. It is a plain square, with heavy stone walls 

 and subdividing walls. The fruit houses are of a plain substan- 

 tial kind, and there are useful ranges of pits ; but the glass 

 structures at Adare are not in proportion to the requirements of 

 the family and the dignity of the place. The gardening, how- 

 ever, is not the less meritorious. We have never met with a 

 higher combination of gardening talent combined with unwearied 

 industry than we meet in Mr. Laidley. 



POTATOES DISEASED AND UNDISEASED. 



Perhaps it may interest some to know that I have this day 

 (September 18) dug up Potatoes (Sutton's Flourball) without 

 a single diseased tuber ; though Paterson's Victoria on one 

 side and Eaeehorse on the other close by, are very bad indeed. 

 I find one thing worthy of remark, that though that red 

 Potato is free from disease, a great many of the finest tubers 

 are honeycombed out by a grub, which is not seen in the other 

 kinds. This is the case in two gardens that I have more than 

 a mile apart, with soils quite different. — T. S. C, Bristol. 



[We wish our readers would state to us the varieties they 

 find least diseased, as well as those most diseased. If a grub 

 is sent to us we may be able to identify it. — Eds.] 



FBENCH LOVE OF FLOWERS. 

 An American in Paris writes as follows :— " The French 

 woman must have her daily supply of flowers even if she is 

 compelled to stint her table to obtain them. When she pur- 

 chases the substantial for her breakfast she is sure to take 



