December 12, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL. OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



487 



most refreshing garb of the world. Gather any flower, and 

 point to the pistils and stamens — parents of all seeds ; petals 

 that adorn, and calyx that sheltered them all in their infancy. 

 Such lessons add an interest to every ramble, and we know 

 a man who told " all about some one plant in each stroll he 

 took with children," and one of those children who now loves 

 to be among flowers, and write of their history and ways, traces 

 the growth of that love to the lessons learned in those strolls, 

 amine has had them brought back to memory b3" alittle volume, 

 entitled " Buds and Blossoms." All its tales are good, but he 

 especially is pleased with " The Story of a Daisy," " The 

 Blackberry Gathering," and " The Fir Tree's Story." He 

 commends the little volume to all parents. It is published by 

 Messrs. Groombridge & Sons, and is rendered further attrac- 

 tive by its illustrations. 



HOTHFIELD PLACE, 

 The Residence of Sir Hexry Thfton, Bart. 



One day in the early part of September, having an hour or 

 two to spare, I paid an unexpected visit to this pretty place, 

 which has for years enjoyed the reputation of being one of the 

 most skilfully managed and best kept in Kent. I reached the 

 place by a cross-country road ; but for the guidance of those 

 who may wish to make a call, I will say that Hothfield, a small 

 village, is distant about three miles from the important and 

 thriving town of Ashford, where both the South-Eastern and 

 London, Chatham, and Dover Railways have stations. The 

 landscape scenery in this locality is grand, and there are 

 several gentlemen's seats in the neighbourhood. Near it, too, 

 is Eastwell Park, at present the residence of the Duke of 

 Abercorn. 



Hothfield Place is situated at the extreme end of the village, 

 coming from the turnpike road. On reaching the entrance 

 gates, near the gardens, on the left-hand side is the gardener's 

 house, which is quite a model house for a gardener. It is 

 of noble appearance, extremely convenient, and forms a suit- 

 able introduction to this beautiful domain. I was fortunate 

 in finding the head gardener, Mr. Durey, at home, and from 

 •him I received a hearty welcome. After passing by several 

 sheds, storerooms, and potting-houses, we entered the kitchen 

 garden on the right — a piece of ground nearly level, and four 

 acres or more in extent, enclosed by brick walls 12 feet high 

 and nearly 2 feet thick. The garden is divided into two by a 

 cross wall of the same height and thickness as the boundary 

 walls. In the upper garden are the vineries and Peach houses, 

 the former four in number, large and convenient for their 

 purpose, and in capital order. There have hitherto been no 

 inside borders, but this improvement Mr. Durey has lately 

 carried out ; and as the old Vines were all planted outside and 

 nearly worn-out, young Vines have been planted inside through- 

 out the range. Seeing that the raising of young Vines under 

 the growth of old ones is anything but desirable, I must say 

 that they were all in a very satisfactory condition. 



There being no regular house for greenhouse plants, they 

 have to be grown in the vineries. In No. 1, from which the 

 Grapes had all been cut, were excellent specimens of Cycas 

 revoluta, Rhynchospermums, Euphorbias, Acacias, and Palms, 

 also a grand plant of Eugenia Ugni loaded with fruit : this 

 plant was exceedingly ornamental. There were also Carnations 

 for winter flowering, as well as a stock of Eupatorium agerat- 

 oides and Stevia Lindleyana, both light-flowering plants for 

 winter decoration. They should be more extensively grown 

 by gardeners, as they last so long in bloom, and may be placed 

 out of doors in summer. In vineries Nos. 2 and 3 were most 

 excellent crops of the usual sorts of early and late Grapes. 

 No. 4, I think the largest house of the four, was at this time 

 used more as a plant house, for there were five Orange trees 

 in fruit, and a very select stock of the Celosia or Feathered 

 Cockscomb, both red and yellow, Statice profusa and Halfordii, 

 Ferns, &c. Mr. Durey called rny attention to a seedling zonal 

 Pelargonium after the style of Madame Rudersdorf , but with 

 the colours much more distinct and brighter, better shape, and 

 almost a Nosegay in size of truss — a very attractive and useful 

 sort indeed. 



Before leaving the vineries I may mention that Mr. Durey 

 is no advocate for barking the Vines after pruning to the 

 extent that some do. He believes it to be very injurious to 

 them, and I quite agree with him. His practice is to take off 

 the loose bark once in two years and then wash the Vines with 

 Gishurst compound in water, but he never paints them as is 

 usual in many places. 



Coming next to the Peach houses, two in number, the health, 

 vigour, and large foliage of the trees were very remarkable. 

 In the first house was one of the finest plants of Statice Hal- 

 fordii I have ever seen. In front of these Peach houses, outside, 

 there was a numerous collection of Alpine plants, all named, 

 and arranged upon the rockwork in a most careful manner, 

 according to their habit of growth, by Mr. Durey. 



On each side of the walk in front of the vineries, also on 

 both sides of the broad walk through the centre of the garden, 

 bedding plants were arranged in various fancy and tasteful 

 designs ; but the severe frost that occurred a few days previous 

 to my visit had so demolished the effect that it was impossible 

 to do more than judge that there had been a very attractive 

 display. 



Passing into the lower kitchen garden, on the left-hand 

 side I found a very complete arrangement of Pine houses and 

 forcing pits. There are seven ranges, each from 80 to 100 feet 

 in length and of various sizes. Most of them were heated by 

 hot water. These may be called the working places of the 

 whole garden establishment, and it is wonderful what a quan- 

 tity of garden produce can be brought to perfection in such 

 pits. Mr. Durey seems to be quite alive to the importance 

 of such places, for in various divisions there were quantities of 

 Dwarf Kidney Beans in two or three stages of growth, late 

 Melons and Cucumbers, and quantities of Fuchsias, Primulas, 

 and Cinerarias for winter and spring blooming ; while in the 

 larger structures were to be seen excellent examples of Heaths 

 and Azaleas in perfect health and well set with bloom-buds. 

 Tn other compartments there were numbers of choice Ferns 

 and fine-foliaged stove plants in small pots for house decora- 

 tion. The next pit was 12 feet wide, and was occupied with 

 three hundred Pine plants of sturdy habit, healthy and clean. 

 The largest structure of all, which is 14 feet wide and hip- 

 roofed, and which is called the fruiting Pine stove, was at this 

 time occupied with a varied collection of fine-foliaged and 

 flowering stove plants. The Crotons were particularly attrac- 

 tive in colour. There was also a large specimen of the lovely 

 Cyrtoceras reflexa, with numerous trusses of its waxy-white 

 singularly shaped flowers. I have never to my knowledge 

 before seen this plant in such perfection, and many others 

 have said the same. If I remember aright, Mr. Durey pro- 

 mised to describe to the readers of the Journal his method of 

 growing this plant, and which, I am sure, will be appreciated 

 by many gardeners. There were Ixoras, Cierodendrons, Gar- 

 denias, and Marantas, alike in perfect health and general con- 

 dition. 



Having now noticed the principal features in the glass de- 

 partment, we took a walk round the kitchen gJrden, which is 

 well stocked with admirably trained fruit trees and vegetables 

 in proper successions. In the lower part of the garden, how- 

 ever, there was what appeared to be a vacant piece of ground 

 laid-up in ridges as if for winter, but with a much smoother 

 surface. This, I was told, was the Potato quarter. On in- 

 quiring about the Potato disease, Mr. Durey said it was very 

 bad in the neighbourhood, but he had not found it in the 

 tubers he was digging-up for use. His plan is to earth the 

 Potatoes in the usual manner when growing, but when the 

 disease first strikes the haulm he has it drawn out of the 

 ground, leaving the Potatoes there. After this, if the weather 

 be fine, a good coating of quicklime is thrown over the ridges, 

 and the rows earthed-up again in as sharp a ridge as the soil 

 can be made to form. He does not dig-up his crops till the 

 latter part of the season. Mr. Durey has treated them in a 

 similar way for some years, and he says that his crops have 

 never seriously suffered from disease. To show me the quality 

 of his crop several sorts were dug-up, and certainly nothing 

 could be more satisfactory. 



Leaving the kitchen garden by the compost yard, and passing 

 under a fine avenue of Elm trees, we come to what will one 

 day be an interesting feature in the pleasure ground — that is, 

 an avenue of Deodars. At the farther end of this is a very 

 large collection of hardy Ferns arranged upon rockwork in a 

 very tasteful manner. This fernery and the Deodars are an 

 addition and improvement lately carried-out by Mr. Durey. 

 Retracing our steps, and crossing the road towards the man- 

 sion and principal pleasure ground, there are before us some 

 thriving plants of Wellingtonia, and two very handsome and 

 large specimens of Thuja aurea, quite 8 feet high and nearly 

 as much in diameter, in perfect health and shape. Next I 

 passed over a large and broad expanse of a beautiful and well- 

 kept lawn towards the south front of the mansion, which 

 commands an extensive view of the surrounding country as 



