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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ August 9, 1864. 



planted upon the usual system, with an edge of Cerastium 

 tomentosum, next Lobelia, then Tom Thumb Geranium, 

 then yellow Calceolarias, with the middle space filled with 

 white, whitish, pinkish, and pink Geraniums, while quite in 

 the centre line were dark purple dwarf Dahlias, with Salvias 

 between. The bed looked nobly; the little lawn was no 

 failure now; while below the bed, on the flatter part of the 

 grass, " King Croquet " was reigning, and a group of happy 

 children, little queens of their several homes, were standing 

 mallet in hand. 



Now, what are the lessons to be learnt by the seven years 

 history of this little lawn ? First, that in a retentive soil 

 little beds do not answer ; while, on the contrary, large beds 

 containing more soil, the flowers in them bloom better. It 

 also says how foolish for little people to ape great people ; a 

 simple plan is best for a small garden. Readers, despise 

 not, then, my little history. — Wiltshire Rector. 



VISITS TO GARDENS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. 



ME. BEWLEY'S, BOCKVILLE, DUBLIN. 



When, in mentioning my departure to the scenes of my 

 earlier days, I said how difficult it would be to realise the 

 feelings of those days amidst even the places in which they 

 were experienced, I did not sufficiently calculate on the 

 strength of the impressions. I little thought how even the 

 lapse of well nigh thirty years could do but little to efface 

 them, and how every nook and corner came to be as well 

 remembered spots ; for I could trace my way in paths which 

 I had not visited since those days ; and the faces of those on 

 whom many years had left their sure and certain marks 

 came back to me with all the freshness of those days, and 

 one seemed for a little to be thrown back in one's history, 

 and all that occurred since then to be but an " airy and 

 unsubstantial dream." I do not know whether it falls to 

 the lot of many to have such an experience of life — to be 

 separated for so many years from the scenes of one's youth, 

 and then to visit them in middle life ; but I know of nothing 

 that ever preached to me a more solemn sermon as to the 

 lapse of one's own days and the dreamlike character of 

 human life. 



However, my work here is not to sermonise, but to give 

 some information on subjects connected with our common 

 pursuit. I have already mentioned a few things connected 

 with what I called gardening under difficulties, but I would 

 not have it to be supposed that this is all that I had seen. 

 I must, however, mention that horticulture did not form 

 the special object of my journey, and indeed so little entered 

 into it, that although I passed through the towns near 

 -which two of my correspondents lived in the far north, yet 

 I was unable to visit them, although, as my driver said, one 

 "had the purtiest place in all the county." One show 

 place, however, I did see ; and although Mr. Fish has so 

 ably and graphically described it, yet I may be excused, 

 perhaps, saying a few words, for in such a place and under 

 euch management as Mr. Bewley's two years make a vast 

 deal of difference. So much energy is shown, money is so 

 liberally spent, and the science of gardening so well under- 

 stood, that it is remarkable what progress a little time 

 makes. 



Mr. Bewley enjoys unusual facilities for obtaining plants, 

 and hence large masses are to be found in his collection 

 which would not be readily found elsewhere. Instead, how- 

 ever, of a long enumeration of the various productions, I 

 may, perhaps, best serve the interests of horticulture if I 

 dwell upon some few points of unusual character which were 

 pointed out to me by the accomplished owner of Rockville. 

 Amongst these was one which was perfectly novel to me, 

 but which may not be so to some of the readers of The 

 Journal op Horticulture — I mean the system of double- 

 roofing adopted by Mr. Bewley (Mr. Fish described it two 

 years ago, but it does not seem to have attracted much 

 attention) ; and to which, indeed, may be added in his con- 

 servatory and Orchid-house double sides also. That, how- 

 ever, there is much of novelty connected with it I gathered 

 from the fact that Messrs. Veitch had sent over one of 

 their employees to obtain correct information, in order 

 that they might erect a house 130 feet long on this system. 

 We are all aware how difficult a thing ventilation and equable 



temperature are in houses, how plants alternate between a 

 dripping atmosphere and a dry torrid-zone sort of state, 

 and how much time, labour, and money are consumed in 

 heating houses. Now, it struck Mr. Bewley that a great 

 deal of this might be obviated by adopting the system to 

 which I allude — that if he could get some 4 or 5 inches of 

 air between the two layers of glass, it would be like Paddy's 

 frieze coat, equally good for keeping out cold and heat, and 

 that, however expensive in the first instance, it would ulti- 

 mately repay him by the diminished cost of fuel and labour, 

 and this result he has fully accomplished. I am not quite 

 certain as to my figures, although I took them down at the 

 time ; but I may safely say that if any further information 

 is required Mr. Bewley would be most happy to supply 

 through your columns any that might be needed. Thus, 

 he has found in his Fern-house, which contains exotic species 

 of various kinds and degrees of tenderness, that he can 

 dispense with the consumption of coke altogether between 

 May and September, and that the amount used from October 

 to April was one-third less than under the old plan. In his 

 Orchid-house he had been exposed to a very severe trial of 

 the plan ; for, during the hard frost of January in the present 

 year, he had the unfortunate news brought to him that his 

 pipes were out of order. A man was sent for at once, but 

 some joints had to be fitted which, he was assured, would be 

 ready before night. However, when night came, it was 

 found they were not the size, and he had nothing for it but 

 to brave the frost. We know what that would mean in 

 ordinary circumstances, with the thermometer below freez- 

 ing at sunset, and no fire (cool-house treatment!) — all 

 would have perished, or been so injured as to be good for 

 nothing. What, then, was Mr. Bewley's surprise and plea- 

 sure to find that, owing to his double-roofing, the thermo- 

 meter had only fallen from 51° to 48°, and as he was 

 compelled to wait another twenty-four hours, that in that 

 time it had only fallen another 3°. He was amply repaid 

 by this one event for all the money he had expended in the 

 double-roofing. Then, again, he is never subject to a dry 

 atmosphere. When he enters the house of a morning the 

 whole upper and under surfaces of the plants are covered 

 with dew; and some of the creeping plants had firmly 

 rooted themselves against the glass. In the fernery the 

 difference of temperature between the bottom and top of 

 the house was 15° ; and nothing could be more beautiful 

 than the appearance of this house. I should add that, in 

 the glazing of his house he uses what is called greasy putty 

 — that is, ordinary putty with the addition of a little grease. 

 This never thoroughly hardens, and consequently prevents 

 the glass breaking, by allowing for the expansion and con- 

 traction occasioned by changes of. temperature. 



The fernery is adjacent to the orchard-house, which latter, 

 a fine structure, I was unhappily unable to judge of, as, 

 owing to some circumstance, the trees were not bearing 

 well, and the mildew had largely attacked the Vines. I 

 found, however, that it received at certain seasons some 

 heat, and, consequently, was not the kind of orchard-house 

 that I was most anxious to see, but rather a fruit-house, as 

 indeed Mr. Fish called it ; but Mr. Bewley assured me that 

 last year he had had some very fine fruit, and abundantly 

 produced. The fernery is indeed a noble sight, and as the 

 result of but two years growth something remarkable. It 

 would be impossible to give an idea of the extreme beauty of 

 the arrangement and the vigour of the plants which it con- 

 tains. The gothic appearance of the structure suggests the 

 idea of some ruined church into which has been carried all 

 the choicest varieties of this beautiful tribe. Here were on 

 the floor of the house magnificent specimens of tree Ferns, 

 Cyatheas, Dicksonias, and Alsophilas. Along the sides masses 

 of rocks are arranged of very varied hues — red granite, con- 

 glomerate, tufa — of all fantastic forms, and in them were 

 inserted Ferns of the more delicate-foliaged kinds, such as 

 Adiantums, &c. ; then a staircase, well hidden by rocks and 

 foliage, leads to the roof of the house, where, as the tempe- 

 rature is somewhat higher, the more tropical Ferns are 

 placed ; and from this the view over the top of the house is 

 beautiful in the extreme. You have the full expanse of the 

 tree Ferns full in view, one Dicksonia being 20 feet across, 

 while the arches and sides are covered with verdant foliage. 

 Mr. Bewley had tried various experiments as to what 

 would best contrast with the Ferns. One thing after another 





