294 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 11, 1861. 



defer it later, so that you could more clearly discern a 

 young leaf-bud — a shoot-bud to cut back to, as it is undesir- 

 able to cut to a fruit or fruit-buds. There will be little dif- 

 ficulty as to the short difference of time in the root-cutting, 

 as referred to in " Doings of the Last Week," and the work 

 of Mr. Rivers. In the former case it was judged expedient 

 to lessen growth and hasten maturation, and. therefore, the 

 pots were lifted up, and what roots were outside were cut 

 away. There were so few of them, that the pots being well 

 ■watered the plants scarcely flinched a bit. Very likely if 

 the bright weather had been foreseen the operation might 

 have been delayed a week or two ; as it is, the appearance of 

 the trees is all that could be wished. As soon as you like you 

 may stump back the long shoots made in August, but cut 

 to a wood-bud. If scarce of wood behind, such young wood 

 would bear after such an autumn as this ; but if you have 

 enough of wood behind, little or none of the August-made 

 mil be wanted. It has encouraged root-action, and the pre- 

 sence of the shoots will cause your buds to break stronger 

 next season if other things are properly attended to, as we 

 feel certain they will be from your account of your success. 

 But for keeping the trees or bushes compact, and the fruit- 

 spurs near home, many growers allow a little wood as you 

 have done, as it makes the tree stronger on the whole than 

 ■close continued pinching.] 



BEYN-Y-]N T ETJADD. 



This, the residence of John Piatt, Esq., is situated near 

 the seashore, and not far from Llanfairfeehan railway sta- 

 tion on the London and North-Western Railway, seven 

 miles from the city of Bangor and the same distance from 

 Conway. 



After a week's ramble through some of the most interest- 

 ing parts of North Wales, exploring the beauties of mountain 

 and ocean scenery, I came unexpectedly upon this princely 

 place. The house, a very neat and rather extensive struc- 

 ture, in the Gothic-Italian style of architecture, is backed 

 by the fine mountain scenery of Caragfawr and Penmaen- 

 mawr, and from its situation near the coast has a very im- 

 posing appearance. 



A few minutes' walk from the railway station, along the 

 right of which is a wall bounding part of the domain, with 

 the park, brought me to the principal garden-entrance, near 

 which is situated the head-gardener's cottage, a good sub- 

 stantial structure, and built in harmony with the other 

 Iraildings in the place. On making application at the cot- 

 tage I was informed that Mr. Eastwood was in the garden, 

 and thither I at once made my way, and introduced myself 

 bs one of the fraternity, asking the favour of a look through 

 the grounds, &c. This brother of the spade at once acceded 

 to my request, and with that amount of courtesy and good 

 humour, which ought to distinguish every one connected 

 with so interesting an occupation, showed me the whole of 

 the garden establishment. 



The kitchen garden and forcing-houses are in extent and 

 character quite in keeping with the magnificence of the 

 place : some idea may be formed from the fact that there is 

 270 feet of lean-to hothouses fitted up very completely, 

 and in which was a mixed collection of fruit and flowering 

 plants. 



The first house I entered in this range was a Peach-house, 

 the crop from which had been gathered, and the trees were 

 in remarkably fine health, with fine foliage and well-ripened 

 wood. The fruiting and succession Pines, which occupy a 

 portion of this range, are in fine health, and promise suc- 

 cessful results. 



In one of the tropical houses in this range was a magni- 

 ficent collection of ornamental-foliaged plants. The follow- 

 ing I noticed as being remarkably fine — viz., Croton varie- 

 gata, Croton picta, Dracaena ferrea versicolor, Begonia Rex 

 and its varieties, Cyanophyllum magnificum, Cissus discolor, 

 Coleus Verschaffelti, Caladium bicolor splendens, Pandanus 

 javanicus variegatus ; and besides these, there were many 

 others too numerous to mention. 



At the end of this range of houses a door leads through 

 the back wall to a Fern-house, which is arranged so as to 

 produce an artistic effect. The back wall and ends of this 

 house are studded with a variety of rustic materials, into 



which, at suitable places, are introduced plants of this in- 

 teresting family. 



In addition to the range of houses just described there are 

 four span-roofed houses on the Paxtonian principle, each 

 105 feet long and of various widths. They range north and 

 south in front of the principal lean-to range, and are occu- 

 pied with a variety of fruits. Conspicuous amongst them is 

 a Black Hamburgh-house, in which the Vines are remark- 

 ably strong, and with well-ripened wood, bearing large 

 well-shouldered and finely-coloured bunches. The Muscat- 

 house in this range is a picture of splendid fruit and foliage. ■ 

 Considering the short lapse of time since the Vines in 

 these two houses were planted, which I understood did not 

 exceed two years, they surpass anything I have previously 

 seen for luxuriance and healthy strength. The Peach and 

 Nectarine trees in the houses are evidently quite at home ; 

 they are particularly clean and vigorous, with short-jointed 

 and well-ripened wood. I was informed by Mr. Eastwood 

 that they had produced a heavy crop. I noticed, also, some 

 fine Peach and Nectarine trees in pots for early work looking 

 promising, also some strong good-shaped Pear trees in pots, 

 affording fine examples of what can be done with good 

 management in this mode of culture. 



The whole of the extensive range of houses is heated on 

 the one-boiler principle, the necessary precaution having 

 been taken to introduce a second boiler in case of accident 

 to the one in use. 



There are four acres of kitchen garden in two divisions, 

 the walls being furnished with suitable trained trees, and the 

 quarters for vegetable culture are systematically arranged. 

 The names of the various kinds are neatly painted on wood 

 tallies — a feature which should not be lost sight of in kitchen 

 as well as in flower-garden culture. 



I had almost forgotten to mention that there is a com- 

 plete range of sheds at the back of the principal range of 

 hothouses, and the bothy for the young men. I could not 

 help noticing this necessary appendage from its elevated 

 position — a feature very often lost sight of in the construc- 

 tion of young men's rooms, but of which so much has been 

 previously written that by some it may be thought unne- 

 cessary to name it here. 



I observed a nice lot of strong promising Strawberry 

 plants in pots prepared for forcing ; also collections of Cine- 

 rarias, Primulas, Azaleas, Camellias, &c, being slightly 

 accelerated for conservatory decoration during the winter 

 months. 



The flower garden and dressed grounds are laid out so as 

 to harmonise with the style of the mansion, and are in extent 

 about five acres. Bedding plants to the number of 25,000 

 have this season been planted out. A very neat geometric 

 flower garden on gravel is arranged on the drawing-room 

 side of the mansion, at the termination of which is a neat 

 ornamental span-roofed conservatory 120 feet long by 15 feet 

 wide, which was gay with a variety of well-grown plants. 

 In the grounds is a rustic summer-house happily arranged, 

 and commanding fine and extensive views of the opposite 

 coast scenery ; from this point with a single glance of the 

 eye can be seen the whole line of coast stretching from the 

 point near Penmon, along the shores of Beaumaris and Garth 

 Point, near to the Menai Bridge and Bangor, when, by a 

 slight turn of the head, the eye rests on the beautiful richly- 

 wooded scenery of Penryn Park and Castle, the varied and 

 extensive domain of Colonel the Hon. E. G. Douglas Pennant, 

 M.P., the proprietor of the far-famed Penryn slate quarries. 

 I shall not soon forget the delight with which I gazed^ on 

 the rugged mountain scenery in this immediate locality, 

 blending as it does with the softening touch of dressed 

 grounds, and the whole on a magnificent scale. The lawn 

 and pleasure grounds at Bryn-y-Neuadd are for the most 

 part laid out in the picturesque style. The whole, having 

 been recently formed and planted, has not the effect at 

 present that it will ultimately produce when some of the 

 many Conifers and other specimen trees and shrubs shall 

 have attained a moderate size. This fine place, so delightful 

 in its landscape and pleasure ground scenery, is managed by 

 the indefatigable gardener Mr. Eastwood, with the assist- 

 ance of ten men ; and, aided by his worthy employer, I 

 have no doubt that he will succeed in making this place and 

 its productions rank high in the horticulture of Wales. — 

 John Gould, Rose Cottage, Red&itch. 



