November 29, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAG-E GARDENER. 



433 



tioularly the extraordinary means which the caterpillar used 

 to prevent the accident of the leaf upon which was the 

 coooon being blown off the tree ; and the lecturer devoted 

 some time to a consideration of the best mode of raising the 

 insects. Upon the commercial aspect of Ailanthi culture he 

 declined to give a decided opinion whether or not it would 

 "pay," for the time since it had been tried was too brief to 

 have established the value of the silk in the market, or, in- 

 deed, to introduce it in any bulk into commerce ; but this he 

 could say, that as regarded the tree in 1861 in France more 

 than a million trees were planted and more than a hundred 

 millions of seed sown (sufficient to plant fifty thousand 

 acres), and that the demand for eggs of the insects exceeded 

 the supply. The value of the Ailantine silk as sent from 

 Japan and China was well known to consist in its extreme 

 durability, but it could not vie with the Mulberry silk in 

 lustre and gloss. It was not desired, he said, to set forward 

 Ailanthi culture, as likely to supplant agriculture or even 

 sericiculture as regarded the Mulberry tree, but rather to 

 supplement both, for Ailanthi culture if successful, would 

 only be applied to those lands which from poverty of soil or 

 other causes could not be otherwise cultivated, — viz., all 

 sandy or sterile soils, railway banks, moors, mosses, bogs, 

 rocky and stony ground, such as under cliffs, mountainous 

 regions, sandy marshes and along the coast. It would not 

 either displace Mulberry silk, for having a different texture, 

 appearance, and inferior gloss it would be used for purposes 

 quite distinct from those to which that silk was applied. 

 Upon the question of cost he quoted statistics of the culture 

 of the tree and the rearing of the worms in France, and 

 showed that there a profit had been derived of ,£21 per acre 

 upon ground otherwise valueless. 



Dr. Wallace then concluded as follows : — I have now very 

 feebly and inadequately (and omitting, for want of time, 

 many points of great interest) laid before you, as it were, a 

 leaflet from the great book of Nature, as yet undeciphered 

 in England. Numerous as are the benefits we reap from 

 her, there yet remain, even at our feet, many of her secrets 

 uninvestigated many undiscovered sources of health and in- 

 dustry. Pisciculture as applied to our British sea fisheries, 

 to the salmon, and to the oyster — sericiculture on an ex- 

 tended basis, not confined to a single species as heretofore 

 — the return of sewage to the land — the introduction of new 

 species of living creatures. from distant parts, suitable to our 

 requirements, and susceptible of acclimatisation — these 

 and other problems are presented to us for solution in the 

 decade 1860-70. It is the duty of man, by patient inves- 

 tigation, to arrive at a correct interpretation of Nature's 

 laws, and apply them successfully to his own benefit. The 

 process is a slow one, and many mistakes must be made be- 

 fore the truth is elicited, but success in the end is sure. And 

 with .reference to this novel industry to English and Euro- 

 pean Ailanthi culture, it is worth while to note the remark- 

 able events which have heralded its dawn. One hundred 

 and ten years ago the tree was acclimatised in Europe, but 

 not for sericiculture. Had the silkworms then come over 

 with the tree, they could not have been reared for many 

 years to come for lack of foliage; but sufficient time was re- 

 quired for the tree first to become indigenous in Europe, 

 Canada, Australia, and to manifest its reproductive and 

 hardy nature. Then came a severe epidemic in Europe 

 among the varieties of the Mulberry silkworm, inducing the 

 proprietors to send out into the original silk-growing dis- 

 tricts, India, Japan, China, for new and healthy kinds. This 

 alone was possible by the aid of missionary enterprise : with- 

 out the help of those pioneers of religion and civilization 

 the Ailanthus silkworm would never have reached Europe. 

 Various coincident movements in China and Japan threw 

 open these countries to European research; the Ailanthus 

 silkworm is discovered and sent to Europe, and the Ailan- 

 thus tree is at this time acclimatised, and abundant food 

 therefore was now ready for the silkworm on its arrival. Then 

 came a crisis in the cotton trade ; the American war put a 

 stop to our supply of cotton; substitutes were sought in 

 every direction, and Ailanthi culture assumed at once a more 

 important appearance ; and not merely Ailanthi culture 

 began to be investigated, but other species of cocoon-forming 

 insects producing silk of hardy habits, and susceptible of 

 acclimatisation in Europe were sought after. Thus the 

 dream of the 14th century, which James I. vainly strove to 



realize, is on the point of completion. Fortunate will it be 

 for England, fortunate indeed for Ireland, if land, hitherto 

 valueless, can be so tended as to furnish, with easy care and 

 slight cost, a tissue warm and durable, and fit even for the 

 poor man to wear — fortunate will the women and children 

 be if another healthy industry be open for their nimble and 

 yet tender fingers. I cannot but be struck with the remark- 

 able chain of events which has heralded these new projects, 

 and I feel confident that at no very distant period European 

 sericiculture will rank high amongst industrial products. 

 (Applause.) — (Essex Gazette.) 



MIITLEY MAjSTOK. 



The Seat of Raises Ctjekie, Esq. 



Among the many country residences which have sprung 

 up of late years and become interesting in a gardening 

 point of view, this must take a high rank, particularly when 

 we consider that whenever the fruit from this garden has 

 been shown at our great metropolitan exhibitions during 

 the last three seasons, it has invariably either taken prizes or 

 been adjudged equal to that from other first-class gardens. 



After a Jong drive on a glorious September day, a friend 

 or two and myself entered by one of the new lodges. The 

 drive from this is wild in the extreme, the whole country as 

 far as the eye can reach is hill and dale, covered with Heath, 

 and here and there a few patches of Firs bending before the 

 wind. Along the sides of this new drive were fresh-planted 

 Rhododendrons and American plants, generally with a back- 

 ing of Larch, Spruce, &c, for shelter, which must be very 

 necessary, for it is scarcely possible to find a more exposed 

 situation so far south. At one of the turnings of the drive 

 we came in full view of the chateau, as, I suppose, I must call 

 it from its architecture being the pure old French. If the 

 colour had been grey instead of red, it would have been 

 easy to have imagined oneself wandering among the hills of 

 Normandy. Its campanile with long steep slated top, 

 the high almost perpendicular roof, and hanging bartizan, 

 have an un-English look ; and the barren situation would 

 have made many pause before they chose such a site for a 

 mansion. 



Having found Mr. Meads, the gardener, he conducted us 

 first to the range of houses, which consisted of seven divi- 

 sions, all of the common lean-to form. Entering from the 

 east end the first division we came to was a late Peach-house 

 with a good sprinkling of fine fruit still upon the trees. 

 Then followed the early division from which the fruit had 

 been gathered in June, and the trees were covered with 

 green healthy leaves, both front and back. Next to this 

 was the early vinery, in which were cut the Black Prince 

 bunches that tried the veteran Grape-grower, Mr. Hill, at 

 the Regent's Park June Show, Mr. Meads' bunches being 

 heavier by 2 ozs., the three bunches weighing 8 lbs. 10 ozs., 

 and Mr. Hill's $ lbs. 8 ozs. 



Next to this is a Muscat-house, and such Muscats ! I am 

 certain that it would have been possible to have picked out 

 twelve bunches without finding their equal in any one 

 house. Some of them must have been 6 lbs. in weight, and 

 judging from the weight of some that had been cut, few of 

 the twelve were under 5 lbs. The house is 17 feet long by 

 15 feet wide, and there is a Yine to each rafter, carrying 

 eight bunches. The Vines were planted four years ago last 

 June, and thirteen months after planting the Grapes from 

 this house gained the third prize at Kensington. The 

 berries of these bunches were large and plump, and of a clear 

 rich amber colour. Joining this is the central-house, which 

 is used as a greenhouse, and in which there is a Vine carry- 

 ing thirteen bunches to each rafter. Two of the bunches 

 taken as an average of the rest were found to weigh, one 

 4 lbs. 3 ozs., the other 4 lbs. 5 ozs., the whole being beauti- 

 fully coloured. This house is 30 feet long and 17 feet wide. 

 Next to it is a vinery 35 feet long and 15 feet wide, wholly 

 planted with Black Grapes. The average crop was ten 

 bunches on each Vine. Some bunches of Muscat Hamburgh 

 here were very fine specimens of this precious variety. 

 Some of them must have been of a good weight. (See ac- 

 count of the October Exhibition at South Kensington, at 

 page 328.) It must be remembered that the Vines were 

 upon their own roots, and that the Grapes then shown were 



