Report of Meetings foi- 1879, by James Hardy. 43 



times. Other two species of Taxonia (one of them Baumanniana) 

 are cultivated here ; also a "wide-spreading Passiflora racemosa, 

 which flowers at all seasons. Passiflora Bougainmllea covers one 

 half of a house ; a large flowering Heliotrope was also very con- 

 spicuous. 



There may be also noticed, EwpJiorhium splendens ; Lapygena 

 rosea ; a screw pine ; SedycMum Gardnerianum, from South 

 America ; a new hyacinth -like plant ( Opliiopogon Jdburan) ; two 

 well reared climbing ferns {Lygodon scandens) ; many fine Maiden 

 hair, golden and silver ferns, and a profusion of other sorts, very 

 healthy and luxuriant. Aloes, Colias, Calidiums, Arums, 

 Chinese Primroses, Fuschias, Double Petunias, and other 

 decorative plants serve to make up the very interesting collection 

 grown here. In one of the grape houses is a very productive 

 Black Hamburgh. At first it was grown in many divaricating 

 branches spreading from a single central stem ; but Mr Loney, 

 dissatisfied with its bearing capacity, twisted round one of the 

 under branches to the right, while another branch was retained 

 that naturally spread to the left ; by branches spreading from 

 these the house is now crossed and filled ; and the remarkable 

 thing about it is, that the wood from the twisted feeder bears 

 the heaviest and best bunches of fruit. 



Of ornamental Coniferse there are in the grounds outside the 

 garden a Wellingtonia gigantea, 18 years old, feathered to the 

 ground with branches ; a Pinus Douglasi, with the top hurt ; two 

 Araucarias, whereof the finest, shews the severe winter of 1859- 

 60, by the altered foliage of that year's growth. There are also 

 Deodars, a Pinus excelsa, a Picea Wehhiana, and a thriving 

 Crgptomeria Japonica. 



In the vegetable and flower departments this summer slugs 

 have been excessively numerous, and it was found almost im- 

 possible to keep them in check. 



A very fine old copper dial, of date 1726, behind the house, 

 and a peculiarly grown larch standing there, already mentioned 

 in the Club's ''Proceedings," were hastily looked at, amidst the 

 incessant rain. The material on the walks, which has been 

 broken into fragments by a machine, consists of porphyry from 

 Kyles HiU. 



The house is an imposing structure, and has a stately appear- 

 ance from the cross road in front of it ; it is partially ornamented 



