STYLE. 



47 



tight tanks under them, and a portable 

 pump for emptying these in the shape of 

 liquid manure. The reference t shows 

 the compost yard enclosed on two sides 

 with an evergreen privet hedge, or 6 feet 

 wall. Against the end wall of this com- 

 partment should be a range of open sheds 

 for mould, &c. 



As specimens of irregular gardens we 

 may instance two in our own neighbour- 

 hood — namely, those of Hopetoun House 

 and Dalhousie Castle. The former is 

 one of the oldest gardens in Scotland, 

 but was much improved and altered in 

 its arrangements about thirty years ago. 

 It occupies two sides of a valley, giving 

 both a north and south exposure, with a 

 small stream of water flowing down the 

 middle. The latter, fig. 26, occupies a 

 sloping bank on the north side of the 

 river South Esk. It was designed by 

 the late Mr John Hay of Edinburgh, and 

 is thus described by Mr Archibald, once 

 gardener there : " The plan is certainly 

 very different from, and in effect far sur- 

 passes, the ordinary mode of enclosing- 

 gardens by straight walls, in the form of 

 squares or parallelograms — the wall 

 here, which is 15 feet in height, having 

 been built in a curved and winding- 

 direction, to suit the adjacent ground. 

 The situation has been much admired 

 by every person of taste who has visited 

 it : one particular beauty consists in the 

 natural fence on the south side, being 

 perpendicular, rugged rocks, to the depth 

 of from 30 to 40 feet to the bed of 

 the river, with a walk along the top. 

 The range of glazed houses is 203 feet in 

 length, consisting of a greenhouse in the 

 centre, 36 feet ; two vineries, 77 feet ; and 

 two peach-houses, 45 feet each ; with an 

 excellent room on a level with the top of 

 the greenhouse stage, where are deposited 

 some beautiful specimens of natural his- 

 tory, and a few useful books on botany, 

 gardening, agriculture, &c." 



The following references to the annexed 

 plan will explain the arrangement : a a, 

 &c, quarters for vegetables and small 

 fruit ; b border for American plants ; c 

 melon ground ; d gardener's house ; e 

 greenhouse ;/ /"vineries ; g g peach-houses. 

 The offices behind contain fruit-room, 

 mushroom-house, potting-shed, gardener's 

 room, water-house, tool-house, coal-shed; 

 h open shed ; i bank of rhododendrons ; 



kkk line of variegated hollies ; 11 11 

 flower-beds on grass ; m m sunk fence ; n n 

 four divisions of flued wall ; o o stoke- 

 Fig. 26. 



holes ; p shrubbery borders ; q walk 

 towards the castle ; r cart-road to the 

 garden, and s s South Esk. 



