248 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



though some of the specimens staged at that time would have rather 

 shocked our best growers over here, the fruit from the Bessborough 

 district came out so well that as an outcome of this show a scheme 

 was drafted by the Irish Board of Agriculture to plant up separate 

 acres of various kinds of fruit trees and bushes on twenty small farms 

 in this locality, and an expert was placed in charge of them, to instruct 

 the farmers in the best methods of fruit cultivation, grading, packing, 

 and getting on the markets. These plots succeeded well, and so much 

 good resulted from this scheme that it was eventually decided to 

 double the number of plots in that district. 



One of the best answers to the question of how the plan succeeded 

 is the fact that for several years fruit has been successfully exhibited 

 at the R.H.S. Fruit Show in London from one of these small farms. 

 From Bessborough Gardens alone in seven years over thirty first 

 prizes have been awarded for fruit exhibited in the open classes at the 

 same show in London, besides holding its own at the shows held 

 in Dublin and Belfast. 



Stone fruit does admirably at Bessborough ; peaches, nectarines, 

 and plums, and, in two years out of three, apricots of exceptional 

 quality are grown. 



One of the first improvements taken in hand by the Countess 

 of Bessborough was the formation of a combined rock-and-water 

 garden. When making the excavations for the ponds, the soil was 

 thrown up to make a high bank on the side farthest from the walk. 

 This bank was planted with a great variety of plants, with a view 

 to providing an immediate effect, but with the idea of weeding out 

 anything which eventually proved unsuitable. Gunner a manicata, 

 throwing its gigantic leaves over the water, bamboos such as 

 Avundinaria anceps, A. nitida, Phyllostachys flexuosa, P. Henonis, 

 P. aurea, P. nigra, and P. viridi-glaucescens, with Bambusa palmata 

 and B. fastuosa, such Berberis as Darwini, B. stenophylla gracilis, B. 

 Thunbergi, and B. virescens were planted to hang over the rocks, 

 placed close to the water's edge, with Hydrangeas in variety, 

 Cordyline australis, Phormium tenax, Eulalia zebrina, E. japonica 

 var., and E. gracillima, Osmunda regalis, Aralia Sieboldi, Spiraeas in 

 variety, and other smaller species close to and even in the water. 



Behind the plants named and farther away were clumps of Arundo 

 Donax and A. conspicua (the noble summer-flowering Pampas), 

 Polygonum sachaliense and j Gyneriums in variety, Eucalyptus 

 Globulus, Leycesteria formosa and Arbutus Unedo, the whole having as 

 a background a large clump of evergreen oaks. In this part of the 

 garden we depended for colour at the various seasons of the year 

 on bold clumps of the more showy herbaceous perennials, such as 

 Epilobiums, Lythrums, Irises in variety, Doronicums, Heleniums, 

 Peonies, herbaceous Poppies and Phlox, Lupins (both the herbaceous 

 and tree Lupin), Anemone japonica, Rudbeckias, Veronicas, and 

 Kniphoftas. 



In the water itself were planted choice varieties of Nymphaeas and 



