January 29, 1885 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
91 
ventilation, an evil which Mr. McKinnon hopes to remedy. The Peaches and 
Nectarines are in pots along the front, the Figs being planted out and 
trained to the back wall. Two very large examples of the White 
Marseilles Fig are grown in this house, one covering a space of 36 by 
16 feet, and the other, an extraordinary tree, is 40 feet long hy the same 
height. The fruits produced by these trees are extremely large and hand¬ 
some. The kitchen garden is four acres in extent, surrounded by walls 
12 feet high, the soil being fertile and suiting most vegetables well. Peas 
in particular are very satisfactory ; Yeitch’s Perfection apparently quite at 
home is found very reliable there, King of the Marrows and Ne Plus 
"Ultra being similarly good. Small fruits thrive fairly well, but several 
Apples, including Lord Suffield, Cellini, and Stirling Castle are much 
subject to canker, which is attributed to the situation being somewhat 
damp, these varieties in the majority of other gardens which came under 
my notice being the most satisfactory in all respects, and Stirling Castle 
was especially so in a season when Apples were generally scarce. 
Apricots did not, however, form an exception, for outside against the 
walls they were in the best condition, healthy, clean, and bearing fine 
fruits, Moorpark being the favoured variety. 
Miscellaneous plants are grown to supply flowers for cutting, but one 
is in particular demand—namely, Lilies of the Valley, of which a supply 
is maintained from Christmas to June. To effect this a large number of 
could never allow my love to wander from those old favourites of my 
childhood. All flowers do not maintain their beauty alike ; some are of 
short duration, others stand in the front for a generation. I have found 
flowers retain their growth and beauty longer which have a narrow short 
joint and grass; those with a broad fleshy flag grass and softwooded die 
out. Numbers of new varieties which have been sent out to eclipse 
Admiral Curzon and Lord Milton degenerated in a few years and became 
worthless ; the worst I know of was a flower named Twitchett’s Don 
John. The first year it created such a sensation that everyone was 
endeavouring to obtain it, taking all the prizes where exhibited, and the 
price advanced from 105. per pair to £2 2.?. per pair in 1842 ; but when it 
bloomed the next year Don John’s character was such that even at Cam¬ 
bridge the raiser could scarcely own it, and something was said about 
four flowers being made up into one bloom. I thank Mr. Douglas for his 
good wishes, and I assure him and brother florists that defeat makes an 
Englishman the more energetic. I do like to meet better persons than 
myself in open competition. I trust I shall be pardoned when I state that 
had the premier bloom of rose flakes at Kensington, Jessica, been 
exhibited forty years past it would have been disqualified, having three 
petals distinctly marked as a crimson bizarre, a bizarre petal, in a flake as a 
flake petal in a bizarre were then considered a disqualification. As I con¬ 
sider myself now only a novice, I trust these remarks will be considered 
Fig. 16.—Scone Palace. 
roots are grown, an acre of ground being appropriated to the reserve 
stock. They are cut out in clumps about 2 feet square and placed in 
boxes for forcing as required, and when the flowers are all gathered they 
are returned their former position, which is well dressed with manure. 
They are allowed a year’s rest, a good mulching being placed over the 
roots when the leaves die, and fresh strong plants can then always be 
obtained in quantity. Few houses are devoted to plants, but there is a 
well-furnished conservatory in which a good display is always main¬ 
tained, and throughout the whole establishment there is the best evidence 
that the reputation Mr. A. McKinnon has gained as a careful practical 
gardener is well deserved.— Lewis Castle. 
OLD VARIETIES OF FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Mr. Douglas’s reply to my inquiry, page 49, was intended to convey 
the question, Would our modern flowers, such as Wm. Skirving, Master 
Fred, Tim Bobbin, Jessica, &c., if grown in the days of Cartwright’s 
Rainbow, Duchess of Devonshire, King Alfred, and Flora’s Garland, have 
displaced the latter ? Duchess of Devonshire and Rainbow were in petal, 
purity of white, depth of stripe, and equality of marking, all that could 
he desired. Lord Milton seems to have lost that brilliancy of colour 
where improving in size ; Admiral Curzon has, however, improved in colour. 
Although I have not of late been an exhibitor I have grown a few, and i 
by the many practical growers who read them in a considerate manner.— 
Thomas Garkatt. 
P.S.—Wood’s Agrippina was sent out fifty years past, and was the most 
brilliant white without bar in the petal, but its edging was as though 
Nature had put it on with a trembling hand. I consider that to be the 
pirent from which most of the best Picotees have descended. 
SINGLE ASTERS. 
It is somewhat surprising that the single forms of the annual Aster 
should have received such little attention considering the great demand of 
late years for single flowers of the Marguerite type. Of the various seed 
catalogues that have reached me this season few offer seed of single varie¬ 
ties, which gives me the impression that they are not so well known as 
they ought to be. As flowers for cutting they are unsurpassed, and how 
I came to grow them was in this way. Looking round a neighbouring 
garden one October I noticed at a distance a bed that appeared particularly 
bright amidst the general dreariness prevailing at that period of the year. 
The seed had been purchased as superb double Asters, hut produced a bed 
of singles, amongst which was one of a very bright rose pink colour. I 
prevailed upon the owner to save me the seed of that one, which he did. 
The first season of growing them there was a general variety of colours, 
but I carefully weeded out all except the pink ones, none of the other® 
