January so, 1881 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 51 
Fig. 12 .—The AMERICAN GARDEN AT SALTWOOB. 
attention, and it has once more, save the water, assumed its former 
appearance. He has, however, felt that, as owing to the increase 
of inhabitants in the neighbouring watering places and their 
desire to see its beauties, it became a considerable tax on him, he 
has very wisely made a charge for admission, all of which, and 
a good deal more, is expended on keeping it up. 
It would be useless to attempt a detailed description of the 
various trees and shrubs that fill up this very beautiful spot. The 
accompanying sketch, taken from a photograph, will give a good 
idea of one portion of it, but its beauties are too many to be 
shown in one drawing, or indeed many. Here you will meet with 
Camellias 15 to 20 feet high ; Indian Azaleas, indica alba forming 
dense bushes several feet in height; Rhododendrons of all colours 
growing most luxuriantly ; Araucarias and other choice Conifers 
not as large as one has seen them, but still luxuriant and healthy ; 
the green turf edging the walks well kept ; and the whole pre¬ 
senting a scene not easily forgotten. 
1 am aware that in other places more varied and luxuriant col¬ 
lections of these plants may be seen ; but the great charm of this 
is, in addition to its real intrinsic beauty, that it is found in a 
district where it would be least expected, and like an oasis in the 
desert: therefore the more valuable.—D., Deal. 
SCIENCE IN HORTICULTURE. 
The Journal of Horticulture for January 13th contained an 
article under the above heading, signed “ D., Deal," and many no 
doubt began to read it in the hopes of learning something. I did 
for one, but was more startled than edified by its truly novel 
argument. 
Sir W. Hamilton gives the following definition of science— 
“A complement of cognitions, having in point of form the 
character of logical perfection, and in point of matter the 
character of real truth.” 
The first paragraph in the article I have mentioned concludes 
thus—“ If science be all that it asserts itself to be, surely by this 
time we ought to have had something more certain than con¬ 
flicting statements and fantastic directions as to culture.” Will 
“D., Deal," have the goodness to let us know what science has 
asserted itself to be, when it made the assertion, and to whom ? 
there in what is an unfashionable time of the year, but withal 
in many seasons a pleasant one—the month of May—viz., the 
American valley in the grounds of Saltwood Rectory. 
Some years ago the living of Saltwood was held, along with 
several other very good things, by a dignitary of the Church who 
came under the lash of Mr. Punch for the nice little pickings he 
had managed to accumulate. But none of these things in the 
least moved him. He thought that those who win may laugh, 
and so he enjoyed the jokes that were passed upon him, and who, 
amongst other good points in his character—and he had many— 
was a great lover of his garden. Finding this old apparently 
disused chalk pit in the grounds attached to the rectory he deter¬ 
mined on converting it into a scene of beauty and luxuriance. 
Being of some extent and depth, and surrounded by some large 
trees, the situation was eminently favourable for it. At the 
bottom were two ponds of water, which of course gave greater 
facilities for forming a picturesque piece of landscape gardening. 
On this he planted a very large number of Rhododendrons, Azaleas, 
Camellias, and some choice Conifers. As years went on he added 
to these all the newer varieties as they came into the market; and 
as the plants increased in size he had the pleasure of seeing the 
place assume an appearance of beauty that well repaid him for 
the great expense and trouble that he had been put to. At his 
death the living came to a very excellent man, but one on whom 
the horticultural mantle had not fallen, and the valley passed into 
rather a dilapidated state ; and those ruthless invaders of all our 
most sacred rights, the railway companies, added to this, for they 
brought the branch line from Westenhanger to Hythe close by it, 
and consequently tapped the springs that supplied the water, and 
the result has been that the ponds no longer exist—a very great 
deterioration of its beauty. 
The living has now passed into the hands of a most excellent 
and thorough-going horticulturist, Canon Hodgson, formerly Vicar 
of Croydon, where in the vicarage garden he had been able to 
show how in a limited space the most varied aspects of horticulture 
could be presented. In fruit and flowers, both indoor and out, he 
had achieved great success. Of course when he came to Saltwood 
the Bhododendron valley became the object of special care and 
