November 3,1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
409 
that would be of use will be thankfully received by—B. G., Co. 
Down. 
THE SULTAN APPLE. 
I SEND you a box containing two Apples of the Grand Sultan 
and two of the genuine Cornish Gilliflower, gathered from an old 
tree in a very old-established garden where the tree has been for 
the last forty years. This is the true type of the Gilliflower, and, 
as you will see, differs materially from the Sultan. The flesh of 
the Sultan when ripe is white, that of the Gilliflower yellow. They 
differ in shape. The Sultan is much larger and ripens earlier, 
and does not keep as well as the other. I also send with them a 
piece of the wood and foliage of each Apple, which are very 
different in every respect. The wood of ihe Sultan is strong¬ 
growing and the foliage large, the leaf rounding at the point. It 
spurs freely and does not bear at the extremities like the Cornish 
Gilliflower, the growth of which is slight and the leaves rather 
pointed. 
The Sultan is a very old Apple, is found in all the oldest gar¬ 
dens and orchards in this neighbourhood, is largely grown and 
much esteemed as a table Apple. The early windfalls are much 
used in making “ Devonshire Biffins,” and are the best Apples for 
the purpose. 
I have never seen the Sultan elsewhere. Do you know it under 
another name ? Is it at Chiswick ? If desired I would forward 
grafts of it to yourself or Mr. Barron. It is a great bearer.—• 
John M. Miller, Raleigh House, Barnstaple , North Devon. 
[There can be no doubt that Grand Sultan is distinct from 
Cornish Gilliflower. The nearest approach it has to any other 
variety is to Winter Red Calville, but we are not prepared to say 
that it is the same as that variety. It is a very fine and good 
Apple.—E d.] 
DULWICH HOUSE, 
The residence of Lieut.-Col. Page, is pleasantly situated on a 
rising ground about two miles from the town of Cardiff, and 
within a short distance of the ancient city of Llandaff. Looking 
west a fine view is obtained for some distance up the Vale of 
Glamorgan, and the low but picturesque hills of Leckwith form 
a good background, with a broad stretch of level country lying 
between on each side of the river Ely. To the south-east we have 
a fine view of Cardiff and the shipping in the docks, and beyond 
this Penarth Head and the shipping in the roads. The laud in 
the vicinity is rich and fertile, and well adapted to the cultiva¬ 
tion of fruit trees and shrubs. Amongst tlie amateur devotees 
of horticulture who constitute, we are happy to say, so large a 
class in this country, there are few who have shown more con¬ 
stancy or exhibited more enthusiastic intelligence in the pursuit 
than Col. Page. He is a gentleman who derives great pleasure 
from the cultivation and daily acquaintance with fruits and 
flowers. The ground attached to his mansion is but eight acres 
in extent, but we have rarely seen a garden anywhere laid out to 
better advantage Without any crowding the ground has been 
most skilfully arranged to furnish accommodation for a large 
number of choice fruit trees, shrubs, and flowers. His idea 
apparently is to rear everything of the best, and by the process 
of selection of the fittest he has been able to produce fine speci¬ 
mens of hardy fruits and shrubs suited to the place. Col. Page 
is fortunate in having a gardener such as Mr. Armytage, who, 
to the experience of long years, adds the quality of an aptitude 
for receiving new ideas and new suggestions, which is rare 
amongst men of his age. He is always ready to co-operate with 
his employer in carrying out the improvements which his zeal, 
practical skill, and carefully acquired knowledge are constantly 
suggesting. 
Adjoining the house is a neat conservatory gay with choice 
flowering plants, and from the terrace in front of that structure 
a walk runs to the forcing houses and kitchen garden. The lawn, 
which is on a lower level, slopes to the south, and is neatly laid 
out with geometrical flower beds filled with some of the best 
varieties of bedding plants. Beside the beds the lawn is furnished 
with fine examples of ornamental trees and shrubs. The lawn- 
tennis ground lies to the left of the lawn on a higher level, and 
is divided from it by a grass terrace and the walk leading to the 
forcing houses, &c. The lawn and lawn-tennis ground are enclosed 
in the south by a large shrubbery running parallel with the terrace 
walk in front of the mansion, which completely screens from 
view the back wall of the forcing houses and kitchen garden ; 
while between the shrubbery and the grass is a long herbaceous 
border filled with Phloxes and other plants in full flower. 
Proceeding to the forcing and plant houses, the first we entered 
was devoted to Pine Apples, Melons, Cucumbers and Grapes. It 
is span-roofed, 24 feet long by 12 feet, with a bed on each side of 
the path, one of which is filled with Pine Apples in pots, the 
varieties consisting of Queens, Smooth Cayenne, and Jamaica. 
The other bed is occupied with Cucumbers and Melons, which 
are trained to a trellis near the glass. At the end of the house 
were two Vines in pots trained over the walk, forming an arch, 
and bearing a good crop of Grapes. The Melons had also been 
fine. The Cucumber plants, Tender and True, were still bearing 
fruits nearly a yard in length. Though this is an exhibition va¬ 
riety, we cannot see where its usefulness lies compared with other 
varieties in cultivation. Near this is a span-roofed plant stove, 
30 feet long by 20 feet wide and 11 feet high, with a raised bed 
in the centre, and a walk round and side stages for placing the 
plants on. It was well filled with medium-sized plants of Ferns, 
Lycopodiums, Dracamas, Caladiums, Allamandas, Coleuses, and 
others in fine condition. 
A lean-to vinery 30 feet by 15 feet and 13 feet high next received 
attention. The Vines are planted in an outside border and brought 
inside and trained on the intermediate system of pruning. The 
canes are allowed to grow to the top of the house in three years, 
and then they are cut clean out in the fourth at pruning time. 
By following this method a regular succession of young wood 
is obtained all over the house, which never fails to produce good 
crops of the best quality. The house was filled with seven Vines, 
one each of the following varieties—Black Hamburgh, Muscat 
of Alexandria, Madresfield Court, Gros Colrnan, Lady Downe’s 
Seedling, Foster’s Seedling, and Bowood Muscat. Besides the 
Vines we observed some Tomatoes in pots trained on the back 
wall, and a large plant of Eriobotrya japonica, which fruits there 
and is much appreciated. In a lean-to greenhouse 24 feet long 
by 12 feet wide some Vines growing up the rafters were carrying 
a fair crop of useful-sized bunches of well-coloured Black Ham¬ 
burgh Grapes, which had never received any fire heat from the 
first. While in this house we were forcibly reminded of an en¬ 
thusiastic friend who once wrote “ that he was never satisfied 
unless every space and corner of his vinery was filled with plants.” 
We admire his enthusiasm, but object altogether to the practice 
of growing plants and fruit in the same house, and would advise 
all those who can to avoid it. 
Passing out of this we entered, what to us was the most interesting 
house of ail, a lean-to orchard house 00 feet long by 15 feet wide, 
containing Peaches, Plums, Pears, Apples, Figs, and Vines, some 
in pots and some planted out in the border. A walk extends up 
the centre of the house its entire length. The roof is strengthened 
iD the middle by a light beam supported at equal distances by 
five neatly turned wooden pillars. Vines were planted at each 
pillar and trained up and along the beam for the space of 6 feet 
on each side. Twelve Vines were planted in the border in front of 
the house, and trained up the rafters as single rods to meet the 
cross beam just mentioned. The other half of the roof was bare, 
and allows plenty of light and sunshine to penetrate to the Peach 
trees planied against the back wall. Some Peach trees close to 
the front lights were trained in bush form, and between them and 
the walk was another row in pots. Then between the walk and the 
back wall were two rows of trees in pots of various kinds, and the 
back wall was covered with Peach trees as already stated. They 
were clean and healthy, and bearing a heavy crop of large fruit. 
For the trees, pots 14 inches in diameter are generally used. The 
trees are never potted oftener than once in two years, and they 
seldom fail to produce good crops of fruit. 
We might here mention a little peculiarity respecting the quality 
of the fruit of the Peach grown under different treatment in this 
house. Colonel Page informed us that the fruit of the Peach 
trees planted out in the front of the house and grown as bushes is 
inferior in flavour to the fruit of those grown in pots, and that 
the fruit of those grown in pots was still inferior to the fruit of 
the trees grown on the back wall. We cannot account for the 
fruit of the trees in pots being superior to those of the trees 
planted out in the border, unless it is that their roots penetrate 
deeper into the soil, and are consequently much farther from the 
sun’s influence than the loots of those in pots. It is easily under¬ 
stood the fruit will be of better quality from trees spread out and 
trained in fau-shape, every shoot receiving the full benefit of the 
sun's rays (whether on a back wall or trained close up to the 
roof of a house) than those grown on bushes. Amongst Peaches 
we observed the following varieties carrying a fine crop of good 
sized fruit—Rivers’ Early York, RoySl George, Grosse Mignonne, 
Bellegarde, and Prince of Wales. Of Nectarines, Rivers’ Pine 
Apple is reckoned here as one of the best varieties. It has a 
strung constitution, is a fine bearer, and scarcely ever fails in 
producing a heavy crop. Plums are grown in great variety, but 
Jefferson’s is the favourite. The fruit under glass grows to a 
