242 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 11, 1884. 
advice your correspondent may require. A corn should never be cut.— 
A Surgeon. 
WICKHAM COURT. 
“ If you want to see some of the finest Yew hedges in the country go 
to Wickham Court,” was the remark of a gardener who knows what is 
good and of interest to horticulturists. As I have seen some good Yew 
hedges in my time—namely, at the Earl of Chesterfield’s, Holme Lacy, 
Hereford, and Sir H. A. H. Cholmeley's, Bart., Easton Hall, Grantham— 
I felt a desire to see if those above referred to were of similarly com¬ 
manding appearance. Therefore, after a pleasant drive across the furzy 
common of Tootinsr, through the quaint old village of Mitcham—which 
is an aggregation of wooden houses mainly, and the headquarters of the 
herb-growing industry in this country—through the busy town of Croydon, 
I found myself in the hilly and valey and woody county of Kent, and 
anon in the pretty village of Wickham, where half the houses are em¬ 
bowered in trees, and those trees still almost as freshly green as in spring. 
What a change from the dried and dusty environs of South London, 
where Lime and Horse-Chestnut trees have been leafless for some time, 
owing to the excessive heat and dry gravel subsoil, while Elms and 
Beeches are casting their rusty shrivelled foliage rapidly. 
But to Wickham. Wickham Court is the ancient seat of Sir John F. 
Lennard, Bart. It is an impo-ing castellated building, picturesquely 
mantled with Ivy—with the equally picturesque church on a mound con¬ 
tiguous—overlooking a far-reaching pastoral vaUey, bounded by heavily 
wooded hUls. The situation is, therefore, commanding, but there is 
nothing rugged about the suiTOunding scenery. The country is boldly 
diversified and beautiful, but it is of a quiet beauty, the configuration of 
the ground being represented by smooth curves, not broken, angular, 
and abrupt, like some parts of Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and romantic 
Scotland. 
The soil around Wickham is evidently good, deep, and moist, or the 
pastures could not be so green as they are nor the trees so fresh, the 
Oaks epecially on the estate being remarkable by them luxuriance and 
their deep, thick, leathery foliage. Wickham Court, though standing 
when Henry VIII. was king, and was, so it is said, occupied from time to 
time by that monarch, is yet in excellent habitable condition, and loo'<s as 
if it would endure the wear and tear of a few more centuries. It is a fine 
old English seat, not of startling size, but has a comfortable home like 
appearance that is not seen in the new spick and span residences on 
which the architect has exercised his ingenuity, “ regardless of expense.” 
At Wickham the mansion and all the appurtenances are practically in 
the same pile, the capital gardener’s residence being almost a part of it, 
and the gardens and the stables closely adjoining. 
The pleasure grounds, mostly on the east side of the Court, are tole¬ 
rably extensive and decidedly enjoyable. The lawn is sufiiciently occupied 
with shrubs and Conifers without being overcrowded, and in the distance 
the trees increase, merging almost into a wood; but not wild and 
neglected, for every tree appears to be cared for, the evergreens kept in 
order, and the embowered walks are neat and clean. Very conspicuous on 
the lawn, and withal attractive, are some good examples of the deciduous 
Cypress—cones of palest green showing to advantage against the dense 
background of dark foliaige. Near the mansion are a few bright modern 
flower beds flanking the flight of steps, which are not modern, but are 
carpeted with the Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Linaria Cymbalaria, which springs 
from every crevice in the old stones and is left to ramble in its own wild 
way. This is just as it should be, and on the south side of the building 
we find with equal appropriateness old herbaceous borders, with always 
something in flower in them in summer, and packed full of bulbs for pro¬ 
ducing a wealth of beauty in spring. 
At the end of these borders are the Yew hedges, two of them running 
due south from the mansion with a grass glade about 15 feet wide and 
60 yards long between them. This is known as Anne Boleyn’s Walk, and 
a delightful promenade it is, whatever it may have been when it was 
frequented 350 years ago by the unfortunate Queen whose name it bears. 
The hedges are certainly splendid examples of their kind, and must rank 
among the finest in the kingdom. They are in the shape of a span- 
roofed house—that is, have upright sides to the height of 7 feet, then 
sloping to a ridge in the centre 13 feet 6 inches from the ground. The 
roof on each side is 10 feet, so that, measuring from the ground on one 
side to the lawn on the other, we find a clipped surface of 34 feet; and 
perfect the clipping is, the sides especially, which are as true and level 
as a brick wall. It is quite certain that a better example of hedge¬ 
clipping is not to be found, and the workman is to be congratulated 
accordhigly. 
As inquiries are not infrequent as to the best time for clipping Yew 
hedges, it may be stated that these and all other famous Yew hedges that 
I have seen are trimmed in August. That is the best period of the year 
for the work, for there is just time for a fresh face of young growths to 
form, harden, and remain green, yet smooth, all the winter. If the clip¬ 
ping is deferred till spring and then done too soon the tender young 
growths are often injured by late frosts, while if the work is deferred 
till April the hedges are rough during the greater part of the year. 
August, then, is the best month in the whole year for the work in 
question. 
Mr. Griffeth, the gardener at Wickham, has found, too, the advantage 
of not clipping as close as it is possible to drive the shears. Observing weak 
places in the sides of the hedges five years ago he had them clipped 
‘‘ lighter,” that is, a very small portion—a quarter of an inch or so—of 
the aimual growths were left. The improvement has been very marked, 
and now a fault in the walls of Yew trees has to be sought for. These 
magnificent hedges were certainly worth going to see. They are the 
pride of Wickham, and cherished by the owner and his gardener. 
The garden generally is evidently cherished, plants and flowers being 
extensively and well grown, the vegetable garden well stocked and pyra¬ 
mid Apple trees well trained, but not bearing heavily. Like the forest 
trees they grow with great freedom, and the branches need thinning and 
the roots pruning, of which the gardener is well aware; but, like many 
other gardeners, he cannot do everything at once—he simply does the 
best he can, and he does well. It is not often that healthier stove plants 
and Ferns are seen, nor finer bushes, white as snow with flowers of 
Bouvardia Humboldti corymbifera, the best of all the genus for summer. 
We must go far, too, to see better Chrysanthemums, Poinsettias, Cycla¬ 
mens, and all plants of that character; while Heaths and Epacrises grow 
like Willows. To these plants Mr. Grifi’eth gives sulphate of ammonia, 
which is by no means a common practice, and to that stimulant he attri¬ 
butes their remarkable health. It is used in liquid form at the rate of a 
teaspoonful to a gallon of water, but not given after August, or the growth 
would be so vigorous that flowers would not be freely produced. It may 
not be generaUy known that some of the best growers of Heaths for 
market use sulphate of ammonia in the manner indicated for such kinds 
as Erica hyemalis; therefore the practice is safe, good, and worthy of 
record here. 
It only remains to recognise the consideration of Sir John Lennard in 
supplying everything needful for personal comfort, and the courtesy of 
his gardener in rendering our visit to Wickham Court in every way 
enjoyable.—J. W, 
A GOOD DAHLIA. 
“ A Young Florist ” has sent us some Dahlia blooms, with a 
request that we will state if any of them are perfect flowers, and, if not, 
what standard of excellence he is to strive for. Not one of the blooms 
was of sufficient merit to be included in a good stand. With the object 
of afifording our correspondent and other young florists information on 
the point in question we have had a good flower engraved, and there 
were many equal to it at the National Dahlia Show last week. The 
only fault of this flower is that the florets are cupped a trifle too much ; 
it is, however, a good if not a perfect flower nevertheless. The follow¬ 
ing are the properties and defects of a Show Dahlia as recorded in our 
“ Florists’ Flowers ” manual :— 
1, Form. —Viewed in front the flower should be a perfect circle ; the 
petals broad at the ends, smooth at the edges, thick and stiff in substance, 
perfectly free from indenture or point, and should cup a little, but not 
enough to show the under surface. They should be in regular rows, 
each row forming a perfect circle without any vacancy between them ; 
and all in the circle should be the same size, uniformly opened to the 
same shape, and not rubbed nor crumpled. 2, Looked at sideways the 
flower should form two-thirds of a ball. The rows of petals should rise 
one above another in rows ; every petal should cover the join of the two 
petals under it, which the florists call imbricating ; by this means the 
circular appearance is perfected throughout. 3, The centre should be 
perfect; the unbloomed petals lying with their points towards the centre 
should form a button, and should be the highest part of the flower, com¬ 
pleting the ball. 4, The flower should be very double. The rows of 
petals lying one above another should cover one another very nearly; 
not more should be seen in depth than half the breadth ; the more they 
are covered, so as to leave them distinct, the better in that respect; the 
petals, therefore, though cupped, must be shallow. 6, Size. —The size of 
the flower when well grown should be not less than 4 inches in diameter. 
6, Colour, —The colour should be dense, whatever it may be—not as if 
it were a white dipped in colour, but as if the whole flow'er were coloured 
throughout. Whether tipped or edged, it must bo free from splashes or 
blotches, or indefinite marks of any kind ; and new flowers, unless the v 
beat all old ones of the same colour, or are of a novel colour themselves, 
with a majority of the points of excellence, should be rejected. 
Defects. —If the petals show the under side too much, even when 
looked at sideways j if they do not cover each other well; if the centre 
is composed of petals pointing upwards, or if those which are round the 
centre are confused ; if the petals are too narrow, or exhibit too much of 
their length ; or if they show any of the green scale at the bottom of the 
petals ; if the eye is sunk ; if the shoulder is too high, the face flat, or 
the sides too upright; if the petals show an indenture as if heart-shaped ; 
if the petals are too large and coarse, or are flimsy, or do not hold their 
form—in any or all these cases the flowers are objectionable; and if 
there be one or two of these faults conspicuous the flower is second or 
third-rate. 
CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW. 
September 5th and 6th. 
By a continuation of the same policy that the Directors have adopted this 
season the Crystal Palace Shows will again become famous. In response to 
their liberal prizes and generally well-arranged schedules, the entries have 
been fully as good as could be expected, and as each exhibition appears to be 
larger and better than the last there is good hope that future displays will 
be still further successful and worthy of the place in which they are held. 
On the present occasion we have two Shows to report, for associated with 
the exhibition of fruit, which was an excellent one, was the Grand National 
Dahlia Show; this was also in every way successful, and the aggregate 
result was a display of great magnitude, and sufficiently diversified to meet 
the varied tastes of the large number of visitors. The fruit and Dahlias 
were arranged in a marquee upwards of 200 feet long, the centres of the tables 
