574 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ December 25, 1884. 
on the way to the kitchen garden. This walk is 45 feet wide, and about a 
mile and three-quarters long, nearly half the length very perfectly 
straight, and presenting a wonderfully fine vista of majestic trees. It is 
said to have been made under the direction of Lady Frances Montgomery 
in 1750, so that some of the trees are probably over 100 years old, 
and the majority appear to be still in their vigorous prime. In all direc¬ 
tions are grand specimens of various kinds to be seen, but we must quit 
the arboretum and proceed to the 
KITCHEN AND EBTJIT GARDEN. 
It may here be observed that the two departments, the flower and 
kitchen garden*, are kept quite distinct, being under different supervision. 
The latter is in the charge of Mr. James Brown, who has held that position 
for over thirty years, and the superintendence of the flower garden has 
during the past two years devolved upon his son, Mr. John C. Brown, 
who, from the careful training he has had with his father, appears likely 
to gain a timilar degree of fame as an intelligent and practical gardener. 
In the kitchen garden, which is fully half a mile from the other depart¬ 
ment, Mr. James Brown has performed some excellent work, as his 
successes at the International and other large exhibitions in Scotland 
have abundantly proved, not only to his neighbours, but to noted exhi¬ 
bitors from the south, who have had on several occasions to confess them¬ 
selves defeated in competition. During the present season, both at 
Dundee and Edinburgh, Mr. Brown was awarded premier honours in a 
keen competition for collections of vegetables—facts which speak f r 
themselves. The garden is four acres in extent, enclosed by high walls, 
and the soil, though slightly inclined to be heavy, is good, and suits fruit 
trees and vegetable crops admirably, but as Mr. Brown significantly 
remarks, “weeds won’t grow.” The range of fruit houses is 300 feet 
long, lean-to, in seven divisions, which are devoted to Grapes, Peaches, 
and Figs. A central Peach bouse 45 feet long, 13 feet wide, and 17 feet 
high, is an old and interesting house, for it has been employed as an 
orchard house for eighty years, and is said to be one of the first of its 
kind in the country. Standard Peaches are planted out in the border in 
front of the path, and some of these are of considerable age, though still 
bearing large crops of fine fruits. On the back wall Peaches and Necta¬ 
rines are trained, and yield abundant crops. In another house Peaches 
are trained on the walls, on vertical transverse trellises about 3 feet apart, 
and between these are trellises sloping to the front of the house, and 
extending about 3 or 4 feet up the vertical trellises, so that every portion 
that can be exposed to light is covered with fruit-bearing trees. The 
varieties of Peaches which are the greatest favourites at Abercairny are 
Eoyal George, Stirling Castle, Noblesse, Plale’s Early, Grosse Mignonne, 
Bellegarde, and Walhurton Admirable, individual fruits of the latter reach¬ 
ing 11 ozs. in weight, while those of 8 and 9 ozs. were quite numerous. The 
principal Nectarines are Pine Apple, which succeeds exceedingly well, 
bearing fine crops of handsome fruits ; Pitmaston Orange, Elruge, Stan- 
wick, and Murrey. Grapes are similarly well grown, Black Hamburgh 
and Muscat of Alexandria receiving the chief attention, while Madresfield 
Court is becoming a favourite, and at the time of my visit was bearing 
some large and beautifully coloured bunches. Golden Champion, Lady 
Downe’s, Gros Colman, and Mrs. Pearson are also successfully grown. 
Abercairny Seedling is well grown, and is considered by Mr. Brown as 
quite distinct from West’s St. Peter’s, with which it has been stated to be 
synonymous by Mr. A. F. Barron. It was raised by Mr. James Arnott over 
thirty years since, and has been regularly grown and fruited here since 
with the greatest satisfaction to the family^. It is very late in finishing, 
and in September it was not sufficiently advanced for me to form a 
judgment concerning its characters, but it is described as distinct and 
richer in flavour than West’s St. Peter’s. 
Outdoor fruits have not been quite so abundant as usual this season, 
but there was what many would have considered a highly satisfactory 
crop. That valuable Apple, Stirling Castle, was loaded with good fruits, 
as it was also in nearly every garden I visited, and Lord Suffield, 
Ecklinville, and King of the Pippins were scarcely less well cropped. 
Plum trees of the Victoria variety succeed extremely well at Abercairny as 
standards, and there are several handsome trees which had borne a 
splendid crop this season. Raspberries succeed well, making wonderful 
growths, some of the young canes being 8 or 9 feet high. Against the walls 
in suitable aspects Cherries and Apricots form an important portion of 
the fruit supply. Of the first the great favourite is Tradescant’s Heart or 
St. Margaret, which is a fine late variety, bearing handsome purplish 
black fruits of excellent flavour. It is a constant and heavy-cropping 
variety, and can be gathered long after all the others have been exhausted, 
and in the middle of September it was somewhat surprising to see a 
Cherry tree loaded with fruits. Of the Apricots Hemskirk and Moorpark 
are the chief varieties, and it would gladden the heart of many a 
southern cultivator who struggles in vain to ensure the success of his 
Apricots to see them in this garden growing freely and vigorously, and 
bearing fruits as fine as those produced under glass in many establish¬ 
ments. For Red Currants Mr. Brown has obtained considerable note. 
He has a selection of his own bushes, which are trained to a wall, and 
being liberally treated at the roots they produce astonishingly large 
bunches and berries, such as have frequently created a sensation at horti¬ 
cultural shows in the north. The general kitchen crops are excellent, and 
the principles Mr. Brown works upon in his practice are deep and frequent 
digging with liberal supplies of manure. The results are seen in the most 
satisfactory clean growth, the uniform good culture rendering it an easy 
matter to select a collection of handsome specimens for exhibition. 
My visit to Abercairny was a hurried one, and a very short period of 
time was at my disposal in which to inspect its attractions, but no horti¬ 
culturist travelling in the district should miss it, for it undoubtedly 
deserves a place amongst the best kept establishments in Scotland.— 
Lewis Castle. 
NOTES ON CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
In a recent issue of the Journal Mr. Murphy asks Is there a better 
reflexed flower than Mrs. Forsyth ? I consider most of this section equal 
to that variety, and some certainly better. Does Mr. Murphy grow the 
Christines ? If not he should do so. Dr. Sharp is another grand variety, 
also Felicity. Cloth of Gold is a fine yellow, while Crimson Velvet and 
Julia Lagravi6re are good for late work, and King of the Crimsons 
should be in all collections. Lady Selborne could not be called anything 
but a Japanese variety. I consider this a fine variety. I have never seen 
it incline to the reflexed class, and as I have grown it the florets come 
quite twisted in the centre. I am inclined to think Mr. Murphy is net in 
posse.'sion of the true Elaine. I have grown and exhibited this fine 
variety for years, also in small pots for furnishing purposes, but have 
never found it come with a bad centre ; in fact, I would prefer this to any 
other white variety. I am speaking of plants propagated in the spring. 
I have never fried old stools or plants placed in the ground and re-lifted. 
I shou’d expect this system to produce the centres your correspondent 
speaks of.—J. Bithees. 
Chrysanthemums Miss Marechaux and Mary Lind. — I 
forward to-day by parcel post a bloom of this variety. I have been 
from home a few days, and in my absence I am afraid the best 
blooms have been cut; but the flower sent is a fair f ample of the variety. 
It is fully a fortnight earlier this year than I have ever known it to be. 
It is usually at its best about Christmas and the New Year. I have 
grown it several 3 'ears, and have found it one of the very best late whites, 
lasting a long time in perfection, and when well grown is, in my opinion, 
greatly superior to Princess Teck ; but the habit and foliage are not 
nearly so good as that variety. I shall be glad to have your opinion of it 
from the bloom sent. 
The small white Pompon I have grown many years under the name of 
Mary Lind, a name which I cannot find in anj”^ list of the present time, 
but under which name it appeared in the trade lists of twelve or fourteen 
years ago. I consider it well worth growing as a late bloomer. 
I also send you some late blooms of Pere Delaux, which strikes me as 
being very useful and bright as a late decorative variety.— Geoeoe 
Hemming, AUerton Hall, Gledlion', Leeds. 
[The bloom of Miss Mardchaux deserves all that is said about it, being 
of good substance, very pure and beautifully incurved. The variety 
named Mary Lind is also a beautiful Pompon, white, with a very slight 
tinge of lilac in the outer florets, and much resembling Snowdrop in the 
form and build of the bloom, but larger than that variety.] 
Chrysanthemum Elaine. —In reply to Mr. Murphy’s inquiry, if 
there is a variety of Elaine which shows no centre, I may say that I have 
grown two plants the present season with very fine blooms (from the 
terminal buds), one of which measured fully 10 inches in circumference, 
and was completely filled in the centre. My plants remained outdoors 
until the flowers began to expand in October. 
In regard to Mr. Murphy’s other inquiries, I have no experience of 
the varieties mentioned.— A. Sales, Hamj)stead. 
DIGGING AMONGST FRUIT BUSHES. 
The season is again here when all who think that their fruit bushes 
require manure will begin applying this by forking or digging it in about 
the roots. In my opinion there is no fruit-bearing tree or bush that are 
not greatly injured in applying manure to them. It would be very well 
if the soil were simply top-dressed by having the manure spread on 
the surface without attempting to dig or fork it in, but it is quite impos¬ 
sible to use the spade or the fork amongst or near the roots without 
cutting or breaking many of the most useful young rootlets. When 
Go jseberries and Currants grow in rows with G feet or 8 feet of space 
between them, this is generally manured, and then every particle of the 
surface is dug. It is right to spread on the manure, and digging may be 
done too, but only in the centres of the spaces, where probably some rows 
of vegetables may be grown in summer ; but for at least 2 feet all round 
the stem, or more than that if possible, a fork or spade should on no 
account be used. The same remarks apply to Raspberries, and when we 
come to Apples, Pears, and Plums, it is still more necessary to avoid dis¬ 
turbing the surface at any time. 
It is generally admitted that the nearer the roots of fruit trees are to 
the surface, and the more numerous they are there the better will the trees 
and crops succeed, but to fork and break the surface up is entirely opposite 
to securing this desirable condition. We have noticed for many years 
that our heaviest and best crops of Apples and Pears are annually pro¬ 
duced on our old orchard trees w'here the grass has not been broken up 
over the roots for many years ; but we cannot say the same of some of 
our trees in the kitchen garden, where, owing to their being situated on 
the vegetable borders, we are obliged to dig nearer sometimes than is 
beneficial. Surface dressings of good manure will benefit all fruit¬ 
bearing trees, especially those which have been growing in the same 
quarters for a number of years, and it may be applied as soon as the 
pruning has been done in winter. If it be put on to the depth of 4 inches 
or so, and to extend as far as it is thought the feeders are to be found in 
