390 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t October se, uni. 
cannon overlooking the sea with tall flagstaff. One of the guns, 
fired every morning, gives the correct time as it flashes along a 
special telegraph wire connecting the Castle with the telegraph 
office at Maybole. On the south or landward side the ground 
descends from the wide quadrangle in front of the building by 
two terraces parallel to the Castle. These terraces are about 
150 yards in length, with walls of about 12 and 14 feet in height 
respectively, the battlemented parapets at the top forming the 
boundary of the level above. These walls are covered with a 
variety of choice shrubs and climbers, while the borders at the 
foot (9 feet wide) are filled with a rich variety of bedding plants. 
The gravel walks are 12 feet wide, and access from one terrace to 
the other is provided by flights of steps arranged in keeping with 
the architectural plan. From the borders along the lower terrace 
stretches a trimly kept lawn, in the centre of which is a fountain 
in whose ornamental basin are multitudes of trout disporting 
themselves. 
At the extreme end of the intermediate terrace stands what is 
called the higher conservatory, the framework of which is of stone 
rising to about 20 feet in height, of a light and graceful style of 
masonry in keeping with the architecture of the Castle. We 
learned from Mr. Murray, his lordship’s experienced gardener, 
that this style of erection was not favourable to the growth of 
plants. It was filled with large Camellias, Azaleas, and a general 
collection of greenhouse plants. Some of the Camellias were 
from 14 to 18 feet high and well set with flower buds. The roof 
was covered with a good selection of climbing plants, and the 
stone columns outside were covered with Roses and Tropaeolum 
speciosum, the latter doing remarkably well, and covered with 
seed-like small blue berries. In the lawn in front of the conser¬ 
vatory are some well-arranged flower beds and a good variety of 
flowering shrubs. Hydrangeas, Fuchsias, and Rhododendrons 
grow well everywhere about the grounds. A short footpath from 
there conducts us to the high conservatory, which is filled with a 
good selection of greenhouse plants in good condition ; and in 
front of this is a neatly laid-out geometrical flower garden, enclosed 
on the west side by a Laurel hedge, and on the south by large 
Rhododendrons. 
On leaving this we enter the main road which connects the 
Castle with the kitchen and other gardens. It is a magnificent 
avenue about 400 yards in length, bounded on either side by rows 
of Silver Firs, which surpass anything of the kind we have ever 
seen. As we pass along we notice in an adjoining park a large 
American ostrich, an emu, a herd of buffaloes, and a collection of 
Belgian goats, which testify, as do the herds of deer observable 
elsewhere, to the Marquis’s taste for natural history, while the 
numerous breeding boxes of pheasants show that his lordship does 
not fail to provide woodland sports for himself and his friends. 
At the end of this splendid avenue we have referred to stands the 
entrance to the gardens, which is formed by an arched gateway, 
near to which is the gardener’s house, a commodious dwelling two 
storeys high. 
The garden grounds cover an area in all of 10 or 12 acres. The 
kitchen garden within the walls contains about 4 acres, and there 
is nearly an equal extent of cropping ground outside the walls. 
The flower garden is also of about 8 or 4 acres, and is bounded on 
one side by a long range of glass houses. The range of Peach 
houses is 132 feet long by 10 feet wide. The trees are planted in 
front and trained over the roof at a proper distance from the glass, 
and portions of the back wall are covered with Roses and Heliotro- 
piurns. The fruit had been mostly gathered at the time of our 
visit; the trees were clean and healthy, and showed signs of high 
cultivation. We were so much occupied with what is to be seen 
here that we neglected to note the different varieties grown. 
This range is utilised in an ingenious way in connection with the 
artificial breeding of salmon. Throughout its length are placed 
in direct line a series of oblong boxes covered with lids, rising in 
successive levels, so that a stream of water entering at the upper 
level falls successively from level to level until it escapes at the 
bottom. These boxes are filled with fine gravel, and many inge¬ 
nious contrivances have been resorted to, to ensure a natural 
filtration, and that constant movement in the water and disturb¬ 
ances of its surface which observation has shown to be necessary 
for the successful hatching of ova. The water is brought in pipes 
from a reservoir in the grounds. The Marquis was guided in a 
great measure by the advice of the late Frank Buckland, who took 
a great interest in his experiments. At the proper season 300,000 
salmon ova are introduced into the boxes, equally distributed 
amongst them. For a time the young fish were kept in ponds for 
a year after they were hatched ; but latterly they have been taken 
at six weeks after hatching, in large cans specially made for the 
purpose, to the river Doon, some miles distant, and set free there 
to shift for themselves. There is evidence that the river is better 
stocked with salmon since these experiments commenced. In a 
portion of the grounds about half a mile from the gardens are a 
series of ponds specially designed for the breeding of Lochleven 
and other trout. From these ponds the young trout are taken to 
the Marquis’s lochs in the highland districts of Ayrshire, which 
are known to yield excellent fishing. All the operations in con¬ 
nection with the fish-breeding are under the charge of Mr. Murray. 
Adjoining the Peach houses is a range of six vineries, 218 feet 
by 14 feet. The first is planted with Gros Colman and Muscat of 
Alexandria, varieties that do remarkably well when planted 
together in the same house. The second division is planted with 
Foster’s Seedling, Golden Queen, Black Hamburgh, and Raisin 
de Calabre ; the third with Muscats and Gros Colman ; and the 
fourth entirely with Lady Downe’s Seedling. The fifth division 
is planted with a mixture of Foster’s Seedling, Buckland Sweet¬ 
water, and Madresfield Court; and the sixth and last with Lady 
Downe’s, Alnwick Seedling, and Black Alicante. The whole of 
the Vines looked clean and healthy. The late varieties were 
bearing good crops of finely finished fruit, both bunches and 
berries bearing evidence of great care and attention having been 
paid to them throughout all the stages of their growth. Mr. Murray 
is an advanced Grape-grower, and does not believe in keeping the 
Vine borders dry at any time. He informed us that at one time 
the Vines here were very much infested with mealy bug, but by 
dressing them after pruning with a mixture of coal tar and clay 
worked up to the consistence of cream, and put on with a painter’s 
brush, he had got them entirely eradicated from the vineries with¬ 
out the slighest injury to the Vines. The coal tar recipe is by 
no means new ; still we had our doubts about it, like many ofhers, 
but after the assuring testimony of Mr. Murray we will have no 
hesitation in using it in future. 
The Pine stove is 40 feet by 16 feet, and contains a healthy 
stock of fruiting plants. The varieties consist chiefly of Queens, 
Prince Albert, C. Rothschild, and Smooth Cayenne. Many of 
the Cayennes were swelling off large fruit that would weigh when 
ripe from 7 lbs. to 8 lbs. each. The succession Pine pit is the same 
length as the stove, but a little narrower. The succession plants 
looked strong and healthy, and free from all insect pests. The 
remaining houses consist of a plant stove 32 by 23 feet, and a 
greenhouse 36 by 16 feet. Each department—stove and green¬ 
house—are well represented with fine specimen plants. 
Conspicuous in the flower garden, in front of the houses described, 
is a large Rhododendron ponticum, 56 yards in circumference, 
towering up at a regular angle from the edge of the grass to a 
height of from 28 to 30 feet, and in the best of health. It is the 
largest plant of the kind we have seen, and we question if it has 
its equal for size in the country. In its style of growth and shape 
it resembles Ailsa Craig. The likeness is so great that it has been 
suggested by some that by a little manipulation it could be made 
to form an almost perfect model of that picturesque rock in the 
sea. We found the kitchen garden highly cropped, and every¬ 
thing in it looked neat and orderly. The same remarks apply to 
the slip outside the garden walls, where all the taller varieties of 
vegetables are grown. Small fruits were plentiful and good, but 
Apples, Pears, Plums, and, in fact, all tree fruits, were a complete 
failure, the same as in most places in the country this year. 
One other feature of the place remains to be noticed—viz., a 
large poultry pond, presenting a very extensive water surface 
peculiarly hemmed in with wooded banks, save on one side, 
where a long grassy slope affords recreation and feeding ground 
for an enormous collection of waterfowl. This collection embraces 
specimens of nearly every tame variety, from the smallest ducks 
to the splendid black Australian swan which, reversing the natural 
order of things, appear to lord it over their white native brethren. 
At the far side of the pond flocks of wild duck are to be seen 
skimming along together, but ready to take wing at the first scent 
of danger. A neat poultry house has been built on a small islet 
close to the shore of the lake. At the summit of the grassy stretch 
where the poultry of all sizes are basking in the sun stands an 
aviary in the form of a pagoda, in the various divisions of which 
are specimens of gold and silver pheasants, pigeons of fancy 
varieties, “ gleds ” or kites, and in one compartment a fine 
specimen of the hunting hawk. From the pagoda a short avenue 
through the trees conducts to a Heather-clad headland rising 
sheer up from the sea, from which a magnificent view can be 
obtained of the Channel, Ailsa Craig, and the far-stretching 
southern coast of Ayrshire. Making a circuit of the lake on our 
way back to the gardens we notice a party of Lord Ailsa’s boat- 
builders testing the sailing qualities of a new model of a yacht, 
which, with a great expanse of white sail, flew across the water 
at a rate that left the men in the row boat far behind. 
As we drove back through the wooded policies, and cast our 
eyes over the magnificent panorama in the quiet light of evening, 
