184 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 18, 1892, 
magnificently carved oak. The present Mrs. Hopwood has done much 
to adorn its walls with her paintings and tapestry. 
Hopwood at some time has been a delightful place, but now, to those 
who reside where vegetation flourishes and grows luxuriantly, it has a 
dreary appearance. On every side it is surrounded with a forest of tall 
chimneys that are constantly emitting their deadly vapours. The trees 
have a blighted, stunted, half-dead appearance, and must in years to 
come gradually become worse, while to attempt planting young trees is 
out of the question ; it would be labour in vain, for they would not grow. 
The old Rhododendron ponticum seems at home, and flourishes amazingly 
in spite of the surroundings. The land is beautifully undulated, and if 
vegetation would but grow the landscape could be made very attractive 
by judicious planting. 
The flower garden is close to the mansion, and the beds were, until 
Mr. A. Waters took charge of these gardens, were laid out with various 
coloured stones. These have been cleared away, and a more modern 
style of bedding adopted. Last season the beds of Verbenas, Petunias, 
and other similar plants were gay, but were much dashed with heavy 
rains. Some scroll beds were left representing the old style, but these 
are to be turfed, and will effect a very great improvement. At the 
present they have a crowded appearance. 
The conservatory adjoins the mansion, and from the outside is as 
quaint looking as that structure. It has been so built that it conveys 
the impression it is falling. Inside the arrangements are graceful and 
natural. The roof is festooned with climbers, which hang in a natural 
manner 2 feet or more from the glass. On one side Lapageria rosea is 
conspicuous, and contrasts admirably with Plumbago capensis, while 
Tacsonias end other plants are equally effective. The wall on one side is 
covered with Camellias, with Ferns at the base dotted amongst stones, 
also Begonias at intervals, Celosias and a few other plants dotted amongst 
them. The front side has a narrow stage, and is full of useful plants 
with Camellias, climbers. Grasses, and other plants filling the front of 
the stage so as to give it a furnished appearance from the floor upwards. 
The centre is filled with Camellias, Dracaenas of sorts. Palms, and other 
useful plants. Various alterations that have been made by Mr. Waters 
have much improved the internal arrangements. 
Two greenhouses are filled with Azaleas and Heaths that have seen 
their best days. The latter are old favourites and must be retained ; 
they are alive and will require some skill and care to keep them so. 
They present a striking contrast to a few healthy young specimens and 
the softwooded plants that furnish the side stages. There are a few 
Orchids that look healthy and well, amongst them being some large 
pans of Coelogyne cristata, and Gardenias occupy the opposite side of the 
house. Another house was nearly filled with Bouvardias ; Poinsettias, 
Euphorbias, Acalyphas, and other decorative plants are also well grown. 
The stove is rather a large lean-to house and contains some good plants 
of Crotons, Alocasias, Perns, and other flowering and foliage plants. 
The most noteworthy plants in this structure are numbers of grand 
specimens, 4 or 5 feet high, of Dracfena Youngi. It is a strong growing 
variety, and where large Dracaenas can be used in single vases in rooms 
it has no equal. It lasts in good condition longer for this purpose, or 
even in the conservatory, than any other dark-leaved form. The roof 
of this structure is again furnished with Allamandas, Clerodendron 
Balfourianum, Dipladenias and other plants. A span-roofed vinery 
has been turned into a Rose house, and the plants are very promising. 
The span-roofed vinery that adjoins the Rose house contained some 
very fair Alicante and Trebbiano Grapes; the other Vines in two or 
three houses will need time and care to restore them to a healthy 
vigorous condition. The Peach trees look well although some of them 
are thirty-six years old. The branches have been trained too closely for 
this neighbourhood in the past, but Mr. Waters is acting wisely in 
thinning them liberally and may anticipate good results. 
Growing vegetables seems a hopeless task, everything is nearly 
blown out of the garden, and few do really well. It is certainly a 
most trying neighbourhood for a gardener. Mr. A. Waters, however, 
has had a long and varied experience in various parts of the country, 
and the experience gained daring his long stay at Norris Green in the 
neighbourhood of Liverpool may have proved useful to him in a locality 
ten times worse.— Visitob. 
WKK.foil’raEWEEll 
m 
m 
iiii 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Raspbebeies. —These must now be secured to their supports, in 
readiness for growth and fruiting. There are many plans for doing this, 
all of which are successful in proportion to the light and air admitted to 
the plant, and the assistance which is given to them in other ways. 
One of the best ways of growing them is to plant in thick rows 10 feet 
apart, and about l| foot between the plants. They will soon spread and 
form one thick row throughout. On each side of this row, and at a 
distance of 3 feet from it, put a line of stout posts 12 feet apart and 
4 feet high from the ground level. These posts should be of sound wood 
that will last well in the ground, cut about 3 inches by 4 inches, and 
the bottom portion, say for 2 feet, should be dipped in tar or creosote to 
prevent decay. On the tops of these posts fasten an iron rod the whole 
length of the row on both sides (half-inch gas piping will do for this pur¬ 
pose), and on this tie the points of the fruiting wood. When in full 
growth each row of plants will thus have two rows of fruit-bearing 
canes, and the young growth of the current year can grow up in the 
centre, and thus get plenty of light and air without covering up the 
fruiting wood. This arrangement is very convenient for gathering fruit 
and for protecting from birds. 
Another plan is to plant similar rows at 6 feet apart, to place one 
line of posts down the centre of each row, and to fasten three galvanised 
wires to these with radisseurs at one end for tightening, the first wire to 
be 6 inches from ihe top of the post, the second at IJ foot, and the third 
at 2J feet from the top, the fruiting canes to be tied to these wires at 
6 inches apart. This plan can be more conveniently adopted in some 
places, but is not so good as the first. Much more labour is required in 
tying, and the young wood grows up close to the sides of the bearing 
canes. It is, however, much better than the old plans of tying four 
canes closely around a stake, or of plaiting the canes together and tying 
them in arches and similar forms. 
Raspberries are often grown in fields without any support whatever 
by cuttinK the canes down to 2\ or 3 feet in height, but growth under 
field culture is not so strong as it is in gardens, neither does the fruit 
attain to so large a size. 
Planting should be finished at once. The ground must be trenched 
and liberally manured for Raspberries, as a plantation if well done at 
first will last many years. It is impossible to grow them too strongly, 
and they must have a deep soil, or the fruit fails to swell off to a good 
size in the summer. A deep rich moist loam is the best soil for them, 
but they will succeed wherever Strawberries grow to perfection. Cut 
them down to 4 inches above the ground level as soon as planted, and 
mulch with some strawy manure to induce root-action as soon as 
possible. Choose those plants that have plenty of fibrous roots, or the 
growth this year will be too weak for fruiting next season. Established 
plantations should never be dug, as the Raspberry roots very near to the 
surface. All perennial weeds should be removed with the prunings, and 
if the ground is poor give a good dressing of farmyard manure now, and 
leave it to be washed in by the rains, aided by an occasional scuffle with 
a rake in dry weather. The autumn-fruiting varieties should have all 
their shoots cut off close to the ground, as they fruit on the wood of the 
current season’s growth. 
Steawbeeeies. —Remove all weeds from the beds as soon as 
weather permits, also leaves which have been destroyed by frost, if the 
plantation has to be kept clean and neat through proximity to the house or 
otherwise, but for market plantations dead leaves will do no harm. Do 
not dig among the plants, as this destroys the surface roots, and cannot 
possibly do any good, but may seriously injure the coming crop. Any 
vacancies caused by frost may now be filled up if strong plants are 
obtainable. Ram them in firmly with a wooden rammer and mulch with 
short manure. Making new plantations now is not advisable, except 
in exceptional cases, as they cannot be expected to fruit this season. A 
crop of early Potatoes, Lettuce, or some similar vegetable should, there¬ 
fore, be placed on the plot, and planting be deferred until August. 
Strawberries must have a cool, moist, deep soil to grow them to 
perfection. They require abundance of water at all times, but especially 
when ripening their fruit, which time is often the driest and hottest 
part of the whole year. Any beds that are getting exhausted will be 
benefited with a good dressing of farmyard manure spread between the 
rows, and left for the rain to wash into the roots ; or a dressing of one 
part nitrate of soda to five parts superphosphate may be applied a 
month hence at the rate of a quarter of a pound to the square yard, 
raking the ground afterwards to facilitate absorption and evenness of 
distribution. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Pines. —To provide plants to give a succession of fruit from next 
December onwards start some suckers about the beginning of March. 
Soil for potting these should be had under cover and prepared, a 
fermenting bed being provided in some close structure to generate and 
maintain a bottom heat of 85° to 90° near the surface, and with means 
of maintaining a temperature of 55° to 65° with regularity. Last 
December selected plants started by an advance of temperature will 
now be showing fruit, and as it is desirable to forward the ripening 
of the fruit as much as possible the temperature about them must 
be maintained at 65° to 70° at night, and 5° to 10° more under 
favourable conditions in the daytime, opening the house at 80°, 
allowing an advance to 85°, and close about that degree, utilising the 
sun heat. As the fruit advances the plants will require more copious 
supplies of water at the roots, examining the whole stock once a 
week, giving supplies of weak liquid manure to those in need. Plants 
that were recently started to succeed those already named should 
have a night temperature of 65°, and 70° to 75° by day artificially, 5° 
less on dull days, which will be sufficient for some time longer, 
ventilating carefully, and not employing too much moisture. 
Figs. —Earliest Trees in Pots .—The trees have now a number 
of fully developed leaves, and the roots are active, having been 
accelerated by a steady bottom heat of 70° to 75°, and the glass being 
clean, the leaves evaporate considerably under the influence of full 
light, necessitating particular attention to the watering, which must 
now be regular, as dryness at the roots may prove fatal to the fruit 
setting. Turves may be placed around the rims, or strips of zinc 
about 4 inches deep may be placed inside the rims of the pots, and 
