462 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Juue 8, 1393. 
there. And what a princely place it is ! It is true the house canno*^ 
compare with either Chatsworth or Belvoir, but if you were told by your 
guide that you were in the midst of some small principality, like those of 
Germany, you would not feel surprised. The outbuildings and stabling, 
the domestic offices, and the chapel give you the idea that you are in 
some very flourishing village, while all that pertains to the breeding 
and rearing of racehorses is carried out in the most complete manner. 
I am not a horsey pirson, but I can admire beauty wherever I see it, 
and what more beautiful thing is there than the racehorse ? Here 
then we first proceeded, and in the stables saw those three noble sires 
St. Simon, Johnny Morgan, and Donovan. The former of these I had 
a special interest in, as he was bred in my own county by the late Lord 
Falmouth, and is supposed to be the best horse in the world, and certainly 
a more beiutiful creature it is impossible to imagine. The Duke 
is pleased to tell a story of an enthusiastic American horse trainer 
who came over to England for no other purpose than to see this 
famous horse, and when he had his desire gratified took the next steamer 
and returned home. He never ran for the Derby owing to the death of 
his noted owner, whom all horticulturists will connect with his brother, 
the Hon. and Rev. J. Townsend Boscawen. Having thus gratified what 
I hope may be considered a laudable curiosity, and have seen the perfect 
arrangements made for the brood mares and their foals, we sought the 
gardens, and there under the guidance of Mr. Horton, who has for some 
years ably presided over them, did what we could in a short time to 
see how things were done. I may at once say that the idea they gave 
to me was their thoroughly practical character. There are no such 
grand houses as at Chatsworth, but the place, by its size and the 
character of its cultures, reminded me much of Frogmore. Let me give 
one illustration of its extent. There is a quarter of a mile of Apricot 
wall protected by glass cases. These were in splendid condition, full of 
fruit, and bushels of thinnings had already been taken off, and another 
thinning had to follow. Vines, Peach houses. Fig houses were, if not 
on such a scale as this, quite in correspondence with the princely 
character of the place. 
It is well known that the late Duke of Portland was, to say the least> 
a very eccentric person. Many stories are told to illustrate this, and 
they go to show that notwithstanding these oddities, he was a kind- 
hearted and thoughtful man. One memorial of his curious ways remains 
in the subterranean passages at Welbeck. He did not like to encounter 
people, consequently had the passages built that he might avoid them. 
One of these is two miles in length, and leads to the neighbouring town 
of Worksop. One of the outcomes of this is what is called the under¬ 
ground rosery and Palm house (fig. 83). Of course they are not 
absolutely so, as they must be open to receive light and air, but you 
reach them by an underground passage, and leave them in the same 
way. Rosea are planted in the beds and run up the pillars. Mar^chal 
Niel and William Allen Richardson were in full bloom. The Palm 
house does not contain those tall plants which have a permanent place 
there, as at Kew or Chatsworth, but plants which would come in 
suitably for decoration of halls and rooms on feast days, and could be 
easily moved about. Besides Palms the house contained Crotons, 
Dracmnas, &c., all in excellent health. Another somewhat 
unusual feature interesting to Rose growers was the attempt to 
convert what is called the Bachelor’s Gallery into a Rose arbour. It is 
about 150 feet long, covered with glass, and at intervals of 8 or 10 feet 
are placed large square boxes in which are planted a Tea Rose. This is 
trained up towards the roof, and consequently the plants have now the 
appearance of climbing Roses. Here were Catherine Mermet, The Bride, 
Climbing Hipbetos, Souvenir d’un Ami, Marie Van Houtte, William 
Allen Richardson, and, in fact, all the best Tea and Noisette Roses. 
The plants numbered about sixty, and there is no doubt if they succeed 
it will be very pretty, but I think the success is doubtful. The plants 
are a long way from the glass, and I fear that the shoots before they 
reach it will become drawn and attenuated, and so the blooms be of 
little value ; but it will I should imagine suit the Noisettes or Teas of 
the Gloire de Dijon class, but I doubt very much whether Catherine 
Mermet and the genuine Teas will thrive under what must be to them 
an unnatural state of things. 
It is not always in such large places that we find an appreciation of 
newer introductions, but they are thoroughly recognised here, and all 
the best things in fruit, vegetables, and flowers are appreciated at 
Welbeck. Outside, in the terraces and pleasure grounds that overlook 
the lake there are to be found the choicest shrubs and trees, so that one 
feels that there is a real interest taken in the productions which fill the 
place in all direction>i. 
I have not ventured to attempt anything like a full account of the 
gardens for two reasons—one is that the time at my disposal was too 
short to attemp- taking anything like extended notes ; the other is that 
I believe the general reader looks for such a description as may give 
him a general idea of the place rather than for detailed accounts of the 
number ot houses, and their size. I do not think anyone can go through 
these extensive gardens and pleasure grounds without being struck by 
the perfect order and cleanliness which pervade all departments. No 
American blight heie, as I have seen it in places claiming to be well 
looked after ; no mealy bug in the stoves or aphides on the Roses, while 
vigour and health are the characteristics of the various things grown 
under Mr. Horton’s intelligent care. Few persons have an idea of the 
amount of forethout'ht necessary to manage a place like this. It is not, 
as some suppose, a mere routine of work. Seasons vary so that one 
year is no indicaiion of another; it is of no use, for instance, looking 
laci to the diary of 1892 to know what ought to be done now, in a 
season fully a month in advance of it. Happily, Mr. Horton 
is not required to make “ bricks without straw,” and he has an eflicient 
and sufficient staff under him. 
After leaving Welbeck we drove on through the remains of Sherwood 
Forest, which must have been a grand place when the giants whose 
skeletons now adorn it were in their full beauty. Nowhere, that I can 
recollect, are there the remains of so large a number of these megathe¬ 
riums of the forest to be found. We meet with isolated cases, such as 
the Headcoru Oak in the churchyard of that village, and the Fredville 
Oak in the demesne of that ilk in my own county of Kent; but here 
one sees them congregated in dozens, and these are of course but the 
residue of what it once contained. Probably we might have seen them 
to greater advantage, but then it was whispered to us “ You would have 
had the files,” and I know something of what a nuisance they are, 
especially when you settle down to luncheon, as we did near the old 
tree that is called Robin Hood’s Larder, We passed by Clumber and 
Thoresby, only obtaining a passing glance at them, for our time was quite 
run out, especially as there was a meeting of the Worksop Horticultural 
Society to be held in the evening to settle the details of the provincial 
Show, and so we hurried on, passing through the stately entrance of 
Thoresby, and to the town of Worksop, after having had a most successful 
and enjoyable day, very much enhanced by the thoughtful considera¬ 
tion and kindness of my host, to whom I owe it that amongst the red 
letter days of recent years must be added this one of “ a day in the 
Dukeries.”—D., Deal. 
PELARGONIUMS AT LEWISHAM. 
Single Zonal Pelaegoniums. 
When looking over the very fine collection of these which Mr. H. J. 
Jones has in his nursery at Lewisham recently, I was enabled to make 
a selection of a dozen that seemed to me to be of exceptional excellence. 
Though not all perhaps new, still most of them show marked advance, 
have very fine pips, free blooming habits, and beautiful alike for 
ordinary greenhouse decoration or for the making of exhibition plants. 
In this latter direction especially some change is much needed, for 
one tires of seeing at exhibitions so frequently old varieties that have 
done duty year after year. The following are very good :—Mr. D. B. Crane, 
a brilliant scarlet of great size and fine form ; Mr. A. H. Needs, a 
beautiful soft light salmon, large, rounded, and of great excellence; 
Mr. H. Shoesmith, rich crimson scarlet, with pure white eye, very 
striking variety ; Mrs. W. Wright, wonderfully free, flowers of a bluish 
magenta hue, the richest of its peculiar shade yet seen ; Flamingo, a 
wonderful bloomer and a fine bedder, flowers scarlet, shaded orange 
and plum, a charming variety ; Galatea, lovely shade of salmon rose, 
having a white blotch on the rrpper petals ; Lady Brooke, a white- 
flowered variety, but there is a soft touch of pink in the centre of the 
flowers. 
Lord Salisbury has flowers of the very largest size and of great 
substance, colour rich madder shaded magenta, also a fine winter 
variety. Maud of Wales, a pretty lilac pink, having very fine flowers ; 
Duchess of Portland, the very best of the rich rose pinks, a flower of 
exceeding beauty ; Sunray, clear orange scarlet, one of the most striking 
of this shade of colour; Rose Du Barry, soft rosy salmon shade, fine 
pips, and very free ; and to make up an odd number 1 add, for a 
beautiful pure white. Sir Percival, a very perfect flower, and is of great 
value for its purity in the winter. Mr. Jones has a good stock and a 
wonderful variety. The selection made was from young plants all in 
bloom, and thus afforded the best opportunity for comparison. 
Double Zonal Pelargoniums. 
In this section of one of our most useful of flowering plants we find 
undoubted progress is made from time to time, not merely in the habit 
of the plants but also in size of pip and variation of colour in the flowers. 
A very interesting collection of these also at Mr. Jones’s nursery in full 
bloom enables a good selection of the best to be made. The beauty as 
well as exceeding variety found in both single and double forms makes 
one to wish for opportunities to grow them well, for how rarely after all 
do we see plants at exhibitions that do justice, or in perfection show 
what specimen plants should be. 
All the varieties are easily grown, and when large plants are in 
profuse bloom they are wonderfully attractive. At many exhibitions 
now it is almost alone left to Begonias to give colour ; but charming as 
these are they even become monotonous if presented in too great 
abundance, ‘ Then the flowers of double Zonal Pelargoniums are of such 
marked value for cutting purposes. Perhaps this particular value 
materially helps to discount their growth as specimen plants. 
The following presents a first-class selection, and some striking 
novelties Raspail Improved, a very large flovrered form of the fine 
market variety, brilliant in colour, one of the largest pips produced ; 
Colossus, rich reddish crimson, wonderfully fine; Mr. J. S, Phillips, 
colour a striking deep salmon ; Mr. J. Surman, blush pink, delicately 
tinted and refined ; Golden Rain, bright orange scarlet, the most 
strikingly yellow of any yet seen ; Lydia, white tinted cream, having a 
centre of reddish pink ; White Abbey, the very best pure white, blooms 
freely and has a good habit ; Althea, rich cerise scarlet; Bdaute 
Poitevine, very compact growth, flowers clear salmon, on stout short 
footstalks ; La Contable, deep pink ; Maggie Hallock, soft pure salmon ; 
M. Bruant, semi-double, clear scarlet, and Sombre Horison, intense deep 
crimson, compact habited. Not in all cases are the English appellations 
