August 18, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
149 ^ 
obscurity till his death in 1550. There is an entry of his burial in the 
present registry. The house in which he lived and died he built by 
leave of Sir Thomas Moyle in a field near Eastwell Place. It was pulled 
down by Heneage, Earl of Winchilsea, who died in 1689. In the 
chancel of Eastwell Church is a fine monument to the Earls of 
Winchilsea. 
AGLAONEMA COSTATUM. 
AMONGST the plants introduced to public notice for the first time 
during the present season, a very prominent place must be given to 
the beautiful Aroid, Aglaonema costatum, exhibited by Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons at a meeting of the Eoyal Horticultural Society on 
May 3rd, and represented by fig. 22. It is a dwarf foliage plant of 
great distinctness and beauty, introduced by the exhibitors from the 
resides on the outskirts of the townA. Prior to the Show a call Jwas 
made at Ashgrove, the seat of R. K. Hodgson, Esq., whose gardens and 
estate are managed by Mr. Charles Dunning, a gardener of sound judg¬ 
ment and admitted ability. The chief features of the pleasure grounds 
are splendid Beeches with towering Silver Firs rising high above them,, 
and such imposing masses of Rhododendrons as are rarely met with. 
These, with the hardy Azaleas, which grow like Willows, must produce 
a glorious effect in May, and it is then we shall hope to see them. At 
present the Show, which was held in Knole Park, demands attention. 
Knole Park is the seat of the Earl of Sackville, and may be fairly 
described as one of the most beautiful parks in the kingdom. The 
mansion, too, is a stately pile, and is said to cover with its appurtenances 
five acres of ground. The pleasure grounds, of several acres, are 
surrounded by a wall, massive and apparently ancient, but were kindly 
opened to visitors to the Show. Broad glades of velvety lawn with 
stately trees and old-fashioned flowers render this a typical old English 
garden, and very delightful. A tree of note is a proliferous Lime. The 
Fig. 22.—AGLAONEMA COSTATUM. 
Perak region, and put into commerce for the first time last spring. 
The leaves are about 4 inches long and 2\ to 3 inches broad. The 
spreading, broadly ovate blade, is dark glossy green and thickly sprinkled 
with creamy white spots, the midrib being of the same colour as the 
latter. The plant is of dwarf habit, attaining a height of 4 to 5 inches, 
and this, combined with its attractively marked foliage, renders it 
extremely useful; moreover, it is very effective in artificial light. It 
require a stove temperature, but is of easy culture, little subject to 
insect attacks, and the old foliage retains its freshness for a long period. 
A first-class certificate was awarded to it when exhibited at Westminster, 
and the distinction was well deserved. 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
SEYENOAKS.— August 10th. 
Sevenoaks is a clean, pleasant, salubrious, and apparently thrifty 
Kentish town, nestling in a fertile vale with beautiful surroundings of 
tree-clad hills and picturesque vistas. There are several noblemen’s 
and gentlemen’s seats in the district, and the genial Mr. Harrison Weir 
branches of the original tree have reached the ground, rooted, and from 
these several trees have grown, about as large as the “ mother.” Then 
at a farther radius are others, smaller, forming quite a grove. The 
grounds are in admirable order, aDd have been greatly improved of late 
by Lord Sackville’s gardener, Mr. E. Stubbs. Some historical particulars 
about Knole are too tempting to be passed. They were published with 
a prize list of the Show, in the form of a special edition of the 
Sevenoaks Chronicle , an hour or two after the judging was completed— 
smart work, which we are glad to recognise. After describing Knole as 
the glory of Sevenoaks, our contemporary goes on to say :— 
“ The origin of Knole House is lost in the obscurity of the past. The 
first trace discoverable in history is in the time of King John, when it 
was possessed by Baldwin de Bethun. Through the Mareschals, Earls 
of Pembroke, and the Bigods, Earls of Norfolk, it passed to Otho de 
Grandison, in whose possession it was in the time of Edward I. and in whose 
family it continued until the reign of Richard II., when it was conveyed 
by Thomas Grandison to Geoffrey de Say. In the reign of Henry VI. it 
was sold to James Fiennes. By his son, Sir William, it was sold to 
Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, the fourth Archbishop 
before Cranmer. Bouchier restored and enlarged the buildings, as also did 
his successor, Cardinal Morton, who made it his chief residence. King 
Henry YII. was sometimes his guest. Morton died at Knole in 1509, 
