Deceaibtr 22, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
551 
WORTH PARK. 
Worth Park, the country residence of Mrs. Montefiore, stands 
amidst rather flat, but beautifully timbered surroundings, about a mile 
north of Three Bridges Station on the main London, Brighton, and 
South Coast Railway. It is approached from the Crawley and East 
Grinstead road by a broad substantially made carriage drive, winding 
through ornamental pasture land, while nearer the mansion it assumes 
the form of a fine straight avenue planted with Limes of a dozen years’ 
growth. In front of these, on a broad grass margin, are clumps of 
Rhododendrons and other flowering Bhrubs. 
On arriving at the gardens, which are eituated a little to the right 
of the drive, we were welcomed by Mr. Glen, Mrs. Montefiore’s able 
gardener, who conducted us over the extensive range of forcing houses. 
To the north of the main range are several long ranges of pits. One of 
these was filled with Violets, Marie Louise and Swanley White being 
favourite sorts. In others were a large stock of Bouvardias, promising 
abundance of bloom during the winter. A large quantity of the useful 
Arum Little Gem is being worked up, while other pits were occupied 
with Primulas and various winter flowering-plants. Loxford Hall 
Seedling Strawberry is much valued here, one of the pits being planted 
with it, and at the time of our visit (the last week of September) 
there was still some fruit on the plants. 
We now enter a range of span-roofed houses, recently extended, and 
houses, were stripped of their sashes, the wood of the trees showing 
well for another year’s work. To the left are lean-to vineries. The 
first is an intermediate house, originally Hamburghs, but now being 
worked with Alicantes and Gros Marocs, more to be depended upon for 
late autumn supplies. The early house in the centre is filled with 
Chrysanthemums in their season. The third division is a Muscat house, 
and the Vines were carrying a crop of useful sized bunches. 
We are next invited to inspect the cordon Pear wall. This is over 
500 feet long, has a west aspect, and all the leading sorts are represented 
and doing well. Considering the great number of varieties grown the 
trees have made fairly even progress ; what few breaks there are have 
been made by a judicious weeding out of inferior sorts. The present 
not being generally a good Pear year it may be of interest to name a 
few that have cropped well. These are : Marie Louise d’Uccle, Louise 
Bonne of Jersey, Beurre d’Anjou, BeunA d’Aremberg, Winter Nelis, 
Thompson’s, General Todtleben, Pitmaston Duchess, Madame Treyve, 
Beurrti Hardy, Baronne de Mello, and Vicar of Winkfield. A hurried 
glance at the crops in the kitchen garden speaks of its good cultivation. 
About fifty persons have to be duly supplied with vegetables, a task 
which must entail no little forethought and anxiety. In a south border 
we observed that a breadth of Dwarf Beans that had been exposed to the 
frost of the morning of September 18th were being nursed into growth 
again under a covering of sashes. We now come to another range of 
pits in which were different sowings of Dwarf Beans coming on to 
Fig. 73.—WORTH PARK, SUSSEX. 
the old part new roofed. The centre house is a wide span, one division 
is occupied with a healthy collection of stove plants—Crotons, Dracaenas, 
Cocos Weddelliana, and other Palms in a small state are grown ex¬ 
tensively for decoration ; while the roof is thinly covered with Alla- 
mandas flowering profusely. The other division is devoted to Roses ; 
the leading Tea and Noisette varieties are planted out, and supported by 
stakes. Two divisions of the adjoining range are devoted to Carnations. 
Malmaisons and Miss Jolliffe are grown by the hundred ; Winter 
Cheer, Mrs. Moore, Lucifer, and Sir C. Wilson are also grown. Here 
also is a small collection of Orchids, conspicuous amongst them being 
some huge pans of Coelogyne cristata already showing some hundreds 
of flower spikes. 
Next we come to a Melon house, bearing the last crop of the season ; 
the remaining house being occupied with greenhouse plants. Some 
small beds at the end of the stove are planted with Celosias. They were 
very fine, and are likely to get a fair trial as bedding plants another 
year. Adjoining are ample shed accommodation with useful arched 
cellars underneath suitable for storing roots and making Mushroom beds. 
A fine lofty fruit room, fitted all round, and in the centre, with fixed 
shelves and sliding trays between each, giving double storage in the 
usual space. There is also a well-fitted Grape room, a good office, and 
equally comfortable rooms for the young men. We next visit the 
Fernery, a long lean-to with north aspect. The back wall is covered 
with Maidenhair Ferns, giving an endless supply for cutting. Amongst 
the plants on the front stage were arranged a first batch of Poinsettias, 
of which some 400 are grown annually. 
On entering the kitchen garden to the right are the Early Peach 
succeed those just mentioned. Other pits were filled with Gardenias and 
Poinsettias in fine condition. In a frame were some hundreds of this 
year’s seedling Begonias planted out. These were being sorted into 
colours for future bedding as they come into flower. The strain is 
Veitch’s, and is fine. Then we enter the late vinery, which is mainly 
occupied with Lady Downe’s, but a few young Vines of Muscats are 
bearing some splendid bunches. Two late Peach houses are furnished 
with fine clean healthy trees. 
Still another range of houses have to be inspected, having been 
recently rebuilt. They are for Melons and Cucumbers, and are now 
all that could be wished for early forcing. One of the divisions is 
devoted to Cucumbers for a supply during the autumn. In the next 
house are some fine healthy Cypripediums, and in a third a batch of 
Celosias for winter decoration. In front of the Vine borders were 
some Strawberries in pots, about 2000 sturdy plants. Viscomtesse 
Hericart de Thury, President, Sir Charles Napier, and James Veitch are 
the sorts depended upon. 
Crossing the carriage drive we enter the Camellia corridors. This 
structure is rather a novelty. It is 400 feet long, about 8 feet wide, has 
a span-roof of tiles, and the west front of it is glazed with very large 
squares of plate glass. The back wall is covered with Camellias, which 
do fairly well, but no doubt, as pointed out by our guide, they would 
make shorter-jointed, better ripened wood if the west side of the roof, 
as well as the side, were glazed. This pleasant promenade forms the 
eastern boundary to the Dutch garden, a prettily laid out geometrical 
design, with a fountain in the centre. Here, as also on the terrace round 
the house, Begonias have quite taken the place of Pelargoniums for 
