258 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 22, 1887. 
Tomatoes, Cucumbers (Telegraph), Melons (chiefly Golden Perfection), 
occupying the houses during the summer months. There are about 
600 plants of Chrysanthemums growing on in their flowering pots on the 
upright or natural system, staked and tied up to wires strained to posts 
in the orthodox way, one long row in front of a lean-to house facing the 
entrance, the others running between the houses at right angles, the 
whole embracing the best of the established varieties and a large number 
of new ones, many of them introduced by the firm, some of which were 
honoured with a first-class certificate from various societies last season. 
The plants looked very promising with stout hard wood, and should 
evidently repay with fine blooms for the time, care, and attention that 
very few trade growers care to bestow on them. In an adjoining plot 
of land large breadths of dwarf Roses of the most approved sorts are 
grown for their flowers alone, and herbaceous and other plants for 
flowering later on in the season. 
SWANMORE. 
We move on by train to Botley, and change there by a branch line to 
Bishops Waltham, our destination that evening being Swanmore Park, 
which we reach after a very pleasant drrje of about three miles from 
Bishops Waltham station. After leaving the quaint little town and the 
old Ivy-clad abbey, which is close to the station, we emerge into the 
Open country, and branching away to the left from the main road that 
leads to Swanmore village we find ourselves in very narrow country 
1 mes, and gradually rising higher until the entrance gates of Swanmore 
Park, the seat of W. H. Myers, Esq., are reached. Here we find our 
friend Mr. E. Molyneux and his amiable partner welcoming us in good 
old English style, the whole country around stretching away in the 
distance over woodlands and pastures, forming a lovely landscape of 
park-like beauty. Mr. Molyneux’s cottage at the entrance is overhung 
with Honeysuckle that fills the air with delicious perfume, the variety 
aurea reticulata looking more golden than usual under the influence of 
a strong July sun. The approach to the mansion is by a carriage drive 
through an avenue of overhanging young Lime trees. We diverge by a 
path to the left, and enter the garden by a door in a walled-in enclosure, 
in which are arranged the office j and sheds situated at the back of the 
range of lean-to vineries, &c., that face the kitchen garden the other side. 
There are also two or three small span-roofed houses, Cucumber pits, 
frames, &c., in'this enclosure, and on the spare space at the sides are 
growing the main batch of Chrysanthemum plants. They are arranged 
in rows 6 or 8 feet apart, so that plenty of light and air can reach them, 
and faced with a row of the dwarfest varieties beside the crescent¬ 
shaped path, which gave a finish to the whole group. The tallest are on 
the sides of a path in an adjoining kitchen garden, and which forms 
quite an avenue, as is represented by the woodcut in Mr. Molyneux’s 
book. Ample provision is made to support these against the violent 
autumn gales by stout posts and strong wires, the topmost wire being 
about 10 feet from the ground, the height of the plants at the time of 
our visit, July the 9th, varying from 1 foot 6 inches to 7 feet 6 inches, 
the dwarfest being Madame Hoste and Madame Rozain, and the tallest 
Belle Paule, Madame C. Audiguier, Mrs. J. Wright. Lord Wolseley, and 
Prince Alfred. The whole without exception looked in the best possible 
health and condition, with stems as stout as walking sticks, and stout 
leathery foliage covering the soil on the shortest plants, and to within a 
few inches on the tallest, which was a proof of the care that had been 
bestowed on them from the cutting pot, and which no doubt will be 
continued to be bestowed until further honours have been won. There 
is not a weak or sickly plant amongst them, and taking them collectively 
they are the finest plants we have seen. 
In a span-roofed house close by a fine crop of Melons was hanging, 
the plants very robust and producing large handsome fruit, the varieties 
being William Tillery, Sutton’s Imperial Green-flesh, Hero of Lockinge, 
Golden Perfection, and the old Scarlet Gem. Here are also some fur¬ 
nished and highly coloured Crotons, each one the beau ideal of a good 
table plant. The varieties most in favour are C. aneitiensis, C. sinit- 
zinianus, C. elegantissima, C. angustifolius aureus, and Countess. In a 
similar house there are the best varieties of Zonal Pelargoniums just 
throwing up some fine trusses. These span-roofed houses are utilised in 
the spring for striking and bringing along the Chrysanthemums before 
being placed out of doors. In an adjoining lean-to pit was a very heavy 
crop of Tender and True Cucumbers. The larger range of houses facing 
the garden consists of vineries, stoves, Peach house, and greenhouse. 
The first vinery, in which is growing a mixed collection, deserves 
especial mention, not only on account of the splendid examples of 
Grapes they are carrying, but for the fact that all the roots growing in 
the inside border were lifted last year without any apparent check on 
them whatever. Well as the crop looks this year, it would be reasonable 
to assume that, when the roots get fairly hold by the new soil next year, 
they will be stronger than ever. They are now carrying heavy and 
well-proportioned bunches varying from 4 to 6 lbs. in weight on the 
larger varieties, and the others in proportion. Madresfield Court looks 
well, and not a cracked berry in it; Gros Colman, Alicante, Black 
Hamburgh, Gros Guillaume, Mrs. Pince, Trebbiano, with nine very large 
bunches, one measuring 20 inches by 16, and weighing quite 7 or 8 lbs. 
in weight, and Lady Downe’s. The adjoining house is devoted to Muscat 
of Alexandria, also carrying a good crop of well-proportioned bunches 
swelling and likely to be well coloured. It is in these two vineries the’ 
Chrysanthemums are housed and flowered in due season. Near the other 
end of the range is a fine healthy tree of the Pine Apple Nectarine, just 
ripening about 800 fruits ; the tree in a short time will occupy the whole 
house, another one by its side being gradually cut away to make room 
for it. 
The centre part is devoted to the stove plants, some specimen foliage 
and flowering plants almost getting too large for the house. The Crotons 
are more remarkable for their high colour than for their size, although 
one fine specimen of Croton variegatus measures over 6 feet across. 
There is also a fine plant of C. angustifolius, and a splendid piece of C. 
Queen Victoria, very bright and telling; Alocasia macrorhiza variegata, 
with more variegation in it than usual, perhaps on account of being^ in 
rather small pots considering the large size of the plants; and a fine 
plant of Latania borbonica, among other Palms, spreading out their 
large fan-like foliage over the pathway. The back wall of the stove is 
covered with a combination of Ferns, Palms, Begonias, and other orna¬ 
mental foliage plants planted out, which overhangs and gives a sub¬ 
tropical and characteristic appearance. We notice two very nicely fur¬ 
nished specimens of Bougainvillea glabra full of flower. iThe greenhouse 
was gay with a varied collection, some very good plants of Tuberous 
Begonias, single and double, and one or two fine plants of Trachelium 
cseruleurn, which is grown to specimen size. 
The outside garden is replete with beds and borders of annuals and 
herbaceous plants, of which there is a good representative collection. 
There are also some striking examples of the more modern style of bed¬ 
ding ; some good beds of crimson single Begonias that were kept shaded 
from the scorching rays of the mid-day sun by light tiffany were just 
coming into flower, and promised to be very effective by the cooler 
autumn months. Another very effective bed was planted with a ground¬ 
work of the grey-leaved Antennaria tomentosa, and individual plants of 
Lobelia cardinalis dotted over it. It looked very pretty, the contrast 
between the light and dark foliage, but when the Lobelia gets at its 
best we could imagine the effect of the deep crimson flowers over the 
grey groundwork. The carpet beds were neat and well done, Alter- 
nanthera nana aurea being very bright and neat. It is certainly the 
best of the yellow foliage ones. There are other beds of great variety 
and various styles, foliage plants and succulents being used to break the 
monotony of the carpet beds, giving colour without gaudiness, and ele¬ 
gance and variety to the whole. Near here we notice a fine specimen of 
the Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, quite 60 feet high. A pool of 
ornamental water, surrounded by rockwork and crossed by a miniature 
bridge, looked cool and delightful in the summer months, and formed a 
congenial place for aquatics and alpine plants. 
In the kitchen garden we notice the Gooseberry and Currant bush 
trees, carrying very heavy crops of fine fruit, pruned on what we might 
call the extension and spur system—that is, long branches and very few 
of them, the side shoots spurred back to admit plenty of light and air ; 
they were certainly heavily laden with fine fruit, which bent the 
branches down and gave them rather a straggling appearance. Outdoor 
Strawberries do not succeed well here ; they have been tried in all posi¬ 
tions and under all treatments, but they fail to produce a satisfactory 
crop. No doubt the chalky nature of the subsoil is the cause of it. A 
fine specimen Fig tree is growing here in full fruit, such as one rarely 
sees even in the south of England. A fine assortment of flowering 
shrubs and Conifers is growing in the shrubberies by the lawns, and the 
mansion will soon be clothed with Ivy and other creepers. The park 
as viewed from the lawn includes some fine specimens of Beech and 
other forest trees, and the already extensive estate have been added to 
lately by the addition of some surrounding property, on which exten¬ 
sive plantations of Larch trees have been made, as many as 187,000 
having been planted within this last three years, which at the time of 
our most enjoyable walk round the estate was thriving and doing well 
in spite of the unfavourable season. These, and all the erection of 
houses, walls, rockeries, and ^the remaking and renovating of the fruit 
and kitchen gardens, lawns, and shrubberies, which the much-respected 
proprietor has had done since he came in possession of Swanmore Park, 
have all been carried out under the personal direction of Mr. Molyneux. 
The whole of the estate does him great credit, the work being kept well 
underhand, so he has had something on his mind beside Chrysanthemum 
growing. , 
SOUTHAMPTON. 
Our next halt is at Southampton. We visit a relative at Shirley 
who grows Strawberries and a few other fruits for market, which are sold 
in the town. A striking contrast here to the soil of Swanmore, as far as 
Strawberry cultivation is concerned. On the somewhat limited plot of 
ground the fruit was lying around the plants abundantly, and smelt at 
the distance, under the scorching rays of the sun, like a jam factory, the 
drought causing them to ripen off prematurely, and consequently there 
was not half the weight in fruit as there would have been in a favour¬ 
able season. The variety cultivated is Sir Joseph Paxton. They are 
grown in a most unorthodox way, and some of the beds that is now in 
full bearing having been planted eight years, and one plot that is going 
to be destroyed this year have been there ten years. So well does the 
soil suit them the land gets no preparation beyond digging and laying 
up rough for a time, and the young plants transferred with a spade or 
a trowel from the other beds. It was so different from the ordinary 
practice that we question our venerable friend—“ But don’t you manure 
or top-dress ? ” we ask. “ If we were to do that we should get all leaves 
and no fruit,” was the rejoinder. “ Why, I have stood here on the 
edge of the path and picked half a bushel of fruit at a time without 
moving in a favourable year.” We looked, and believed it, the condi¬ 
tion of the plants and the crops showed it. But all our teaching on 
the orthodox system of growing and renewing Strawberry beds was 
floored, another instance that circumstances entirely alter cases. Truly 
