404 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 10, 1887. 
iorced early in the spring, and after the produce was gathered they were 
placed outside and watered as required. At the end of August second 
blooms were observed, and when we saw them a few weeks ago they 
were arranged in their old quarters in a vinery, and judging from their 
appearance it will be an experiment worth repeating. 
- The eleventh number of the Kew Bulletin is devoted to 
descriptions of “ Colonial Fruit,” comprising Apples, Pears, &c., with a 
view to encouraging their production in Canada, Cape Colony, Natal,, 
Australia, and New Zealand. The imports of fruits into Canada are 
stated to be as follows :—The imports of such fruits into Canada (as 
might in large proportion be grown here) for the year ended J une 30th, 
188G, were as follows :—Apples from the United States, 31,575 barrels, 
value 63,775 dollars ; small fruits—viz., Blackberries, Gooseberries, Rasp¬ 
berries, and Strawberries, from the United States, 231,378 lbs., value 
23,557 dollars: Cherries and Currants, from the United Stat s, 51,085 
quarts, value 4011 dollars ; Cranberries, Plums, and Quinces, from the 
United States, 17,170 bushels, value 34,650 dollars ; from Newfound¬ 
land, 15 bushels, value 13 dollars ; Grapes from the United States, 
389,868 lbs., value 27,340 dollars ; Peaches from the United States 
592,880 lbs., value 42,571 dollars. 
MEMORIES OF A TOUR, 
(Continued from page 3SO.') 
TWO CASTLES AND THEIR - SURROUNDINGS. 
Leaving the Marquis of Bute’s kitchen gardens, we cross the 
highway into the Castle grounds, then take a drive of four or five, miles 
io Castle Cock to see the vineyard. First let us look at Cardiff Castle, 
or as it was described in past times, when princes dwelt therein, Caer 
Tail or Caer Daf, the Fortress on the Taff, the river that rolls hard by. 
It is a truly noble building in splendid condition, a great portion appear¬ 
ing to have been rebuilt—indeed its restoration by the present Marquis, 
if I remember rightly, involved an expenditure of £160,000 ; one tower, 
St. George’s. I think it is called, costing £50,000. Externally the archi¬ 
tecture of this tower is very beautiful, while the medheval decorations 
of the interior are superb. The noble Marquis is a great patron of art, 
and has it represented in its highest forms. We had the privilege of an 
ascent up some 170 stone steps, and though it was a tedious twisting 
journey, the fatigue was forgotten when the uppermost room was 
reached. Rich beyond description is the furnishing and treatment of 
the walls and pillars, yet without a suspicion of gaudiness ; the sculptures, 
paintings, and stained glass blending in pleasing harmony. What a 
change from the turbulent times of the past, when the double moat was 
forded and the Castle lost and won by the force of arms. The moat 
that surrounds the walls encircles many acres, a second moat protecting 
the keep that stands alone within the enclosure some distance from 
the main building. The walls extending from this like huge protecting 
wings, reaching nearly to the keep, are massive and high. One of them 
terminating in Robert’s tower, with its dismal entrance the same as it 
was more than 700 years ago, when Robert of Normandy was impri¬ 
soned in the dungeon for twenty-six years, and for trying to escape had 
his eyes put out. We read much about the chilvalry of the days when 
might was regarded as right and brutal force as king, but it is to be 
feared its lustre was deeply tarnished with cruelty. The top of one of 
the walls forms a promenade that can have but few parallels. It is 
quite level, perhaps 150 yards long and 10 feet wide, clothed with grass, 
and flanked on each side with battlements 2 or 3 feet high. Trees grow 
out of the wall and in places form a canopy overhead, and to look down 
into the depths below is enough to turn nervous tourists dizzy. The 
walls from the outer side are clothed with various creepers and Ivy that, 
judging by its stems, must have held its position for centuries ; but the 
wall on the town side is covered with Vines to a height of about 30 feet, 
the finest 4 ine wall no doubt in the kingdom. Several varieties are 
planted, the rods trained vertically. The Grapes were generally ripen¬ 
ing well, and the crops, notably on the young wood, very good indeed, 
lighter where close spurring had long been practised. The juice of these 
Grapes is perhaps now fermenting for light wine—not the best, for 
Mr. Pettigrew is an adept at wine-making as we shall see by-and-by. 
Previous to his entering on his extensive charge there were practically 
mo dressed grounds near the Castle. Now, apart from the small lawn 
within the moat, and the few flower beds, one -'‘swallowing” 3000 
plants, there are about thirty acres of lawn as level as a bowling green 
and as smooth as velvet. Leaving the burnt pastures in fields, and the 
seared grass plots in gardens, in the south of England, it was most re¬ 
freshing, even exkilirating, to look on this bright green lawn, on which 
the long shadows of the trees were clearly defined by the bright declin¬ 
ing sun. Not a sign of drought was apparent, yet it had been a 
“ terrible summer. Wherever we went, save in one instance, we were 
impressed with the views there held, that nowhere else could the 
drought have been so serious. The heat may have been great, and the 
scarcity of rain inconvenient, but the recovery therefrom must have 
been sudden, for the grass was as green in Cardiff and in other gardens 
in Wales as if it were growing in April, whereas in some parts of 
England the prevailing tint was brown a fortnight after we left the 
Tale of Glamorgan. No, my friends in the principality, I am not con¬ 
vinced you have undergone such a roasting ordeal as your brethren have 
had to endure, in some of the higher, and, as I think, drier districts of 
Britain, therefore be thankful, it is right to observe that Mr. Pettigrew 
did not blame the weather for any scarcity of garden produce, for he 
could say, and with truth, that he had “ pltnty of everything,” and of 
many crops plenty to spare. 
The pleasure grounds are oeing extended at the rate of about four 
acres a year, lawns being made, drives formed, and shrubberies planted ; 
and if the work continues a few years longer it looks like reaching 
Llandaff. And it is all done well, though a large piece of this smooth 
lawn has to be made over again. It is in this wise :—The drought re¬ 
vealed the existence of something below besides soil; and as Lord Bute 
likes going to the bottom of things, and has strong archaeological pro¬ 
clivities, digging commenced and was continued till the foundations and 
lower portions of the walls of an ancient monastery were laid bare. It 
has been no light task, but was conducted cheerfully by Mr. Pettigrew, 
and in due time, when plans are settled, all will be put right and the 
rough made smooth once more. Yet, though the noble margins adds to 
the beauty and interest of his estate, which he has good right and great 
reason to enjoy, he does not live for himself alone, making no provision 
for the industrial population of the thrifty town for which he and his 
predecessors have done so much and received so much in return. The 
advantages are mutual, and here, if anywhere, the aristocracy and 
democracy appear to march hand in hand ; at any rate, the coronet is 
prominent on the railway engines at the docks, indicating their owner¬ 
ship, while the men who drive these engines look as happy as if they 
were lords and masters of the whole concern. Well, for these, 
and all who choose to enter them, pleasure gardens eleven acres 
in extent have been provided alongside of the Castle grounds. 
These gardens have been established some years, and the trees over¬ 
shadow the paths, which are thus cool promenades in the summer. In 
half the public gardens in England trees have been planted far in the 
background, where they spoil the shrubs beneath them, while the walks 
are exposed to the burning sun, visitors either shunning them or pant¬ 
ing for the shade that they cannot enjoy. They make no such mistakes 
on the Continent, the first consideration of the authorities there being 
to provide shade, which is so restful and delicious, where it can be the 
most conveniently enjoyed during the period of outdoor life, that is so 
wholesome near towns. The glaring sun pouring down on the London 
Thames Embankment gardens simply drives the people out of them in 
hot weather, or they herd together under the few isolated specimens in 
crowded discomfort, while at the same time there is shade enough in the 
enclosures that cannot be enjoyed, because either the trees or the walks 
are in the wrong places. The Marquis of Bute has given ninety acres of 
land at Cardiff for a public park, and it is hoped those who are respon¬ 
sible for laying it out will not plant all the trees as far from the roads 
and walks as possible, but will take care, to provide shade for the multi¬ 
tude, as is done by the Elm avenue in Battersea Park and the Chestnut 
walk in Regent’s Park, that are delightful resorts for Londoners to lounge 
in during the tropical period of the j ear. 
In continuation of the pleasure garden referred to, a recreation 
ground of 4 acres has not long since been completed by Mr. Pet'igrew, 
and here the youth of the town can indulge in S[ orts and trials of skill 
that are necessary for the physical development of those whose days are 
spent in shops or sedentary employment. Nor have those who need not 
such stirring exercise been forgotten, and for such a bowling green has 
been made at a cost of £1400. It is one of the best we have seen, with 
well-appointed rooms attached, and our friend is to be congratulated on 
the excellence of his work. There are also twelve squares in the town, 
most of which have been planted by Mr. Pettigrew, and for the keeping 
of all he is responsible. It appears evident that every reasonable want 
is provided, and it is clear that whatever is undertaken is carried out 
well. This is not wasting money, but expending it wisely ; it is wasted 
when work is only half done, leaving an inheritance of patching ahd 
botching that gives satisfaction to no one. Thoroughness appears the 
governing principle in the conduct of improvements effected on Lord 
Bute’s estate. A project now in hand affords an example of this. It 
has been said the Castle grounds and the kitchen gardens are situated on 
opposite sides of a main thoroughfare. From the castle walls, which are 
high above the road, across the moat and highway, is a great distance to 
bridge ; yet it will have to be done, and to do it in a style worthy of the 
place will necessitate an outlay of £30,000—a nice little bill for making 
a walk to a garden. 
A reference to Cardiff would be incomplete without including the 
docks. They are the chief agents of its prosperity, and the outcome of 
the foresight and energy of the Bute family in past generations, with 
a continuation of it that shows no signs of abatement; £3,000,000 have 
been expended on them and the approaches, the new dock of 36 acres, 
opened this year, having cost £500,000, and its equal, perhaps, cannot 
be found. The merchandise is coal, all coal, the output being between 
7,000,000 and 8,000,000 tons a year, or, say, 150,000 tons a week. Trains 
run to the ships’ side, a 10 ton truck is run on a platform, which rises 
high enough, by hydraulic power, for tipping, and the contents are 
turned into the hold with greater ease than a gardener tips a scuttleful 
of soil on a potting bench, and about as quickly. When the tipping is 
in full progress the noise is like a protracted, yet intermittent, roil of 
thunder. Yet with all the attendant dust the main portion of the 
town is not black, and if we take the police as representing the inhabi¬ 
tants, they are the cleanest, finest, smartest men we have seen in the 
“ force ” of any corporation. 
We have seen what wealth can do when well applied, what labour it 
