18 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 9, 1885. 
Mr. C. Orchard thinks that the election will be a good thing for young 
beginners, as giving them a guide as to what to exhibit. 
Mr. J. Garner writes:—“ I want it understood that there are several 
sorts I have never seen, and I have made the list out with nothing but 
what have been grown and shown, and the majority are not only in 
commerce, but can be had for a trifle, whilst some other inferior sorts 
command a much higher price.” 
Mr. C. Phillips states :—“ Horner’s Monarch will take a conspicuous 
place amongst the greens. Douglas’s Mabel, Horner’s Greyhound, and 
Mellor’s William Brockbank are spendid greys, but will not displace 
Geo. Lightbody. Horner’s Heroine is unsurpassable.” 
ALPINE AURICULAS. 
Only fifteen growers have sent in lists of twelve Alpines, many florists 
growing only the show kinds. The following return will show the views 
of the best southern growers, most of the varieties being of Mr. Turner’s 
raising. 
Votes. 
Diadem. 14 
King of the Belgians . 12 
Mrs. Llewelyn. 10 
Mrs. Dodwell . 10 
Mrs. Ball . 9 
Queen Victoria . 8 
Philip Frost. 7 
John Leech. 7 
S'ougli Rival . 7 
Mrs. Meiklejohn. 7 
Votes. 
Sensation. (i 
John Ball. 5 
Geo. Lightbody . 5 
Unique. 5 
Mariner.._. 5 
Amelia Hardwidge. 4 
Conspicua. 4 
Col. Scott. 4 
Mrs. Phipps. 3 
The following had two vo’es each :—Elcho, Marchioness of West¬ 
minster, Beatrice, A. F. Barron, Duchess of Connaught, W. Fowle, 
Dazzle, Mercury, Goliath ; and the following one vote each—Spangle, 
Distinction, Ada Hardwidge, Rosamund, S. Fellowes, Flora, Echo, 
Mrs. Thomson, President, Sailor Prince, Vesuvius, Silvia, John Jones, 
Fair Rosamond, Mauve Queen, Black Prince, F. Copeland, Phoenix, 
Susie Matthews, James Fowle. The following gentlemen kindly con¬ 
tributed to this list:—Rev. E. L. Fellowes; Messrs. J. T. D. Llewelyn, 
R. Gorton, W. Brockbank, J. Garner, C. Orchard, R. Dean, W. H. 
White, J. Douglas, T. Stirk, E. Wilson, H. N. Rolt, J. Ball (C. Turner), 
J. Cheetham, and J. Booth. 
GUNNERSBURY HOUSE. 
Having long been familiar with the productions of Mr. James 
Hudson at several of the leading exhibitions—admirably grown specimen 
plants, highly meritorious fruit, beautifully arranged groups of plants, 
with charmingly furnished dessert tables and floral decorations, for which 
Mrs. Hudson has won so many prizes, a note in the Journal last week 
on the Lord Napier Nectarine suggested that the garden itself in which 
so much good work is done might be worthy of a visit. 
Gunnersbury House, Acton, is the residence of J. Atkinson, Esq., 
whose mansion is pleasantly situated in well wooded and charmingly 
diversified grounds ten acres in extent. They are separated by a lofty 
wall from the famous seat of the Rothschilds, Gu-'.nersbury Park. A 
previous owner of Gunnersbury House displayed much ingenuity, and 
must have expended a considerable sum of money in rendering his side 
of the boundary wall ornamental. He had it faced with masonry to 
resemble an old ruin. Pillars, arches, embrasures, and mullioned windows 
were devised, and these now heavily mantled with Ivy have a romantic 
effect. In one part of the “ruins” are rooms for young gardeners, and 
over these, fruit rooms, store rooms, a Grape room, and other offices, so 
that the work, which is remarkable, is useful a9 well as picturesque. 
Parallel with the ruins, and a few yards from them, is a row of magnifi¬ 
cent Elms, and a long embowered promenade is formed, which is delight¬ 
fully cool in the summer. 
From the natural terrace on which the mansion stands an extensive 
lawn recedes unmarred by a flower bed, and a miniature lake and several 
handsome trees and shrubs contribute to the attractiveness of the grounds. 
Such is the general character of the surroundings of Gunnersbury House, 
and a few of its special features may be briefly particularised. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
This is small, but prettily arranged, and some beds of Begonias are 
full of promise, the plants being dwarf, stout, healthy, and just un¬ 
folding brilliant blooms. These have never been in pots. The tubers are 
started in boxes, then planted in rich free soil in cool frames preparatory 
to their removal with a wig-like mass of roots to the beds at the proper 
season. This is the right method, and with rich moist soil the plants 
grow luxuriantly. But Roses overshadowed everything else—not Hybrid 
Perpetuals, which were good, but a bower of old-fashioned climbing or 
rambling Ros s. The trees are apparently half a century old, judging 
by their thick gnarled stems. It is known they were “ trees ” thirty-five 
years ago, and their great arms branch right and left, and the flowers are 
piled in dense masses overtopping the boundary wall like a bold undu¬ 
lating mass of fleecy clouds. The trusses appeared to be piled in heaps, 
and without doubt a cartload might have been cut from one tree of Alice 
Gray. Truly these floriferous old Roses are very delightful. In another 
portion we find a bed wholly occupied with Persian Yellow Roses, which 
are charming when expanding, Harrisoni larger and brighter, and the 
yellow and copper-coloured Austrians. The growths are pegged down 
and flower freely. We pass through a “strip” of kitchen garden, and 
arrive at a rather extensive range of glass, two plant houses, a Peach and 
Nectarine house, and three vineries, but would first refer to a bed of 
SELF-SOWN DAHLIAS. 
As it is considered essential in raising Dahlias from seed for flowering 
the same year to sow in heat early, pot the seedlings and grow them under 
glass for a considerable time preparatory to planting out, a simpler 
method may be described, and so far as I know it is the first recorded 
example of exactly the same nature. Some single Dahlias grown in a 
bed last year ripened and shed their seed. Beyond taking up the roots 
and raking over the surface nothing was done to the ground in the 
winter. The scattered Dahlia seed germinated at the proper time, and 
now as fine a lot of plants are growing as could be wished, and that are 
certain to flower freely ; in fact, buds are already perceptible in some of 
them. These naturally sown and undisturbed seedlings are sturdy and 
vigorous, very different to many that are drawn up under glass, and the 
trouble involved in the usual manner of raising them is often great, while 
by the natural method accidentally discovered it does not exceed that in¬ 
curred in growing Radishes, and it is pefectly clear that single Dahlias 
can be raised without the aid of any glass shelter whatever. 
LORD NAPIER NECTARINE. 
The tree alluded to by Mr. Hudson on page 4 last week occu¬ 
pies the trellis in the house, which it practically fills ; and there 
is not a gardener in Britain who would not be proud of such a tree. 
Mounting the step ladder at the back and taking a bird’s eye view the 
eight was one to be remembered. Every fruit that could be raised was 
supported above the foliage on labels resting on the trellis and bridging 
the space between the wires. As usually seen this Nectarine is mottled, 
green being tbe prevailing colour, but on the tree in question the fruits 
are bronzy red or crimson, and it may be safely said that no better 
coloured examples of the variety have ever been seen ; they are large 
too, some exceptionally so, and what is more, of excellent quality, full of 
vinous juice, melting and richly flavoured. Mr. Hudson is justified in 
regarding this as one of the most valuable Nectarines in cultivation, and 
he entertains a doubt if there is any other that would have developed 
into such a tree in the same time and produced a crop equal in all points— 
numbers, size, earliness, colour and quality ; and if he were growing 
Nectarines for commercial purposes he would rely mainly on Lord Napier. 
At the same time he does not question the accuracy of the statements of 
persons who have found it less satisfactory in other and perhaps less 
dry and sunny districts, yet Mr. Bardney has it equally good in every 
respect, except perhaps in colour, and his exposed fruits are not very 
deficient in that respect. Mr. Atkinson’s tree, it may be repeated, 
covers a space of 190 square feet, and this year’s crop numbered 
300 fruits. The tree was planted in 1878, and has been practically 
grown on the extension system. 
GRAPES—FIRM TINE BORDERS. 
Out of three houses, which at a rough guess may be 20 feet, 30 feet, 
and 40 feet long respectively, an uninterrupted supply of fruit is main¬ 
tained all the year round as good as could be desired in size of berry, 
finish, and quality, “ big ” bunches not being coveted, indeed it is a little 
difficult to prevent their being too large. The early house from which the 
crop is being cut is occupied with Black Hamburgh, Foster’s Seedling, 
and Madresfield Court, all of which are bearing medium-sized, full, regular 
bunches of very fine berries. In the Muscat house the crop is in every 
respect an excellent one, “ lumpy ” bunches with large berries of uniform 
size, and very fine are those of Alnwick Seedling and the bunches per¬ 
fectly filled. The late house is regularly furnished with Lady Downe’s 
and Alicante, but West’s St. Peter’s has failed to set well. 
The wood of the Vines is not strong, but firm and short-jointed ; nor 
are the leaves very large, but they possess great substance. The Vines 
are neither syringed in summer, nor peeled, daubed, or washed in winter, 
and not an insect troubles them. How is this ? First, because the roots, 
actively working near the surface, are never dry ; and, secondly, because 
the atmosphere of the houses after the Grapes are stored is heavily charged 
with ammonia. The borders outside are not dug and left for the sun to 
dry them and drive the roots downwards, but they are almost as firm as a 
garden path and covered with a layer of manure. That is the way to get 
a multiplicity of roots in the right place. The drainage of the borders is 
about as perfect as it can be, for the bottom is floored with rows of drain 
pipes placed side by side, from back to front, 2000 being used in the work. 
Pipe drains are also provided for ventilating one end, rising through the 
border, the other just under the hot-water pipes in the houses, where the 
air is warmed, hence rises, and a buoyant atmosphere maintained. When 
the borders were made care was taken that the soil was in the proper con¬ 
dition for compression, and it was made firm, as if in potting Vines, 
Strawberries, or Chrysanthemums. The object was to have Vines lastingly 
good, not for producing sensational growth and bunches at first, then a 
falling off, but good Grapes for years. It is to these firm borders that 
may be traced the character of the wood, not luxuriant but fruitful, the 
sub-laterals showing bunches freely. 
SUB-LATERAL EXTENSION. 
The management of the growths is not exactly orthodox. “Do not 
let the laterals run,” say some authorities, “ as undue root-action will be 
incited, and the berries of Madresfield Court will split or crack.” Mr. 
Hudson knows very well what causes the splitting of this grand Grape, 
which few growers finish in better condition than he does. With well- 
drained borders he has no fear of any amount of rain, and it is very clear 
he has no fear of active root-movement; he encourages it by not stopping 
