180 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August !9, 1389. 
day, August 22nd, in the picturesque grounds of the Isle of Wight College, 
Apley, near Hyde. The Chairman of the Committee is Mr. Davey, who, 
with Messrs. D. Fowler, Cooke, Green, Butcher, Eldridge, J. V. Brook, 
and Mr. James Eley (Secretary), did yeoman service. The Show was 
an extremely good one, the exhibits being choice and numerous. Owing to 
the unsettled state of the weather there was a perceptible falling off of 
visitors. There were no fewer than ninety-four classes of exhibits. The 
following were the principal prizetakers:—Flowers.—Mr. H. Grose 
Smith, The Priory, St. Helens (gardener, J. Earl); Mrs. Edgar 
Ratcliffe, Hyde (gardener, J. Attrill) ; Colonel Atherley, Shanklin 
(gardener, J. A. Yentin); Mr. James Woods, Ryde (gardener, H. 
Quinton) ; Mr. J. J. Linnington, Belle Mead, Newport; Sir H. Daly, 
Ryde House, Ryde (gardener, G. Caffen). Vegetables and fruit.—Colonel 
Atherley, Shanklin; Mr. A. A. Carre, Apley Rise (gardener, G. 
Burden) : Mr. J. Woods, Ryde ; Mrs. E. RatclifEe, Ryde ; Mr. T. L. 
Winthropp, Ryde ; Mr. C. Taplin, Ryde ; Mr. C. Simmonds, Brading. Mr. 
Orchard, Bembridge Hotel, exhibited a magnificent table of vegetables 
(not for competition), Turnips, Carrots, Onions, Beet, and Potatoes grown 
on the reclaimed land at Bembridge. After the Show this capacious 
table-full was presented to the infirmary by Mr. Orchard. 
- At a meeting of the Council of the Royal Caledonian 
Horticultural Society, held on the 7th August, 1889, it was re¬ 
solved to hold a Special Exhibition and Conference on Plums, 
in connection with the Society’s Autumn Show, in the Waverley Market, 
Edinburgh, on the 11th and 12th September, 1889. While collections of 
Plums are solicited from all parts, for comparison and instruction, the 
chief object of the Conference is to utilise the favourable opportunity 
presented this season by the fine crop of Plums in Scotland, for gaining 
useful information about them, comparing their merits, and correcting 
their nomenclature. All who are interested in the growing of Plums are 
therefore invited to send as complete a collection as possible of the 
varieties (ripe or unripe) grown in their district ; and as the object is 
silely educational, there will be no competition and no prizes. It is not 
necessary that the fruit should be grown by the sender ; but those send¬ 
ing collections from a district should specify the place where each sample 
has been grown. No limit will be put as to the number of varieties 
which any contributor desires to send ; but the number of fruits of each 
variety should be from three to six, according to circumstances. The 
Council are anxious to procure a complete representation and record of 
the varieties of Plums grown in Scotland ; therefore each variety should 
be distinctly labelled with the name, or names, under which it is known 
ia the locality, and each collection should be accompanied by all the 
information possible about the climate, altitude, exposure, soil, methods 
of cultivation, and other particulars, which will be of much value to the 
Committee in drawing up their report. For this purpose forms will be 
supplied to all growers on application to the Secretary. The specimens 
being strictly for examination and instruction, they must necessarily be 
at the disposal of the Council. In the case of a new or unknown variety, 
specimens of the fruit should be accompanied by a bearing branch, with 
fruit and foliage, to show its character and bearing qualities. Intending 
exhibitors must give notice to the Secretary or Assistant Secretary, in 
writing, not later than Wednesday, 4th September, stating the number 
of varieties they intend to exhibit, for which space will be allotted and 
plates provided by the Society. The Council will pay the carriage of 
any Plums sent to the Exhibition and Conference, and will also see that 
they are carefully staged for the inspection of the Committee ; but they 
will not be held responsible for any error, damage, or loss of fruit con¬ 
signed to them, although all possible care will be taken of it. Collections 
of Plums sent by rail, or otherwise, must be addressed to Mr. William 
Young, Assistant Secretary, 18, Waverley Market, Edinburgh, and for¬ 
warded so as to be delivered not later than Monday, 9th September. 
Exhibitors staging their own fruit will do so on the morning of Wednes¬ 
day, 11th September ; and all must be staged and the Hall cleared for 
the Committee by ten o’clock that morning.— Malcolm Dunn, Convener 
of the Committee. 
KETTON HALL GARDENS. 
Ketton Hall is a familiar name in the gardening world from its 
frequent mention in reports of fruit exhibitions and the many prizes 
that are awarded to the produce grown by Mr. W. H. Divers, chiefly 
Peaches and Nectarines. J. T. Hopwood, Esq., the owner of the 
splendid houses and trees, evidently takes great interest in his gardens, 
and estate generally. This he acquired by purchase a few years ago, 
and erected thereon a handsome and commodious mansion of Ketton 
stone, which from time immemorial has been famed for its free working 
and durability. One or two glass structures were found in the gardens 
attached to the old hall, and these still remain. The Vines in them 
have been greatly improved and bear useful Grapes, with almost 
certainly better to follow. But Ketton, in gardeners’ parlance, is not a 
“ Grape place,” and in truth few lovers of the princely fruit can inspect 
the fine Peach houses without feeling a wish to see also one or two 
vineries as worthy companions thereto. With the Peach houses, trees, 
and fruit the most exacting must be satisfied that Mr. Hopwood has done 
wonders, and what his gardener has done his opponents at such shows as 
the Crystal Palace, Regent’s Park, Liverpool, Leicester, York, Brighton, 
Edinburgh and others, have in remembrance. Eighty-seven prizes won 
in the best competition during the past four and a half years is a very 
good record, especially as by far the greater number were firsts, and 
there is not a gardener in the kingdom who bears his honours more 
meekly than does Mr. Divers. He is a thorough gardener, whose ability 
is equal to his devotedness to his work, and whose attention to the 
various details, each small in itself, but in the aggregate of great moment, 
has enabled him to achieve a great deal more than local fame. 
No finer Peaches and Nectarines are grown in the kingdom than at 
Ketton, and in few gardens is their culture equalled ; but it must be 
said in few if any are such houses provided, one of these being, so far 
as I know, the finest peachery in England. It is a curvilinear structure, 
substantially built, of iron chiefly, and rests on low walls faced with 
dressed stone. It is glazed, as are the other new structures, on the 
Rendle system, and in every respect answers its purpose well. This 
noble Peach house, of which the small engraving from a photograph, 
fig. 25, represents fairly well, is 258 feet long, 28^ feet wide, and 17 feet 
high. It is known as the Carlsbad house, I think because it was erected 
as a surprise for Mrs. Hopwood on her return from a sojourn at the 
health resort whose name it bears. The trained trees are planted about 
3 feet from the sides, or whatever the exact distance may be ample 
room is afforded between the trellis and the glass for working purposes. 
The trellis reaches to what may be termed the shoulder of the curve on 
each side ; thus light falls directly from the top of the house over the 
central path and to a sufficient extent over the side borders for fruit 
trees in pots. These consist of Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pears, and 
Apples, and as they bear good crops of excellent fruit the avenue thus 
formed is highly interesting, and enables a great number of varieties to 
be grown and tested. 
The trained trees are as fine as trees can be, and produce fruit as 
large and good as trees can bear. The growth would almost frighten 
some “hardwooded” men by its vigour. Small firm wood is their 
ideal, but Mr. Divers knows very well that such fruit as he gathers 
could not be perfected on small twigjy shoots, no matter how hard they 
may be. He likes them strong, but then—and here rests one of the 
secrets of success—he trains them thinly. The leaves do not spoil each 
other by crushing and crowding, but have space for free development, 
and then, with generous support at the roots, become strengtheners of 
the tree and storers of fruit-producing matter. But though the growth 
is strong it is short-jointed and firm, because of the light to which all 
the leaves are exposed, their freedom from insects, and the firm and 
shallow well drained borders in which the roots are working. When we 
find such trees as these so large, so full of vigour, and bearing such 
splendid fruit in a depth of 18 inches of soil, what folly it is to have 
borders as deep again and as light again, as many are, in which the 
trees are not, nor cannot be, half so good. But the soil may be con¬ 
sidered to be of extraordinary quality. It is not. The natural soil of 
the district is by no means of the highest order of fertility, and is far 
from equalling the best in many agricultural districts. It is not bad 
soil, but has to be made better by good treatment before good crops of 
vegetables and roots can be grown in garden or field. 
It is of Vfry little use descrii ing gardens and praising everything 
that is found good in them without gaining and imparting such in¬ 
formation as can be gathered from an inspection of successful work. 
Success in Peach growing depends on good management on the lines 
above indicated, and no soil, no matter how good it may be, even to its 
containing the exact constituents as determined by analysis, can give 
anvthing approaching the best results if other important points of 
culture be overlooked. Train in the growing shoots an inch or two 
apart, thus huddling the leaves together as if they were of no value ; let 
red spider have its fling; let the borders be so deep and light that 
boards must be used for stepping on to prevent the feet sinking in, 
then the precious and scientifically compounded soil avails little, and 
far better results may be attained with soil from a Potato field when 
the other cultural requisites suggested are provided. 
May I leave Ketton for a moment or two for an illustration of the 
soundness of the routine I am endeavouring to enforce? A few hours 
before writing these lines I was at Chiswick. Last autumn or winter, 
or this spring (I forget which), Mr. Barron planted a number of young 
Peach trees against the back wall of a long lean-to house. He had no 
turfy loam, and apparently did not trouble about that. He knew the 
soil in the garden grew good hardy fruit and vegetables, and simply had 
the quantity required for the Peach trees wheeled from where it was 
most handy and could be best spared from the garden, mixing a few 
crushed bones with it. I have examined the trees to-day, and been on 
the border. It resembles an asphalte path in firmness and smoothness. 
Not being quite a featherweight, I can venture to say there is not a 
man who reads these lines who by stamping and jumping on that 
border could make any material impression in it. And what about the 
trees ? The wood is not weak and hard, like wire, but stout and short- 
jointed ; the branches thinly disposed ; the leaves fully expanded, deep 
green, thick in texture, clean. The border cost a mere trifle, jet if the 
cultivator minds, and he generally does mind” when he has a chance 
