September 5, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
205 
tion. No ordinary twelve or twenty-four stand would hold these to be 
comfortably seen. Indeed since the old Criterion days the points gained 
are in advance, for in addition we have even larger size, better raised 
centres, more gouge-like florets, and if ever there was formal perfection 
•in a flower it is here. You need no conventional gyrations to bring 
up a perfect geometrical type. Turner’s Royalty is also a splendid 
flower, and the whole collection is so well grown and so choice that 
it is a pity that it is in so outlandish a place for general sight seeing. 
PANSIES. 
Mr. Campbell has always had a penchant for Pansies, and the cool 
bottomed ground answers their wants in ordinary seasons generally 
well. The season through which we are passing has been more disas¬ 
trous in the months of June and July than for years, and consequently 
great havoc has been made with the choice selected named sorts grown 
for show and showing purposes. Every care ha3 had to be taken that 
■some of the weaklings were not lost altogether, and consequently a crop 
of flowers on such is out of the question. However, there are some 
sorts that have stood the test, and are grandly in flower. The so-called 
Fancy Pansies particularly are very striking and very good ; but if I 
were compelled to grow one, and one only, I would unhesitatingly give 
my vote to Miss French, which is far in advance of anything here. 
Its large indigo blue blotches, surrounded with a belting, as if drawn by 
a pair of compasses, of pure white ; its purple and yellow upper petals 
are like a fine piece of Eastern-designed garment; and then, to crown 
all, the substance of the flower is so pronounced to the eye that one 
would think it was a combination of silk velvets. Others we could do 
with are Mr. John Elliott, also indigo blotches and white edges, and the 
-colours seem to be fast; Maggie Scott, purple top petals, mulberry 
blotches, with bronze and yellow edges, exceedingly showy ; and Donald 
Morrison, chiefly purple and yellow, broad edges of great size and ex¬ 
cellent substance, and many more too numerous to mention. We must 
not omit the pretty Lizzie Duncan, a grand black blotched flower, with 
pure white edges, with the top petals shaded purple and white. I am 
not “ in ” with this permission on the part of floral authorities to allow 
the two top petals, if they be of the requisite form and substance, to be 
■“ mixy mixy ” in colouring, when the lower petals must be distinct and 
well defined in that way. 
Although Mr. Campbell chiefly confines his attention to florists’ 
flowers he has a try at most things—Tuberous Begonias, Rubber plants, 
and Tomatoes among the number. He has hit a good cultivating mark 
with the latter, his method being to starve the plants till they are set, 
and then “ go for them.” By this means he doubles their productive 
powers in a given space.—J. Anderson. 
KILCRONAGH, CO. KILKENNY. 
This is the beautifully situated residence of Raymond de la Poer, 
Esq., D.L., the present high sheriff of the County Kilkenny, and him¬ 
self a warm friend and patron of horticulture generally. Sojourning at 
the popular watering place of Tramore, I was recommended to see 
Kilcronagh, “ an unpretentious place some dozen miles distant on the 
Kilkenny side of Waterford, where some lessons may be learned, and 
where most things in the gardening way are well done.” After return¬ 
ing I must say the description is correct, and I will briefly refer to what 
came under my notice. The residence is very venerable looking, sur¬ 
rounded by many kings of the forest that have seen many summers 
come and go, and is approached by a carefully kept winding avenue and 
■small lawn neatly mown. Many improvements have been made by the 
present owner since the estate came into his possession, from an Italian 
named Bartolucci, now dead some time. This latter gentleman had 
some eccentric ideas of improving a garden, for he was in the habit of 
carting the surface soil away to top-dress the lawn. The most recent 
was the rebuilding of an extensive pentagonal conservatory, not yet 
•completed, to contain chiefly Tree Ferns, warm house Palms, all the 
better foliage plants, such as Dracaenas Caladiums, foliage Begonias, 
Dieffenbachias, Anthuriums, Crotons, Pandanus, Musas, together with an 
assortment of flowering greenhouse and stove plants and climbers. As 
yet there are but a few specimens of the former, chiefly Palms, Cycads, 
and Tree Ferns, too tall for the other houses, accommodated here, as the 
■ornamental and encaustic tiling and fixtures are not yet completed, so 
we pass out to the lawn, flower and sub-tropical garden, passing the 
numerous tennis and other courts, to have a look at the hardy Azalea 
.and Rhododendron beds, where numerous groups of Lilies, especially 
L. auratum, with L. lancifolium in variety ; L. tigrinum, single and 
Rouble; L. croceum, L. Martagon, and all the turn-cap section; 
Hemerocallis, Alstromerias, Hyacinthus candicans, and numerous 
allied plants and flowers have seemingly found a happy home. The 
majority of the L. auratum had fifty and sixty blooms, and exhibited 
a vigour never noticed in pot-grown Lilies. They have been there un¬ 
touched for some years. The soil was chiefly peat, and they received no 
petting, so those who fail to grow or maintain in vigour this magnificent 
Lily had better take the hint. 
In other beds were numerous plants of the hardy Mediterranean 
Heaths, Ceanothus rigidus, Desfontainea spinosa, Berberis stenophylla, 
Benthamia fragifera, Escallonia Ingrami, Weigela amabilis, Hyperi¬ 
cums, Forsythia suspensa, Eurybias, and a large selection of Spiraeas, 
Rubus, Prunus, &c., all seemed healthy and happy. It is only fair, how¬ 
ever, to say they are admirably protected from all injurious winds by 
judicious planting. On our way to the Rose garden we pass a remark¬ 
able basket bed that at once arrests attention, about a dozen feet in 
diameter. There were four shelving concentric circles, one above 
another, the centre on the top being occupied with a flue-foliage 
Aralia ; then came in succession tricolor Pelargoniums, Iresine Lindeni, 
Tuberous Begonias in alternate colours, and lastly variegated Periwinkle 
acting as fringe and drooping gracefully to the ground. If any reader 
wants the constituents of an effective lawn basket bed I commend this 
as very effective. The foliage and succulent plants, Castor Oil, Tobacco 
plants, Cannas (twelve varieties), Gladioli, and Funkias are each passed, 
and generally having separate beds, and we reach the Rose garden. 
Hundreds of Roses of all sections are grown here, and though every 
attention is paid, various stocks tried, and some grown on their own 
roots, still the vast majority seem not happy, nor even as fairly healthy 
as I should have expected. The head gardener, Mr. Crawford, who 
kindly escorted myself and gardening friends, tells us they enjoy ex¬ 
cellent health for two years, and then decay’s effacing fingers become 
only too apparent. Even when grown in the old soil of a Vine border 
equally with maiden loam, which seems fairly good, the result is much 
the same in the vegetable and fruit gardens as on the lawn. With the 
dwarfs the usual stock is the Manetti, but on their own roots the result 
is much the same. At present a large square is being budded on the 
seedling Manetti with the view of securing more vigour. Yet all the 
Teas, Marechal Neil also, are grown against walls, and on the whole 
seemed doing best. The climbers on the dozen arches in the Rose 
garden were very effective a month since. 
Anything in the nature of bedding out is not this season aimed at, 
but the numerous borders on the lawns, and the mixed borders walled 
in, are replete with the usual good plants. There is a small rock and 
alpine garden exclusively reserved for the proprietor, but I was un¬ 
fortunate in not finding him at home to learn many facts of his speial- 
ties, which seemed to contain many things rare and not often found in 
private gardens. 
Approaching the garden proper we pass the Melon pits and have a 
look at the fruits and the system of growth. The two principal varieties 
depended on are Blenheim Orange and Laurie’s Beauty ; the former 
is well known ; the latter Mr. Crawford finds as hardy and useful as 
Munro’s Little Heath, though I have never seen it elsewhere. He has 
another, named Hampstead Park Seedling, under trial, and so far it is 
most encouraging. No artificial heat has been used for two months, 
and the fruits continue to “set” and to grow on luxuriantly. The 
same applies to the Tomato pit, beds and banks of stable manure being 
used to start the plants, and sun heat being solely depended on after¬ 
wards, due precaution being taken to close early so as to imprison as 
much thereof as possible. Within memory, probably, no warmer June 
came for this purpose. The varieties found to do best are Dedham 
Favourite, Perfection, and Hathaway’s Excelsior. I find that vigorous 
early growth and not too much moisture are here the best antidotes 
against Peronosporse. In fact those planted on the back wall of my 
greenhouse are never watered, and my only complaint is that they are 
too vigorous. Adjoining are the Marrows (Muir’s Prolific) and Gourds, 
if anything too vigorous. 
High Pressure Water Supply .—What an economy, as well as con¬ 
venience, nay a blessing, would this be in every garden, not merely for 
the proprietor, but for the garden hands, but still more for the plants. 
There was nothing of the kind here until the advent of Captain de la 
Poer, and now a hose can be turned on any part of a garden of about 
I acres, or the numerous houses therein, and one man can quickly do 
the work of at least five. This is secured by connecting a force pump, 
worked by a pony or donkey, with a passing stream or millrace, and 
filling a 5000 gallon tank on the top of one of the out offices. There 
the water, if not already soft, is fully exposed to the sun, and a few 
leading lines of piping take it all over the garden and houses. A 
hydraulic ram, if feasible, might even be cheaper, but where possible 
no proprietor would think of reverting to the obsolete system of 
dragging (often hard water) in cans or barrels, by the garden employes. 
The Vegetable Department .—I cannot say whether it is good culture, 
good varieties, and judicious and timely planting, or the assistance of 
the already mentioned soft water supply that accounts for the excel¬ 
lence of what came under our notice (probably all four combined), but 
my friends and I have rarely seen finer ; and Mr. Crawford agrees with 
most good gardeners in thinking this department of their responsibility 
should not be the weakest. Just a few references. Carrots.—Rust and 
grub spoil what escapes the wireworm only too frequently. Here an 
effectual antidote is found to be a dressing at the time of planting the 
seed of burnt refuse mixed with fresh soot. The varieties, after various 
trials, remain Summer Favourite, James’ Intermediate, and Carters’ 
Perfection. Beans.—B. S. Williams’s Earliest has here superseded the 
old prolific Mazagan. Peas.—Among dwarfs Stratagem is still unrivalled 
for size of pod and quality. The others preferred of a dozen varieties 
grown are Veitch’s Perfection, Telephone, and Laxton’s Supreme. 
Potatoes.—When Mr. Crawford came here, more than a dozen years 
since, his first effort was to secure a Potato (variety of Myatt’s Ashleaf) 
he became acquainted with in the Duke of Sutherland’s gardens at 
Dunrobin as likely to specially suit this soil. Yielding to few in my 
knowledge of Potatoes, and having tested both the quantity and quality 
of this strain, I must say after thirty years’ experience I know of no 
recent introduction to excel it. Every other vegetable seems well 
cared for and made the most of. 
The Fruit Garden .—Like most other gardens this year the falling 
away is considerable from years past. Though a few of the Codlins and 
Pippins—notably King of the Pippins among the Apples, and the 
Duchess and Beurre Diel among Pears—bear a limited crop, on the 
