February 2?, 78=9 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
175 
bottom of the lawn, in connection with the surrounding objects of 
sylvan beauty, presents a very commanding and picturesque exterior. 
The kitchen garden is situated in a hollow about a quarter of a mile 
north of the Court. It covers an area of about four acres within the 
walls, and in addition to this there is a piece of ground close by—the 
other side of the private road, but shut out from view of that 
approach which Mr. Peebles converted from an accumulation of ungenial 
soils into a veritable seed bed ; the whole being well and judiciously 
croppe 1 with the best kinds and varieties of vegetables then in and 
coming into season, conspicuous among which we noticed large breadths 
of excellent Early London, Walcheren, and Yeitch’s Autumn Giant 
Cauliflowers; Onions, autumn as well as spring sown ; Snowball 
Turnips, the roots, like the Onions, being shapely and perfectly free 
from blemish of any kind ; and a couple of dozen ranks of Telegraph. 
Stratagem, and other approved varieties of Peas in various stages of 
growth for maintaining a good and regular supply of Green Peas until 
cut down by autumn frosts. People not unfrequently sow five times as 
many Peas in a row as is necessary to produce, with good cultivation, 
the best possible results in the way of prodigious crops of well filled 
pels, thereby not only wasting the quantity of seed indicated, but 
thwarting the very object which they had in view—namely, securing of 
a good crop—by reason of the haulms not having room to develop 
tion, the results cannot well be otherwise than satisfactory, even during 
such an exceptionally unfavourable season as the past has been. 
The Glass Houses. —These are numerous and of the best descrip¬ 
tion, the principal range of fruit and plant houses being situated on a 
slope at the north side of the kitchen garden, and at the south side of a 
high and substantially built wall running east and west and forming the 
boundary of the kitchen garden in that direction. Behind this range 
are capital fruit rooms, packing sheds, potting sheds, a large stokehole, 
containing five boilers ; young men’s apartments, comfortably fitted up ; 
offices, and Mushroom houses. The two main pipes pass through all the 
sheds and branch into various houses. A good width of gravel inter¬ 
venes between the shedding and another range of glass houses. Behind 
and high above this latter range there is still another range of excellent 
hous( s, the floors of which are on a level with and only a few feet from 
the coping of the preceding range. They consist of five vineries, two 
being 43 feet long, and 16 feet wide each, one 38 feet long, and the same 
width as the preceding two ; early Muscat house is 32 long, and 9 feet 
wide ; and one (a mixed late hou^e) 27 feet long, and 9 feet wide, all 
being inside measurements ; two Peach houses, 36£ feet long and 
16£ feet wide each ; one Fig house, 32J feet long and 9 feet wide ; t vo 
Melon houses, one span-roofed and one lean-to, 38 feet long and 16 feet 
wide ; two Cucumber houses, one span and one lean-to, 38 feet long a id 
Fig. 27.-CVPRIPED1UM LATHAMI. 
themselves. Moreover, the growth being stifled becomes a prey to the 
attacks of mildew. But Mr. Peebles does not do this. 
Herbaceous plants are grown largely and well in borders on each side 
the principal walks in the kitchen garden, and there being always a 
great demand for cut flowers at Ivnightshayes Court, but more especially 
during the London season, the herbaceous plants furnishing materials 
wherewith to meet this demand. Spikes of Pseonies, of which there is 
a fine collection ; Delphiniums, Doronicum (Leopard’s Bane) austria- 
cum, Digitalis (Foxglove), Chrysanthemums, Pyrethrums, Potentillas, 
and Pentstemons being cut their entire length and packed, together 
with a variety of hardy ornamental and other grasses and shoots of 
sweet-scented Pelargoniums, in baskets 6 feet long, 16 inches deep, and 
24 inches wide for conveyance to London and elsewhere. Hoses are also 
grown somewhat extensively and successfully, on their own roots and 
otherwise, for cutting for house decoration. The white single flowered 
Rose of Japan (Rosa rugosa alba) is grown largely for the same 
purpose, it being found very useful in the bud for dressing vases. 
Hardy fruit is grown largely and well both inside and outside the 
walled-iu kitchen garden, the walls being well furnished with healthy 
and well trained trees of the Peach, Nectarine, Cherry, Plum, Pear, &c. 
The soil, as already stated, is a good yellow loam, being suitable alike 
,to the requirements and production of first class trees, fruit, and vege¬ 
tables, as well as Roses, especially when taken in connection with a 
somewhat sheltered situation and favourable climate and go^d cultira- 
14 feet wide, having 4-feet-wide borders about 24 inches deep, with two 
4-inch pipes underneath each bed for bottom heat, these being covered 
by strong wire netting, followed by thin turves grass side down. The 
compost consists of four parts sound calcareous loam and one of horse 
droppings. One Tomato house, the same size as the Melon and Cucum¬ 
ber houses, for yielding supplies of this wholesome vegetable during the 
winter and spring months ; one greenhouse, 50 feet long and 10J feet 
wide, for Callas and bulbs ; one large intermediate span-roofed house, 
one large span-roofed stove, and another of similar dimensions for 
Azaleas, the top ventilation in this being admitted through a lantern 
roof. There are four pits 78 feet long and 9 feet wide each, and one 
74 feet long and 6 feet wide, all, like all the houses, being most liberally 
heated with hot-water pipes. A propagating pit, 11 feet long ami 
104 feet wide, and supplied with sixteen 4-inch pipes, must not be left 
out of the list. 
All the houses and pits thus enumerated have been erected within 
the last eight or nine years upon modern and sound practical principles. 
And when Mr. Peebles took charge of these gardens five years ago be 
decided upon lifting the Vines, which were not in a satisfactory state, 
removing the soil and drainage, and relaying or rectifying the latter, 
covering it with turves, grassy side down, making thereon new narrow 
borders to start with of good sound calcareous loam as the staple in¬ 
gredient, with the usual complement of half-inch bones and lime-rubble 
added, and the replanting therein of the Vines were operations duly 
