JOURNAL OF- HORTICULTURE AND vOTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ Jane 23, l88ir 
510 
the trees are subjected to the same malady as they are nearly every¬ 
where, repeatedly losing fine limbs. A feature on some of the 
walls are the cordon Currants, of which the Cherry Red Currant is 
a favourite and holds a leading position for dessert, producing its 
large brightly coloured berries in long handsome bunches ; a large 
quarter is also occupied with bush trees, White Dutch, Red Dutch, 
and Warner’s Grape Currants bearing heavy crops of fruit. A 
total of about a ton of Currants is produced annually for preserving. 
Raspberries are an important crop, and there are some large rows 
in the kitchen garden of Fastolf, Northumberland Fillbasket, and 
Carter’s Prolific 1 , with the White Raspberry. Black Currants and 
Gooseberries are not cultivated on a large scale, as it has been found 
.the space could be more profitably occupied with other crops. 
VEGETABLES. 
The kitchen garden is divided into several large quarters by the 
walls, and it is very closely cropped throughout with excellent 
vegetables. The soil is a heavy loam of good heart, not readily 
exhausted, but difficult to work, and as the quarters are in most 
eases 100 yards or more in length, much time is saved by ploughing 
the land ; in fact, it is land that cannot be satisfactorily worked in 
any other way. All the more important vegetables are grown on 
the same extensive scale as the fruits ; for instance, 10,000 Seakale 
roots are forced every season; the demand for Asparagus is very large, 
dour beds each 100 yards long being similarly employed for forcing 
annually, and to maintain this quantity a corresponding number of 
beds are made up each season. The system adopted for obtaining 
intermediate supplies is one that has been strongly recommended, 
.and is found satisfactory at Frogmore. A series of parallel beds close 
"together with bricked sides, but with numerous open spaces to admit 
the heat from the hot-water pipes which run between the beds, are 
filled with Asparagus ; upon a framework above shutters are placed 
to exclude light and retain the heat, which can be regulated accord¬ 
ing to the weather and the progress of the crop. With some of 
the beds for the main outdoor supply of Asparagus it was found 
that the roots at the edges of the beds suffered by the soil becoming 
excessively dry in hot weather, and the evil has been completely 
remedied by a thick mulching of straw applied in the alleys and to 
the sides of the beds. The earliest Peas are grown in frames, Little 
Gem being valued for its dwarf sturdy habit, abundant crops, and 
good quality ; from this large supplies have been already drawn, 
while now the first of the outdoor crops, Daniel O’Rourke and 
Dickson’s First and Best are affording abundance of fine well-filled 
pods. There are numerous rows of Sangster’s No. l,and for suc¬ 
cession Early Emperor, Dickson’s Favourite, Veitch’s Perfection, 
and Champion of England are the favourites, but several other 
varieties are also grown. Potatoes, Lettuces (and all salading), 
Cabbages, Onions, and Spinach may be taken as examples of vege¬ 
tables required in great quantities. Of spring Cabbages, for in¬ 
stance, ten to twelve dozen are now being cut daily. Cauliflowers, 
neat white heads about the size of a teacup, chiefly of Early London, 
being in great demand, and the huge specimens occasionally seen 
are not tolerated here. Numerous frames are devoted to the early 
Potatoes, Veitch’s and Myatt’s Ashleaf, but there are also extensive 
outdoor quarters. Onions are not satisfactory in some gardens this 
season, but Mr. Jones has a grand piece of Tripoli in the best pos¬ 
sible condition. The clean vigorous condition of the crops and the 
■close succession maintained afford an example of the best system of 
market gardening applied to a private garden such as is rarely 
seen. 
PLANTS. 
Plants for decorative purposes are grown by thousands. Bulbs 
and other plants forced for their flowers have much space devoted 
to them early in the year, Lilies of the Valley and Roman Hyacinths 
being in especial demand. Palms, Crotons, Ferns, and miscellaneous 
graceful plants of a similar character for table decoration are re¬ 
quired in thousands, necessitating a succession of young plants to 
take the place of those becoming too large for the purpose or which 
are damaged during the time they are in use. For the accommoda¬ 
tion of these plants there are several convenient pits, and the stock 
of healthy little specimens is an unusually large one this season. 
Gardenias are always valued for their flowers, and at Frogmore the 
principal supply is obtained from young plants placed out in borders 
at the back of a stove. The house is in two divisions. The borders 
are narrow and raised some 4 feet above the path with a hot chamber 
beneath. They are filled with good turfy loam and a single row of 
plants placed in them. Fresh plants are raised every year, as after 
two seasons forcing and hard cutting, or three if the plants are ex¬ 
ceptionally strong, they are discarded and young planted, and as the 
two divisions are treated alternately in this way an unfailing suc¬ 
cession of freely flowering plants is insured. In the same house 
Stephanotis is trained along the roof on wires, but the stems are 
not allowed to twist round these, as when required for wreaths it is 
much more convenient to be able to cut a shoot a yard or two in 
length than cutting the flowers in trusses separately. Caladiums 
are numerous, the variety Marga having neat medium-sized leaves 
greenish yellow "with dark blotches between the veins, and the 
silvery white variegated argyrites being chief favourites, but many 
others are also included. Coleuses are well grown, and one of the 
most effective varieties is Princess Royal, of good habit and excellent 
colour, the leaves rich crimson margined with gold. Tall plants of 
Begonia metallica 4 or 5 feet high are useful for decorative purposes, 
the distinct bronzy foliage having an uncommon appearance. Pelar¬ 
goniums, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Gloxinias, Kalosanthes, Poin- 
settias, Carnations (Souvenir de la Malmaison is very handsome), 
Tuberoses, Fuchsias, and Cytisus are all grown in large numbers. 
Roses have a house devoted to them, chiefly Tea varieties, and such 
varieties as Homere, Safrano, Celine Forestier, and a blush-tinted 
delicate and pretty Tea Rose named Pauline Labonte are grown in 
some other houses trained to the roof, and produce their flowers in 
abundance early in the season. 
The Orchids include a number of very handsome specimen 
Cypripedium insigne, Coelogyne cristata, and Calanthes Veitchi and 
vestita. Of Calanthe veratrifolia there is an unusually fine specimen, 
bearing about thirty spikes of pure white flowers. Cypripedium 
caudatum, C. barbatum, with some Oncidiums, are the chief plants 
in the collection, and these are grown with other stove plants. 
The principal ornamental house is a conseryatoy 200 feet long 
with a lofty 7 span-roof, supported on iron pillars, with central beds 
and side stages. The beds are filled with Camellias, strong handsome 
bushes in splendid condition, and which afford a harvest of valuable 
blooms of many varieties. There are also numerous fine specimen 
and half-specimen Palms, the roof being covered with Tacsonias 
exoniensis and Yan Volxemiwith other climbers, and the side stages 
at the present time are filled w r ith Pelargoniums, Marguerites, Rho- 
danthes, Petunias, and exceedingly fine Hydrangeas, bearing large 
globular heads of flowers, varying from pink to bright blue. At 
the end of the house is a pretty rock fernery and tall plants of the 
red and white Daturas sanguinea and suaveolens. 
Several columnar specimens of Cytisus canariensis 6 or 7 feet 
high have been very handsome, but are now past their best and are 
placed outside. A very gay effect is produced in this house in the 
early spring, "when the miscellaneous bulbs are in flower, but at all 
times when the Court is at Windsor the resources of the plant de¬ 
partment are concentrated in this house, which requires much 
attention and a liberal supply to maintain it in good condition. 
Facing the entrance gates of the garden, the pillars of which, 
with the adjoining walls, are richly covered with the large-leaved 
form of Ampelopsis Veitchi that in the autumn produces a grand 
effect, is an avenue of old Cherry and Apple trees, and it is pro¬ 
posed to plant this with Evergreen Oaks, in memory of the Jubilee 
year. It is expected that Her Majesty, with the members of the 
Royal Family, will assist in this interesting ceremony. 
WINDSOR, BUCKINGHAM PALACE, OSBORNE AND 
BALMORAL. 
To the other Royal gardens w T e can only refer briefly, and 
though they are all beautiful, they afford less of general interest 
to horticulturists than Frogmore, as they are employed as pleasure 
gardens. The Terrace Gardens at Windsor Castle (fig. 83, page 503), 
which are also under the superintendence of Mr. T. Jones, are taste¬ 
fully laid out, well planted, and excellently kept, the appearance 
having been greatly improved in recent years by the handsome 
Golden Yews and Arbor-Vitses, with Retinosporas and other orna¬ 
mental Conifers, which are now forming elegant specimens. Mis¬ 
cellaneous plants of the ordinary character are employed in the 
beds and vases, but at one side, on a slope, are some beds of Heaths, 
Ericas vagans and carnea, in opposite pairs, which are very beautiful 
when in flower. The terrace walls are clothed with Roses (the 
yellow Banksian is now flowering freely), Clematises, &c., the pure 
white Clematis montana forming a graceful wreath of flowers over 
one porch. A delightful and most extensive prospect is obtained- 
from the terrace across a charmingly diversified country, while upon 
the Castle slopes a dense growth of trees and shrubs has a fine 
effect, the fragrance of the numerous Philadelphus coming up in 
most agreeable gusts when they are stirred by a slight breeze. The 
Mountain Ash is also abundant on these slopes, and when their 
brightly coloured fruits are ripe they are worth a long journey to 
see. Numbers of other deciduous and evergreen trees clothe the 
slopes, amongst which is a fine specimen of Paulownia imperialis, 
now flowering, but like many other trees it has suffered during the 
severe weather and heavy snowstorms of the past winter. 
Buckingham Palace Gardens comprise about fifty acres, nearly 
half of which is occupied with lawns. The geiieral design is pictur¬ 
esque, and unusually beautiful for a town garden, such as this 
really is, for the Prince Consort devoted much time to their im- 
