September 27.1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
301 
remaining part of the house alterations and ri-arrangements were in 
progress ; it was, in fact, en deshatille, and we will say no more about 
it at present. 
Another beautiful, indeed almost unique, adjunct of the mansion 
was not in an undressed state. This enclosure was once a huge aviary, 
with lofty, massive walls. Being the reverse of ornamental a happy 
idea occurred to Mr. Bardney to transform it into a tropical house. A 
roof in two spans was placed on by Messrs. Foster & Pearson, ample 
means of heating provided, and the work of furnishing commenced. 
A dell was formed in the centre and a path all round next the walls. 
These are being rapidly covered with Ficus repens, relieved by choice, 
compact, ornamental creeping plants in niches of rockwork. The 
irregular sloping sides of the dell are in rockery fashion. In the 
luxuriant undergrowth Selaginellas, foliage Begonias, Caladiums, 
Peperomias and other appropriate plants on knolls; also here and 
there Crotons, Draemnas and Aralias rising boldly above them, with a 
canopy of Palms over all; also, in addition, hanging baskets of Ferns, 
we have a combination to be remembered, such as we should have to 
travel far in search of the like, and then, perhaps, not find it. It 
is a grandly picturesque “ group for effect, ’ 
worthy of Osmaston, and more need not be 
said. 
Just a word on Daffodils. Someone 
challenged the accuracy of one of Mr. 
Bardney’s statements in the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture respecting the number of blooms 
he could cut from boxes of the dimensions 
he gave. He is not the man to forget a 
challenge of that kind. Some thousands of 
fine home-grown bulbs of the grand old Tele- 
monius plenus were being boxed, and we shall 
presumably hear something about the result, 
not of a humiliating nature to the grower. 
For this we must wait. 
Any reference to Oimaston, however dis¬ 
cursive, would be necessarily incomplete with¬ 
out a look outside the garden, and a mention 
of a feature in the boldly undulating park. 
There in a great enclosure is the herd of elk 
sent by Sir Peter Walker from the Kocky 
Mountains. They cost, it is said, £75 each, 
and look worth it. They have improved 
greatly under good attendance in the rich 
pasture, and are noble, finely horned animals, 
many of them the size of Jersey cattle, but 
a good deal more active. They add a tone of 
novelty to the beautiful park, and lend a 
charm even to princely Osmaston. 
Mr. Bardney has plenty of scope here for 
his energy and work, for his active and 
practical mind. He is a man who would not 
rust out under any circumstances, and it is 
hoped he will be long in wearing out, for he 
would be missed in the world of gardening, in 
which he occupies such a (creditable position, 
won, be it said to his honour, by persevering 
industry, or in other words close study and 
hard work. 
The next fatigue journey was to Shrewsbury 
and Bristol, where a discovery was made in 
horticultural structures, said to be as cheap as they are novel—“ Wire 
Tension” houses.—A Jaded Londoner. 
THE BITE OF A SPIDER. 
The effect produced by bites and stings of our English insects 
depends greatly on the condition of health and the peculiar tempera¬ 
ment of the recipient. As a boy at school I had many pet spiders, 
which I handled frequently. Most, if gently handled, would not bite. 
Your correspondent “ E.” in last week’s issue, page 270, speaking of 
the effect of a bite on a lady, says, “ No doubt in self-defence the spider 
used its sting.” Have they any sting to use ? Spiders are not insects, as 
they have eight instead of six legs ; they are allied to Scorpions. The 
bite of our spiders may certainly produce very uncomfortable effects, as 
when they bite the jaws fill with a fluid that does possess in very 
faint degree the poisonous properties of the venomous snakes. The Rev. 
J. G. Wood mentions the case of a lady bitten by an angry spider on the 
back of her hand, the arm swelled so as to be hardly recognisable as the 
limb of a human being. 
I was a witness of the following incident. At the same school 
where, by-the-by, the love of natural history was inculcated and 
encouraged, we kept a large number of the pretty little sand lizard ; 
these we fed with flies, small spiders, and other insects. On one occasion 
we had captured a remarkably fine specimen of the common house spider. 
From the tip of the front legs to the tip of the hind legs it must have 
measured quite 5 inches, with proportionately large body. This was 
placed in the box, where lived some ten or fifteen lizards ; as the box 
was covered with netting the spider could not escape but only run about 
in the box. The lizards for some time took no notice of it, or if it 
touched them got out of its way. We began to think that they would 
decline the contest, but after a while, when the spider’s rambles had 
sobered down, we saw one of the lizards arching its neck and raising its 
head preparatory to the striking. The blow fell, the spider was seized 
firmly by the abdomen. Immediately lizard and spider were rolling 
over and over in a fearful struggle, but the lizard held on with the 
tenacity of a bulldog. After a minute or two, the spider in one of its 
contortions managed to get its jaws under the armpit (if I may so style 
it) of the lizard, and presently in its turn laid firm hold of this more 
tender skinned portion of the lizard. It was now the turn of the lizard 
to writhe and twist itself, and it loosed its grip of the spider, and in a 
few seconds they were separated. The lizard retired from the fray, the 
others, emboldened attacked the damaged spider and at length devoured 
it, but the following morning the lizard was defunct. It had only 
received that one bite, whilst the struggle had not apparently injured it. 
—Y. B. A Z. 
A STEAM LAWN MOWER. 
In the Journal of Horticulture for August 16th (page 161) reference 
is made to a steam lawn mower which one of our representatives saw 
working at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, during the summer. 
As there remarked the machine was invented by Mr. J. Sumner, Ley- 
land, and the Stott Distributor Company, Manchester, has taken the 
agency for it. The illustration (fig. 46), for which we are indebted to 
the latter firm, pourtrays the general character of this lawn mower, and 
the details as to its mechanism and management are published in the 
issue above mentioned. 
A CALL AT CHEALS’. 
If one is desirous of appreciating to the full the interest and 
instruction to be derived from a visit to any one of the great nurseries 
of the kingdom it behoves them to, if possible, choose a fine day. These 
latter have, however, been somewhat scarce during the past week or 
two, at any rate in the neighbourhood of London, though we hear much 
better accounts from the provinces. Fate, however, decreed that the 
writer should be accompanied by glorious sunshine ; to such an extent, 
in fact, that at two o’clock in the afternoon the thermometer stood 
at This, it will be readily admitted, is sufficiently warm for poking 
about amongst fruit trees, admiring an Apple here and a Pear there. 
Yet such is the interest created that the heat is unnoticed until the 
searcher after knowledge (and perhaps an Apple wherewith to refresh 
himself) finds the perspiration running down his face in such manner as 
one only expects during the sweltering months of July and August. 
Such was the case at the Lowfleld Nurseries, where Messrs. J. Cheal and 
Sons have made their home and their name. Not that they confine 
themselves to fruit growing, for there are to be seen Begonias, Chrysan¬ 
themums, and Roses in pots, all in grand condition in the houses; while 
out of doors Dahlias make a glorious display, as also do many other 
hardy perennials and annuals. Another interesting feature of this 
enterprising firm is the landscape department, which, it may be men- 
FIG. 46.— A STEAM LAWN MOWER. 
