44 
THE FLORIST. 
sive general effect. Leaving the terrace, we passed through extensive 
pleasure grounds, which were originally designed by Browne, but 
were ultimately revised by Repton. We observed some very fine Oak 
and Beech trees here, but we were sorry to find an almost total absence 
of those charming and, according to the present day’s taste, indispens¬ 
able gems to our pleasure-ground scenery—Conifers. The only plant 
we saw worthy of note was a beautiful plant of Cryptomeria japonica. 
The kitchen gardens are situated at a very considerable distance from 
the mansion, being on the opposite side of the water. These gardens 
are surrounded by excellent walls, upon which we observed some very 
fine trees; two mulberry trees were very conspicuous objects upon 
those walls, from their immense size and neat appearance, this place 
being too far north to ripen the Mulberry in perfection in the open air. A 
wall is also built across the centre of this garden from east to west, 
dividing the garden into two, as it were. Upon the south side of this wall 
all the Peach and Nectarine trees died off branch by branch, evidently 
from their being planted too deep; this wall was replanted with fine 
young trees a year or two since; these are doing well. Here are some 
very good plant houses and Pine-pits ; the Pines were looking well; 
into these Pine-pits Black Hamburgh Vines are introduced and trained 
along the back over the pathways; by this plan space is economised, 
and the Vines do remarkably well, without interfering with or shading 
the Pines. The plant-houses were gay with Allamandas, Cleroden- 
drons. Gloxinias, Begonias, &c. At the back of these are some good 
Vineries, with good crops of excellent fruit. Here is also a cele¬ 
brated Muscat house; this is seventy-five feet long and thirty-two feet 
wide. This house contains but one Vine, which was planted in the 
year 1783 outside the house, and is brought into the centre ; a branch 
is trained each way beneath the front plate of the house, from which a 
single rod is taken up each rafter, and at the time of our visit had a 
magnificent crop of very superb fruit upon it; but we were informed 
that the fruit upon this Vine had been suffering from a very peculiar 
disease for these last few years; there were two or three diseased 
berries pointed out to us, and we must say that this disease is totally 
distinct from anything we ever before met with. It first makes its 
appearance by a small brown circular spot upon the berry, and rapidly 
enlarges; the surface becomes rough and warty in appearance; the 
flesh gets quite hard and core-like, and ultimately rots ; this disease 
ultimately spreads from berry to berry and from bunch to bunch, but 
it seems not to make its appearance till after the fruit arrives at 
maturity. Mr. Laurell (the worthy head gardener) considers this 
pest to be a fungus of some species, and which he has almost eradi¬ 
cated by a liberal use of sulphur. He has both painted the rods with 
it after pruning and dusted with it in the growing state. These houses 
were made gay with flowering plants and Ferns, amongst which we 
observed some very neat specimens. We also noticed a Nepenthes 
distillatoria growing freely in one of the Vineries, and which was very 
attractive, from the number of pitchers upon it. Inside, at the front 
of one of the early Vineries, were some Figs in pots ; these were allowed 
to root through the bottom of the pots, and they annually receive a rich 
