THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION— May 13, 1856. 
110 
parties. At the end of that period Sir Robert purchased it, 
and in a few months after was created Baron Gifford, and 
made ‘ Master of the Rolls.’ The family were at once 
satisfied with me, and I was hired, without hesitation, to 
continue on; and 1 remained until the lamentably sudden 
decease of Lord Gifford, and, indeed, for a year or more 
afterwards; when, desiring a change, I applied to the late 
Mr. Josh. Knight, of the Exotic Nursery, who, in a week or 
so, sent me down to Oulton Park, where I have now been 
nearly twenty nine years. Thus ends, or nearly so, my little 
history for the present. 
“ I was always particularly fond of reading, and being 
partial to works of imagination, 1 generally managed to fancy 
myself the hero of the plot before 1 had finished the work. 
“ I certainly was blessed with as good a memory as most 
young men; and an impression once made was not easily 
effaced. I was so fond of scrutinising botanical catalogues, 
that I had learned the names and definitions of hundreds of 
plants before I had seen them; and thus, subsequently, 
I fell readily in with their history and character the mo 
j meut I saw them. Speaking of warm fancies, I was 
always passionately fond of flowers, and must continue so; 
and when about ten years old, my father gave me possession 
of one long,front shelf in the greenhouse to put my seedling 
Geraniums on ; and 1 can never forget with what a feeling of 
something like veneration I always approached this shelf. 
I had a batch of seedlings raised simply from the old Onciil- 
latuni, a Cape species, I believe, and others of that caste 
now forgotten; and nothing could persuade me but that I 
could tell the exact colour and character of every one before 
it bloomed. When they came to blossom, however, how de¬ 
ceived was I; and this was the first, perhaps, of a series 
of checks which have continued through life, eminently quali¬ 
fied to cool something, perhaps, very nearly allied to self¬ 
esteem. 
“ Of one thiug I am proud,—that I have had the pleasure 
of acting with some good men and true, in my day, as to 
gardening affairs—some of whom may he found in this 
“ Gallery ”—in disseminating many sound facts connected 
with practical gardening, and also of dispelling many an 
error; and we have not * fallen out by the way.’ 
“ I had the honour of serving, when I first came to Oulton, 
the father of the present Baronet; and now I may state 
that I have had the gratification of rearing, so far, by 
God’s blessing, eleven children ; and three of them, young 
men, are and have been under a course of training as 
gardeners in some of the best situations for that purpose in 
the country. I trust they will justify my hopes concerning 
them. Of my present worthy employer, Sir 1’. de M. Grey 
Egerton, Bart., M.P., I need say little; he is too well 
known, both in the scientific world and otherwise, to require 
any comment from me. 
“ In conclusion, I may add, that I have had one singular 
gratification in sitting for my portrait; it was taken in Ad¬ 
dison's chair. I can only wish inspiration from the chair 
had enabled me to give these few remarks to the world as 
Addison would have given them.” 
THE SUBURBAN VILLA AND COUNTRY 
RESIDENCE. 
NO. V. 
THE PARK—THE PADDOCK. 
(Continued from page 86.) 
There is another very popular style of planting, which is 
open to grave objection, viz., that of dotting about single 
trees in every available space, without any reference to each 
other, or to the existing groups, as regards pleasing combi¬ 
nations ; the sole object being to place a tr ee wherever room 
can be found for one. While the trees are young and small 
the ill effects of such an arrangement, or, rather, non- 
arrangement, are not perceptible to any extent; but when 
they begin to fill up the confined spaces in which they are 
planted, and by reaching above the eye, obstruct many 
pleasing views, regret, in a great measure, detracts from the 
pleasure which would otherwise be felt in possessing what 
are, perhaps, not only handsome, but valuable and unique 
specimens. In planting trees solely for ornament, many 
circumstances require consideration; and upon giving them 
due attention much of the gratification to be subsequently 
derived will depend. 
The beauty of individual specimens, as well as groups of 
trees, is often marred, to a great extent, by the means em¬ 
ployed to protect them from cattle. None of these are more 
objectionable than the abomination termed a crate. Where 
such heavy-looking and unsighly objects are thickly placed, 
as they often are, the effect is disagreeable in the extreme, 
and as they have to be endured for years, any substitute that 
will afford equal protection without their objectionable ap¬ 
pearance should be readily adopted. 
The accompanying sketch (Fig. 8) illustrates a contrivance 
which combines both support and protection from cattle, 
and is, besides, neat in appearance. This fence, by being 
entirely below the eye, is very little seen, and the supports of 
the tree being of wire are scarcely to be distinguished, 
except upon close examination. If the whole were of iron 
it would, of course, be still less qbjectionable on the score 
of appearance. The uprights of the fence, as given in the 
sketch, are supposed to be stout piles, six in number, driven 
into the ground at an angle of about 45°, at a sufficient 
distance from the tree, to prevent cattle from reaching the 
stem or branches. The uprights should be about three 
feet six inches out of the ground. They are connected by 
rails placed horizontally, and sufficiently close to prevent 
sheep from getting between them. From the tops of three 
or four of these uprights, stout wires are fixed, the upper 
ends meeting at the tree, where they are attached to a collar, 
which should be somewhat larger than the stem it is to 
surround ; the intervening space is then to be filled with hay 
or moss, and properly secured to prevent damage to the 
bark. These wire supports are, of course, only required 
when the tree is newly planted : by employing them, stakes, 
which are rarely effective, and always objectionable in appear¬ 
ance, are entirely dispensed with. 
A park, if of any extent, as well as the grounds beyond its 
pale, generally offers interesting bits of home scenery and 
distant views, it becomes, therefore, advisable to form 
“ drives” by which they may be available, and to afford the 
occupier and his friends the means of enjoying rural and 
retired rides ; for there is always a gratification in being 
able to make a pleasant excursion within the boundaries of 
one's own property. Now, the drives usually met with are 
by no means what they ought to be. They are not cheerful 
enough. The pleasing features of the route are not seized 
upon, or, perhaps, an uninteresting one has been chosen. 
There is a dullness, a monotony, about most of them, which 
soon tires from their lack of interest. In a word, the pre¬ 
vailing object would seem to be to make a long drive, and to 
leave its interest entirely to chance, or, at least, to make 
that of secondary importance. Yet a drive round an exten- 
