8 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 3. 
aud is situated on a gentle eminence, with pleasant 
I views of the surrounding country. Though so elevated, 
I was agreeably surprised to find several sheets of water 
on the estate. The climate of that part of Lancashire 
is rather severe, hence, the gardener has to contend with 
cold winds, and long, severe winters. I found the 
Deodar and the Araucaria had suffered from the pre- 
ceeding severe winter. 
The garden is tolerably sheltered by some trees on the 
north side; it is not very extensive, but is rendered very 
interesting by the great number of glass-houses for the 
various purposes of preserving plants, growing Pine¬ 
apples, Grapes, Peaches, and Nectarines, besides forcing 
Strawberries, Cucumbers, Melons, and vegetables. On 
the south wall there is a range of glass which covers the 
entire length. It is what I have described in a former 
number,—a glass-covered wall; that is, the space covered 
is narrow, and the front elevation of glass quite upright. 
The roof is glazed with the thick, fluted, rolled glass, 
which answers well. This long range is divided into 
five parts:—1st, for Peaches ; 2nd, Vines ; 3rd, a Green¬ 
house, which projects considerably into the garden ; 4th, 
Vines; 5th, Peaches. A range of liot-water pipes from 
one boiler heats the whole admirably. The Vines are 
planted inside both on the wall aud the glass front, 
trained to the upright pillars, so that when in foliage and 
fruit they will look like an avenue of Vines. 
The Peaches and Nectarines are planted similarly, 
though it is intended to train the front trees upright and 
narrow, so that they will not shade entirely those on the 
wall. 
The Greenhouse is an ornamental one, furnished with 
a stage and walk round it. From this brief description 
our readers will perceive that this is, of its kind, a very 
handsome structure. At each end of this range of glass 
a lofty wall runs at right angles, about 150 feet, and 
there the glass-wall is situated, and fills up the space 
from wall to wall, inclosing, as it were, a broad paral- 
ellogram of ground ; this space is, with very good taste, 
laid out as a flower-garden, with beds edged with box, 
and white gravel beds between. A broad walk runs 
through the centre, aud is crossed with another at right 
angles, leading from the greenhouse alluded to above, to 
the centre of tho glass-wall, through which there is a 
door leading the visitor to the other hothouses. 
The glass-wall, consequently, serves as a division inside 
the garden, which is its proper situation. This is a 
more ornamental erection than any of its kind I have 
seen. The trees inside were young, but certainly healthy, 
and growing vigorously. The gardener, Mr. Johnson 
(an old and confidential servant, and, from what I saw, 
a good gardener, and certainly an intelligent man), 
agrees with me, that in order to render a glass-wall 
useful to a certainty it ought to bo wider, and in divisions, 
and heated with hot-water, with a walk in the centre, and 
the trees on trellises on each side of tire walk. Whoever 
chooses, in future, to put up an elegant division of his 
garden should have it glass, with these improvements on 
the original. It is no discredit to Mr. Ewing that such 
slight defects should attend his first conception. There 
never was an invention yet put into practice but it 
is capable of improvement. I should be glad to see one 
erected on the plan I have suggested. Many gardeners 
that I have conversed with on the subject, say—Why 
not put up a sloping Peach-house at once, as a division? 
The only objection is, because the space would be too 
extensive, and tho idea of a wall entirely done away with. 
The expense, too, is objected to ; but this is, I think, a 
mistaken idea. A good brick-wali will cost quite as 
much as one side of a glass-wall. I am quite ready to 
admit, that as a fence on the outside of a garden, a glass- 
wall is of no use. Its placo is as a division in an 
extensive garden. Most of the large gardens attached to 
the seats of the nobility and gentry in this country havo 
division-walls; and for this purpose, why not use glass, 
inside which may he grown a double row of the most 
delicious fruits, between which a most pleasant pro¬ 
menade in all weathers may be enjoyed. 
In front of this glass-wall is placed a range of houses 
devoted to forcing; there are seven of them, and they 
are all heated with hot-water from one boiler. They 
are all span-roofed, and glazed with very broad, large 
squares of glass. I noticed some good Pines and Grapes, 
but the point Mr. Johnson excels in is the forcing of 
Cucumbers aud Melons. I saw Cucumbers hanging 
from the roof in great profusion, on plants that had 
been bearing since the Christmas preceding my visit 
in July; they having been productive for more than 
half-a-year. Melons were equally productive, only not 
so early in the year. The arrangement of these 
excellent houses is, that the beds for the roots of the 
plants are next to the walls, and four feet wide, with a 
walk in the centre seven feet wide. The hot-water 
pipes are on each side of this walk, and are of cast-iron, 
with tanks to hold water cast upon them; these, when 
filled and the pipes hot, give out a fine, moist vapour, 
just the sort of heat wanted for such fruits. The house 
is fifteen feet wide and thirty feet long; yielding an 
extraordinary quantity of fruit. All these fruit-pro¬ 
ducing houses are low, the plants, consequently, are 
short, stout, and the fruit of the finest colour. 
There are two Greenhouses and a small Stove-house in 
the same ground, filled with the usual plants; these, 
also, are span-roofed, and glazed with large-sized glass; 
rendering the flowers of the highest and brightest 
colours, proving that the more light is given the higher 
the colours of the ilowers will be. The greatest economy 
is used with regard to the heat. Pits to produce early 
Strawberries are heated with the flue, and a space 
covered with boards is used to force Asparagus, Sea-kale, 
and Rhubarb, even when it crosses the wall and border, 
to be carried up the adjoining wall. The border had a 
long frame upon it, which is used to produce early 
Radishes in spring, and to strike cuttings in during the 
summer and autumn. 
lu the Kitchen-garden, I noticed that the Asparagus is 
cultivated in single rows, in opposition to the common 
method of growing it in beds. This is an excellent way, 
and worthy of being adopted in every garden. The 
Asparagus produced, I was assured, was very large and 
of the finest flavour. 
On the lawn in the front of the house, leading to the | 
garden, I observed a number of flower-beds; these are, : 
1 think, out of place, especially now that there is such 
a beautiful flower-garden of ample space in the square 
formed by the Glass-houses. 1 would do away with them, 
and have the lawn all grass, with groups of evergreens 
upon it, or, perhaps, form beds of American plants. 
Mr. Pilkington is not only liberal in his garden, but 
also his farm-yard is managed in the best modern 
manner. He has a small steam-engine, which steams 
food for his cattle, turns chaff-cutting machines, and 
every other useful modern invention in vogue. I saw, 
also, what would have pleased our Editor, a fine collec- , 
tion of fowls, especially some noble Cochin-China and 1 
black Spanish birds. 
Altogether, T was much gratified by my visit to 
Eccleston Hall, and am quite sure no lover of gardens i 
going there but would be pleased also. T. Appleby. 
NEGLECTED OLD OAK WOODS. 
In the course of my journeyings, I often see Oak 
Woods dreadfully mismanaged, or, rather, not managed 
at all so as to produce fine, clear timber, fit for the 
carpenter aud the ship-builder. This is a matter of the 
greatest consequence to our country, because, by such 
