June 12. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
185 
getting a little hard at the points, the plants should 
have more air and light gradually; and finally, so far as 
these privileged plants are concerned, they will ultimately 
he the better of six weeks or two months in the open 
air, in a shady place, before housing in October. The 
buds should be getting prominent before the plants 
receive their summer quarters. Those receiving the 
hothouse treatment early will come naturally into bloom 
during the darkest and dullest months of the year. 
R. Fisn. 
Sale oe Orchids. —There was a large collection of ! 
Orchids ottered for sale by auction, at Mr. Stevens’s 
Sale Rooms, King-street, Covent Garden, on the 4th inst. 
There were two parcels, one consisting of East Indian, 
and the other Brazilian. Among the latter there was a 
fine specimen of Gattleya Leopoldii sold for AT 10s., 
and other A2 10s. A large mass of Gattleya amethystina , 
Al 10s., and another of the same fetched A1 13s. A 
new species of Gattleya, £2. Lcelia purpurata, £2. Of , 
the East Indian, Aerides, Fox-brush species, a fine plant, 
brought A 2 17s. 6d., another of the same, £2 8s., and 
a third A3. Saccolabium -rubrum, £2 17s. 0d., A2 8s. ( 
and A2 4s. Dendrobium aggreyatum major, AT 6s., 
and Al 2s. Vanda, new species, with yellow flowers, 
A2 15s., Al 16s., Al 12s., and Al 10s. 
NOTES TAKEN AT MOOR PARK, 
The Seat of Loud Robert Grovesnor, near 
Watford, Herts. 
I described at page 145, a fine specimen of Medinilla 
magnijica that 1 saw at this place, and I find, on refer¬ 
ring to my Note Book, a few more jottings made there 
at tiie same time, which I think will be useful. 
Moor Park is a place of considerable extent. The 
mansion stands on a platform on the side of the hill, 
and commands some beautiful views. The town of 
Watford is seen about six miles off’, and the fine ancient 
tower of the church is a fine object, rising a considerable 
height above the tile-roofed houses. Looking in another 
direction, Stanmore Priory, late the seat of the Marquis 
of Abercorn, forms a beautiful landscape. A third 
fine view to the west shows the hills beyond Edgware, 
covered with beautiful woods. The Park itself is well- 
wooded ; but many trees have been cut down, and even 
considerable hills lowered, to open out these distant fine 
views. 
This place has frequently changed owners. It once 
belonged to the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth, w r ho, 
as is well-known, was beheaded for high treason in the 
reign of James the Second. There is a tradition, that 
when he was beheaded, his Duchess, in the frenzy of 
her grief, ordered a considerable number of the fine 
Oaks, with which the Park abounded, to be beheaded 
also. Such is the tradition current to this day amongst 
the peasantry in the neighbourhood. It is, however, 
doubted by the better-informed ; but one fact is certain, 
the tops of the Oaks in question must have been cut off 
about that time, according to the growth they have 
made since, and it has rendered them very picturesque 
objects, though, of course, the timber is thereby greatly 
injured. 
One of them is a very curious object. The cutting 
oft’ the head of the Oak caused the centre to decay, and a 
Beech nut having fallen upon the centre, or been carried 
there by a squirrel, it put forth roots, and grew, and is 
now a stately tree; the Oak continuing alive on one 
side. The roots of the Beech evidently have run down 
the centre of the Oak, and reached the ground, which 
now supports the tree. One side of the trunk of the 
Oak is quite gone, laying bare the roots of the Beech; 
but the other side stoutly contests the place with 
the Beech, and the Oak continues to live and put 
forth branches and leaves. They look like two mighty 
wrestlers, pressing each other in close embrace, but 
neither as yet able to throw down his antagonist. The 
two form the most curious and interesting object in tree- 
growth I ever saw in all my travels. 
About a quarter of a mile from the house to the right, 
there is a portion of ground kept for pleasure. In 
ancient days, I have no doubt this place was the 
Pleasance, or Wilderness. It is considerably elevated, 
and there is a kind of Temple to sit down in. In this 
pleasure-ground I noticed some fine specimen trees, 
especially a very lofty Spruce Fir. The branches of 
this tree have crept on the ground, taken root, and sent 
stems rivalling the parent one, forming a pillared shade. 
It appears, when close to the main trunk, something 
like a lofty cathedral, with its pillars and arches; hence, 
it has been named “ St. Paul’s.” 
Passing on past this venerable evergreen tree, we 
come to a small grove of Larches of most extraordinary 
altitude, and “as straight and tall as a poplar tree.” 
They exceed 100 feet high, with beautiful clean trunks. 
There are also some very large Scotch Firs with then- 
dark foliage, giving quite a character to the scene. The 
Weymouth Pine here towers up to an immense height. 
A hillock nearer the house pleased me much. It had 
been planted some some seventy or eighty years ago 
with a circle of Yews, and a centre of Scotch Firs. The 
Yews, now, are about twenty feet high, and the Firs fifty. 
The former foi-ms a dense mass, hiding or concealing 
the Fir-stems, and thus forming a very fine and striking 
object. 
A considerable portion of the pleasure-ground to the 
left of the mansion is laid out as an arboretum for 
Coniferas, and there are some fine young Deodars, 
Araucarias, &c., planted, which have not suffered at all 
during the late severe winter. This part of the ground 
is bounded by a wall of considerable height, and just 
within it, and nearly level with the top is a broad, 
straight terrace-walk, six hundred feet long. This is a 
very pleasant elevated promenade; but my space is 
becoming small, and, therefore, I must leave the Park 
and the Pleasance rather abruptly, and glance at the 
gardens. 
Flower Garden. —This is on the east front of the 
house, and was designed by Mr. Nesfield many years 
ago, and is, I consider, one of his best. It is in the 
Italian style, and, therefore, corresponds admirably with 
the mansion. A large quantity of dwarf evergreens are 
kept by Mr. Sparrow on a west border outside the 
kitchen-garden. These are taken up and planted in the 
beds during the winter, and are removed in spring, and 
put in the border during the summer. The beds are 
now planted with the usual bedding-out plants. This 
is a plan that I have many times recommended in The 
Cottage Gardener as being a great improvement. 
The flower-garden is thus attractive both in winter and 
summer. In order to give effect, the evergreens are 
chosen with leaves of different colours. One bed is 
planted with Aucubas, another with Laurustinus, a 
third with variegated Hollies, a fourth with small Yews, 
and so on. The effect must be good, though I confess 
I never saw this place when the dwarf shrubs were in 
the beds. This plan, though rather troublesome and 
expensive at first, is greatly preferable to naked beds 
of earth, which the generality of our flower-gardens, 
where the bedding-out system is carried out to a great 
extent, present. The Crystal Palace, at Sydenham, is an 
