208 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 24. 
with blinds which extend outwards; but they may be let 
down at pleasure should the weather happen to be unfavour¬ 
able. This arrangement, of course, was only made as a 
precaution during the earlier and later periods of the Exhi¬ 
bition. From this point there has been no effort made to 
shut out the unprofitable gaze of passers by. There is no 
dark screen of bushes to conceal the interior, and give the 
visitor a surprise when he gets to the other side. On the 
contrary, everything has been arranged to please the eye 
and pique the curiosity. There are single specimens of 
choice evergreens, as the Cedrus Deodara and Araucaria 
imbricata, planted more in accordance with the rules of art 
than those of mathematics. There is the fine lawn, rising 
and falling here and there like the gentle undulations of 
natural ground. It is always kept in the best order, and no 
person is allowed to tread upon it, a prohibition essential to 
its very existence, especially in the dry weather which pre¬ 
vails here. 
As I noticed, in a former communication, the arrangement 
of the flower-beds, I shall now give a few details of one or 
two which are especially admired by every visitor. 
The most beautiful is, perhaps, that of M. Vilmorin, seeds¬ 
man, of Paris. This is at the eastern extremity of the 
principal lawn nearly opposite the entrance. It has a some¬ 
what circular form, and the ground is considerably raised, 
having a sloping border of grass near the walk, about two 
feet wide, and its diameter may be about ten or twelve feet. 
In the centre is a large bushy plant of Cytisus. An imagi¬ 
nary line traverses the circle, each half presenting a some¬ 
what different series of colours, but the plants are about 
the same in height all round. Beginning at the centre of 
one-half the circle, we have a line of Schizanthus Grahamii 
rosea; the second line is varied, being filled with Stocks, 
Violets, and Mimuli; the third line, while Iberis; the fourth 
line, purple Leptosiphon androsace ; fifth line, blue Kaul/ussia 
amelloides; sixth line, rose Saponaria calabrica; seventh 
and last lino, yellow Leptosiphon. Beginning at the centre 
of the other half, we have a mixed line of the white and 
rose varieties of Clarhia, Stocks, &c.; second line, blue 
Forget-me-not; third lino, white Iberis; fourth line, blue 
Kaulfussia amelloides; fifth line, rose Viscaria oculata ; sixth 
line, yellow Leptosiphon androsacc. On this side there is no 
seventh line. I must not forget to mention that the Cytisus 
in the centre is contributed by M. Buzel, of Paris, and that 
at eacii extremity of the diameter there is a handsome 
vase filled with Scarlet Geraniums. 
As some of your readers will, no doubt, readily perceive, 
the distribution of colours is not faultless in theory; but 
such as it is, the effect produced in this case is very agree¬ 
able, and that is, perhaps, sufficient. 
A much larger, and, perhaps, more really beautiful clump, 
of a somewhat oval form, is that belonging to M. Pare, 
nearly opposite the conservatory. Here the plants are 
larger, and though the colours are less varied they are more 
striking. In this instance, also, the ground is raised about 
eighteen inches at the circumference, and considerably more 
than that at the centre. The sloping border of grass is about 
three feet broad. 
At the centre is a Fan Palm, nearly six feet high ; and 
here, about seven feet of the ground is filled with the Rose 
Souvenir de Malmaison. Round that there is a line two feet 
wide of the crimson Bengal variety. The next line is com¬ 
posed of some whitish variety of Cape Heaths, about twelve 
inches wide; then there is a line of blue Pansies, of nearly 
the same width. In this clump, all the plants present an 
even and gradual sloping surface; but they are not, as in 
the preceding instance, placed close together; on the con¬ 
trary, there is plenty of room for the fresh air to circulate 
about them. 
The next clump of this kind worth notice has the centre 
filled with light-coloured varieties of Rhododendron, of mode¬ 
rate size. Round these is a line of rose-coloured Geraniums; 
then a line of red Phloxes at the grass border. This is a 
regularly oval form, having at one end a cross line of small 
Scarlet Geraniums, and at the other a similar patch of 
Petunias. 
In another part of the ground MM. Tallard freres, have 
a pretty bed nearly in the same style as the preceding, being 
chiefiy filled with annuals and other sorts, as Calceolarias, 
Phloxes, Petunias, and Stocks. Some pretty colours have 
also been distributed round the large and elegant aviary 
placed near the stove at the west end of the ground. Here 
the first line is white (Iberis), the second orange (Cheiran- 
thus ochreleuea), the third rose (Stocks), the fourth while 
(Stocks), the fifth rose (Phlox). In this case, the circum¬ 
ference is composed of a broad band of Ivy neatly trimmed. 
I suppose the person who takes care of the birds must get 
to the cage by means of some sort of moveable bridge, for 
the lines of flowers ar - e not broken by anything in the form 
of a path. The Aviary, as might be expected, is an object of 
much interest, and is justly admired by everybody, not only 
for the rich and varied plumage of the birds, but also for 
the very elegant design of the structure. This valuable 
contribution is from M. Vailhant, near the Louvre.—P. F. 
Keir. 
We have had warm, and sometimes even very hot, weather 
for nearly three weeks ; but a change is apparently at hand, 
for the sky has been more or less overcast during the last 
two days. Yesterday we had a smart, sudden clap of 
thunder, and there was a great deal of sheet lightning 
during the earlier part of the night. To-day we have been 
expecting abundance of rain, but as yet very little has fallen. 
Up to the present time, the reports from the country are 
cheering as to the crops ; and it is particularly gratifying to 
know that Potatoes are better this year than they have been 
for some time.—K. 
VINERY HEATED BY AN ARNOTT’S STOVE. 
Having, in a former letter, given you some account of the 
working of an Arnott stove in my greenhouse, let us now, 
if you are not weary of me, proceed to the vinery. 
My gardener, who professed thoroughly to understand 
the culture of Vines, had the border made to his own liking, 
and three Black Hambro’s and two Muscats were planted. 
Year after year, we had plenty of long, thin wood, latterly at 
the top of the Vines ; but Grapes there were none. Year 
after year passed. I began to read The Cottage Gardener. 
The border was drained, and renewed with drier material, 
but in vain. Growing weary of this system, 1 remonstrated, 
and at length took the management into my own hands. 
With The Cottage Gardener in one hand, and a sharp 
knife in the other, I commenced pruning my own Vines, 
simply following Mr. Errington’s instructions. The wood 
still came thin, and I called in the assistance of an excellent 
gardener in the neighbourhood. He said nothing could be 
worse: the wood thin; no root action; leaves sickly; no 
promise of fruit; yet the border was good; and one thing 
surprised him, “ how the Vines could be so well pruned.” 
He prescribed hot stable-litter on the border; to cover the 
roof closely down with tarpauling; to keep the house very 
damp and warm ; all to promote root-action as much ns 
possible. The stove he thought bad ; its beat too dry ; the 
ventilation not good; he wished the top lights would open. 
Yet there was that “good pruning”— I determined to 
persevere. 
Sleeping, one night, before this time, at Stirling, I awoke 
very early in the morning with a strong impression that 
Polmaise was not far off. My bed-room window looked into 
the stable-yard, and there I saw an ostler. “ How far to 
Polmaise?” “ Four miles.” “ Then get a gig ready to take 
me there.” I arrived by six; was shown through the vine¬ 
ries : saw the system and splendid fruit of which you have 
heard so much; returned to Stirling in time to take some 
of my family that lovely drive to Loch Katrine with my own 
horse, and picked up a wrinkle, which I thus applied on my 
return home. 
Opposite my stove, on the top of the wall of the tan-pit, 
three feet from the ground, stands a zinc trough six feet 
long, four inches wide, and four inches deep. Beneath this 
hangs a piece of carpet of the same length as the trough, 
three feet wide, and attached by strings at the lower corners 
to hooks on the opposite wall. From ten to twenty woollen 
threads dip into the trough, and, on the syphon principle, 
bring the water by drops to the top of the carpet, and there 
discharge themselves ; thus keeping a damp surface in front 
of the stove, and constantly giving off that moist warmth 
which is congenial to the growth of Grapes. In very dry- 
weather we add moie threads ; in wet weather, or when the 
