THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 22, 1857, 179 
j reduced at tlie base into a winged petiole of ordinary 
I length. Upper leaves sessile, embracing the stem; 
i lanceolate, serrate, at the base, smooth, as are also the 
; lower leaves. Stems numerous, about eighteen inches 
i high, bearing each several flowers ; obscurely angled, 
somewhat downy. Involucre large, lax, composed of 
numerous lanceolate scales, fringed at the base, green. 
Florets of the ray large, spreading, dividing at the 
j margin into four, sometimes five, deep segments; 
bright purplish blue. Those of the disk also large, and 
of the same bright colour. 
A remarkably beautiful plant, quite hardy, begin¬ 
ning to flower in the middle of October, and lasting 
| gaily quite through November. 
Although it has, for many years, enjoyed a place 
! among cultivated plants, it is yet, I think, little known 
to admirers of hardy herbaceous plants. It would 
continue in rich bloom much longer in the more 
southern counties, as it is destroyed near London by 
j frost and wet long before it shows any symptoms of 
decline. It should enjoy the sunniest place in the her¬ 
baceous border, in a moderately rich soil, and have 
its stems tied neatly to a stake. 
Increases readily by division. A handglass placed 
over the plant, or a part of it, materially assists it in 
perfecting seeds ; and thus secures the best means of 
transmitting it to a friend.—S. G. W. 
ABNEY HALL, 
The Seat of Sir James Watts. 
I 
The city of Manchester has become world-famed on account 
of the grand Exhibition of Art Treasures now closed. Like 
the grand display in the Crystal Palace in 1851, it is now 
only a matter of history ; and, by fond recollection, deeply is 
impressed on the memory of the numerous throngs who visited 
both. No one, however, has greater reason to look back with 
pleasure upon the Manchester Exhibition than the gentleman 
whose name appears at the head of this article. It was during 
the period of his holding the honourable office of chief magis¬ 
trate of this city, second only in population and wealth to the 
metropolis of this great empire, that this rich collection of the 
• treasures of art was exhibited to the admiring world. It will 
be in the recollection of our readers that I had the pleasure of 
giving a report of a grand horticultural show held in the 
Botanic Gardens at Manchester in May last. The temple of 
the Art Treasures adjoined the gardens ; and, in consequence, 
the public had an opportunity of seeing on the same day the 
triumphs of gardening art, as well as those of the higher 
branches of artistic skill. Amongst the exhibitors, none were 
more successful than the gardener of Sir James Watts. From 
• what I saw and noted of the plants from Abney Hall, I felt 
certain that the gentleman had not only spared no expense in 
purchasing the plants, and erecting suitable buildings to grow 
them, but that he had secured the services of a gardener that 
understood how to bring them to perfection, and had patience 
and perseverance to effect that achievement. Ever since that 
exhibition, an increasing desire pressed upon my mind to visit 
j the place where such good specimens were so w r ell grown. 
; Various circumstances intervened to prevent my desire being 
gratified until recently. 
At this time of the year, however, there is not much to be 
seen in gardens ; but the prophetic eye can discern preparation 
for the ensuing campaign; and it is a barren place indeed 
where there is no peculiar practice for tlie visitor to note and 
describe. To cultivators just beginning to grow specimens, a 
visit to such a place as this is, at any time of the year, a good 
school to learn how to proceed in the art; for art truly it is 
of bringing stove and greenhouse plants into shape and health. 
To be in such a place as under-gardener is a great privilege; 
and young men ought to be very grateful and thankful to 
have the opportunity, not only one day, or two, or more 
during the year, but every day, of seeing the operations carried 
on. They ought to watch and study every move for pre¬ 
paring tlie soil or compost, draining the pots, potthig, tying- 
out, stopping, watering, and general management. Such 
places are invaluable for teaching and training up young men 
to becomo head-gardeners for tlie next generation. And I 
earnestly press upon them the duty they own to themselves 
and their future employers, to lay up sucli a stock of know¬ 
ledge as may render them, at least equal, if not superior, to 
their teachers in tlie art of gardening in all its branches, from 
growing a tuft of fine Parsley to producing a noble Pine 
Apple. 
Abney Hall is situated on a gentle eminence in a rather flat 
district. It is about five miles from Manchester, close to the 
pleasant village of Clieadle. There is an omnibus from Man¬ 
chester runs by the gates, nearly every hour. In fine weather 
it is a very pleasant ride ; you pass by many beautiful villas, 
residences of the opulent tradesmen of this busy city. 
On entering the gates, I noted an avenue of the better 
kind of Conifers, such as Araucarias, Deodars, Pinuses, &c., 
which give you an idea at once of refined taste. The carriage- 
drive is wide, and gently curving towards the mansion. A 
plantation of evergreens conceals, in a great measure, the 
lower part of the house, till you are close to it. This is, 
undoubtedly, good taste; for nothing is more unpleasant than 
to be stared at in your private rooms, even in your own 
grounds. There is an entrance-front and a garden-front. 
To the left, as I approached the mansion, I noted a well- 
arranged sheet of water, the extent judiciously concealed by 
bends and swellings planted with evergreens and Weeping 
Willows. Behind the house, the kitchen garden and the 
spacious stables are placed. Directly facing the entrance-hall i 
is an avenue of Chinese Junipers, with a grass lawn between. 
The Junipers, however, do not appear to thrive well. The 
climate round Manchester is so damp, that most of the Conifer 
tribe will not thrive. One exception here, however, is very 
conspicuous, and that is the Austrian Pine (Finns Austriaca). 
I have never seen any elsewhere so healthy, with sucli long, 
densely-massed leaves. The climate of this part of Lanca¬ 
shire exactly suits tlie Rhododendron and other American 
shrubs. Hence, I think cultivators and owners of estates 
should plant such more largely than any other. The avenue 
referred to above, from the front door, directs the eye to a 
fine object in the distance—a village church, with a handsome 
lofty spire. 
Turning to the right off this avenue, I. entered the kitchen 
garden, which is laid out in the usual style, that is, straight 
walks and square quarters. There are dwarf Apple trees on 
each side of the centre walk, which are now becoming large 
trees. In my opinion, no such trees should ever be admitted 
into the kitchen garden. They shade it too much; and their 
roots run into the quarters, where they rob the vegetables of 
their support, and often have their own roots wofully mangled. 
If orchard fruits must be grown in a garden of vegetables, 
let them by all means be grown on the espalier style, or else 
trained as pillars, at wide distances apart. 
On the south side of this vegetable garden there is a fine 
range of three vineries, between forty and fifty feet each in 
length. The border is aired; that is, there is a chamber under 
it communicating with the outward atmosphere by means of 
upright shafts at interval^ in front, next the walk. The 
gardener seemed to doubt the utility of this. I suggested 
that if the chamber could be heated by liot-water pipes, then 
the chamber would be really useful, especially for early forcing; 
for nothing can be more absurd than setting the top of a tree [ 
to grow as if in summer, and covering the roots with ice at the 
same time. Summer it is inside, and winter it is outside, at 
the time the Vine is forced into growth in our early vineries. [• 
The Vines in this range are about four years old, and appear j 
healthy and strong enough to produce good Grapes. 
The interior is rather crowded with miscellaneous plants. 
I rather objected to this; but the gardener said, he was 
obliged to keep them there to supply the large conservatory 
near the house with plants in flower. Behind these vineries \ 
the plant-houses are placed. There is a rather large greenhouse, 
with span roof, and a stove of equal dimensions in the same 
form; also two pineries, a greenhouse with a lean-to roof j 
against a north wall, useful in summer to keep plants in, hi 
flower, to prolong their bloom; and finally, several very ex¬ 
cellent pits for wintering plants. The whole heated effectually 
with hot water. 
In the greenhouse I noted a good collection of well-grown 
Heaths, just such plants as I had been accustomed to see at 
