THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 22, 1857. 
181 
hissie, as she bore off the prize, suspended at arm’s length, 
and surrounded by her envious admiring sex, was a pleasant 
feature worth witnessing. I have, since that circumstance, 
ofttimes thought that there are other feelings compounded for 
the system of Mr. Gordon Cumming, than those which are 
found necessary to face a live lion. So, as I was going to say, 
we discussed our afternoon’s programme, and wended our 
way some two miles on the road in the direction that leads to 
Shakespeare’s “ blasted heath ; ” which, by-tlie-by, does not 
appear so desolate now, as it did in the days of Macbeth, for 
it is, in a great measure, planted with thriving plantations of 
Larch and Fir trees. The spot of the meeting with the 
“ weird sisters,” is conspicuously marked by an ancient 
clump of the latter ; though the heath on one side of the road 
was, at the time I crossed it, still lying a dreary waste, and 
hkely to remain so, inasmuch as that for that part, accord¬ 
ing to my informant—the stage coachman—there were two 
claimants, and they had been at law about it so long, that 
nothing was thought to remain for either, other than the 
result, which, we arc told, arrived for the combative cats of 
Kilkenny. 
Crossing over the far-famed salmon fishing river, Findhorn, 
by a noble suspension bridge, we inquire of the “pike” 
keeper, “ How far is’t call’d to Dalvey,” the seat of Captain 
McLeod, who kindly allowed strangers to visit his gardens. 
We were courteously received by the Captain, and good- 
naturedly attended by him to view his house and grounds; 
and more particularly the object of our search, namely, the 
Victoria regia , occupying a house with water-wheel circu¬ 
lation and appliances proper for its culture. The structure 
was much too small for the vigorous plant. This was further 
evidenced by several leafless stalks which lay upon the surface 
of the water up to the edge of the tank; and Capt. McLeod 
expressed himself as being compelled to cut off some leaves, 
or, otherwise, take out the sides of the house, in order to 
admit of their making a perfect development. There were 
then about a dozen leaves existing on the plant, the largest of 
which might measure a diameter of from four to five feet. 
The exotic was in handsome flower, revealing its faultless 
bouquet of unequalled rays. It had produced several blos¬ 
soms ere our visit, at intervals of tlnee to four days, and it 
promised a succession of several more. The number of sight¬ 
seers, on so pie days, to view this rare production, exceeded 100, 
we were told. And it is due to Captain McLeod, to have it 
recorded in the pages of The Cottage Gardener, that he 
was the first to decide the experiment, whether the Victoria 
coidd be cultivated successfully in the far north; and the 
lovers of horticulture owe a debt of thanks to him, both in 
that respect, and also for his liberality in granting them leave 
to view this loveliest of all aquatic plants in that, its com¬ 
paratively early day of introduction to our native country. 
The gardens at Dalvey are not wliat may be termed extensive; 
but the disposition of the grounds wore a succession of sur¬ 
prises, amply atoning for extent. Yonder the Victoria house ; 
there a greenhouse ; here an Orchid stove, containing a nu¬ 
merous collection of that interesting family. Now, an avenue 
of Cedrus deodar a, the finest specimens of these Conifers we 
ever saw. Then, a large mound of large Scotch Thistles, 
which, odd as it may appear, for this national emblem, the 
Captain said were not Scotch , for he procured their seeds from 
Jamaica. From childhood I have been an admirer of the 
Car dims, and those were extraordinary fine fellows of that 
ilk. Next, pheasantries, live eagles, falcons, owls, and so on. 
A pretty and rather extensive museum also offered its various 
studies and curiosities, for comparisons of the living with the 
dead ; the modern with the antediluvian; the pictorial with 
their living floral prototypes ; stuffed fish, fowls, and ugly 
hybrids, &c. 
The mansion itself is charmingly situated on an eminence, 
with the prospect at command. A perpetual refreshing sound 
of water echoes from a river as it flows through its rocky 
bed, amongst the encircling trees, completing a happy picture, 
and fulfilling for us some two hours of lively enjoyment.— 
Upwards and Onwards. 
GROWING SPECIMEN CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
As one of the many that benefit, from the writings of Mr. 
Beaton, I beg to return him thanks for his beneficial and 
practical hint on that popular flower, the Chrysanthemum. 
I am a very old grower of them, and fancy I know a little 
about them. Still, when Mr. Beaton writes on them, I always 
pick up something fresh and interesting. I do not recollect 
that he said anything about the time of starting the fine 
specimen plants he has witnessed at the different shows ; 
if not, allow me to say they are propagated in November, and 
taken from suckers or cuttings, and kept in cold frames all 
the winter, repotted early in the spring, and stopped. This 
mode of treatment—repotting and stopping—is kept up till the 
1st of August, when the stopping is discontinued. Supplying 
plenty of liquid manure after well watering with plain water; 
pegging down, and tying out; keeping the centre open (as it 
will always fill up when wanted). 
The large varieties, for cut blooms, are closely watched, so 
that they do not throw out laterals. The moment they show 
themselves they are taken out; and, till the flower-buds show, 
they are then thinned out to one bud oil a branch, choosing the 
most promising ones—say four branches to a plant; these are 
what are grown for the show-board. 
Large varieties for pot plants are also thinned to a certain 
extent, according to the number of branches on them. These, 
like the Pomponcs, will require three or four times stopping-up 
to August, and well tying-out, and to be plunged in a shady 
part of the garden in summer, with lots of water, turning the 
pots round onco or twice a week to prevent the roots from 
getting out at the bottom. In October they are housed, to 
protect them from frosty nights. Some persons cover them 
with canvass or calico. In July and August, water with cow- 
dung liquid manure, as the other is too hot in summer; but 
guano, slops of the house and dung of fowls, and rabbits, 
must only be used in May, June, September, and October.— 
A Practical Gardener. 
THE STEWARTON HIVE. 
The letter from Mr. R. Eaglesham, in your last publication, 
requires a few words from me, as the writer of the comi'nuni- 
cation under the signature “ T.,” which has occasioned it. 
The only “ excuse ” I have to plead, is a difference of opinion 
with your correspondent, on a matter entirely of principle; 
whoso subsequent remarks have not, as I think, much altered 
our relative positions. Whether the observations addressed 
by me on the 24th November, are justly to be chargeable with 
“ an absence of faith and good feeling,” your readers are able 
to decide. I am not conscious of anv such intention, for I 
have no desire to be of the number of those who merely pelt 
each other with hard words; and who, I have been glad to see, 
have on moro than one occasion, received a well-merited cas¬ 
tigation from you, Mr. Editor. The quotation I gave from 
Mr. R. Golding’s book, is, I think, founded on a correct prin¬ 
ciple : it is altogether general in its application ; and as such I 
gave it. With regard to my “ total lack of acquaintance with 
bee matters,” I can hardly think that a long course of obser¬ 
vation, commenced more than half a century ago, on subjects 
connected with the apiary, have been entirely without 
some useful end. The public, however, have the means of 
forming their own judgment, as my name has been before 
them for many years; though the hand of time now ad¬ 
monishes me that my day of usefulness is drawing to a close. 
I am not sorry that an opportunity has been given me of 
throwing off an anonymous character—not a fair one to a 
known opponent, and therefore subscribe myself,—H. Taylor, 
Author of the “ Bee-keepers' Manual .” 
Gigantic Pears. —In the window of Messrs. Clarke and 
Co., the well-known seedsmen and florists of the Borough, 
are now exhibited, and are objects of great attraction to passers- 
by, two remarkably fine Pears, which are well deserving the 
above appellation. Some idea may be formed of then’ size 
when it is stated that the larger of the two weighs 2 lbs. 14ozs. 
They are considered the finest specimens of this fruit ever 
seen in this country; and were grown on the farm of Mr. 
Joseph White, of the Borough, Little Britain, Gloucestershire. 
