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THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 13, 1859. 
was right glad to hear that no disease had then made its appear¬ 
ance in the district. Indeed, generally in the north of England, 
report speaks favourably of the good of that prince of esculent 
roots. I hear of no disease hereabouts. Two things I think we 
are pretty sure of now—good bread, and good Potatoes—bless¬ 
ings for the poor, for which both rich and poor ought to be 
thankful to the Giver of all good. 
As we left Shipley by the seven o’clock a.m. train, and had only 
seven miles to go to h'ilclwick, we were soon there, and had then 
a pleasant walk to our destination. The road passes through 
two or three English villages far removed from noise or smoke, 
gradually winding its sinuous way, and as gradually rising up¬ 
wards. On the way I picked up a few plants out of the chinks 
of an old wall of the rare Eern—rare in Yorkshire, Asplenium j 
adiantum nigrum. I saw plants of Lasircea filix-mas, and ''Athy - ! 
rium filix-fcemina, and also Polypodium mlgare. But that part 
is not rich in Ferns. Higher up near Settle they abound. 
Carr Head at length came in view, pleasantly situated on a 
commanding eminence, having, in consequence, extensive views 
of the surrounding country. It is a fine modern mansion, em¬ 
bosomed in woods at the back, and a noble park in front, 
reaching down into a pleasant valley, at the bottom of which is 
a lake of some extent. The opposite hills are rather bare of trees, 
but dotted with farm-houses and labourers’ cottages. On the 
summit the grouse-producing moors extend to a considerable 
distance, and a tall pillar marks the place where once a beacon 
stood to give notice of “ war’s wild alarms,” now, happily, no 
more needed in this happy, peaceful country. 
Passing the front of the house through a shrubbery, we came 
upon a rich scene of floral beauty. The flower garden nearly an 
acre in extent. Nearly in a line with the house is a range of 
plant-houses, in which I noticed a very fine plant of the Phodo- 
dendron ciliatum , fully five feet in diameter. Two of these 
houses are used as vineries, and very good Grapes are annually 
produced in them. Fuchsias, of various kinds, were planted 
next the division, forming a flowering partition with good effect. 
Standing in front of these houses, the view is strikingly beautiful. 
In the foreground is seen the rich-in-floral-beauty flower garden; 
on the left, a noble range of large Beech trees ; on the right, the 
shrubberies dividing the flower garden from the pleasure ground 
in front of the mansion. Beyond the flower garden is a shrub¬ 
bery composed chiefly of Rhododendrons, and over them the 
eye wanders to the distant hills ; the prospect, however, marred by 
a row of ordinary-looking cottages, which might be easily hidden 
by planting a small field close to them. 
After sating the eye with this beautiful prospect, my attention 
was turned nearer home—to the beds in the flower garden. They 
are of the ordinary forms, chiefly round, oval, and square, with 
some few in the form called pincushion-beds. There are thirty- 
four beds, placed at nearly equal distances on a grass lawn with 
a gravel walk crossing the centre ; and, being of such solid forms, 
the masses of flowers show to better advantage than long narrow 
beds. The beds that pleased me most were composed of Age- 
ratum in the centre, and a dark Heliotrope encircling it. These 
beds had a peculiar, soft, pleasing effect. Another good arrange¬ 
ment was effected with Pose Petunia in the centre, next Flower 
of the Pay Geranium, and, finally, a band of dwarf Tom Thumb 
Geranium. Calceolaria amplexicattlis. Of this there were 
several beds in fine bloom. A bed at a comer that had a good 
effect, consisted of Evening Star Verbena, a scarlet with a large 
white eye broadly bordered with the variegated Alyssum. In the 
centre of several of the beds Mr. Ledger had planted Humea 
elegans, then in full beauty. Its light, rich, brown branches 
waving gently with the breeze took away all monotony of level. 
On each side of the centre walk there are, at regular distances, 
lialf-standard Rose trees ; and round the stem of each small beds 
are formed and planted with dwarf blue Lobelia, dwarf varie¬ 
gated Alyssum, Imperatrice Eugenie Verbena, Saponaria Cala- 
brica, Tagetes tenuifolia, Cuphea platycenira, and other low- 
growing plants. 
These had a pleasing appearance, and did not appear to injure 
the Roses at all. In fact, they were producing the second lot of 
blooms in considerable profusion. I observed great attention had 
been given to have the beds competing with each other, and the 
colours so arranged that no violent contrasts came in contact 
—a point worthy of imitation. 
Leaving this pleasant scene, we passed through the line of 
Beech frees on our way to the kitchen garden and principal 
plant-houses. On the way I noticed some tall, naked, Scotch 
Firs—that is, naked of their own branches, but densely covered 
with Ivy almost to their utmost tops. These must be fine in 
frost and snow. I am persuaded that this dark evergreen Ivy 
grown up the otherwise-naked stems of trees is worthy of being 
extensively planted for this very purpose. On the way to the 
kitchen garden there is a large plot of ground filled with choice 
Rhododendrons, and other hardy flowering shrubs, which thrive 
well in these hilly districts. This ground is bounded by a long 
wall covered with Roses and various creeping plants. Calystegia 
pubesccns was in full flower, and very handsome and conspicuous. 
The first object I saw on passing through the door of this 
Rose-wall was a range of Peach trees on the south wall. On 
them there was a heavy crop of fruit —a moat remarkable sight 
this season. The fruits of this kind, in general, in the open air, 
being in other places a complete failure, owing to the late frosts 
in April and May. The trees covered the wall, and were very 
healthy. Two years ago they were all lifted, and fresh soil put 
to their roots, which was one cause of their fruitfulness ; and the 
other was, the trees were protected, when in bloom, by a double 
covering of common fish-nets. 
In other places, no doubt, similar coverings have been used, 
with very partial if any success this year. However, here the 
means have answered the purpose effectually, and reflect great 
credit on the manager. 
T noticed a large plot of very strong Sea-kale plants which had 
been raised from strong cuttings of the roots planted last autumn, 
and all the shoots each plant made rubbed off to one. These 
strong plants are taken up, forced, and blanched for use in the 
Mushroom-house, or in frames, and a successional crop of plants 
is raised every year, cuttings being always preferred to seeds. 
Another large plot is planted with Strawberries ; and to protect 
them when in fruit from birds and other thieves, the entire plot 
is covered with nets on a wire frame several feet high—a most 
effectual protection. 
Passing through the kitchen garden, we came upon several 
span-roofed houses filled with choice plants, but more especially 
rare Fern3. Here I saw the plants that had attracted my at¬ 
tention at the exhibition the day before— Gymnogramma chryso- 
phylla and Gymnogramma Martensii were immense bushes, five 
feet through and four feet high, dense and healthy, covered with 
gold dust. Such plants I never saw before. The peat from the 
moors in the neighbourhood appears to suit them remarkably well. 
Other rare kinds, the names of which would occupy too much 
space, were equally fine, especially (I must notice this one) 
Gleichenia microphylla, which measured two feet high and as 
much through. 
The last thing I particularly noticed was an immense crop of 
Melons. They lay in the pits like so many Turnips in a field in 
Norfolk. I might dilate a great deal more on this fine place ; but 
I must conclude, by declaring that I never visited a place that 
gave me more pleasure. The entire management reflects great 
credit upon the gardener and his spirited employer.—T. Appleby. 
Large Lastrjea eilix-mas.— F. W. S. finds in this locality 
(Oxton, Exeter), in a very shady situation close to running 
water, a plant of the male Fern Lasirceafilix-mas, the fronds of 
which measure five feet seven inches in length by one foot six 
inches in breadth, with upwards of sixty pairs of leaflets on each 
stem. 
VARIETIES. 
Skylarks. —I brought from England to India two English 
skylarks. I thought they would help to remind me of English 
meadows, and keep alive many agreeable home-associations. In 
crossing the desert they were carefully lashed on the top of one of 
the vans, and in spite of the dreadful jolting and the heat of the 
sun, they sang the whole way until night-fall. It was pleasant 
to hear English larks, from rich Clover fields, singing so joyously 
in the sandy waste. In crossing some fields between Cairo and 
the Pyramids, I was surprised and delighted with the songs of 
Egyptian skylarks. Their notes were much the same as those of 
the English lark. The lark of Bengal is about the size of a 
sparrow and has a poor weak note. At this momqnt a lark from 
Cabul (larger than an English lark), is doing his best to cheer 
me with his music. This noble bird, though so far from his 
native fields, and shut up in his narrow prison, pours forth his 
rapturous melody in an almost unbroken stream from dawn to 
sunset. He allows no change of season to abate his minstrelsy, 
to any observable degree, and seems equally happy and musical 
