300 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 8, 1887. 
■with the arches. In planting, I would advise the soil 
to be removed from the border to the depth of about 
4 ins., the vines to be then carefully shaken out from 
the pots, and the roots laid evenly over the border and 
covered first with a little fine soil, and then with the 
compost that was removed in the first instance. A 
good watering will settle the whole affair down, and a 
slight mulching will help to keep the surface moist. 
As to the distance apart at which vines should be 
planted, from 3 ft. to 4 ft. I think should be about 
the average, as nothing is gained by overcrowding. 
Avoid, if possible, walking on the border, rather have 
some wooden trellising, which is a good protection, 
and has a tidy appearance. If planted outside a little 
protection in the way of litter will be needed the first 
winter until the roots have penetrated well into the 
soil.— Wales. 
-- 
AN ENGLISH LANDSCAPE 
GARDEN IN PORTUGAL. 
An occasional correspondent of the Times says :— 
Everybody has heard of Cintra, but how few people 
have visited that veritable eye of the world, that earthly 
paradise, that buen retiro where one can imagine that 
to retire and dream away one’s days like the Lotus- 
eaters, would be the supremest of conceivable delights. 
Here, indeed, at all times have come the worn-out 
heroes of the land itself, to die in peace, setting in their 
glory as the sinking sun in the deep blue Atlantic 
before their eyes. Here came and died Don John de 
Castro and Pombel ; here Camoeus sang ; and here, too, 
it is said, came Columbus, not indeed to die, but to 
ponder on the unknown land beyond the waters, realms 
of infinite wonderment beyond the setting sun. Here, 
ndeed, on the shining strand of the Praia das Magaes, 
where the sea-waves beat as they did 400 years ago, may 
still be picked up unknown weeds, and branches, and 
fruit-husks, waifs from far-off islands of the "West, 
patent evidences now, as they were then to the great 
discoverer, of the existence of the New World. Later 
still came brilliant epicureans from our own land— 
Beckford, that Croesus, wealthy moreover in letters and 
in art, and Byron, to whom at Cintra came the inspi¬ 
ration of Childe Harold. Here, too, fate or fortune, or 
rather his own prescience, fixed the scene of the most 
splendid exploit of England’s greatest captain, for the 
outlying rampart of Cintra is the line of Torres Yedras, 
and within that fold Wellington gathered an entire 
nation, and thence his conquering progress sped on un¬ 
checked to Waterloo. Nowhere in the world, perhaps, 
is there a spot—literally it is but a spot, a mere scant 
oasis—so beautiful in all its lines and features, and so 
wonderfully endowed by nature with a climate of its 
own, heavenly in itself, where there comes never frost 
or snow, nor too great heat or drought. Few places, 
moreover, are there with a more copious and enthralling 
record in history and romance. Here, in short, as¬ 
suredly, if it had to be planted again, would the garden 
of Eden be fixed. Cintra’s heroic age seems, however, 
to have come to an end, and now more familiar themes 
and actors occupy the stage. 
Here, some twenty-five years ago, chance or family 
associations brought, in a happy interval of rest from 
business toils, an English merchant, in whose mind 
the love of natural scenery, gardens, pictures, and all 
things beautiful was latent. Cintra took this gentle¬ 
man captive, and thenceforth his life became a dual 
one, the happiest part by far of every year he passed in 
this Portuguese paradise. Here it is, indeed, not too 
much to say that this countryman of ours has created 
the most noble and beautiful landscape garden in the 
world, for it embraces an entire district of mountain 
slopes, green valleys, craggy peaks and ravines, 
mountain streams and lakes, bounded by distant 
blue horizons and cloud-capped summits in the skies. 
Only an English merchant prince could, or perhaps 
would, ever have thought of doing what Sir Francis 
Cook, of Richmond and St. Paul’s Churchyard, has 
achieved at Cintra. To any but an Englishman, 
indeed, the having to cross the Bay of Biscay, there 
and back, to get to one’s pleasure garden, would have 
been an insuperable objection; but in spite of winds 
and waves, in fair weather and in foul, our untiring 
countryman has never once failed, when every year 
the appointed moment came, to visit his ever-augment¬ 
ing and more beautiful possession. To an enthusiastic 
gardener it was in truth a great temptation, for there 
all things flourish better, if possible, than in their own 
native soils, and glasshouses and stove-heat are almost 
unknown superfluities. Cintra is but a single, isolated 
mountain, or rather a group of serrated, conical moun¬ 
tains, abruptly rising from a vast, rolling plain some 
twenty miles north of Lisbon, and abutting on the sea. 
It is a huge mass of granite, pushed upwards at some 
far-distant antediluvian time through subjacent lime¬ 
stone strata. The highest summits, some 3,000 ft. 
high, are sharp, serrated peaks, worn and fretted into 
a thousand fantastic shapes, and everywhere huge 
boulders, obelisks, columns, and spires of granite are 
seen interspersed among the rich verdure which clothes 
the mountain sides. Forests of ancient cork trees and 
great table Pines cover the higher reaches, while 
beneath a splendid sea of green and golden Orange 
trees, Arbutus, flowering rock Cystus, Aloes, Gera¬ 
niums, and endless orchard trees and wild flowers fill 
up every ravine, and clothe the lower rocky spurs. 
The district, indeed, forms one continuous natural 
and most beautiful wild garden. The soft moisture¬ 
laden breezes from the near Atlantic always play around 
the favoured mountains, while mist and clouds hang 
on the high summits ever ready to distil refreshing 
rain, when all the low, outlying region is burnt up with 
furnace heat. A thousand rills and rivulets course in 
splashing cascades down the rugged gullies and ravines; 
the refreshing sound of falling water, indeed, is every¬ 
where, and every quinta and garden patch can have its 
own system of unfailing irrigation. From the earliest 
times Cintra has been the favoured and imique gala 
place of the land. The kings of Portugal have always 
had their summer palace here, and all the noblest 
families their quintas, or villas, clustered round. In 
the town of Cintra itself, the ancient half Moorish, half 
Gothic palace of the old kings is the principal attraction, 
while above it on a high peak is seen a grim old Moorish 
fortress, connected with the town by miles of battle- 
mented walls. Higher still, perched as it seems upon 
a mere craggy pinnacle, soars up another cluster of 
towers, hanging terraces and frowning walls ; here the 
father of the present Majesty of Portugal, the King 
Regent, Don Fernando of Saxe-Coburg, a cousin of our 
own Prince Consort, fixed his summer abode, and 
working in the nucleus of an ancient convent, in the 
course of years formed it into a wonderfully picturesque 
castle palace in the sky. But the most beautiful and 
favoured Cintra region is situated on the lower slopes 
of the mountain, to the west of the town itself, looking 
towards the Torres Yedras mountains and the sea ; 
here were situated in close juxtaposition most of the 
ancient villas of the high nobility of Portugal. In 
former times every inch of this favoured ground was 
eagerly coveted and disputed, settled in strict entail 
from father to son, and not to possess a quinta at Cintra 
was esteemed an unbearable stigma of inferiority to 
every great Portuguese family. But Portuguese nobility 
is sadly fallen in these later times, and one by one these 
beautiful properties have nearly all changed hands. 
More or less romantic and picturesque-looking are all 
these old country houses, their massive grey granite 
walls, towers, terraces, and overhanging tile roofs being 
in perfect keeping with the scenery around. 
The most celebrated and beautiful of all these villa 
properties, the quinta of Montserrat—situated, more¬ 
over, in the exact centre of this district d'elite —is the 
one which, in the first instance, fell into the hands of 
Sir Francis Cook ; and one by one nearly all the sur¬ 
rounding properties, comprising an entire region many 
square miles in extent, ranging from the lowest valley 
to the summit of the mountain, have been added to it. 
The whole of this territory, as a matter of fact, now 
forms one vast landscape garden, and the making of it 
has been, as it were, the painting of a picture with 
natural rocks, castles, trees, cascades, lakes and skies. 
To keep the ancient houses, their noble trees, terraces, 
and quaint gardens intact has been our countryman’s 
first and primary aim ; for, unfortunately, modern 
“improvements” of an incongruous and otten utterly 
hideous nature have, in these latter times, invaded 
even Cintra. More than once, indeed, our enthusiastic 
compatriot has had his eesthetic senses utterly upset 
by the sudden apparition of some hideous modern 
bungalow, painted all the colours of the rainbow, in 
some distant reach of landscape, and then amicable 
remonstrance and negotiations with the view of toning 
it down, or even directly buying out the nuisance, has 
been the unflinching resource. Sir Francis Cook, in 
short, has been entirely engrossed, and has shrunk 
from no sacrifices in the carrying out of his beautiful 
and costly hobby ; but it is a hobby universally ap¬ 
plauded in the country itself, and cannot fail to be 
appreciated by every visitor, for it has been strictly 
conservative and yet progressive at the same time. 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
♦ , 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
Propagating Autumn-flowering Plants. —Yery 
many of the autumn-flowering plants which have 
assisted in keeping the intermediate house gay will 
now be going past their best. In every case select half 
a dozen or so of each (such as different varieties of 
Bouvardias, the flowering Begonias, Centropogons—in 
fact, all of which it is desirous to’ provide a stock for 
next season’s service), and after pruning back where 
necessarj% let them be plunged in bottom heat, so that 
the necessary cuttings may be obtained early in the 
season. Later on every structure will be crammed 
with occupants all requiring immediate attention, but 
if these plants are struck early, they will stand a little 
rough treatment with impunity ; not so if neglected, 
for it is next to impossible to secure a perfect bloom 
unless the plants are thoroughly prepared. Do not 
. forget to put in a good stock of Libonia Penrhosiensis, 
one of the very best and brightest of all autumn¬ 
flowering plants, and withal so easy of culture. 
Chrysanthemums.— It will be advisable to examine 
the stock of Chrysanthemum cuttings, and see that 
they are in a fair way ; should any be doubtful, and 
the stools of these varieties have been placed out-doors, 
remove them at once to the pits, so that good cuttings 
may be secured ; without these precautions successful 
heads of flower next autumn cannot be hoped for. 
Callas will now require an abundant supply of liquid 
manure, so that fine flowers may be secured ; placed 
with their own foliage in large trumpet-shaped glasses 
they have a bold effect, and are much appreciated. 
THE GREENHOUSE, 
"With the constant firing necessary to maintain the 
proper temperature in greenhouses, great danger exists 
of unduly exciting many of the occupants to make 
premature growth, which is always of an unsatisfactory 
nature. Let those most susceptible be placed at the 
coolest end ; and even if the lights cannot be opened, 
generally speaking the doors can for an hour or two 
each day. We would very much prefer placing mats 
or other covering material over the houses rather than 
resort to over-heating of the pipes or flues in these 
houses. 
Stock Plants of such things as Yerbenas, Petunias, 
Lobelias and others should now be placed in heat, to 
afford an early supply of cuttings. The first-named 
should be placed where the syringe can be freely used 
amongst them, as they are very subject to red-spider. 
If possible, devote a shelf to these plants, so that good 
healthy cuttings may be secured. 
The Calanthes in the stove are just now at their 
best, and extremely bright and pretty they look, many 
of the spikes being 30 ins. high, with as many as 
twenty-seven flowers expanded, and more to open. 
Anthurium Scherzerianum is now making a good 
clean growth, and becoming established in the new 
compost. When root-action is brisk, give copious 
waterings, so as to ensure large foliage, as upon this in 
a great measure depends the size of the spathes, which 
will appear later on, and are so valuable for cutting. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
French Beans, &c.—As the sowings of French 
Beans advance towards fruiting, give them frequent 
doses of liquid manure water, and as soon as exhausted 
let another sowing be made ; the previous sowing being 
placed on the shelves, to take the place of those 
removed : this routine strictly observed gives an 
unfailing and reliable supply. We have made up hot¬ 
beds ready for Carrots and Radishes ; the soil upon 
which we shall allow to become well chilled before 
sowing the seed, to assist in rapid germination. 
Cucumber. —The young batch of Cucumbers are 
growing steadily on a shelf near to the glass ; we shall 
not be able to spare the house to plant them out before 
the end of the month, by which time they will be 
good sturdy plants. Give the old plants which are 
fruiting frequent waterings of liquid manure—Clay’s 
Fertiliser suits them admirably. Do not relax attention 
to the 
Peaches which are in flower : the weather has not 
been at all favourable for a good “set,” so take extra 
care to the end of flowering. Keep the early vineries 
as quiet as possible ; for while light is so deficient, the 
