September 22, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
51 
ffoTES from Scotland. 
Travelling Notes. —Glamis Castle. —When one 
enters a splendid domain like Glamis they are speedily 
absorbed with the vast and attractive surroundings, 
which give abundance of scope for reflection to one 
who is an ardent admirer of fine landscapes, and 
though the rain was pelting mercilessly at the time of 
our entrance to the orderly and admirably kept policies 
of this noble seat, we could not resist the temptation 
to linger and admire the rural beauty which meets one 
on all sides. Passing through the fine collection of 
Conifers, which are rapidly closing up, and will 
doubtless ere long require the use of the woodman’s 
axe among them, we entered the well-kept kitchen 
garden, which is closely cropped with vegetables, such 
as one would suppose had been well suited by the 
summerless weather which had prevailed for months 
past. 
It is pleasing in these day3 of enforced retrenchment 
of labour and garden requirements to visit a place 
such as Glamis, and see in each department the results 
of consummate care, high order, and horticulture 
generally represented as it should be on the property of 
one of Scotland’s most popular nobles. We quite 
expected to see everything turned to the best account 
at Glamis, as the antecedents of Mr. Whitton, Lord 
Strathmore’s head gardener, warrant this. He is a 
most worthy successor to the late Mr. Johnston (whose 
name was for many years before the public), and 
we confldently look to Glamis as a leader of the 
horticultural van in Scotland. We were courteously 
received by Mr. Whitton, who conducted us through 
the gardens. The two ranges of glass, each 400 ft. 
long, are very imposing from their fine position and 
substantial character. 
In the fruit houses, as may be supposed, there is an 
abundance of Grapes, Peaches, and Figs. Some of the 
structures in which Pines were cultivated are now 
being used for plants which are to be increased for 
decorative purposes, and cut flowers will also be a 
specialty. Stagefuls of young plants in stove treat¬ 
ment (for foliage), and large quantities of healthy 
young stock to supply cut flowers are now in the best 
possible condition. Every portion under glass is well 
occupied with the most useful items which are in 
request in such an establishment. Tomatos, Melons, 
and Cucumbers come in for their full share of high 
cultural attention, and the Tomatos which seem to 
have preference are American and Moore’s Seedlings. 
The Melon that stands in highest estimation is 
Glamis Hybrid, and no wonder, as it is one of the best 
kinds grown. 
The doings at Glamis in years gone by have often 
appeared in print. Minute details have been given in 
several horticultural papers, and at present we have 
enough in our pleasant recollections of our late visit to 
till a good part of one issue of The Gardening World, 
but such is not opportune at the present time. In due 
course, Mr. Whitton, if life and good health fall to his 
lot, will maintain the reputation of Glamis in the 
highest degree, and afford scribblers unlimited matter 
for their pens. A capital start has been made in a 
season which will long be memorable for its low tem¬ 
perature, absence of sun-heat, and cold drenching 
rains. We left Glamis after a brief but most pleasant 
visit, travelling westward, with an intense desire to 
call at 
Meiklour. 
We took train accordingly, and made a call upon our 
old friend, Mr. Mathieson, who has charge, under the 
Dowager Marchioness of Lansdowne, of the beautiful 
gardens, as well as sharing wide responsibility apart 
from horticulture. Mr. Mathieson was at one time a 
formidable foe on the exhibition table, and the large 
Peaches, Plums, &c., are not yet forgotten by those who 
came into conflict at some of the large Scottish shows 
with Mathieson o Tulliallan, ” Since his appoint¬ 
ment at Meiklour, extensive renovations have taken 
place throughout the grounds and park, besides the 
formation of entirely new gardens, and now the prin¬ 
cipal work is finished, and assumes an established 
aspect. 
We cannot tell what the place was before, but now 
it is one of the most beautiful and attractive seats of 
the district. There are magnificent drives to the noble 
mansion, and spacious lawns kept in the best possible 
order. The river Tay, so famous for its salmon in these 
parts, winds pleasantly among the trees, and green 
slopes of grass, closely shaven, add a charm to the 
scene. It is pleasing to observe in the wide lawns in 
front of the mansion there has been no defacement by 
cutting up the space into formal or informal beds for 
flowering plants or shrubs, neither is there the non¬ 
sensical “dotting” with trees so common in some 
grounds, but there is a breadth and clearness over a 
good space till the gigantic trees in the forest are 
reached. In front of the mansion a grand feature is, 
at a distance, a wido opening forming an avenue, 
extending the view far across country. Though we 
can admire to the full the densely wooded lands so 
commonly met with around Scottish seats, we still 
retain a hankering love for the open landscapes common 
in old parks throughout England. Shelter by all 
means is desirable, but an open frontage to the south 
is enlivening and picturesque. This has been taken 
advantage of as far as possible here, and any change 
in order to restrict the southern views at Meiklour 
would simply be an act of vandalism. 
Well, we were repaid by the smart walk, under 
drenching rain and boisterous wind, through the 
charming grounds of Meiklour. To do justice to the 
gardening would require unlimited space, as, like 
Glamis, the objects are so varied and noteworthy that 
nothing less than pages of a journal would in any way 
suffice to give a fair idea of what we had impressed 
upon our mind. The finely arranged vegetable garden, 
so clean, orderly, and clothed with a profusion of 
vegetables is most creditable, and while making 
comments on the order and high keeping everywhere 
visible, Mr. Mathieson modestly remarked that to 
maintain this was comparatively simple, as his charge 
in other departments necessitates extensive employment 
of labour, and one squad can at times be brought to 
the aid of the other. The ground for vegetables and 
fruits, as at Idvies and Glamis, appears to be of the very 
best, and the site for such a garden is remarkably 
well chosen—quite away from the park scenery, while 
the buildings, as also at the other places -named, 
cause no blot on the landscape. 
Among the vegetable products Asparagus is a special 
item—certainly the strongest we ever saw in Scotland; 
the stems generally near the base would average (we 
do not wish to exaggerate) nearly 1| ins. in diameter. I 
am sure such Asparagus would delight our friend Mr. 
Allan, at Gunton Park, Norfolk, who has made such 
headway beyond his fellows in the growth of this 
esteemed vegetable. At Meiklour large breadths of this 
gigantic Asparagus—so suitable for forcing—are grown. 
Mr. Mathieson seems to have completely mastered the 
Carrot difficulty, as there is not one in six cultivators 
of this vegetable who can get a crop before the roots 
are perforated with grub. At Meiklour the same 
ground, season after season, is chosen for this crop, and 
is well manured with rotten material. Strawberries 
are a special crop, and mostly confined to about three 
kinds. Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury and President 
are the favourites, being certain and abundant croppers. 
Elton Pina is grown for late supply, but though not 
highly flavoured, it is a favourite throughout Scotland 
for fruiting during September. Pears are a partial 
crop only, and the kinds that can be best relied on are 
Louise Bonne of Jersey and Beurre d’Esperen. Except 
small fruits, the general crops are light, and, we fear, 
cannot be of good quality. The season up to the 
present has certainly been adverse to the ripening of 
fruit-buds for next year. 
In this fine garden are to be seen immense breadths of 
plants to supply cut flowers, such as 1,000 East Lothian 
Stocks, with blooms all double, and which will, of 
course, affect seed saving this year. A quantity by 
themselves, of a soft mauve colour, are very striking, 
and (to us) is a novelty in the East Lothian strain. 
Lily of the Valley is a special item, and about half an 
acre or so is cultivated for forcing and late supplies. 
Among noticeable items worth recording are the beau¬ 
tiful lines of Box along the walks ; they look as exact 
and compact as if they were wood or stone. Growth is 
remarkably equal and rounded on the top—not a gap 
to be seen, the whole being about 3 ins. high. 
The glass structures are chiefly in one handsome 
range running across the north portion of the garden. 
They are curvilinear in form, light-looking, but sub¬ 
stantial, and they show off the healthy foliage and 
excellent crops of fine fruit which clothe the roof 
from end to end. Peaches, Nectarines and Grapes are 
the chief occupants, and are as good as could be 
wished. Black Hamburgh and white Muscat Grapes 
are the kinds most valued. The bunches are mainly 
of medium size, with fine highly-coloured berries, 
which are generally found to meet all purposes. 
Peaches are represented principally by Eoyal George 
and Grosse Mignonne for main crops. The kind named 
Violette Hative is also a favourite. Lord Napier and 
Violette Hative Nectarines are in special favour, and 
form a goodly portion of the kinds under cultivation. 
In the centre of this fine range of glass, space remains 
unoccupied on which plant structures are to be erected. 
The number and forms of them yet remain in abeyance, 
but a centre piece is wanted to complete such a hand¬ 
some range. Leaving these gardens, the visit to 
which afforded us so much pleasure, we proceeded, 
under the guidance of Mr. Mathieson, to view one of 
the wonders of the country in the form of 
An Immense Beech Hedge, 
500 yards long and 75 ft. to 85 ft high, densely 
clothed with foliage, in perfect health, and quite entire 
in outline. We do not wonder that such a huge hedge 
should be noticed in tourists’ guide books. We sup¬ 
pose there is not such another hedge in the world, which 
is, perhaps, as well, as human life must be in some 
danger while clipping is in operation, and a novice in 
such matters must be puzzled to understand how the 
work is performed. We left this charming district 
much delighted with our second day’s outing, and travel¬ 
ling by a late train to Perth, we arrived at the Waverley 
Hotel, where we penned these fragmentary notes while 
they were fresh in our memory, though not with the 
view of conveying an adequate idea of the gardens 
we had seen.— Caledonian. 
The Fruit Season in Kincardineshire.—We 
in these northern regions have had to contend with 
such a season as few now alive remember. The early 
part of winter was so good that in the beginning of 
February the buds had begun to swell on bush fruits, 
but towards the middle of the month the weather 
entirely changed, and on to the middle of April cofi- 
tinued very boisterous, with heavy snowstorms and 
excessive frost. This had the effect of severely 
damaging the buds on the Raspberry canes, especially 
in low-lying districts, and still later, when the Goose¬ 
berry flowers had opened, a few days of sharp frost at 
once dissipated the hopes of the fruit grower in so 
far as the Gooseberry was concerned. Further on 
through the summer the weather continued cold and 
ungenial, with often slight frosts during the night, 
damaging in some measure the flowers of earlier sorts 
of Strawberries, especially in forward districts, while in 
later districts the bloom on these fruits was very rich; 
but the cold northerly winds which prevailed through¬ 
out the season rendered their progress slow and un¬ 
satisfactory. 
The first of the Strawberries got into market about a 
month later than usual. In some parts of the country 
the early part of the crop was very light, while in 
others it was fairly abundant. One fruit-grower on a 
northerly exposure had not a pound where he generally 
had a hundredweight. The later sorts, especially 
Myatt’s Seedling, which is the standard crop in the 
north, although showing an extra fine bloom, turned 
out on the whole a good deal below the average in 
fruit, both for quantity and quality. 
Regarding our own crop, the Gooseberries have been 
an entire failure. A good breadth of the Raspberries 
never sent out fruiting budsat all; Baumforth’s Seedling 
did not ripen a single berry, while the Antwerp on both 
sides turned out fairly well. Black Currants were 
under the average for crop, but the berries were of good 
quality. Red Currants were also under average, both 
as regards quality and crop. Strawberries on the 
whole turned out pretty well: Rivers’ Eliza was a very 
fine crop, from which we are even still gathering a few. 
Sir Joseph Paxton, which last year was our best, has 
done no good. Duke of Edinburgh, in a more sheltered 
corner, turned out some enormous berries, although, 
as usual, rather wanting in sweetness. The Aberdeen 
Favourite, which we anticipate is never to be 
worth the room it occupies, turned out badly. The 
Myatt’s Seedling seemed as if it would never have 
ripe fruit, although blooming very freely; but as 
August wore on the fruit began to swell, and by the 
end of the month we had picked a few, but during 
the last two weeks, which have brightened up things 
considerably, we have had fairly good gatherings. 
Even now the unripe fruits are very plentiful, and with 
good weather we may be able to supply the market 
for another two or three weeks. The price of fruit 
during the season has done much to make up for want 
of quantity, so that growers in this quarter have no 
great cause to complain. —James Sim, The Temple, 
Stonehaven. _ 
Calliopsis tinctoria. —Amongst hardy annuals 
grown at Glenstal Castle, thi is, perhaps, the most 
showy of any, especially of such things as are eligible 
for cutting purposes. Mr. Wellerintends to devote a 
large bed to it next year, when I am sure its beauty 
will be further enhanced. 
