September 29, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
67 
through, it appears to he a very useful lot, not only for 
furnishing cut blooms, but more particularly for 
grouping, ranging in height from about 7 ft. down to 
good sturdy front-row plants about 2 ft. high. 
One morning I paid a visit to Davington Priory, the 
residence of Mrs. Bramah. On entering I noticed on the 
post of the gate the date 1153, and the pretty old- 
fashioned mansion and buildings I found within would 
charm the antiquarian, but I am not one. 1 had gone 
to visit the “ Mums,” and thanks to the courtesy of the 
gardener, Mr. George Akhurst, I had an opportunity 
of inspecting a very fine collection, groivn more par¬ 
ticularly for grouping purposes. Mr. Akhurst is not 
a believer in new varieties until they have been well 
tried, but prefers to grow plants he can rely upon. I 
found, however, just a sprinkling of tolerably recent 
introductions, that have gained good reputations, such 
as Edouard Audiguier, &c. The grounds cover about 
seven acres, the lawns and gardens occupying four 
acres. Zonal and double-flowered Ivy-leaved Pelar¬ 
goniums are well done here, and conspicuous among 
the latter I noticed Souvenir de Charles Turner in good 
condition. I also saw a grand collection of Pseony 
Yictoria and Emperor Asters, some of the blooms of 
which would give the Chrysanthemum grower some 
good practice with the ivory tongs. A border of 
Salpiglossis in Tront of a bank of shrubs was exceedingly 
attractive. Both double and single Begonias are well 
done here, and a border of herbaceous Phloxes was a 
blaze of colour. 
At Preston House, the residence of It. T. Hilton, 
Esq., I saw a fine collection of “Mums,” about 400, 
each showing the care and attention bestowed upon 
them by the gardener, Mr. James Taylor, who has the 
good fortune to have a large space to devote to his 
plants, enabling him to spread them out, giving them 
one of the most essential things in “ Mum ’’ growing, 
viz., plenty of light and air. An additional advantage 
is derived from a belt of fine old trees some distance 
away, which protect them from the north and east 
winds. Proses, Dahlias, and Asters are grown in 
abundance here, and one of the most attractive sights 
is a mixed border about 50 yards long, in which I 
noticed clumps of free-blooming plants of the cut-and- 
come-again class, amongst them being some fine plants 
of Gypsophila paniculata. Mr. Taylor has four houses 
of Ferns, stove plants, &c., but the most attractive 
was a house which will shortly be used for Chrysan¬ 
themums. It is a large lean-to, and contains now a 
handsome collection of zonal Pelargoniums, &c. Along 
the roof are trained plants of Lapageria alba and rosea, 
with hundreds of delicate wax-like blooms hanging 
from them. — A Grower. 
Early-flowering Yarieties. 
Being, like your correspondent, Mr. Francis Mead, 
desirous of extending the flowering season of the Chry¬ 
santhemum over as long a period as possible, perhaps 
a little of my experience may be useful to him. My 
demand for cut flowers being very great, I am glad of 
well-grown clean Chrysanthemums as early and as late 
as possible (and I might here say that last year I cut 
them from June, 1887, to April, 1888), as some of your 
readers can testify. 
In June I manage to get into flower ready for cutting 
St. Mary, Mdme. Piccol, Fredk. Pele, and Jardin des 
Plantes, and cannot agree with your correspondent 
that these are not worth pot culture, for if partially 
disbudded and fed the result pays well. These continue 
through July, with a few of the others turning in at 
intervals ; but for August I can depend upon Anastasio, 
Chromatella, La Petite Marie, Precocite, Blushing 
Bride, Golden Fleece, Little Bob, and St. Crouts. 
Of larger-flowering varieties, which your corre¬ 
spondent wishes for September, I would recommend ;— 
Alice Butcher 
G. Wermig 
La Yierge 
Lyon 
Mdme. C. Desgrange 
Mdme. Jolivart 
Mdlle. Leoni Lassali 
Mr. Y7. Piercy 
Mrs. Burrell 
Mrs. Cullingford 
Mrs. Hawkins 
Mrs. J. R. Pitcher 
Jeanne Couchant 
Precocite Japonais 
Samuel Henshaw 
Simon Delaux. 
After the above, from the first to the third week in 
October, we have :— 
Alexander Dufour 
Isidore Feral 
M. E. Pynaert—Yan Geert 
Mons. W. Holmes 
Ete Fleuri 
President 
Bouquet CEstival 
Henry Drake 
Feu de Bengale 
L’Africaine 
Souvenir de Madame Blan- 
dinieres 
Roi des Precoees 
Mons. Chretien. 
These make a good succession of summer-flowering 
varieties until the main batch commences to turn in.— 
J. H. Witty, Highgate. 
Early-flowering Yarieties. 
Would you kindly give me the name of the earliest good 
white Chrysanthemum that is better than Madame 
Domage ? I have had yellow and pink varieties in 
bloom in the garden since the end of August, but 
Madame Desgrange and Sirs. Cullingford are not yet 
out. If there is a good white earlier for the border I 
should be glad to know its name— L. H., Hammer¬ 
smith, W. [Nanum, a large Pompon, is the earliest 
white, and would come in well with the yellow and 
pink flowers you mention. Mrs. J. R. Pitcher, 
Japanese, blush in the open, but white under cover ; 
and Mdlle. Leoni Lassali, ivory-white, both flower at 
the latter end of July.— Ed.] 
A Warning to Growers. 
I sympathise with the subscriber from co. Cork, who, 
in wishing to beat the record with his Chrysanthemums 
this year, has so woefully handicapped himself by the 
incautious and too plentiful use of nitrate of soda—a 
stimulant that requires using sparingly, or the ill 
effects are soon apparent. I have seen .it used with 
marked success to vegetable crops this season. The 
desire to ‘ 1 fake them up ” often leads to disappoint¬ 
ment with Chrysanthemum growers. I remember, 
when a journeyman, being told by the foreman, who 
had great faith in sheep manure, “to give it to them 
regular black.” Of course I obeyed the order, but I 
plainly saw that it was overdone. What is the opinion 
of cultivators regarding the wet, dull summer of 1888, 
and respecting the pros and cons of Chrysanthemum 
growing ? The glorious weather we are now having 
will ripen up the growth and check mildew, which is 
this season very prevalent amongst Marrows and 
out-door Cucumbers, and has attacked the Chrysanthe¬ 
mums. I would beg to ask your correspondent, Mr. 
Molyneux, whether he considers the foliage of Burnaby 
distinct from Japonais, of which he had some doubts 
when I sent him a bloom of the former last season.— 
George Potts, Jun., Norlhiam, Sussex. 
-- 
otes from Scotland. 
A Holiday Trip to Scotland. — On August 
17 th a small party, of which I was one, left London 
at 7.15 p.m. on a visit to the “ Land o’ Cakes.” Hot 
until we were nearing the border line could much be 
seen of the country we passed through, from our over¬ 
crowded compartment; but soon after leaving Carlisle 
the great orb—of which we have seen so little this 
summer—began to chase away the darkness, and the 
first object that attracted notice, after crossing the 
Eden, was Hetherby Hall, nestling amongst the trees. 
Passing through Hawick, one of the border burghs, 
about seven o’clock, its beautiful slopes and valleys 
covered with mansions and villas, with the neatly kept 
gardens gay with the many tints of colour in the flower 
beds and borders, all glittering in the morning sunshine, 
did not fail to delight our eyes ; the panoramic view 
was beautiful. Shortly afterwards we made our first 
break on the journey at St. Boswells, a place famed for 
its sheep and cattle sales ; and on the morning in 
question, within the two marts adjoining the station, 
something like 30,000 lambs could be seen, which 
during the day were to pass under the hammer of the 
auctioneer, but as horticulture was our pursuit we made 
our way to the beautiful country residence of Sir 
William Ramsay Fairfax, at 
Maxton House. 
Although gardening under glass is not carried out here 
to any extent, the other departments are well 
managed by Mr. Laing, who for over thirty^ years has 
been the trusted gardener and manager of the estate. 
He is now ably seconded by his son, Mr. G. Laing, 
who has the principal charge of the garden department, 
thereby enabling his father to take a little well-earned 
leisure. It is the natural surroundings of the place 
that will be found of most interest to the visitor, and 
they would repay a long journey to see. The mansion 
stands but a few hundred feet from the public highway, 
from which it is reached by a broad drive, with two 
sweeping curves. In the centre of the gravelled front 
stands a most perfect specimen of the weeping Ash, 
forming underneath a cool retreat for a hot day. At 
the other end is an archway, formed of Mountain Ash, 
the most perfect of the kind I have seen, the walk 
which it spans leading the visitor into a lovely and 
picturesque glen, the slopes of which are covered with 
a variety of trees. Amongst them are some stately 
giants of Spruce and Beech, forming such a canopy that 
only an occasional glimpse of the sky can be seen ; and 
the stillness only being broken by the slight ripple of 
the small stream which passes through it, makes one 
feel as if he were hundreds of miles from the 
busy world. On regaining the public road, we pass 
along it for two or three hundred yards and reach 
Greycrook, 
The property of another member of the family, but at 
present tenanted by J. Cockburn, Esq., a young Orchid 
enthusiast, who, although his accommodation is very 
limited at the present time, has brought together a 
number of real gems. Mr. Cockburn has begun in a 
way that is worthy of imitation by others who purpose 
to commence Orchid cultivation—that is to say, he is 
buying only proved yarieties. They cost a little more 
.at first sight, but are the cheapest in the end. The 
largest and most robust specimen of Ccelogyne barbata 
I have seen was quite at home at the cool end of a small 
stove, having many flower spikes pushing up. Amongst 
plants in flower and bud were Odontoglossum grande, 
O. crispum, O. Pescatorei, and a fine specimen of Vanda 
ecerulea, with a strong spike, which would soon be 
open. The Cypripediums are in good health, C. insigne 
Maulei having already begun to expand its flowers, 
with C. Spicerianum following on. The conservatory 
was quite ablaze with a mixed collection of the usual 
occupants of that department, Begonias predominating. 
Grapes were a heavy crop and well finished. The whole 
place showed much painstaking care on the part of Mr. 
Bryson, the head gardener. Our next move was to 
Ravenswood, 
The residence of Admiral Fairfax, situated on the 
banks of the Tweed and about two miles from Melrose. 
The house stands on an eminence commanding a 
magnificent view of the windings of the river Tweed 
and its wooded slopes. The plant houses and flower 
garden are on a lower platform as it were, and as the 
visitor descends the winding path which leads from 
the drive to the flower garden, a most beautiful and 
pleasing view is obtained of the varied hues and 
colours of the bedding plants, arranged with much 
taste in beds of various sizes and designs on a faultlessly- 
kept lawn. Here the superiority of the Begonia over 
the Pelargonium as a bedding plant was fully de¬ 
monstrated, as seen side by side. Notwithstanding 
the excessive quantity of rain we have had this season, 
the Begonias were one mass of bloom, from the deepest 
scarlet to the purest white. Well might Mr. Yea, the 
able and courteous gardener, point with an air of 
satisfaction and pride to the gorgeous beds before ns, 
and remark, “The bedding plant of the future,” 
adding, “but they must have the proper treatment to 
bring satisfactory results.” As time was limited, I 
did not inquire into his method of working them up 
to such a degree of perfection, but perhaps Mr. Yea 
would favour your readers with a few hints as to his 
treatment through the medium of your valuable paper. 
Mr. Yea is not only a successful cultivator of the 
Begonia as a bedding plant, but also for conservatory 
work ; he is busily engaged in hybridising, and has been 
singularly fortunate, obtaining some grand results. 
One is specially worthy of notice. It is a double 
yellow, superb in form, and specially suited for basket 
work. It is not more than 8 ins. to 10 ins. in height, 
and crowded with flowers drooping all round the 
basket, and as viewed from below, had a very pleasing 
effect. But this is only one among many of great merit. 
Of named sorts there is a large collection ; amongst 
scarlets, Peter Lumsden stood well to the front in point 
of quality. Mrs. Arnold would be hard to beat in the 
light section. 
Orchids are also largely grown and exceedingly well 
done. Some species and varieties that get the character 
of being difficult to grow and flower are here growing 
and flowering like “weeds”; and two, which I 
specially noted, were Cattleya crispa and Dendrobium 
Dalhousianum. The former was simply marvellous ; I 
have so seldom seen it, or been able to flower it satis¬ 
factorily, that I had almost come to look upon it as 
a “weed,” but the plants under Mr. Yea’s care, with 
seven or eight flowers on each spike, have caused me to 
change my opinion of it. Of several plants examined, 
not one lead had failed to sheathe. The Dendrobium 
was a picture of health, each year’s growth out-growing 
the previous ones, and I was informed that it flowers 
as freely as it grows. Many other examples of high 
cultivation could be mentioned, but amongst those in 
flower I may name Cattleya Leopoldii (extra fine), C. 
superba splendens, C. Harrisonianum, C. bicolor, 
Epidendrum vitellinum majus, Odontoglossum crispum, 
O. Uro-Skinneri, Oucidium papilio, O. Kramerii, O. 
dasytyle, 0. crispum (very fine), and many others, all 
of which bear ample testimony to Mr. Yea’s abilities 
as a cultivator.— R. C. Fraser. 
(To be continued.) 
