June 21, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
CGI 
Hibberd thought such co-operation might be ad¬ 
vantageous, and as a Fellow of the society he concurred 
in the suggestion. Mr. Bunyard was of opinion that if 
the society’s proposed exhibition of preserved fruits were 
added to a City Apple and Pear Show, the exhibition 
would be more complete. Mr. Wright thought the 
question was one for consideration by the Court of the 
Fruiterers’ Company on the one hand, and the Council 
of the Society on the other, to consider and decide. 
If he thought the proposed City show was antagonistic 
to the Royal Horticultural Society, or any society, he 
would have nothing to do with it, but it was not. Mr. 
Smee thought it would be well to see what the City 
could do this year. 11 was eventually decided, probably 
in view of the time that would be occupied in 
negotiations, that this year the Fruiterers’ Company 
should do the best they could without any formal 
alliance, and welcome assistance from whatever quarter 
it might come. 
The following resolution, proposed by Mr. Smee, 
seconded by Mr. Rivers, and supported by Mr. 
Hibberd, was passed unanimously “ That this meet¬ 
ing of a committee of the Fruiterers’ Company and of 
practical fruit growers, is of opinion that an exhibition 
of home-grown fruit, implements, &c., held in the City 
of London in the autumn of the present year would 
tend to increase the interest of the general public in the 
cultivation of fruit in our homesteads and cottage 
gardens.” 
A sub-committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs. 
G. Bunyard, J. Cheal, S. Hibberd, T. F. Rivers, A. H. 
Smee, and J. Wright, to act with the Fruiterers’ 
Company in carrying out the above resolution.— Com¬ 
municated. 
-- 
A VISIT TO ARDDARROCH AND 
FINN ART. 
Visiting gardens in the Western Highlands of Scot¬ 
land, while of a most pleasant nature, is generally 
more or less attended with inconveniences of an insur¬ 
mountable character. This being what may not 
inaptly be called the “lake district” of Scotland, is 
especially inconvenient for visiting, seeing that it must 
needs be performed by making long detours by steamer, 
and almost invariably by ascending hills and descending 
dales that, in many cases, tries one’s lung power and 
agility, as it would a heavily handicapped horse. To 
avoid a detour by steamer of about thirty miles, and a 
walk or drive of three miles, we launched our own little 
craft, and pulled up Loch Long to Arddarroch, a dis- 
tmce of six miles, accomplishing the journey in an 
hour and ahalf, landing there as promised (when accept¬ 
ing Mr. Brown’s invitation) at 3 p.m. on Saturday, 
May 31st. Not having the pleasure of Mr. Brown’s 
acquaintance hitherto, we valued the invitation to 
“ come and see the Orchids” all the more. Landing 
within ten minutes’ walk of th6 gardens, we pro¬ 
ceeded at once to find the “chief,” in which we soon 
succeeded, and on introducing ourselves received a 
hearty welcome, and were ushered into the Orchid 
houses without further ceremony. 
Here I cannot do better than support the able re¬ 
marks of Mr. Thomson, of Clovenfords, at p. 616 of 
The Gardening World, and re-echo the pleasure it 
afforded us to see such a wealth of Orchid bloom. 
Certainly it never has been our pleasure to look upon 
anything in the way of Orchids so rich and varied. It 
was a sight indeed worthy of a day’s journey even to 
get a glimpse of; but we were privileged to get a full 
and most interesting description of all we saw, with, in 
many cases, their history, by Mr. Brown himself, 
whose keen, sensitive eye could detect a flaw, or 
descant on a point of exceptional quality or beaut)' 
that at once indicated he was no round man in a square 
hole, and that he had the interest of the collection 
entrusted to his care fully at heart. This house—the 
show house—has been so ably described already that 
it would be presumptive on my part to add another 
word to it. Passing from the show house, reluctantly, 
we enter another house, where a fine piece of Dendro- 
bium moschatum forms the centre of a representative 
group. On the bench to the left are some healthy 
Vandas, and entering an adjoining section we have 
before us a miscellaneous collection, all in perfect order. 
Leaving this we are shown into an Odontoglossum 
house, in which are some fine pieces of 0. Alex¬ 
andra in bloom, as also some choice Masdevallias ; but 
time would fail to particularise. 
We now ascend a flight of steps, and are on a terrace 
overlooking the range we have just left ; and are again 
surprised to find another triple range of low, span- 
roofed houses (built ridge and furrow fashion), each 
about 60 ft. long, and filled with Orchids. The outer 
one on the right hand side is filled with Cattleyas, 
about a year imported, amongst which are expected some 
pieces worthy of the collection. Many of these are 
showing their sheaths, while numbers are opening, and 
one in particular is gaining interest daily from its 
promising to be a white variety, the colour which has 
been specially desired by Mr. White, in ordering. 
Among this lot is one occupying a conspicuous position 
at the extreme end of the house, and grown in a huge 
basket measuring at least 3 ft. in diameter. The middle 
house is filled to overflowing with a splendid lot of 
Odontoglots—chiefly Alexandra ; with a few Oncidiums 
at intervals. One Alexandra in bloom was so pure 
white and rotund in form, in place of the usually 
elongated form, that it was an object of great interest. 
The next house is full of young plants, chiefly 
Odontoglossums, in pots varying from thumbs to 3 ins. 
diameter. It may safely be computed that there are 
thousands in this house ; in short, quite enough to stock 
a good range of cool houses. We leave this, descending 
by another way, and find ourselves in a large, well- 
lighted potting shed, and are shown with pride a new 
invention for sifting peat—designed and made by Mr. 
White himself, the enthusiastic founder and proud 
possessor of this recherche, collection. This sifting 
machine (as I shall call it for the want of a better 
name) is shaped like a drum, with ends made of wood ; 
three iron bars connect these ends, while the outer 
circumference is composed of fine wire netting ; an 
aperture of the same material being provided to open ami 
shut like a door for filling and extracting. The peat 
placed inside is tossed about in a ruthless fashion by 
driving a handle much the same as driving a revolving 
churn. It is very ingenious and useful, and at the 
same time is simplicity itself. Adjoining this shed is the 
Mushroom house, in which fine crops are growing. 
We are now in what may be termed the propagating 
square, as it is filled with low-span and half-span 
houses, pits and frames, in the centre of which is placed 
the propagating pit proper—a low sunk three-quarter- 
span pit in two divisions, forming at once a propa¬ 
gating pit for stove and greenhouse plants, while when 
struck, the young plants may have an intermediate 
temperature if desired. We pass from this to another 
small range of lean-to, or partially three-quarter-span 
houses, in which we find Dendrobiums by the hundred, 
stood on a bed with bottom heat, and their heads near 
the glass, making their growths like willows ; while in 
an adjoining division is a mixed lot of Phalsenopsids, 
Dendrobes, choice Cypiipediums and many seedlings 
of different varieties, some in veritable thumb pots 
plunged in sphagnum inside of small pans ; all showing 
their characters in a most interesting way. As we 
emerge from this range, the bothy or young men’s 
lodge is in front of us ; and a more fitting place for 
the young men could not easily be found, surrounded 
as they are on all sides with glasshouses of every 
description. This, too, has undergone a vast im¬ 
provement; Mr. and Mrs. White paying great regard to 
the comfort of all, old and young, who have the pleasure 
to be in their service, and by personal attentions and 
kindly words and actions endearing themselves to 
all who surround them. 
We are now conducted through the stoking shed, and 
enter another range—the original range—which is 
composed of a large out-shot greenhouse in the centre, 
with a vinery at either side, the extreme ends being 
senii-circular, and making a tidy range. The green¬ 
house is filled with the usual occupants, all in fine 
bloom, while the semi-circular ends are provided with 
stove-heat. That at the extreme east is filled with 
ordinary stove plants—Eucbaris, Palms, Dracienas, 
Crotons, &c.—while that at the extreme west is filled 
with the finer forms, interspersed with foliage plants. 
In the vineries are good crops of Grapes—the early, the 
ripe, and the late—newly thinned. We are at once 
assured that the Grapes are “nothing” new, and con¬ 
sequently receive little or no attention. 
A Run Through Finnart. 
Passing out of this range, Mr. Brown suggests that we 
should go over and have a “run through” Finnart, 
which, it may be mentioned, is just over the way from 
Arddarroch, the high road from Garelochead to Arrochar 
separating the two places. After a short perambulation 
we find Mr. McLean, and receive here also a most 
encouraging welcome. We are at once shown through 
the houses, which are all of recent construction, and 
built on the most approved principles, and on the 
foundations of the old houses. They are built on 
terraces, and are thus not quite so convenient as 
when all on the same level, but withal have a 
very pleasing effect as seen from the high ground in 
front. We first enter the greenhouse, which from its 
chaste design and even proportions, as also fine finish, 
might be called the conservatory. Here our attention 
is at once arrested by a fine specimen of Phormium 
tenax variegata, with a flower spike on it of about 8 ft. 
or 10 ft. high. The arrangement here is very neat and 
easy, flowering and foliage plants being well balanced. 
Among the former of these we notice Carnation 
Souvenir de la Malmaison (pink and salmon colours) 
just opening, which will be worth going a long way to 
see in a week or two, These are exceptionally well 
grown ; in fact, so strikingly well done that we had 
the boldness to ask Mr. McLean his mode of culture, 
which was frankly given, and we may be pardoned for 
expressing the hope of seeing it described in the pages of 
The Gardening World by-and-bye. 
Entering another house to the right we are among a 
very fine lot of Ferns, chiefly Adiantum cuneatum, all 
very well done. This is the Fern house, yet we 
could not help thinking a number of huge Gacti 
Jenkinsoni furnishing the back wall was out of place ; 
but they had been there for so long that they had 
established themselves as special pets, however un¬ 
kindly they may be to the touch. On the opposite 
side to the greenhouse, and built on the same principle 
as the Fern house (lean-to), is a Peach house. The 
trees here are for the most part old, but are carrying 
fair crops, a Nectarine on the back wall being specially 
fine. We now descend a flight of steps, and are shown 
into a Melon house of two divisions, one of which is 
temporarily used for rearing greenhouse plants, while 
in the other portion is a fine healthy lot of Melon 
plants just “ showing,” and judging from their healthy 
leathery foliage and the even “shows ’’ of the different 
flowers, I may safely predict a good crop. In this 
house, too, on the back wall are grown a few Tomatos 
from cuttings, the fruits of which are now ripe, and 
hang like ropes of Onions. These two houses are three- 
quarter span, and are quite the structure needed for 
the purposes intended. 
Descending another flight of steps we find ourselves 
in a large span-roofed stove—an exceptionally good 
house—well filled with good healthy plants, both 
foliage and flowering. Some splendid plants of Pan¬ 
cratium speciosum claim our attention as being the most 
enormous I ever saw. These are growing in 12-iu. and 
14-in. pots, have foliage of a thick rigid texture, and 
measure at least 4 ft. in diameter. They carried some 
dozens of spikes each last year, and I have no doubt 
they will do so again. Palms, Dracienas, Crotons, 
Ferns, and some very fine Orchids of a representative 
character are interspersed all over the house, while the 
roof is draped with some choice creepers. Among those 
we noted as specially fine were two plants of Stephanotis 
floribunda, which, for the area they cover and their 
perfect health, have few equals anywhere. They are 
just showing flower, and from their appearance at 
nearly every joint, they will be quite a sight presently. 
Some very fine plants of Allamanda Hendersoni are 
trained up in different sections, while the end section 
opposite the door is draped with a splendid plant of 
Clerodendron Balfourianum in full bloom. Another 
flight of steps descended, and we are in the vineries. 
In the early house Grapes are colouring—principally 
