j uly 29, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
EATON HALL. 
The annual picnic of the members of the Manchester 
Horticultural Improvement Society took place on 
the 13th inst., the place chosen for a visit on this 
occasion being Eaton Hall, the splendid Cheshire 
seat of the Duke of Westminster; and, like all its 
predecessors, it was thoroughly enjoyed. The party 
numbered some seventy gentlemen, and included the 
president, the four vice-presidents, the indefatigable 
secretary, and one or two members of the Manchester 
City Council. 
Starting in special saloon carriages from the 
Exchange Station of the London and North-Western 
Railway at 940 a.m., a rapid run through the 
pleasant larmlands of homely Cheshire, where the 
sickle of the harvester was already at work (July 13 !) 
brought the party to Chester by eleven o’clock. 
Hence, without delay, they made for Eccleston 
Ferry, passing through that beautiful park which 
forms so great an ornament to the ancient city—the 
plished head gardener, Mr. Barnes, who, during the 
afternoon, notwithstanding his multifarious duties, 
most courteously and kindly devoted a large portion 
of his valuable time to showing what was notable in 
the vast gardens and innumerable glasshouses, in 
the management and ordering of which he is assisted 
by a staff of forty to fifty men. 
There is a large general collection of plants at 
Eaton, and so far as we could see, Mr. Barnes’ sub 
jects were all in perfect health and vigour. In the 
long glass corridor into which open numerous plant- 
houses, and itself a sort of exi ended conservatory, we 
noticed two plants worthy of special remark, and 
which indeed excited the admiration of every gar¬ 
dener present. The'first of these was a gigantic 
specimen of that splendid climber, Bougainvillea 
glabra, whose flowers, with their large mauve- 
coloured bracts, make it a striking object wherever it 
is seen. The specimen in question was planted 
against the wall, in an open border, and was the 
largest and most abundantly floriferous specimen we 
house fifty years since. Cassia corymbosa. Grown 
on a wall, and planted in the open border, as at 
Eaton, this beautiful Cassia, with its countless 
flowers of a rich golden >ellow shining out from a 
mass of the most graceful bright green foliage, makes 
an entirely charming and captivating object. And 
why should a plant so easy of culture be so rare in 
collections ? And so useful, too ! for without break 
or intermission the plant will go on blooming from 
early summer to Christmas; and one may cut, and 
cut, and cut from it without ceasing. At the "Feast 
of Flora ’ ’ it is a veritable piece cie resistance at 
any time within the above period you may cull rrom 
this accommodating subject a complete bouquet as 
graceful in foliage as beautiful in flower. 
Both the subjects named are susceptible of green¬ 
house treatment. Among stove pi ants proper, grown 
with conspicuous success at Eaton Hall, is that 
glorious climber, Allamanda Hendersoni, at this 
moment in full splendour. Orchids are fairly repre¬ 
sented, and a house of Odontoglots were in magnifi- 
Carpenteria californica. 
" Grosvenor.” At the ferry a junction was effected 
with the Liverpool contingent, and the combined 
party started by steamer up the Dee, surely—with 
its wooded banks, frequent bends, and lovely vistas— 
one of the most charming of English rivers. After a 
delightful sail—too brief for the pleasure it afforded 
—the ducal grounds were reached, and a hearty 
luncheon partaken of (all but al fresco) in preparation 
for the day’s fatigues. Here, also, the photographer 
to the society, who had accompanied the excursionists 
from Manchester, took a photograph of the party in 
one large group, amid much pleasant chaff and 
banter; and, indeed, throughout the day a most 
infectious good humour prevailed, except during one 
brief period to which reference will be made anon. 
Eaton to be seen aright would take long ; to be 
described aright much longer; and “ guide books ” 
are not in our way. To horticulturists proper horti¬ 
culture is of most interest, and the gardens of Eaton 
Hall naturally received the party's chief attention. 
Through these they were conducted by the accom- 
have evef met with, yielding thousands of blooms, 
covering with the utmost grace and abandon, several 
hundred square feet of wall, and giving one an idea 
of what this glorious plant becomes in Algeria and 
the Atlantic isles, not to name its natural home— 
the Brazils But indeed this plant, as useful as it 
is handsome, is as a rule far too much coddled ; for 
it may be grown not only in an intermediate but a 
greenhouse temperature, and the plant has even been 
flowered—and well-flowered—out of doors, in the 
South of England, for a couple of months running. 
Moreover, the ornamental bracts which give the 
plant its striking character may, if desired, be pre¬ 
served for almost any period. Let no one who has 
the necessary accommodation grow this Bougain¬ 
villea in pots, unless for exhibition purposes. 
The last remark applies with equal force to the 
second plant which so specially struck our attention. 
This was that delightful old subject, introduced from 
Buenos Ayres about a century ago, and which We 
distinctly remember as adorning our father's green- 
Cent health. "’j Among subjects in bloom, perhaps the 
most striking was Cattleya gigas. In one of the 
houses a species of Birth wort—Aristolochia elegans, 
with its curiously “ printed ’’ flowers, arrested general 
attention. In bedding arrangements, an admirable 
combination was obtained by the employment of the 
following plants in an extended border, namely, 
Sweets Peas in colours, for a background, and white 
Snapdragons, scarlet Pelargoniums, Iresine Lindeni,. 
variegated Jacob’s Ladder, Lobelias, and golden 
Pyrethrums, in the order named. 
Our examination of the herbaceous borders was 
necessarily hurried, but we had the pleasure of re¬ 
newing the acquaintance with many a charming old 
favourite, from the brilliant scarlet Lychnis (“ Pride 
of Bristol’’) to the singular Echinops, with its- 
curious spheroidal inflorescence. Very striking and 
beautiful were the creamy-white blossoms of the 
heart-leaved Bocconia (B. cordata), so large as to 
make it a prominent feature of the border, and 
abundant use had been most advisedly made of the- 
