292 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 7, 1899 
while rain, flooding of the streams, and mud 
on the roads were the only remnants of the 
storm at Errol. 
Calling upon Mr. James Maxwell, the 
gaidener, we were soon ushered into the 
glasshouses, gay with autumn and winter 
flowers. Marguerite Carnations of Sutton’s 
strain, sown in March, had commenced 
flowering in September and by this time 
were in full bloom, and in a great variety of 
pleasing colours,>such as rose, pink, flesh 
pure white and other shades. During the 
dull winter months they flag a little, but 
will blossom out again with the brightening 
daj s of spring. Zonal Pelargoniums in a 
bright array of colours will bloom till the 
end of February or the beginning of March. 
Cyclamens sown about the middle of July, 
1897, are now flowering in 48 and 32-size 
pots. They belong to thegiganteum strain 
and have fine foliage. In another division 
of the same range of glass was a fine lot of 
two-year-old plants of Malmaison Carna¬ 
tions, Princess of Wales being then in 
flower. Many one-year-old plants in 48- 
size pots were also showing their flower 
buds. Germania, 2 ft. high, Uriah Pike 
and Duchess of Fife were other choice 
varieties we noted in the collection. 
Storrie’s winter-flowering Carnations were 
also giving a good account of themselves, 
the colours ranging from pure white through 
flesh, pink, rose, red, and salmon, some 
being striped, and all more or less fringed 
like a Marguerite strain. A batch of 
Schizanthus pinnatus, sown in August last, 
was also coming into bloom. 
The main range of glass consists of 
numerous plant and fruit houses, standing 
parallel to one another and running north 
and south. All are connected along the 
northern end by a three-quarter span corri¬ 
dor, thus offering facilities for attending to 
them, potting, and shifting plants without 
leaving cover. Something like 580 pot- 
plants of Chrysanthemum for large blooms 
were grown last season, and many of them 
brightened the corridor from end to end 
during autumn. Lady Ridgeway produced 
the largest blooms, but many others were 
very fine at the end of November. The 
climbers on the back wall and roof are a 
leading feature of the corridor during the 
greater part of the year. A massive plant 
of Abutilon Boule deNeige, 15 ft. wide and 
10 ft. high, independently of the branches 
taken over the rafters, was flowering freely. 
A large plant of Abutilon rosaeflorum bore 
red flowers. A grand plant of Mackaya 
bella covered 100 sq. ft. of wall space. 
Other climbers that succeed well are 
Srnilax, Acacia verticillata, Plumbago 
. capensis, and Solanum venusturri, the latter 
covering a great area of wall space and 
several of the rafters, and very floriferous 
even at that late period. 
The Begonia house, a span-roofed struc¬ 
ture, was quite gay with the beautiful B. 
Gloire de Lorraine in pots of various sizes, 
and forming bushy, floriferous specimens. 
Sutton's Giant Primulas, in mixture, were 
just commencing to flower in 48 and 32-size 
pots, the foliage showing great vigour. The 
fernery was well stored with the useful 
Maidenhair Feins, also well grown plants 
of Nephrolepis, Microlepia hirta cristata, 
Polypodium aureum, Lomaria gibba, the 
beautiful Anemia rotundifolia, Adiantum 
farleyense, 2^ ft. in diameter, and Asplenium 
viviparum, the latter being i2in. to i8in. in 
diameter, showing that the conditions had 
been favourable to its wellbeing. Large 
Camellias are planted in the central bed of 
the high conservatory, Palms and Ferns 
being distributed amongst them. Single 
Chrysanthemums in bush form were very 
gay and included Rudbeckia, white, Dolly 
Varden, rose, Purity, Mary Anderson, and 
Ewen Cameron, all white. Elsie, Margot, 
and other decorative varieties were also in 
grand form and floriferous. Tacsonias and 
Passiflora Constance Elliott were trained up 
the roof. A notable feature was a large, old 
plant of Boussingaultia baselloides, having 
twisted and intertwined stems, and covering 
much of the roof area on one side of the 
span. The stems bore great bunches of 
tubers resembling bird’s nests in the fading 
light of a cloudy day. 
Ipomoea Horsfalliae laden with trusses of 
flower buds was preparing to expand them 
on the roof of the stove. Other climbers 
doing well in the same house were 
Passiflora quadrangularis, Bougainvillea 
glabra, Aristolochia elegans, and Allamanda 
Hendersoni. A large bush of a single red 
variety of Abutilon rosa sinensis, and a 
double salmon-coloured variety were flower¬ 
ing freely. Crotons of a useful size for 
decorative purposes were staged here in 
quantity; and the same may be said of 
Adiantum farleyense, which is grown in 
small pots for service in the mansion. 
Noticeable also were Begonia corallina, and 
Bougainvillea sanderiana. Spring flower¬ 
ing Cattleyas and Brassia verrucosa were 
some of the representatives of the family 
staged in this house. 
The latest vinery is planted with Alicante, 
Mrs. Pince, Lady Downes, Madresfield 
Court, and Gros Colman Grapes. The 
latter is not popular here, but all were 
carrying large bunches and noble looking 
berries when we saw them. This house is 
usually started about the beginning of 
March. Another vinery also contained a 
considerable quantity of ripe fruit, of which 
the berries of Muscat of Alexandria were 
notable for their colour, flavour, and 
solidity. The berries of Foster’s Seedling 
were finely finished, of a beautiful coppery- 
amber, and of excellent flavour. Madres¬ 
field Court and Muscat Hamburgh are also 
grown in this house ; but of two Vines of 
the last-named, one does not succeed well. 
The borders were renewed last January, 
when Mr. Maxwell found the roots away 
down at the bottom of the soil, at a depth 
of 2^ ft., there being no surface roots. The 
Vines were much bettered by the operation. 
Gros Maroc is grown in an earlier vinery. 
The Peaches were making gross growth in 
too rich a border, and this was counteracted 
by lifting and root-pruning them. The 
young wood is now well set with fruit buds. 
The kitchen garden forms a square by it¬ 
self, while the fruit garden is in front of the 
houses. Both are surrounded by well 
built brick walls 12 ft. high. Fan-shaped 
and cordon trees cover the walls, and give 
good supplies of fruit. Early Alfred and 
Bellegarde Peaches ripen their fruits dur¬ 
ing August and September ; while Princess 
of Wales is later. Speaking of Apples 
reminds us that Errol Park is situated in 
the Carse of Gowrie, famed from ancient 
times for its Apples. The alluvial soil of 
the valley of the Tay still produces good 
crops of fruit where the cultivator takes 
care to see that it is efficiently drained. 
The fruit room here is situated close to the 
main range of glasshouses ; and was stored 
with fine samples of Annie Elizabeth (one 
of the best) Lady Henniker, Bramley’s 
Seedling, Betty Gehson, Warner’s King, 
Cox’s Pomona "(nicely coloured) Sandring¬ 
ham (coloured brownish or bronzy red), 
Newton Wonder, Tyler’s Kernel (richly 
coloured) and other Apples all in fine con¬ 
dition. Pears that did well last season 
were Duchesse d’ Angouleme, Beurre Diel, 
Doyenne du Comice and Princess, the two 
latter especially being excellently flavoured. 
There is no flower garden at Errol Park, 
but the grounds are beautifully wooded, 
and planted with many choice evergreen 
and deciduous trees and shrubs as above 
mentioned. One of the finest of several 
Cedars of Lebanon forms a massive old 
tree about 60 ft 1 , in height. Huge bushes 
or clumps of the Portugal and Cherry 
Laurels are dotted about the lawns amongst 
taller trees. Of the numerous ornamental 
Conifers, we noted a few, including healthy 
and vigorous specimens of Pinus excelsa, 
15 ft. high ; Sequoia sempervirens, Cedrus 
Deodara, 35 ft. to 40 ft. ; two trees of Picea 
Smithii, 45 ft. ; Picea pungens, Abies conco- 
lor 18 ft. ; Cedrus atlantica glauca, 20 ft. ; 
Picea nordmanniana, 15 ft. ; P. nobilis, 
15 ft. to 30 ft. ; P. paryana glauca, and 
Pinus insignis forming a pyramidal tree 
with a broad base. There are also healthy 
and beautifully tapering trees of the 
Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata), 
6 ft. to 8 ft. high. Strikingly distinct is a 
variety of Pseudotsuga Douglasii, with 
imbricate and short, recurved, branches and 
twigs. It turned up in a consignment of 
the ordinary form of the Douglas Fir, some 
years ago, and continues perfectly healthy 
and true to character. Many other equally 
fine Conifers might have been mentioned 
if time and daylight had permitted. 
Sir William is fond of trees and shrubs, 
making additions to the collection from 
time to time. Proceeding in the direction 
of the west lodge, we came upon the most 
recent plantation of flowering trees and 
shrubs, the centre of which is traversed by 
what is known as the yellow walk from the 
colour of the gravel. Choice Rhododen-, 
drons are planted on either side of the walk, 
throughout its length ; while an older col¬ 
lection elsewhere produces a bright bit of 
colour during the flowering season. Here 
were standard Thorns at intervals, also 
Laburnums, Lilacs, Cornus, Ribes, 
Spiraeas, Hollies, Box, Laurustinus, Cera- 
susjaponica flore roseo, Japanese Maples, 
and various other subjects of a similar 
character, which prove hardy here. In¬ 
teresting were large bushes of Philadelphus 
microphyllus, 4 ft. high and 6 ft. through, 
the twiggy shoots of which are very notice¬ 
able in winter, owing to their dark brown 
colour. It is seldom we see bushes of this 
species, of such a size. Arrived at the west 
lodge we returned by the drive, which was 
formed by making a cutting 16 ft. deep, 
and removing the material elsewhere. The 
steep banks are covered with Cherry 
Laurels, kept dwarf by clipping them at 
the same inclination as the banks on which 
they thrive in spite of the steep angle of 
the slopes. As we approached the man¬ 
sion again we passed through avenues of 
tall and massive deciduous trees, mostly 
natives, and doubtless very old. 
--j.- 
Mr. J. C. Tallack, late of Livermere Park, Bury St 
Edmunds, took up his new duties at Shipley Hall 
Gardens on Tuesday last. 
Royal Horticultural Society,—The first meeting of 
the Royal Horticultural Society in 1899 will be held 
as usual in the Drill Hall, James Street, West¬ 
minster, on Tuesday, January 10th, 1 to 4 p.m. 
Mr. T. Turton, for the past twenty years in charge 
of the gardens Maiden Erleigh, Reading, Berks, has 
succeeded the late Mr. W. G. Pragnell, as gardener 
to I. K. D. Wingfield Digby, Esq , M.P., Sherborne 
Castle, Dorset. 
New affiliation.—The very latest from the pro¬ 
vinces is that the Ipswich and East of England 
Horticultural Society is to affiliate with the National 
Chrysanthemum Society, and make a bid for the 
Trophy Competition next November at Westminster. 
Portsmouth, look out! We wonder the Royal 
Horticultural Society has not formulated some simi¬ 
lar scheme for its affiliated societies. It does good, 
and creates, as we see, not only a spirit of com¬ 
petition, but of emulation as well. 
