604 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 20, 1899. 
the walls are wide borders chiefly occupied with 
vegetables, while the walls are utilised for fruit trees. 
Brussels Sprouts had rendered a good account of 
themselves, the last of them being gathered about the 
third week of April. Early Giant Pea was coming 
along to form a succession to those inside the walls; 
and the sime may be said of Cauliflower. Flower 
of Spring, Ellam's Early and Earliest of All Cabbages 
were making good growth on this outside border. 
About three per cent, of the last named bolted, but 
otherwise it is a fine early variety and comes in about 
the same time as Ellam’s Early. 
Dessert Plums are largely planted on the outside 
walls. We noted also cordon Pears on pillars, newly 
planted. Figs are grown on a sheltered, warm 
corner of a wall, and like the stone fruits they will 
no doubt give satisfaction here. There is a Peach 
and Cherry wall facing south, and they carry a fair 
set of fruit, particularly Early Alexander. 
The herb garden is near the fine new bothy erected 
just recently by Mr. Hudson for the comfort and 
convenience of the young gardeners. The herbs are 
represented by Borage, Sorrel, Horehound, Tarragon, 
Cives (an old-fashioned favourite), Fennel, Spear 
Mint, Thyme, and others, making a more complete 
collection of this useful class of plants than is to be 
seen in the general run of gardens. 
On the broad border outside the eastern wall of 
the garden the Pear trees were well furnished with 
blossom. Here also are plantations of Strawberries 
and Potatos on trial to test which varieties are most 
suitable for the place, the former particularly being 
well represented by many varieties. Broad Beans 
were making rapid headway towards the flowering 
stage. Several varieties of Raspberries are also 
grown, and promise well on the eastern aspect,where 
they will only get the morning sun. The heavy soil 
on the top of the chalk serves to retain the moisture, 
so that kitchen gardening even on the chalk may be 
made to produce highly satisfactory results Mr. 
Gibson delights in kitchen gardening and we have no 
doubt he will make the most of the capabilities of 
the place. 
The Glass Department. 
The plant growing and forcing houses are 
situated at the northern end of the kitchen garden, 
most of them being isolated from the latter and sur¬ 
rounded by walls. One division of a span-roofed 
house accommodated a well grown batch of a fine 
strain of Calceolarias, richly spotted with crimson 
on yellow and creamy grounds, in great variety. 
Chinese Primulas were still flowering in another 
compartment, and well grown Tomatos in pots 
were flowering, the varieties grown being Sutton’s 
Perfection, Sutton’s Golden Perfection and Sutton’s 
Eclipse. Carnations worthily occupied a house. 
The bulk of them consisted of the pink Princess of 
Wales; but all the best of Martin Smith’s new 
varieties for last year have been added to the collec¬ 
tion. We noted strong plants of Lady Grimston in 
32-size pots, and coming into bloom; also Mrs. 
Martin Smith, and Calypso, both having very tall 
stems, particularly the former, this being character¬ 
istic of the varieties. Otherwise, however, they are 
very choice sorts. The old favourite border variety, 
Mary Morris, was in fine condition. 
A rich blue strain of Saintpaulia ionantha was 
flowering profusely in the stove. This house is 
chiefly occupied with young stocks of Crotons, Coleus, 
Caladiums, and Acalyphas, all finely coloured for 
the season, pure air and sunshine being as plentiful 
here as anywhere, while smoke is happily absent. 
Gloxinias were already coming into bloom, while 
Begonia Gloire de Lorraine had been flowering pro¬ 
fusely for a long time past. Flowering Orchids were 
represented by Chysis bractescens and Dendrobium 
thyrsiflorum. A fine Stephanotis floribunda on the 
roof is supposed to be the Elvaston variety. Pilea 
muscosa (the Artillery Plant) had assumed a beautiful 
bronze hue. Acalypha Sanderi has also found its 
way here. 
The earliest batch of Tomatos in pots was 3 ft. to 
5 ft. high and setting splendidly, the variety being 
Sutton’s Perfection. They were trained up under 
the roof, and beneath them was a batch of Amaryllis 
of a fine strain, as well as Cyclamen sown in Septem¬ 
ber last. 
A supply of Dwarf Beans has been kept up since 
Christmas, and at the time of our visit, daily pickings 
of pods were being made. They were grown in pans 
or half pots. Sutton’s hybrid Dwarf Bean has red 
flowers, and Magnum Bonum produces larger pods 
than Ne Plus Ultra, but is taller in growth. The 
next house entered contained Dwarf Beans for succes- 
• sion, and Melons had just been planted out. The 
early house of Melons contained a heavy crop of 
fruits well advanced, and calculated to be ripe about 
the middle of this month. The soil on the benches 
in which the Melons have been planted has an 
average depth of 6 in., and stands no chance of 
getting water-logged. The stems are short-jointed 
and the small leaves are stiff and rattle like paper, 
the condition of the plants in every respect indicating 
good culture. The Cucumber beds have likewise 
been made over iron grating, and the second batch 
of the season was carrying fruits of a useful size. 
A vinery of Muscat of Alexandria Grape planted 
about fourteen or fifteen months ago now carries 
some fine bunches on the lower portion of the rods. 
The last batch of Royal Sovereign Strawberry on the 
shelves of this house had just set its fruits. Another 
vinery is planted with Vines of the same age as those 
already mentioned. A fine Ivy-leaved Pelargonium 
covered the back wall, and Fuchsias for the corridor 
of the mansion were being brought along here. 
We next passed into the Mushroom house, where 
several beds were advancing'in succession. Rhubarb 
was still being forced beneath some of the raised 
beds. An old vinery had been converted into a 
forcing house for vegetables. An early batch of 
Peas was coming into flower the second time. The 
picking of the first crop commenced on the 21st 
March. Sutton’s Early Giant Pea was sown in pots 
on the 15th November, and ultimately planted in 
boxes. Good pods were gathered three months and 
a week from the time of sowing the seeds. Straw¬ 
berry Royal Sovereign standing near the glass was 
ripening a fine crop of fruits, the colour of which was 
rich and handsome. Leeks for planting outside 
were already 12 in. long in this house at the time of 
our visit. 
The Peach house contains some old trees on the 
back walls, while young ones are being trained to 
wires along the front. They carry an excellent crop 
of fruit. A heavy crop of Royal Sovereign Straw¬ 
berries was also ripening here, this variety being the 
only one forced at Danesfield. It is certainly well 
adapted for the purpose, and the fruits are richly 
flavoured. 
There is a good set of frames, mostly standing over 
beds of fermenting manure. The old Cyclamen have 
just finishing flowering. Celery was well advanced 
in 48-size pots as a first crop. A fine lot of tree 
Carnations occupied 60-size pots. All the leading 
varieties of Chrysanthemums were grown in quantity 
in the last-named size of pot. 
Vegetables are also well represented under glass. 
Of a set of dwarf Peas in the frames, Sutton’s Seed¬ 
ling Marrowfat had many pods well set, being the 
earliest of this lot. The second place was taken by 
Chelsea Gem, the plants being in bloom. Sutton’s 
Forcing was scarcely so far advanced as the latter. 
About the end of the first week in April the first 
dish of Potatos was dug, the variety being Sutton’s 
Ninetyfold. The next in order was Sutton’s Ai. 
Sutton's Forcing and Early Gem Carrots were fit 
for use, and were being pulled. Onions and Leeks 
in boxes were well advanced, and will soon be com¬ 
mitted to the open, if they are not already there. 
Inside the northern end of the kitchen garden is the 
Rose house, filled chiefly with Marechal Niel Rose, 
but all have been flowering for some time. A large 
greenhouse, also situated here, contains a varied 
assemblage of plants, including a large and spiny 
specimen of Euphorbia splendens, which keeps up a 
succession of bloom all the summer. Azaleas, 
Cinerarias, Celsia arcturus, and similar plants are 
also flowering. The zonal Pelargonium Constance 
bears large, pink flowers in heavy trusses. The 
hybrid Ryecroft Surprise carries very showy 
flowers of a rich rose and great size. The Ivy-leaved 
Galilee also carries large rich rose flowers. The 
crowning plant of all is a specimen of the Ivy-leaved 
Pelargonium, Madame Crousse, which covers a space 
of 21 ft. by 14 ft. on the back wall. It was full of 
flower buds, and must now be a glorious tight. 
Here also we noted the tree Carnation, Miss Marjory 
Campbell, striped and flaked with carmine on a 
yellow ground. It will presently be floriferous and 
showy. 
Altogether we are very hopeful for the future of 
this fine old Buckinghamshire estate and garden, for 
Mr. Hudson is sparing no expense upon them. 
FRUIT GROWING IN KENT. 
In The Past. 
The county ot Kent has always held a high, in fact, 
the foremost position as a fruit-producing centre. 
So far back as 1826, Hasted, in his famous Kent 
history (vol. 6, page 291), quotes Lambard, who 
says, “ In this parish of Teynham, with thirty others 
lying on each side of the great road from Rainham 
to Blean Wood was in his time (1570) the Cherry 
garden and Apple orchard of England,’’ and such it 
undoubtedly continued till within memory. Teyn¬ 
ham, he says, was the parent parish from which 
other plantations issued; for Richard Hayns, 
fruiterer to King Henry VIII., having observed 
those fruit plants, which had been brought over by 
our Norman ancestors, had lost their native excell¬ 
ence by length of time ; and that we were served 
from foreign parts with fruits on that account, which 
he saw no reason for, as neither soil nor climate here 
were unequal to the bringing of them to perfection ; 
determined to try a plantation of them here, for 
which purpose, having obtained, in 1533, 105 acres 
of rich land, then called the Brennet, and having 
with great care, good choice, and no small labour, 
brought plants from beyond the seas ; he furnished 
the ground with them in rows in the most beautiful 
order. The fruits consisted of the sweet Cherry, 
from thence usually called Kentish Cherry, the 
temperate pippin, hence, for the like reason, called 
the Kentish Pippin, and the Golden Renate, which 
sort, especially the first and last, have long been 
propagated from these in great quantities throughout 
the southern parts of this kingdom ; but the Kentish 
Pippin is now hardly to be met with even in this 
county. Pliny in his "Natural History,’’ BookXV., 
chap. 25, says :—" Cherries were not in Italy before 
L. Lucullus’s victory over Mithridates, king of 
Pontus ; after which (in the year of Rome 689) he 
first brought them out of Pontus thither to Italy, 120 
years after which they were transported into 
Britain.’’ 
Hasted (vol. 12, p. 46) says, Apricots were intro¬ 
duced by one Worl, a priest, in the time of Henry 
VIII., and the red and blue Perdrigron Plums and 
Artichokes in Cromwell's time, 1570 
Sittingbourne, where the Cherry trees attain 
gigantic size, and provide the largest and finest fruits, 
is at the present one of the best districts for this 
specially Kentish product. No doubt, Hayns also 
grew Pears, for there is no district, that I am aware 
of, which produces such clean and well-developed 
Pears, as it possesses a cool, deep, rich alluvial soil, 
and on that account has been largely drawn on by 
the brickmakers. 
Michael Drayton, in his “ Poly-Olbion,” says 
(1563-1631) 
" O, famous Kent! quoth he, 
What country in this isle that can compare with 
thee, 
Which hast within thyself as much as thou canst 
wish— 
The conies, venison, thy sorts of fruit and fish ; 
And what comports with strength: thy hay, and 
corn, and wood, 
Nor anything thou wants that anywhere is good ? ” 
The Kentish Cherry is grown to this day, also a 
similar but larger one, the Flemish Cherry, both 
commonly called “reds.” They are the Mont¬ 
morency Cherries of France. The Golden Rennet 
is one of our finest dessert Apples. The Kentish 
Pippin may either be the *' Kent Fillbasket,” 
or “Colonel Vaughan,” still largely cultivated 
here. 
Gerarde, in his Herbal, 1597, figures six sorts of 
Apples, but the Kentish Pippin is not named, though 
he says :—“The county of Kent has a great many 
sorts of Apples.” 
The proximity of Kent to the Continent would 
further account for the best known kinds of fruits of 
early times being introduced first by the Romans, 
whose custom it was to carry with them such fruits 
as they esteemed in their own land. For instance, 
the Roman station of Reculver (Regulbium) is 
credited with a blue Fig they are supposed to have 
introduced, which is by experts referred to the 
Violette de Bordeaux of our gardens, a Fig familiar 
to visitors to the Riviera, which otten makes its 
appearance in our London markets in October and 
November. Later on, the Norman monks would 
♦Paper read before the Society of Arts, on Wednesday even¬ 
ing, May 10. 1899, By George B jnyard, Vice-President of the 
Fruit Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
