September 26, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
57 
Weight of Potatos — G. M. P., in reply to a query 
(p. 24) writes as foilows :—" I am pleased to see you 
would like to know the name of my Potato, and 
thought you would like also to know the weight of 
the old tubers. When taken up they were almost 
sound, except one which I could not find. The 
other three weighed 3 lb. 1 oz. in the aggregate, when 
turned out with the others. I can average seven 
Potatos out of every root weighing from f lb. to 1 lb , 
the weight of the heaviest Potato being 1 lb. 5J oz. 
The name of the variety was ‘ Fidler’s Reading 
Giant.’ ” 
-«#«.- 
BAYHAM ABBEY. 
Bayham Abbey, the seat of the Marquis of Camden, 
is pleasantly situated in a beautifully wooded valley 
between, but at some distance on either hand from 
and enchanting view opens on the eye of the visitor. 
A valley trending eastwards joins the other on the 
right at right angles. The slopes on all sides are 
beautifully wooded, and rise to a considerable height. 
In front is Bayham Old Abbey, of which we give an 
illustration. Its beautiful moulded and carved 
pillars and broken arches of doors and windows, still 
defying the elements to crumble them down, are 
silent witnesses of the pious rage (we say pious 
because it sounds polite) of King Henry VIII., 
who destroyed the Abbey. It was built by the 
White Friars, 1200 to 1220 A.D. Much of the 
splendid ruins is covered with Ivy, and tall trees of 
considerable age surround the place, which occupies 
a considerable area of ground. Neatly kept walks 
meander amongst the luins, and they, with shrubs 
growing here and there, give the ruins a pleasing 
appearance amidst their desolation. 
A flower show is annually held within the precincts 
of the old Abbey, by the kind permission of the 
Marquis of Camden, purely for the benefit of the 
tenants, employees, and cottagers on the Bayham 
estate. No more romantic place for a flower show 
could be imagined than in the meadow surrounding 
the ruins, with tbeir historic associations. On all 
sides the ground rises and is covered with a great 
variety of trees of various ages, and on the eastern 
slope, a modern church nestles amongst the trees, 
and brings us in touch with the present time. 
The new mansion stands on rising ground a little 
to the north-east, on the Kent side of the valley, and 
perpetuates the name Bayham Abbey. It was built 
in 1870, by the father of the present Marquis, who is 
quite a young man. The building is a fine and com¬ 
modious structure, built of Kentish rag. with the 
corners, and jambs of the doors and windows, of 
Bayham Old Abbey, 
the villages of Frant and Lamberhurst, in Sussex. 
The extensive estate of Ba> ham lies both in Sussex 
and Kent. A stream runs through the valley and 
forms the boundary line between the two counties, 
the stream itself being a tributary of the Medway. 
One of the approaches to Bayham Abbey from the 
Frant Railway Station, is by a long drive which runs 
along the east slope of the valley and through more or 
less wooded ground. Here we may state that there 
are 18,000 acres of wood on the estate, so the scenery 
is varied with wood, water, and much undulated 
ground. During the month of August, patches of 
purple heather (Calluna vulgaris) greet the eye of 
the visitor and enliven the wayside. 
After a journey of two or three miles, alongawind- 
ingand undulated drive, and passing the new mansion 
on the right, the road begins to descend; and 
presently the trees that line the way give place to 
open pasture on sloping ground, where a magnificent 
A bridge of modern construction takes the visitor 
across the stream, where a drawbridge used to swing, 
and the wayfarer is at once in the county of Sussex 
and in the grounds of the Old Abbey, the ruins of 
which stand on a piece of level meadow land. A 
moat surrounded this important place in its palmy 
days, except on that side which was protected by the 
stream. The moat is mostly intact yet, and the fish 
ponds which used to supply the Abbey with fish on 
fast days, are yet there, but occupied with a rank 
growth of Reed Mace (Typha latifolia) and other 
aquatic vegetation which threaten to bring the ponds 
to a level with the surrounding meadow, by the 
deposit of mud and decaying vegetation. On the 
north side of the enclosure is another pond all 
grown over with Water Lilies presenting a beautiful 
appearance, even in a state of nature. It would be 
a pity if any restoration of this ancient moated 
enclosure were necessary. 
dressed Portland stone. The mansion stands on a 
terrace as it were overlooking the valley as far down 
as the Old Abbey. The pleasure grounds and flower 
gardens surround two sides of the mansion. 
The Flower Garden. 
The flower gardening is of a mixed character and 
quite of the modern style. The summer bedding is 
maintained, but in no way overdone with Pelar¬ 
goniums, which have done well this year, including 
the Pink Christine. The dark blue of Salvia patens 
is not easily matched for bedding purposes. Some 
of the beds are edged with Lobelia Marquis of 
Camden, a new variety of a rich carmine-purple hue, 
and having two white eye-like spots. Two beds 
filled with Verbena venosa have done well all the 
season, notwithstanding the drought, for they have 
been a mass of purple. Several beds of the white 
Pelargonium Niphetos edged with Lobelias, have 
been equally conspicuous. Some beds of Kniphofia 
