1*HE GARDENING WORLD 
September 36, 1899. 
Fiuit culture is decidedly a feature of 
Tewkesbury Lodge, for we passed through 
several houses entirely devoted to different 
kinds of trees planted out and in pots. 
Beurre Hardy, Doyenne du Comice, Beurre 
Deal and Conference Pears in pots carry 
some fine fruits. The next division is prac¬ 
tically an orchard houss. At the entrance 
is an iron arch over which Black Hamburgh 
Vines have been trained and carry a crop 
of the best coloured berries of that variety 
on the place. Slight shade and plenty of 
air would seem to account for the fine 
bloom on the Grapes. White Ischia and 
Negro Largo Figs in pots carry splendid 
crops which will be ripened in a warmer 
house presently, to make way for a large 
collection of Chrysanthemums grown here. 
Tjees of Coe’s Golden Drop and other 
Plums still carry excellent crops. What 
appears as a sport of this yellow Plum 
carries a crop of fruits heavily shaded with 
purple. Several trees of various kinds, 
including Peaches, Cherries, &c., that 
fruited earlier, are now standing out of 
doors, ripening up good wood ; indeed, 
some of them have been out since the mid¬ 
dle of May, and are in splendid condition. 
Two Peach houses are occupied by fan¬ 
shaped trees planted out across the body of 
the floor, and trained to strong wire 
trellises. The last of the crop of Princess 
of Wales has just been gathered. In one 
of the houses Epicure and the Currant 
Tomato are grown, the latter being purely 
a decorative sort, with racemes of fruit 18 
in. long and still flowering at the tips. 
There are two large, span-roofed vineries, 
and the Grapes have always been favour¬ 
ites with Mr. Taylor and his predecessor, 
Mr. Bury, before him. Indeed, he has 
carried the art of viticulture to greater per¬ 
fection, as has been amply proved on many 
an exhibition table. His employer also 
knows Grapes well by flavour as well as 
taste; and has encouraged their culture for the 
last eleven years or so, after taking posses¬ 
sion of the place. The first vinery entered 
has Gros Maroc grown upon an iron arch 
over the doorway. The bunches and 
berries of Gros Colmar are splendid. With 
the intention of aiding one Vine of it a rod 
of Foster’s Seedling was planted alongside 
of it and then inarched. The extra food 
and moisture thus secured may have 
caused more vigorous growth but the 
berries are not so well coloured as those which 
have received no extraneous aid. Alicante 
is large in bunch and berry, while the 
bloom is superb. A young rod of Directeur 
Tisserand has been grafted upon Alicante 
and allowed to bear two bunches of Grapes. 
The berries are similar to those of Alicante, 
and the bloom is similarly fine, but the 
berries are more hammered at the end. A 
rod of Gros Guillaume carries 16 large and 
showy bunches of fruit. Other Vines in 
this house are likewise very heavily 
cropped. 
There are, for instance, 18 bunches on a 
rod of Lady Downes, both bunches and 
berries being magnificent, and the latter 
well coloured. Some of them are even 
inclined to be shouldered, an unusual occur¬ 
rence. The large berries of Gros Maroc 
are splendidly coloured. The same may 
be said of Madresfield Court which 
succeeds well here, and is held in high 
repute on account of its rich flavour. Buck- 
land Sweetwater carries fine bunches, or 
what remain of them, but the flavour is 
poor, being like slightly sweetened water. 
Black Hamburgh leaves nothing to be 
desired. 
The other vinery is chiefly occupied with 
Muscat of Alexandria, a few other white 
sorts, and two black varieties. The long 
and well-formed bunches of the Muscats 
constitute a most interesting sight. Each 
rod carries thirteen bunches. The bloom 
on the berries of Alnwick seedling is very 
rich. Trebbiano is greatly improved in 
flavour by being grown in a Muscat tem¬ 
perature ; and the huge bunches it now 
carries would weigh about 6 lbs. or 7 lbs. 
each. Mrs. Pearson has always behaved 
very badly here, the huge bunches finish¬ 
ing off rusty, instead of presenting a clear 
skin. The Vine bears one large bunch, but 
at the base ; for higher up the beautiful 
white Grape Chasselas Napoleon has been 
inarched upon it, though it has not yet 
reached the fruiting stage. Mrs. Pince 
was lifted two years ago on account of bad 
behaviour, and now carries thirteen large 
bunches as finely coloured as anyone could 
desire. There are eighteen varieties of 
Grapes and all grown in inside borders. 
The original oozy clay has been taken out 
and replaced by turfy loam from the top of 
the hill; and the magnificent results 
obtained from its use speak volumes for its 
utility and general capabilities. 
Passing out of doors wi noted Chrys¬ 
anthemums in pots stood along the sides of 
several of the garden walks. A large pro¬ 
portion of them is grown for the production 
of big blooms; while others are in bush 
form for conservatory decoration and cut 
flower work. The buds of the big blooms 
are now well advanced. On the front wall 
of a vinery Sutton’s Best of All Tomato is 
ripening a good crop. Cucumber, Every 
Day, grown in frames, has been affording a 
supply since May last. A new Grape 
room has just been built, the wooden walls 
being double and padded between. Here 
also we noted that two Chatsworth boilers 
in the stokehole supplied the heating power 
to all the houses, including the potting 
sheds and mess room for the young gar¬ 
deners. A carpenter is kept constantly on 
the place, his shop being located with the 
other garden conveniences. The fruit room 
is well stored, chiefly with Apples, includ¬ 
ing large quantities, in fine condition, of 
Alfriston, Blenheim Orange, Beauty of 
Hants, Lord Derby, Lord Suffield, King 
of the Pippins, Flower of Kent, Cox’s 
Pomona, Golden Noble, and Emperor 
Alexander. King of Tompkins County 
also does well here, and Cox’s Orange is of 
exceptional size. It may here be stated 
that this variety, and a few of the others 
were grown under glass. Amongst Pears 
we noted Doyenne du Comice, Louise 
Bonne of Jersey, and Marie Louise, all in 
fine form. Fine looking Plums are Rivers’ 
Late Orange (large yellow and covered 
with a fine bloom), and Primate, a purple 
cooking variety. 
Only a few of the houses are devoted to 
plant growing, in one of which we noted 
Palms, Caladiums, and Ferns, including a 
large piece of Davallia elegans. Dendro- 
bium Chrysanthum suspended in a bas¬ 
ket is now in season. Allamanda Hender- 
sonii is flowering freely on the roof. The 
conservatory, situated by the dwelling 
house, contains a large number of Ferns 
grown on brackets round the sides. 
Baskets of Nephrolepis and Stenochlaena 
scandens give a fine effect, suspended from 
the roof. Odontoglossum grande carries 
some fine flowers. 
Adjoining the conservatory, and in direct 
connection with it, but on a northern as¬ 
pect is another building containing Fuchs¬ 
ias, Hydrangeas, and Ricinus Sutton’s 
Bronze King, amongst the Palms, Ferns, 
and other greenery. The steeply sloping 
lawns in front of the house are planted 
with Mulberries, Weeping Ashes, Willows, 
and various other ornamental trees, while 
the drive is sheltered by evergreen Coni¬ 
fers and various other trees and shrubs. 
Ficus elastica is a native of the East Indies, and 
was introduced to this country nearly a century 
ago. 
Mr- Alfred Outram.—The numerous friends of this 
popular horticulturist will be sorry to hear that he 
has been laid up for a few days with a cold. Under 
medical instruction he was unable to attend the 
Drill Hall Meeting. We hope, however, to meet 
him at the Crystal Palace. 
Weather in London.—The past week has been cool, 
and frost has been registered. The storms which 
have spent themselves in the North did not touch 
London, although the meteorological conditions some¬ 
what altered in correspondence. Showers of rain 
have been light but frequent. Vegetation has been 
fresher during the last fortnight than any time since 
July. 
Hasd Weeding.—Hand weeding as a means of 
clearing the land is more preferable than hoeing. 
Stirring the surface, of course, does a vast amount 
of good to the land, and the practice of hoeing is 
far more expeditious, but constant and timely hand 
weeding has much in its favour. Gravel paths 
which are subject to having weeds upon them, can 
be fairly well kept without using the Dutch hoe at 
all. It is better for the paths if the hoe is kept off. 
Freak of a Nec'arine.—Mr. Charles Nicholson, The 
Gardens, Wycliffe Hall, Darlington, sends us the top 
of a green leafy shoot of a Pitmaston Nectarine, 
bearing a flower of normal size, form, and colour, at 
the apex. The shoot in question was about 2 ft. 
long, and therefore rather different from the shoots 
that often produce the phenomenon of second or 
summer flowering of Pears. When Apples bloom 
in autumn it is usually the result of the premature 
expansion of the buds that should remain quiescent 
till spring. The summer-flowering shoots of Pears 
are usually short and not unlike elongated spurs. 
Richmond Park, Glasgow.—The rapidity with 
which Glasgow has appropriated open spaces and 
turned them into beautiful and useful parks and 
gardens is a characteristic of this great city within 
quite recent years. Glasgow Green, in the heart of 
the city, is the oldest, and, perhaps, on that account, 
the most interesting, and probably the most fre¬ 
quented ; but several of those more recently turned 
over to the public use and recreation are intrinsic¬ 
ally more beautiful. Richmond Park, the most 
recent addition, was opened on the 27th inst. Till 
quite recently it was a mere rubbish heap, with a 
few rubbishy dwellings upon it, inhabited by miners. 
Several of these have been demolished, and others 
along the banks of the Clyde will rapidly follow as 
Mr. James Whitton, the energetic superintendent, 
can overtake the work, for much has yet to be 
accomplished before this park is completely sown 
down and planted. The park is named in compli¬ 
ment to the present Lord Provost of Glasgow. 
Kew Gardens.—Since the cooler weather has again 
returned and now that some rain has fallen, the 
lawns and even the trees and shrubs at Kew have 
renewed their freshness. The lawns have suffered 
terribly during this summer. We noticed, too, how 
much sooner the weeds throughout the lawns, 
generally species of Plantago, were asserting their 
position and spreading out their all-smothering 
leaves to the suppression of tbe grass. It would 
seem that their root-stocks, tap, and fleshy roots 
help them to brace over a droughty time, also allow¬ 
ing them the advantage of a start when rain does 
fall. All the plant houses are superb. No more 
charming, natural, or artificial beauty of any kind 
could, we think, surpass that of the narrow span- 
house wherein the Cissus discolor grows. The show 
house is bright with splendidly flowered plants, 
many of them of the " common " order, according to 
the opinion of " refined " taste, but it would be well 
if gardeners and others who have to maintain a show 
of flowering plants all the year round, would adopt 
the Kew plan and grow ‘'common,” otherwise 
known as hardy plants, for conservatory decoration. 
To see a pot-grown plant, and another of the same 
grown out of doors, one would hardly recognise the 
relationship, so much are they altered, improved and 
developed when they come under one’s special atten¬ 
tion. The bedding at Kew is very fresh and, in a 
measure, original. The Roses around the Palm 
house are, many of them, just superb in iheir loveli¬ 
ness. The Liliums, too, though not now so fresh, 
have been very fine of late. 
