636 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 25, 19C3. 
which is 200 yards in length, and covered with fine Pear trees 
on the outside. 
Recently a herbaceous border has been constructed and 
.planted with such useful and showy subjects that it now con¬ 
stitutes a feature of the garden. This border occupies both 
sides of the broad walk that leads to the hothouses. Amongst 
the flowers are various species of Lily, including Lilium aura- 
tum. Columbines, Verbascum, and the recently-introduced In- 
carvillea Delavayi, which seems to thrive as well here as in 
the more favoured gardens of the south. Sweet Peas con¬ 
stitute a very effective background, and last in bloom until cut 
down by frost. 
Another feature which has been recently added to the garden 
are two arches over the walks which lead to some interesting 
and secluded portions of the garden. These arches are covered 
by Laburnums, which will no doubt be highly effective when 
they have had time to reach the full-flowering stage, as Labur¬ 
nums do well in this part of Scotland, particularly L. alpinum. 
At the present time Chrysanthemums are particularly pro¬ 
minent about the grounds, as they are grown in some quantity 
for the decoration of the houses and winter work generally. 
They are treated in such a way as to prolong the flowering 
season from October to the end of February. 
The plant houses are well filled with interesting subjects of 
a varied character, Orchids taking a prominent position. 
Cattieyas of various colours are grown in considerable num¬ 
bers. Cypripediums are also a feature of the collection, and, 
as in most other private establishments, Coelogyne cristata 
and its varieties are found useful. The T’ulip-like Anguloa 
dowesii is always showy, as well as interesting, on account of 
the remarkable structure of its flowers, and strong, but other¬ 
wise agreeable, odour. 
Of peculiar interest to Orchid growers more especially is a 
splendid specimen of Thunia Marshallian, which carried over 
150 of its beautiful blooms. It is one of the most frequently 
cultivated species, but it is very seldom allowed to reach such 
fine proportions. The accompanying illustration has been 
prepared from a photograph of this plant, and will give our 
readers an idea of the grand mass of bloom on one plant of 
this, showy Orchid, though it must be remembered that the 
blooms are necessarily very much reduced to get them into 
the allotted space. 
Mr. J. Fraser Smith has for many years been an admirer and 
cultivator of Orchids, and we have seen some beautiful speci¬ 
mens of his exhibited at the Aberdeen shows. We congratu¬ 
late him upon his success in the present instance as a culti¬ 
vator, and express the wish that genuine specimens of natural 
growth might more frequently be seen forming portions of 
the groups that are so often exhibited in London and elsewhere. 
Stove plants in general are also well cared for, and we are 
■surprised that so uncommon a fruit as Monstera. deliciosa 
should be grown so far North. Mr. Smith succeeds in fruiting 
it, and the fruits, when mature, communicate their rich aroma 
to the whole house. Bananas are also grown and fruited. 
Purely ornamental flowers are Ixora Duflii, Anthuriums, such 
as A. andreanum, the hybrid A. albanense, and A. crystal- 
linum. Pitcher plants (Nepenthes) are suspended from the 
roof of the stove. 
Vineries, Peach houses, etc., are all well stocked with Grapes, 
Peaches, Figs, and other fruits, with which Mr. Smith has to 
keep up a supply from June until the following March or 
April. These supplies are kept up by having the houses at 
different temperatures, and by starting them in succession. 
Orange trees are well grown, and. one- may see blossom, green 
fruit, and ripe fruit upon the tree at the same time. This 
fine specimen is taken into the front hall of Cullen House at 
Christmas-time, when beautifully furnished with its fruit. 
Fruit trees in the open air are also well cared for, and one 
may notice that they are seldom cultivated in the open air with 
success in the north of Scotland. These include Apricots, 
Peaches, and Figs. The climatic conditions of the vicinity of 
the Moray Firth must again be cited as the reason for a climate 
sufficiently mild to grow these fruits with success in this 
northern latitude. 
The greenhouse is a separate structure, and at present is 
gay with tuberous Begonias, both single and double, in a great 
variety of colours. Some of the flowers are frilled round the 
edges, and add this interesting feature to their other attrac¬ 
tions. The gardener keeps improving the collection by cross¬ 
breeding and the selection of the best seedlings that turn up. 
Mr. Smith has also given close attention to the improvement 
of Streptocarpus, by which he has been able to increase the 
size of the flowers and multiplv their colours. 
He has also given his attention to raising Pelargoniums, of 
which he has many new seedlings. One of them, not yet 
named, has flowers that measure 3jr in. across the individual 
pip. Carnations are also grown in some quantity, and the col¬ 
lection includes many of the more recent and finest varieties. 
The famous American Carnation Mrs. T. W. Lawson is also 
grown here. The roof of this house is decorated with such 
climbers as red and white Lapageria, Plumbago capensis, Strep- 
tosolen Jamesonii, and various others. 
The Palm house is well filled with Palms in variety. The 
roof of this house is kept gay with Allamandas, Abutilons, 
Gloriosa superba, Bougainvilleas, Begonia President Carnot, 
and others of that class. 
In the course of a walk through these gardens one is next 
taken to the Melon and other forcing houses, where Melons, 
Cucumbers, Pineapples, Strawberries, and other subjects of 
that class are grown to great perfection so as to keep the 
house supplied. Tomato® are also grown fairly extensively, 
and the propagating pit contains a collection of Orchids re¬ 
cently procured from Burmah by Lady Seafield, and now be¬ 
coming beautifully established. 
Cullen House has long been a notable estate in the North, 
a reputation it has practically maintained for centuries. The 
present proprietor has maintained that repute to the fullest, 
and in her efforts to maintain the beauty of the estate and the 
efficiency of the cultures under glass she is ably seconded 
and supported by her enthusiastic gardener. 
Weeds in Lawns. 
Weeds are a frequent source of worry to gardeners in various 
parts of the country, so that a few hints may be gleaned from 
the undermentioned extract from the annual report of the 
Agricultural Experiment Station of Vermont, that may be of 
service to readers. 
“ Apparently, most of the coarser, deep-rooted perennials 
can best be combated by frequent spudding, or cutting out, or 
close mowing, accompanied by proper fertilisation, watering, 
and abundant seeding with the proper lawn grass at favour¬ 
able seasons. Dandelions, Plantains, White Daisies, and the 
Docks are best dealt with in this way. These plants all have 
a distinct crown near the surface. A remedy used with some 
success against these pests consists of the application of a few 
drops of a strong acid to the centre of this crown. Sulphuric 
acid may thus be applied with a glass tube, or crude carbolic 
acid with a common metal oil can. In most cases, however, we 
believe spudding to be the better method. 
“ There is another class, of weeds which are very shallow- 
rooted, and succeed even under close mowing, because of their 
creeping habits, or because of the abundant production of seed 
on prostrate stems. The Orange Hawkweed or Paint Brush 
(Hieracium aurantiaeum), smaller Crab-grass (Panieum 
lineare), and common Chickweed (Stellaria media) are three 
of the more troublesome of this class. The trials first reported 
in Bulletin 56 of this station showed that salt, when properly 
applied, is a. perfect remedy against the Hawkweed. It has 
seemed worth while to try it, along with various different 
remedies and methods, against the other two weeds. The out¬ 
come in the case of Crab-grass has not favoured the use of 
salt', but with the duckweed it has proved a very satisfactory 
herbicide. We suggest that anyone employing salt on a lawn 
do so cautiously, and on a small scale at first, as the effects 
will doubtless varv somewhat with soil and season.” 
