74 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
January  25  1900, 
BRACEBRIDGE  MANSE. 
Some  weeks  ago  when  penning  a  few  notes  relative  to  Doddiugtin 
Hall,  for  the  pages  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  a  promise  was 
made  that  some  refereLce  to  the  Rev  C.  0.  Ellison’s  gardens  at  The 
Manse,  Bracebridge,  should  be  given,  and  that  promise  is  about  to  be  | 
lulfilled.  It  is  no  light  task  to  undertake,  for  the  garden  is  by  no  | 
means  or  hodox  either  in  its  stylo  of  formation  or  in  its  present-day  i 
Tiiaintenance.  On  every  hand,  though  the  space  is  comparatively 
limited,  there  are  evidences  of  an  original  miu  l  whose  conceptions 
are  noique,  and  are  carried  out  with  a  b  Idness  that  is  striK  ngly 
characteristic  of  the  source  from  whence  it  sprung.  A  ^enerati  n  ago 
there  was  aflat  meadow;  now  there  is  a  garden  of  which  it  would 
be  an  impossibility  to  find  an  exact  coimterpart  wiihin  the  contiues 
of  the  British  Isles,  lo  is  like 
nothing  but  Itself,  and  is  testi¬ 
mony  to  the  energy  of  its  owner 
and  originator,  the  Rev.  C.  C. 
Ellison, 
It  was  between  thirty  and 
forty  years  ago  that  the  task 
was  commenced  to  turn  the  Hat 
field  into  an  interesting  garden, 
for  it  was  about  that  period  when 
its  owner  was  severely  bitten 
with  a  desire  to  “  garden.’’  And 
he  has  been  gardening  ever  since. 
True,  there  have  been  days,  per¬ 
haps  months,  when  a  slackening 
has  come,  but  it  has  only  proved 
a  time  of  rest  which  brought  in 
its  wake  renewed  vigour  and 
activity  with  Itesh  ideas  and 
improved  principles.  There  has 
always  been. even  in  those  days 
of  repose  a  deep-seated  love  lor 
gardens  and  gardening,  and  if 
Mr.  Ellison  could  be  induced  to 
tell  in  writing  of  the  joys  and 
sorrows  that  beset  the  path  of 
the  enthusiastic  amateur  they 
would  bring  pleasure  to  every 
reader  of  our  Journal.  He  is  a 
scholar,  a  brilliant  raconteur,  and 
one  who  has  a  happy  knack  of 
conveying  information  in  the  best 
possible  style — that  which  inter¬ 
ests  and  amuses  as  well  as 
instructs. 
The  Manse  garden  is  prac¬ 
tically  divided  into  two  distinct 
sections,  one  for  fruits  and  the 
other  for  Roses,  and  it  would  be 
difficult  to  say  which  portion  is 
the  better.  I  need  not  attempt 
to  decide,  but  can  safely  leave 
the  one  in  the  hands,  of  fruit  men, 
and  the  other  to  the  partisans 
of  the  queen  of  flowers.  Then, 
too,  there  are  borders  of  old-world 
flowers,  as  well  as  a  pond  in 
which  some  of  the  choicer  Water 
Lilies  have  got  to  thrive.  This 
is  surrounded  by  flowering  and 
foliage  trees,  and,  small  though 
it  is,  it  presents  more  than  one  view  which  could  not  fail  to  charm 
the  lover  of  Nature  s  beauty.  Here  we  have  the  serpentine  walk, 
while  anon  we  enter  the  Palace  of  Truth,  and  later  pass  through 
St.  George’s  Channel  ;  not  the  one  that  cuts  England’s  shores  from 
those  of  Ireland,  but  a  creation  of  Mr.  Ellison’s  that  affords  a 
pleasant  shade  on  the  hottest  of  summer  days. 
The  serpentine  or  snake  walk  is  admirably  named,  for  it  takes  the 
traveller  by  devious  ways  through  the  Ri'so  garden  to  the  fruit 
quarters.  Not  only  does  it  wind  “  in  and  out  and  round  about,”  but 
goes  up  and  down  dales  on  which  lives  a  family  of  Roses  comprising 
some  3000  members.  The  jdants  have  not  all  the  same  aspects,  but 
are  placed  where  it  is  found  they  flour  sh  best.  Some  varieties  are 
repre-ented  by  considerable  colonies,  and  others  b  lesser  numbirs, 
but  almo.st  the  whole  of  them  are  healthy  and  clean,  while  several 
make  really  luxuriant  growth.  None  can  imagine  the  beauty  of  one 
of  the  Rose  gardens,  and  those  who  have  seen  it  in  its  most  attractive 
girb  do  not  care  to  set  themselves  down  to  work  out  such  a  task  as  an 
accurate  description.  Standing  at  one  point  in  the  snake  walk  the 
around  clothed  in  Roses  falls  gently  beneath  one’s  feet  and  rises  and 
falls  to  the  centre,  whence  a  bolder  ascent  commences  and  carries  the 
eye  to  a  grand  Yew  hedge  and  to  trees  above  with  the  country 
beyond  ;  it  is  an  ideal  position  for  this  most  popular  of  flowers. 
The  rosarians  may  here  cry  out  for  names  of  varieties,  but  at  this 
the  line  must  be  drawn,  or  the  available  space  would  be  swallowed 
ere  the  fruit  was  reached.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  numberless  varieties 
have  been  tried,  and  those  that  succeeded  best  are  retained,  but  the 
failures — well  they  find  a  resting  place  in  a  less  congenial  spot.  In 
only  one  respect,  so  far  as  I  observed,  is  Mr.  Ellison  what  might  be 
termed  a  severe  man.  This  is  when  he  discovers  a  speck  of  mildew 
or  a  lone  arid  solitary  green  fly 
on  his  Roses.  Then  severity  is 
scarcely  the  word ;  it  should  be 
death,  for  the  enemy  is  attacked 
with  such  determination  that  even 
Mr.  Raillem’s  advice  given  in 
these  pages,  when  speaking  of 
flowers  of  sulphur  for  mildew,  to 
”  rub  it  in  ”  is  none  too  strong. 
The  sulphur  steps  in  and  the 
mildew  rushes  out.  Green  flies 
may  not  be  dealt  with  in  pre¬ 
cisely  the  same  way,  but  an 
equally  efficacious  course  is 
adopted.  Mr.  Ellison  evidently 
believes  in  getting  home  a  heavy 
blow  at  the  outset  of  the  battle. 
As  we  continue  our  march 
of  prooress  we  reach  the  aforesaid 
Palace  of  Truth,  which  is  in 
reality  a  charmingly  embowered 
seat,  where  occasional  meetings  of 
gardening  enthusiasts  take  place. 
Needless  to  say  with  such  a  con¬ 
clave  conversation  waxes  warm, 
and,  as  our  guide  put  it,  stories 
are  told.  The  seat  and  surround¬ 
ings  could  many  a  tale  unfold 
were  they  endowed  with  spetch, 
and  the  horticultural  work;  would 
be  the  wiser  for  the  knowledge. 
Striking  hence  by  another  path 
we  traverse  St.  George’s  Channel, 
which  is  so  named  from  the  fact 
that  on  one  side  are  English 
while  on  the  other  are  Irish 
Yews.  Stormy  p  usages  through 
the  real  channel  are  of  com¬ 
paratively  frequent  occurrence, 
but  we  can  answer  for  our  journey 
by  Mr.  Ellison’s  route  being 
essentially  pleasant  and  peaceful. 
Buc  we  must  press  on  or  we  shall 
fail  to  reach  the  all-important 
fruit  trees,  of  which  their  owner 
is  justifiably  proud. 
The  quarters  containing  the 
fruit  are  of  some  considerable 
extent,  and  include  amongst  the 
1500  or  so  of  trees  babies  only 
just  planted  to  middle-aged 
specimens  of  thirty  years  or  rather  more.  The  juveniles  are  certainly 
pictures  of  health  and  sturdy  vigour,  as  are  many  of  the  older  trees. 
Some,  however,  are  by  no  means  attractive,  as  they  illustrate  to 
demonstration  the  effects  of  canker,  and  it  is  of  those  that  Mr.  Ellison 
i'  most  proud.  It  may  be  taken  as  probable  that  the  fact  of  almost 
all  his  trees  being  attacked  by  this  insidious  enemy  was  the  cause  of 
our  host’s  first  la238e  into  inactivity  or  lethargy.  He  feared  that  all 
hope  of  success  was  gone,  and  was  consequently  in  despair.  Some 
good  friend,  however,  advised  an  attack  on  the  canker,  and  the  very 
idea  was  sufficient  to  stir  the  latent  energy  into  life.  The  result  of  this 
was  that  the  saw  and  knife  came  to  the  fore,  as  well  as  boiled  oil  and 
Stockholm  tar,  which,  in  addition  to  attention  to  the  roots,  very  quickly 
made  their  presence  felt  for  the  better.  The  wounds  after  cutting 
and  dressing  grew  over,  and  the  trees  took  on  a  renewed  lease  of  life. 
Tree  after  tree  was  examined,  and  though  remains  of  canker  could 
be  seen,  the  active  disease  was  a  thing  of  the  past.  If  it  recur  on 
Fig.  15. — Apple  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin  at  Bracebridge. 
