January  7,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  ANT)  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
15 
The  Secretary  read  a  letter  he  had  received  from  the  head  office 
saying  that  the  Committee  desired  to  place  on  record  its  hearty 
appreciation  of  the  services  rendered  to  that  Institution  by  Mr. 
J.  H,  White  as  Hon.  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Worcester  and 
District  Auxiliary,  and  beg  to  tender  sincere  thanks  for  his  kind  and 
snccessful  efforts  on  behalf  of  the  charity.  On  the  proposition  of  Mr. 
Crump,  seconded  by  Mr.  Hurlstone,  Earl  Beauchamp  was  re-elected 
President  ;  and  on  the  proposition  of  the  Chairman,  seconded  by  Mr. 
Child,  the  Mayor  (Mr.  C.  W.  Dyson  Perrins)  was  elected  Chairman  of 
the  Executive  Committee.  The  following  were  elected  on  the  Executive 
Committee  : — Messrs.  Crump,  Child,  Cowan,  Hurlstone,  Mason,  Russell, 
and  Young. 
The  Chairman,  in  proposing  the  re-election  of  Mr.  White,  said  that 
the  branch  was  to  be  congratulated  upon  having  such  an  excellent 
officer.  The  success  to  which  the  head  office  had  testified  had  been  due 
solely  to  Mr.  White’s  exertions,  Mr.  Child  seconded,  and  the  proposi¬ 
tion  was  carried  ;  Mr.  White  briefly  responding.  Subscriptions  were 
announced  from  several  new  members.  Mr.  Young  called  attention  to 
the  fact  that  many  gardeners  in  the  district  were  members  of  the 
Institution,  but  not  of  the  auxiliary,  and  suggested  that  some  steps 
should  be  taken  to  bring  them  into  it,  but  nothing  was  decided  upon. 
— (“  Worcester  Daily  Times.”) 
PEAR  MARIE  BENOIST. 
Those  who  have  grown  Marie  Benoist  Pear  (fig.  6)  esteem  it  as  a 
variety  of  considerable  merit.  It  is  a  very  valuable  addition  to  late 
Pears,  worthy  of  cultivation,  and  the  tree  grows  well  and  bears  'freely. 
The  fruit  is  large,  irregularly  turbinate,  and  more  swollen  on  one 
side  than  on  the  other.  Skin  bright  green,  dotted  and  lined  with 
•russet,  and  covered  with  patches  of  fawn-coloured  russet.  Eye 
small,  open,  and  deeply  set.  Stalk  very  short  and  thick,  obliquely 
inserted,  with  a  large  swelling  on  one  side  of  it.  Flesh  white,  tender, 
very  melting,  and  slightly  gritty,  very  juicy,  sweet,  and  delicately 
perfumed.  An  excellent  dessert  Pear,  ripe  during  January  and  February. 
A  medium-sized  fruit  is  represented.  This  was  raised  by  M.  Auguste 
Benoist,  a  nurseryman  at  Brissac,  not  far  from  Angers,  and  named  after 
his  daughter  Marie. 
ROCHFORD  HOUSE. 
Rochfokd  House,  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Williams,  is  most 
pleasantly  situated  in  the  midst  of  park-like  scenery  on  a  gentle 
eminence,  two  miles  E.S.E.  of  Tenbury,  in  the  extreme  western  part  of 
Worcestershire.  The  ancient  town  of  Tenbury  is  picturesquely  located 
in  the  valley  of  the  Teme.  It  is  surrounded  by  charming  scenery, 
valleys  and  hills  richly  clothed  with  Hop  plantations,  fertile  orchards, 
verdant  meadows,  and  smiling  corn  fields.  Though  a  fact  not  well 
known,  but  found  by  the  old  historians,  Tenbury  is  celebrated  as  the 
birthplace  and  favourite  residence  of  the  noble  Caractacus,  which 
circumstance  will  lend  a  double  charm  to  a  place  so  rich  in  Nature’s 
gifts. 
The  walk  from  Tenbury  to  Rochford  is  amidst  some  of  Nature’s 
most  beautiful  pictures ;  deep  ravines  and  rising  ground,  the  latter 
commanding  extensive  views  of  the  distant  hills.  It  is  not  on  account 
of  its  extensive  ranges  of  glass  houses  or  its  broad  acres  of  pleasure 
grounds  that  we  wish  to  bring  the  place  into  prominence,  but  the  superb 
hardy  fruit  that  is  so  successfully  cultivated  year  after  year. 
We  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting  these  gardens  during  the  Plum 
harvest,  towards  the  end  of  August,  and  then  again  about  the  middle  of 
December,  1896.  On  entering  the  pleasure  grounds  we  are  at  once 
surrounded  with  fine  evergreens  and  charming  flower  beds,  furnished  for 
the  winter  with  dwarf  shrubs  and  hardy  spring-flowering  plants, 
including  Forget-me-nots,  Wallflowers,  Daisies,  Pansies,  Polyanthus, 
Auriculas,  and  the  usual  run  of  hardy  bulbs.  We  noticed  some  hand¬ 
some  Conifers,  remarkable  for  their  beauty  and  symmetry  of  contour, 
such  as  Cedars  of  the  Deodara  type,  also  C.  Libani,  C.  atlantica,  Thuja 
Lobbi,  T.  elegantissima,  and  fine  CupressuBes. 
In  the  adjoining  greenhouse  the  Chrysanthemums  were  nearly  over, 
but  the  remnant  that  was  left  showed  plainly  that  the  flowers  had  been 
of  no  mean  order.  Roman  Hyacinths  were  just  bursting  into  flower, 
and  we  also  saw  fine  Primulas,  Cyclamens,  and  Callas.  In  the  stove, 
separated  from  the  greenhouse  by  a  glass  partition,  there  were  the  usual 
plants  which  are  generally  found  in  these  structures. 
We  now  pass  beneath  the  shade  of  tall  trees,  and  enter  the  kitchen 
garden  ;  it  is  about  1J  acre  in  extent,  surrounded  by  well-built  brick 
walls,  a  border  about  10  feet  wide  skirting  the  walls,  and  the  centre 
laid  out  in  six  squares.  Many  of  the  squares  are  separated  from  the 
walks  by  a  broad  bordering  of  the  Mossy  Saxifrage  (S.  hypnoides),  which 
during  its  season  of  bloom  gives  the  garden  a  bright  and  cheerful 
appearance.  On  the  south  side  was  the  Peach  range,  well  furnished 
with  fruitful  trees,  including  Barrington,  Old  Noblesse,  Crimson  Galande, 
Walburton  Admirable,  Dr.  Hogg,  and  Elruge  Nectarine.  On  an  open 
wall  with  a  south  aspect  there  were  fine  Apricots,  such  as  Large  Early 
and  Moorpark  ;  and  of  Peaches  Rivers’  Early,  Sea  Eagle,  and  Golden 
Eagle.  On  the  north  wall  we  noticed  good  and  well-trained  Cherries 
of  the  Morello  section  ;  and  such  Plums  as  Early  Prolific,  Victoria, 
Golden  Drop,  and  The  Czar.  The  west  wall  was  devoted  to  Pears,  and 
included  Citron  des  Carmep,  Pitmaston  Duchess,  and  Williams'  Bon 
Chretien. 
It  was,  however,  the  pyramid  Pear  trees  round  the  garden  walks  that 
were  the  objects  of  the  greatest  interest.  They  are  from  8  to  12  feet 
high,  and  fine  specimens  of  skilful  culture.  We  saw  the  trees  at  the 
end  of  August,  when  they  were  laden  with  fine  fruit,  and  then  again  in 
December,  when  every  branch  was  smothered  with  fruit  buds.  The 
remains  of  the  fruit  left  in  the  fruit-room  bore  ample  testimony  to  the 
excellent  crops  that  had  been  gathered.  Mr.  Paintin,  the  gardener, 
is  renowned  as  a  fruit  grower  of  the  first  order.  At  the  autumn  shows 
at  Birmingham,  Hereford,  and  Leominster  he  is  always  considered  a 
formidable  opponent,  and  generally  carries  away  the  leading  prizes. 
The  most  popular  sorts  of  Pears  were  Doyenn6  d’Effi,  Doyenn6 
Boussoch,  one  of  the  best  Pears  in  the  garden  ;  Beurr6  de  Capiaumont, 
Brown  Beurrd,  Mardchal  de  Cour,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Marie  Louise, 
Marie  Louise  d’Uccle,  a  fine  late  Pear  of  good  quality ;  Doyenne 
Defays,  Beurre  Diel,  Pitmaston  Duchess,  Gen.  Todleben,  another  good 
late  Pear  of  high  quality ;  Beurrd  Lambard,  good  late  variety  ;  Glou 
Morqeau,  late  ;  Provost,  one  of  the  best  December  Pears ;  Bergamot 
d’Esperen,  and  Z<$phirin  Gregoire.  Standard  Pears  included  Marie 
Benoist,  Passe  Colmar,  Gratioli  of  Jersey,  Beurr<5  d’Amanlis,  Beurr6 
Bachelier,  Uvedale’s  St.  Germain,  Vicar  of  Winkfield,  and  Catillac. 
The  last  three  named  are  specially  good  as  standards,  but  are  even 
finer  on  the  wall. 
There  was  also  a  fine  collection  of  Apples  ;  indeed,  there  are  very 
few  places  in  the  county  where  there  is  a  better  collection,  or  even 
better  grown,  a  few  as  bushes  ;  but  the  generality  as  standards.  As 
bushes  we  noticed  Irish  Peach,  Worcester  Pearmain,  Red  Astrachan, 
Kerry  Pippin,  King  of  the  Pippins,  Court  Pendu  PJiit  ;  and  as  standards 
Bramley’s  Seedling,  Beauty  of  Kent,  Newton  Wonder,  Flanders  Pippin, 
Charles’  Pearmain,  Devonshire  Quarrenden,  New  Hawthornden,  Minshall 
Crab  and  Winter  Queening.  The  collection  of  Plums  was  also  equal  to  the 
Apples  and  Pears,  and  contained  the  best  and  leading  sorts.  In  the 
kitchen  garden  there  were  good  squares  of  Gooseberries  and  Currants, 
and  well  managed  plantations  of  Strawberries.  On  a  south  border  the 
first  pickings  of  Scarlet  Queen  are  ready  in  May. 
On  the  outside  of  the  kitchen  garden  is  the  nursery,  where  forest 
trees  are  propagated  and  prepared  for  planting  in  the  various  plantations 
on  the  different  farms,  and  stocks  for  fruit  trees  are  also  raised  and  in 
due  time  grafted  with  the  best  and  leading  sorts  only.  Such  Apples  as 
are  only  second  rate  are  headed  down  and  grafted  with  the  best  sorts 
known.  Amongst  these  were  Prince  Albert,  Golden  Noble,  Lord 
