16 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
January  7,  1807. 
Grosvenor,  Newton  Wonder,  Nonesuch,  and  Bismarck.  On  the  nursery 
wall  there  was  a  fine  arrangement  of  Pears,  all  trained  horizontally,  and 
each  year  carry  good  crops  of  fruit.  The  sorts  include  many  of  those 
named  above.  A  little  distance  from  the  gardens  and  adjoining  the 
Plum  orchard  was  a  vinery  45  feet  long,  and  containing  twenty  Vines  of 
the  leading  sorts.  The  Vines,  like  all  the  other  fruit-bearing  trees,  were 
in  excellent  order,  and  bore  traces  of  skilful  cultivation. 
Although  the  gardens  at  Rochford  House  are  not  so  extensive  as  some 
others  that  we  have  visited  in  the  county,  yet  they  afforded  us  a  vast  amount 
of  pleasure  and  instruction.  We  cannot  close  these  brief  notes  without 
expressing  our  deep  obligation  to  Mr.  Paintin,  and  the  gratification  our 
short  visit  yielded  us. —  Quintin  Read,  Ev-sh  im. 
LUCULIA  GRATISSIMA. 
How  is  it  this  charming  plant  is  not  more  generally  grown  ?  For 
covering  bare  walls  in  cool  greenhouses  or  conservatories  it  has  no  equal. 
Many  people,  however,  make  a  mistake  in  attempting  to  grow  it  in  too 
high  a  temperature. 
In  the  gardens  of  the  Rev.  H.  G.  Jebb,  Firbeck  Hall,  Rotherham, 
there  is  a  fine  plant  at  present  in  bloom,  which  for  the  number  and  the  size 
of  its  trusses  I  have  not  seen  surpassed.  Mr.  Egglestone,  the  gardener, 
informed  me  on  the  day  of  my  visit  that  there  were  upwards  of 
500  heads  of  bloom  fully  expanded.  A  medium-sized  truss  that  I  have 
now  before  me  has  sixty-four  of  its  sweetly  scented,  pale  pink  flowers 
fully  open.  Blooming  as  it  does  at  this  dull  season  makes  it  doubly 
welcome,  and  is  justly  appreciated  by  all  who  have  had  the  privilege 
of  seeing  it. 
The  Firbeck  specimen  is  planted  out  in  the  conservatory  in  one 
corner  of  the  centre  bed,  and  is  being  trained  over  part  of  the  roof,  a 
position  that  suits  it  admirably,  forming  quite  a  canopy  of  flowers 
overhead.  This  plant  should  be  more  generally  grown,  as  it  is  of  easy 
culture  — S 
HORTICULTURAL  EXHIBITORS  AND  RAILWAY 
FARES. 
An  erroneous  impression  seems  to  exist  as  to  the  privileges  granted 
to  exhibitors  here  in  Ireland.  The  statement  made  by  “  M.  W.”  is 
quoted  again  in  last  week’s  Journal  by  “  T.  H  ,  Bristol."  As  an 
exhibitor  I  have  been  making  inquiry  into  this  matter,  and  with  one 
exception  the  railway  companies  having  termini  in  Dublin  do  not  give  any 
facility  whatever  to  exhibitors.  I  am  well  acquainted  with  exhibitors 
attending  the  shows  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  Ireland,  and 
they  inform  me  that  they  never  yet  got  such  a  privilege  as  stated  by 
“  M.  W.”  The  exception  referred  to  is  the  Great  Northern  Railway, 
between  Dublin  and  Belfast. 
Exhibitors  from  Dublin  and  further  south  at  the  late  Chrysanthemum 
show  in  Belfast,  on  sending  in  their  entries  to  the  Secretary  received  in 
return  a  signed  railway  voucher,  which  on  being  presented  at  the 
railway  ticket  office  and  paying  single  fare  a  ticket  was  obtained  for 
tbe  double  journey.  Show  boxes  were  all  carried  free.  Compare  this 
generous  treatment  with  that  of  the  Dublin,  Wicklow,  and  Wexford 
Railway,  where  a  friend  and  I  in  our  journey  to  Belfast  had  to  travel 
four  miles  over  their  system,  and  in  addition  to  paying  full  fare  were 
also  charged  Is.  each  for  the  single  journey  for  carriage  of  our  boxes. 
Railway  travelling  in  Ireland  is  a  more  expensive  luxury  than  in  either 
England  or  Scotland,  and  the  agitation  for  cheaper  rates  for  exhibitors 
is  just  as  necessary  here  as  in  other  places. — J.  H.  Cumming,  St.  Helens 
Gardens ,  Booterstown ,  Budilin, 
WINTER  FLOWERS  AT  HINDLIP  HALL. 
The  demand  for  cut  flowers  and  decorative  plants  for  winter  work  at 
Hindlip  Hall,  Worcester,  is  great,  but  Mr.  H.  Russell,  the  gardener  in 
chief,  is  equal  for  the  occasion.  It  was  a  dull  cold  miserable  wet  day 
when  I  recently  visited  this  well-kept  place,  but  I  forgot  all  about  the 
weather  when  I  was  going  through  the  houses,  for  an  imposing  display 
of  winter  flowers  met  the  eye  everywhere. 
A  house  is  devoted  to  the  culture  of  tree  Carnations,  producing 
dozens  of  flowers,  of  which  Winter  Cheer  seemed  to  be  a  favourite,  and 
deservedly  so,  for  it  is  one  of  the  best  scarlets  for  winter  work  as  seen 
here,  plants  in  32-pots  producing  fine  crops  of  flowers.  Many  other 
varieties  are  grown,  including  the  Malmaison  section,  which  promises 
well,  and  a  succession  of  flowers  will  be  forthcoming  for  a  long  time. 
There  is  a  house  of  Cyclamens  containing  about  300  well-grown  plants 
in  6-inch  pots,  many  of  which  have  fully  four  dozen  expanded  flowers 
and  an  innumerable  quantity  of  buds  thrown  well  above  the  beautifully 
marbled  foliage.  Sutton’s  Butterfly,  one  of  the  very  best  whites,  is  in 
strong  evidence,  likewise  all  the  varieties  of  Sutton’s  Gigantic  strain. 
Poinsettias  are  remarkably  well  grown.  The  plants  were  dwarf, 
about  15  inches  high,  and  well  clothed  with  foliage  to  the  pots  (5-inch). 
The  bright  scarlet  bractB  measure  fully  18  inches  across,  and  are  superb 
for  decoration  work.  A  house  of  Bouvardias  in  6-inch  pots,  fully  2£  to 
3  feet  through,  are  invaluable  for  cutting  from,  and  I  wag  very  pleased 
to  see  a  fine  collection  of  yellow  Wallflowers  in  pots,  flowering  as 
profusely  as  one  could  wish  ;  the  variety  is  Sutton’s  Earliest  of  All. 
These  were  lifted  from  the  open  ground  in  October,  and  they  have  the 
appearance  of  flowering  for  at  least  a  month  to  come.  The  habit  is 
dwarf  and  compact;  the  plants  referred  to  are  about  a  foot  high, 
rendering  the  variety  worthy  the  attention  of  those  wanting  sweet- 
scented  flowers  during  the  winter  months  for  decorative  purposes. 
Chrysanthemums,  of  which  all  the  leading  varieties  are  grown  for 
decorative  work  ;  although  somewhat  late  in  the  season,  many  still  remain 
that  would  do  credit  to  any  exhibition.  Houses  are  devoted  also  to 
decorative  foliage  plants ;  all  the  leading  Palms,  Dracaenas,  Crotons, 
and  Ferns  are  grown  in  great  quan'ities  and  various  sizes.  The  Crotons 
an  1  Dracaenas  are  beautifully  coloured. 
In  the  fruit  houses  I  noticed  fine  crops  of  Grapes  yet  remaining,  fit 
to  adorn  the  table  of  the  most  fastidious.  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  fine  in 
colour,  plump  in  berry,  and  good  bunches  ;  Lady  Downe’s,  both  white 
and  black,  the  former  not  often  seen,  it  is  grand  here,  and  a  good 
flavour  ;  and  other  varieties  equally  well  done.  The  early  Peach  house 
and  vineries  have  been  started,  and  look  promising.  If  cleanliness  and 
good  order  can  assist  the  future  prospects,  it  is  in  strong  evidence  in  this 
well-kept  place,  the  credit  of  which  is  due  to  Mr.  H.  Russell,  who  has 
had  charge  here  now  some  few  years,  and  whose  work  proclaims  for  him 
the  title  of  a  well-skilled  and  enthusiastic  gardener. — Urbanus. 
A  TRIP  TO  THE  DISMAL  SWAMP. 
The  large  tract  of  inundated  lowland  in  south-eastern  Virginia 
known  as  the  Dismal  Swamp  possesses  an  interest  to  workers  in  all 
branches  of  science  from  the  fact  that  it  is  the  first  or  most  northern 
great  series  of  coastal  swamps  extending  from  Norfolk  southward  for 
many  miles.  To  the  botanist  such  an  area  furnishes  valuable  oppor¬ 
tunities  for  the  study  of  geographical  distribution  and  of  habitat,  and 
mainly  with  this  object  in  view  I  made  the  expedition  to  the  swamp 
last  May  in  company  with  a  geologist  and  two  ornithologists.  The 
accompanying  notes  on  the  flora  of  the  region  are  the  outcome  of  only 
two  days’  sojourn  in  the  swamp  itself. 
In  maDy  parts  of  the  area  under  consideration  the  term  “  dismal  ”  is 
a  misnomer,  as  the  trees  are  not  of  sufficient  size  and  density  to  exclude 
the  sunlight  altogether,  or  even  to  give  that  appearance  of  gloom 
afforded  by  the  coniferous  forests  of  the  north.  In  tbe  interior,  how¬ 
ever,  especially  around  Lake  Drummond,  certain  trees,  such  as  Acer 
rubrum  and  Nyssa  biflora,  attain  a  very  great  height.  The  majority  of 
the  remaining  trees,  like  Magnolia  glauca  and  Quercus  nigra,  do  not 
exceed,  for  the  most  part,  20  or  30  feet.  The  last  two  species,  in 
company  with  several  Ericaceous  shrubs  and  the  Hollies,  Ilex  glabra 
and  I.  opaca,  when  intertwined  with  the  numerous  woody  vines  that 
abound  in  the  swamp,  constitute  an  impenetrable  jangle  which  defies 
even  superficial  investigation  unless  exploring  botanists  are  armed  with 
bush  knives. 
While  paddling  up  the  Jericho  Canal  from  Suffolk  in  a  dug-out  we 
noted  several  well-marked  areas  in  which  some  one  of  these  dominant 
species  seemed  to  flourish  at  the  expense  of  the  others.  Along  the  side 
of  the  canal  for  the  first  few  miles  soil  thrown  out  in  the  construction  of 
the  ditch  forms  a  moderately  firm  bank,  along  which  is  a  good  towpatb. 
Here  the  Cane  grows  rather  sparsely,  but  there  are  numerous  trees 
apparently  not  foun  '■  in  the  interior,  notably  AraUa  spinosa,  Sassafras, 
Rhus  copallina,  aud  several  Oaks.  A  few  introduced  weeds,  including 
tbe  ubiquitous  English  Daisy,  are  scattered  along  the  bank. 
A  few  miles  farther  we  notice  a  gradual  subsidence  of  the  embank¬ 
ment,  the  soil  becomes  more  moist,  and  the  Cane  grows  in  dense  brakes, 
overarching  the  canal  and  effectively  smothering  the  smaller  herbaceous 
vegetation.  Soon  the  water  of  the  surrounding  swamp  is  seen  to  merge 
with  that  of  the  ditch,  and  the  Cane,  finding  do  anchorage  for  its  tough, 
ligneous  root-stocks,  disappears  almost  completely,  its  place  being  taken 
by  masses  of  Woodwardia,  which  grow  in  from  1  to  2  feet  of  water,  and 
whose  fronds  attain  enormous  dimensions.  Around  the  roots  of  shrubs 
a  quantity  of  Sphagnum  lodges,  mingled  with  decaying  sticks  and 
herbage,  thus  affording  conditions  favourable  to  the  growth  of  such 
plants  as  Pogonia  ophioglossoides,  Limodorum  tuberosum,  Mitchella 
repens,  Impatiens,  and  even  Gaultheria  procumbens,  the  flavour  of  the 
winterberries  borne  by  the  latter  being  fully  equal  to  that  of  specimens 
from  a  mountain  woodland  farther  north. 
As  one  nears  the  end  of  the  canal,  shrubs  and  trees  become  thicker, 
and  the  Cane  is  again  abundant.  Similax  laurifolia  and  S.  rotundifolia 
festoon  tbe  lower  branches  of  the  trees,  while  the  Supplejack,  Berchemia, 
the  Fox  Grape  and  the  Cross  Vine,  Bignonia  capreolata,  strive  for  the 
possession  of  the  lofty  trunks.  Fallen  logs  float  on  the  surface  of  tbe 
water  and  become  converted  into  veritable  moss  gardens,  among  which 
Poly  podium  poly  podioides  thrives. 
The  Bald  Cypress,  Taxodium  distichum,  is  apparently  lesB  abundant 
in  the  swamp  than  formerly,  and  of  the  specimens  observed  by  our 
party  tbe  majority  were  young.  Lake  Drummond  is  full  of  Cypress- 
stumps,  indicating  that  a  large  number  of  these  trees  once  grew  within 
its  area.  The  peculiarity  exhibited  by  this  species  of  forming  enlarged 
butts,  or  elbows,  often  in  connected  series,  is  observable  to  less  extent 
in  most  of  the  arborescent  vegetation.  The  knees  attain  greater  pro¬ 
portions  in  the  Cypress,  however,  and  seem  to  be  designed  to  obviate 
rapid  decay  and  to  anchor  the  plant  firmly  in  the  depth  of  water  that 
it  prefers. 
Lake  Drummond,  a  sheet  several  miles  in  diameter,  is  the  centering 
point  of  the  various  canals  and  ditches  penetrating  the  swamp. 
Apparently  its  waters  nowhere  exceed  10  feet  in  depth,  except  during 
the  period  of  overflow  in  the  spring.  Around  its  margins  lie,  perhaps, 
the  most  densely  wooded  portions  of  the  swamp,  and  innumerable  stumps 
and  tree-trunks,  still  standing  erect  in  the  water,  tell  the  tale  of  a  forest 
that  once  covered  much  of  the  present  surface  of  the  lake. 
