Supplement  to  the  “  Journal  of  HortIlULture.’ 
LOCKING®  PARK,  THE  SEAT  OF  LORD  WANTAGE, 
LOCKINGE,  the  Berkshire  home  of  Lord  and  Lady  Wantage,  is  a  name 
to  conjure  with  in  the  world  of  horticulture,  for  it  is  customarily 
taken  as  synonymous  with  quality  and  enterprise— indeed,  one  does  not 
expect  to  see  or  hear  of  anything  weak  in  connection  with  the  place. 
Tree  planting  is  the  hobby  of  Lord  Wantage,  and  gardening  generally 
of  Lady  Wantage.  The  soldier  Lord  follows  his  bent  in  no  half¬ 
hearted  manner,  purchasing  tree*  of  all  kinds  by  the  100,000  for 
placing  on  different  portions  of  the  estate.  Each  site  is  selected  with 
care  and  judgment,  with  the  result  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  success 
crowns  the  ifforts  made.  Ready  and  willing  to  carry  out  all  expressed 
man  it  must  be  earned,  for  there  can  be  no  question  of  purchase.  A 
soldier  no  longer,  Lord  Wantage  still  retains  nis  interest  in  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  military,  though  now  horticulture  and  aboriculture 
come  in  for  a  considerable  share  of  attention.  The  result  of  this 
enthusiasm  is  seen  on  every  hand,  and  the  large  estate  is  rapidly 
becoming  more  and  more  beautiful,  and  let  us  hope  increasing  in  value 
at  a  similar  ratio.  Delightful  walks  and  drives  abound  in  all  directions, 
and  magnificent  views  of  real  English  landscape  are  spread  before  the 
wanderer  as  he  passes  on  his  way.  In  brief,  it  is  one  of  Mrs.  Heman's 
1  “stately  homes  of  England.” 
Fig.  42  —ALCOVE 
wishes  of  this  nature  is  Mr.  W.  Fyfe,  the  esteemed  head  gardener,  much 
of  whose  time  during  the  winter  season  is  taken  up  by  going  from  place 
to  place  to  superintend  the  planting. 
Energetic  as  is  his  Lordship  as  a  tree  planter  he  was  equally  as  much 
so  in  his  younger  days  as  a  soldier,  for  he  gained  an  enviable  renown  on 
the  heights  of  Alma  when  he  held  a  lieutenant’s  commission.  It  was 
there,  where  hundreds  of  brave  men  found  their  last  resting  place,  that 
the  greatest  honour  that  can  be  attached  to  a  man  was  given  to 
Lieutenant  Lloyd  Lindsay — the  Victoria  Cross  with  its  simple  inscrip¬ 
tion  “  For  Valour.”  Proud  indeed  may  he  be  who  wears  this  decoration, 
for  it  is  given  for  merit  alone.  Whether  it  be  awarded  to  officer  or 
AND  FOUNTAIN. 
The  first  week  in  March  would  not  be  considered  by  many  of  our 
readers  to  be  an  ideal  time  to  see  a  garden,  because  it  cannot  be  expected 
to  find  the  trees  laden  with  the  fruit,  the  plants  rich  in  bloom,  and  the 
whole  sweet  with  Flora’s  and  Pomona’s  fragrance.  But  none  the  less,  a 
garden  to  a  gardener  is  always  interesting  and  mostly  instructive, 
especially  when  the  visit  is  the  first  that  has  been  paid  to  some 
particular  place.  Such  being  the  case,  the  pilgrimage  to  Lockinge  was 
made  with  much  pleasure  and  tended  to  the  writer’s  profit,  and  though 
it  cannot  be  written  of  as  at  the  zenith  of  its  beauty,  there  are  many 
things  that  may  be  noted  here.  For  the  garden  at  its  best  we  had  per¬ 
force  to  rely  on  that  excellent  delineator  the  camera,  and  its  pictures, 
reproduced  in  figs.  42,  45,  and  46,  on  pages  201,  208,  and  209,  speak 
volumes  about  Lockinge,  and  render  the  task  of  describing  it  far  easier 
