March  11,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
205 
employes  for  twenty-eight  years,  and  he  expects  to  move  to  a 
“  shantie  ”  he  has  secured  with  a  “  good  big  garden  ”  on  a  walled- 
in  “estate”  on  28th  of  May.  He  has  had  a  “good  big  garden” 
to  look  after  all  those  years  on  an  estate  of  250,000  acres,  so  will 
scarcely  be  overwhelmed  by  his  new  undertaking. 
It  was  presumably  at  Drumlanrig  that  Mr.  Thomson  made 
another  discovery  from  which  manufacturers  of  insecticides  have 
profited,  and  many  gardeners  benefited — the  value  of  petroleum  as 
an  annihilator  of  insects  on  plants  and  trees,  and  which  now  forms 
the  base  of  many  preparations.  The  discovery  was  the  result  of 
several  experiments  resorted  to  to  meet  a  particular  case,  and  when 
the  efficacy  and  measure  of  safety  of  the  powerful  agent  was  proved 
by  various  tests,  the  particulars  were  given  to  the  world  through 
the  Press.  The  use  of  petroleum  has  become  so  general  in  gardens, 
that  the  originator  of  it  as  an  insecticide  is  perhaps  hardly  thought 
about,  and  certainly  by  many  not  known,  and  that  is  why  the  facts 
of  the  matter  are  registered  here. 
The  gardener’s  home  at  Drumlanrig  is  a  delightful  place  to  rest 
in  ;  situated  high  up  the  side  of  a  bold  tree-clad  hill,  and  reached  by 
screwing  ”  paths,  the  view  across  the  kitchen  gardens  and  for 
miles  beyond,  with  a  crescent-like  range  of  mountains  in  the  far 
distance  is  grand.  The  weather  was  not  of  the  best  in  mid- 
September,  but  we  managed  to  pass  through  the  gardens  and 
pleasure  grounds  between  the  showers,  also  have  a  glance  through 
the  stately  Castle  standing  in  solitary  grandeur  in  such  a  position 
of  bold  natural  beauty  as  it  is  rare  to  find.  From  the  terrace  we 
have  seen  the  extensive  flower  garden  a  blaze  of  beauty  ;  but  as  in 
many  other  establishments  flower  beds  have  to  a  large  extent  given 
place  to  a  greater  expanse  of  lawn,  and  it  cannot  be  said  in  this 
instance  with  loss  of  dignity,  as  grand  trees  on  smooth  greensward 
iave  a  distinctly  imposing  appearance. 
A  flower  garden  on  a  level  with  the  Castle  on  one  side  was  as 
gay  as  a  garden  could  be.  On  the  other  side  the  large  beds  W6re 
occupied  in  a  very  different  manner,  and  equally  ornamentally  in 
their  way.  This  is  called  the  “shrub  garden.”  At  intervals  are 
pyramidal  specimens  of  Golden  Cv  press.  Retinosporas,  Green  and 
Grolden  Yews,  and  Thujopsis.  Many  Golden  Hollies  are  also 
employed,  and  the  ground  between  covered  with  such  plant#  as 
Ootoneasters,  variegated  Periwinkles,  and  hardy  Heaths.  The 
pleasing  association  of  the  different  kinds,  so  diverse  in  habit  and 
colour,  form  a  distinct  and  effective  feature,  and  the  beds  are 
permanently  attractive.  The  pleasure  grounds  comprise  lome 
-50  acres,  and  look  which  way’ we  may  from  the  Castle  terraces, 
east,  west  or  south,  we  cannot  fail  to  perceive  that  the  site  was 
wisely  chosen  for  a  home  some  200  years  ago. 
Returning  to  the  kitchen  gardens,  a  mile  from  the  Castle,  a  few 
of  the  main  features  may  be  briefly  noted.  Six  acre*  are  enclosed 
with  walls,  and  there  is  a  large  outside  area,  that  next  the  gardener’s 
house  being  mainly  lawn  and  hardy  flowers,  with  long  wired  arcades 
of  Roses  and  other  climbing  plants,  the  northern  boundary  being 
the  500  feet  long  span-roofed  house,  18  feet  wide,  open  from  end 
to  end,  and  heated  by  3000  feet  of  piping.  The  trellises  are 
clothed  with  healthy  and  productive  fruit  trees — Peaches,  Nec¬ 
tarines,  Plums,  and  Pears,  which  must  yield  an  enormous  amount 
of  fruit.  In  September  the  Pear*,  trained  like  Vines,  were  a 
“  sight,”  as  roped  from  base  to  summit  with  their  load  of  excellent 
fruit.  Half  the  range  on  both  sides  the  central  path  was  filled 
with  Chrysanthemums — dwarf  plants  from  2  to  3  feet  high,  most 
of  them  having  ter  to  twenty  bold  buds  that  would  produce  hand¬ 
some  blooms.  They  were  a  credit  to  all  concerned,  and  would  in 
due  course  make  a  grand  display.  In  the  wet  cold  district  the 
plants  have  to  be  housed  early  in  September. 
The  Grapes  in  the  fine  range  of  vineries  on  the  south  side  of 
the  garden  were  worth  a  long  journey  to  see.  Crops  and  bunches 
magnificent.  Black  Grapes,  such  as  Hamburghs  and  Gros  Colmans, 
have  been  splendid  for  years,  but  the  soil  has  been  too  wet  and 
cold  for  Muscats,  some  4  or  5  feet  of  rain  falling  on  the  outside 
border*  yearly,  and  it  evidently  suits  the  others.  Mr.  Thomson 
has  found  out  a  way  to  make  it  suit  Muscats,  which  were  remark¬ 
ably  fine.  An  interesting  and  excellent  way  it  is.  It  has 
often  been  said  that  good  Muscats  and  Black  Hamburghs  cannot 
be  grown  in  the  same  house.  They  are  not  only  finely  grown  side 
by  side  at  Drumlanrig — one  rod  of  Muscats  between  two  of  Ham¬ 
burghs  throughout  one  large  house  (except  where  Gros  Colmans 
take  the  place  of  Hamburghs),  but  both  are  fed  by  the  same 
xoots.  Thousands  of  persons  would  rejoice  to  have  such  noble 
bunches  of  the  black  varieties  and  the  Muscats,  even  in  separate 
•houses,  as  are  here  grown  in  twinship,  or  tripletship  if  you  like  to 
have  it  so. 
The  Muscats  alternate  with  Black  Hamburgh*,  or  Gros 
Colmans  as  the  case  may  be,  are  grown  in  this  way.  From  each 
Vine  planted  of  the  black  varietie*  two  fruiting  rods  are  taken, 
with  a  third  added  by  grafting  of  the  Muscat  of  Alexandria.  In 
this  way  only  has  Mr.  Thomson  been  able  to  grow  fine  Muscats  at 
Drumlanrig.  He  tried  all  sorts  of  stocks,  but  unless  where  limbs 
of  the  stock  were  retained  the  Muscats  did  little  or  no  good.  Nor 
did  they  on  their  own  roots,  but  now  he  has  them  to  his  satisfaction, 
or  at  least  he  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  them.  His  theory  is,  and 
no  doubt  the  correct  one,  that  the  root*  are  kept  working  in  the 
cold  soil  under  such  a  rainfall  longer  and  more  actively,  and  the 
Mu«cats  share  the  benefit,  the  robust  helping  the  delicate  variety  to 
do  its  work.  It  was  worth  going  to  Drumlanrig  to  see  the  com¬ 
bination,  the  problem  solved,  the  fruit  of  a  happy  thought,  born 
of  scientific  reasoning,  and  another  feather  in  the  cap  of  this  grand 
old  gardener  of  modern  times,  who  has  changed  little  since  the 
portrait  was  taken  as  shown  in  fig.  43. 
The  second  large  house  is  devoted  to  Black  Hamburghs,  the 
bunches  and  berries  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  Vines  and  from  end 
to  end  of  the  house  forming  such  a  crop  as  this  poor  scribe  has  not 
seen  during  hi*  journeying*  of  a  few  thousands  of  miles.  In  the 
Tiviriiiiiiinmiiniiiini'm.iiiii.iiiimiiiiimii  iiniiiHiiiTnrTTnrmTnmmTiiDiniinuntmin 
FIG.  44. — A  NOVELTY  IN  GRAPE  PRODUCTION.  ( Seepage  206.) 
third  house  we  find  a  mixture — Muscats  nur*ed  by  Raisin  de 
Calabria  and  by  Gros  Colman  as  fine  as  anyone  could  wish  to  see, 
especially  the  union  of  the  Mu»cat  and  the  Colman.  Then  we 
were  drawn  to  a  monster  crop  on  one  Vine — *.  young  rod  of 
Gros  Guillaume,  often  miscalled  Birbarossa,  established  on  Gros 
Colman,  probably  5  lbs.  per  lineal  foot.  Perhaps,  however,  the  scales 
may  have  settled  the  point  by  this  time,  and  if  so  it  will  be  interest¬ 
ing  to  learn  the  result.  The  fourth  house  in  the  range  was  devoted 
to  the  combination  of  Gros  Colman  and  Muscats,  probably  such  a 
house  of  Grapes  produced  in  the  same  way  as  could  not  be  seen 
elsewhere.  There  is  only  one  right  word  for  it — magnificent.  The 
croD  of  Duke  of  Buccleuch  in  another  range  was  cut  and  gone,  but 
the  noble  Duke  is,  as  it  ought  to  be,  “  at  home  ”  at  Drumlanrig, 
giving  a  fine  yield  offfits  beautiful  and  delicious  fruit. 
The  Vines,  with  perhaps  a  few  exception*,  including  “  The 
Duke,”  «  ere  planted  by  the  grower  of  them  over  twenty-five  years 
ago.  The  outside  borders  are  firm  acd  “matted”  with  roots  near 
the  surface.  That,  with  proper  nutriment,  including  moisture,  also 
the  best  of  routine  attention,  is  the  secret  of  their  vigour  and 
productiveness.  Mr.  Thomion  did  not  say  so,  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  they  have  had  a  generous  share  of  the  manure  with  which  the 
family  name  is  identified,  but  that  alone  would  not  suffice.  The 
surface  must  be  kept  moist  during  dry  weather  in  the  summer  to 
keep  the  roots  there  for  appropriating  the  food  supplied.  This  is 
effected  by  mulching,  not  through  the  spring  months  for  excluding 
warmth  from  the  sun,  but  in  summer  for  preventing  evaporation. 
The  reverse  of  this  is  very  much  too  common,  and  then  the  borders 
cannot  be  permeated  with  myriads  of  fibres  bristling  almost 
through  the  surface,  nor  can  the  Vines  be  in  the  splendid  condition 
of  those  at  Drumlanrig. 
