566 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
June  24,  1897. 
great  favourites,  and  the  common  Honeysuckle  is  to  be  found  almost 
everywhere.  It  covers  an  arched  trellis  over  a  door  leading  from  the 
Castle  into  a  series  of  beds  on  the  south  side  ;  it  is  being  trained  up  the 
lamp  pillars  in  the  entrance  avenues,  and  to  show  how  much  this  Bimple 
and  fragrant  flower  is  cared  for  it  may  be  mentioned  that,  associated 
with  Ivy  and  Cotoneaster,  it  climbs  up  the  pedestals  of  the  statues  of  her 
Majesty  and  H.R.H.  the  Prince  Consort. 
The  flower  beds  at  the  Castle  are  not  extensive.  On  the  south  front 
are  mosaic  beds  of  coloured  stones,  a  style  occasionally  seen,  but  more 
common  when  Balmoral  first  became  a  Royal  residence.  On  the  west 
front  facing  the  Royal  apartments  there  is  another  series  planted  with 
herbaceous  and  spring  bedding  plants,  Viola  Countess  of  Kintore  seem¬ 
ingly  being  a  favourite  at  Balmoral,  summer  and  autumn-blooming 
plants  following  in  due  course.  There  is  a  magnificent  view  from  this 
side  looking  up  the  Dee  towards  Braemar,  which  we  cannot  attempt  to 
picture. 
On  the  north  side  beneath  a  terrace  is  another  series  of  small  beds 
occupied  in  summer  with  Pentstemons,  Antirrhinums,  Asters,  Stocks, 
pegged-down  Clarkias,  and  similar  flowers.  The  front  of  the  terrace  is 
covered  with  Ivy,  with  Honeysuckle  on  the  pillars.  A  row  of  fine  Irish 
Yews  was  destroyed  here  by  the  memorable  winter  of  1894-5.  A 
short  walk  led  to  a  beautiful  chalet,  made  of  wood  grown  on  the 
Balmoral  estate,  and  exhibited  at  the  Edinburgh  Forestry  Exhibition. 
It  is  admirably  finished,  the  polished  surfaces  of  the  interior  showing 
the  beauty  of  some  of  our  native  timber.  Near  here  is  a  bed  of 
Provence  Roses,  and  in  front  is  a  sloping  bank  of  Mahonias.  A  fine 
view  of  the  river  Dee  is  obtained  from  this  point. 
The  garden  cottage,  in  which  her  Majesty  breakfasts  and  conducts 
her  correspondence,  was  also  seen.  It  is  a  pretty  little  building,  which, 
later  still,  will  be  even  more  attractive  when  the  Honeysuckle, 
Tropmolum  speciosum,  and  the  Canary  Creeper  climb  over  its  walls  ; 
and  an  interesting  feature  is  the  number  of  memorial  trees  planted  in 
the  grounds. 
It  would  not  do  to  leave  this  Royal  Highland  home  without 
ascending  at  least  one  of  the  hills  to  view  Balmoral  from  above,  and  to 
admire  the  surrounding  scenery.  Mr.  Troup,  with  unwearied  kindness 
suggested  the  ascent  of  Craig  Gowan,  on  which  is  the  Cairn,  in  com¬ 
memoration  of  the  marriage  of  H.R.H.  the  late  Duke  of  Albany — a 
married  life  which,  alas !  was  cut  all  too  short.  A  little  higher  is 
tte  flagstaff  on  which  the  flag  is  hoisted  on  occasions  of  rejoicing, 
and  near  which  the  bonfires  blaze.  The  hill  is  "largely  covered  with 
Birch,  intermingled  with  other  trees,  with  an  undergrowth  of  Juniper 
Blaeberry,  Whortleberry,  and  Heather.  From  the  summit  the  view  is 
indeed  magnificent.  Balmoral  Castle  nestles  below,  surrounded  by  its 
trees,  its  lovely  grounds,  and  gardens,  Through  the  valley  the  Dee 
winds  along,  and  on  both  sides  rise  lofty  mountains.  I  looked  longingly 
at  the  Cairn  on  the  summit  of  Craig  Lowrigan,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  Prince  Consort ;  and  not  to  be  forgotten  is  the  beauty  of 
the  glade  at  the  base  of  Craig  Gowan,  past  the  Queen’s  Well,  with  its 
stream  of  cool  and  limpid  water.  We  had  left  to  the  last  a  look  at  the 
statues  of  her  Majesty  and  Prince  Albert.  It  was  a  fitting  conclusion 
to  a  visit  not  soon  to  be  forgotten,  to  look  up  to  those  representations  of 
two  noble  lives,  the  one  happily  still  with  us,  to  continue  long,  we  hope, 
her  beneficent  reign  ;  the  other  cut  off  in  early  manhood,  but  not  before 
the  nation  could  realise  how  much  it  had  lost  by  his  death.  And  so  we 
turned  and  came  away.  A  memorable  day  had  come  and  gone  ;  a  day 
which  had  brought  with  it  much  pleasure,  and  had  given  subject  for 
deep  thought. 
Full  of  beauty  as  is  Balmoral,  magnificent  as  are  its  surroundings,  we 
feel  that  it  gains  lustre  from  the  thought  of  those  whose  home  it  was 
and  is.  We  think  of  our  Queen,  to  whom  it  is  so  dear,  bearing  so 
patiently,  so  bravely,  and  so  well  the  burden  of  the  British  Crown,  ever 
seeking  to  do  her  duty  as  Monarch,  ever  remembering  the  sorrows,  the 
joys,  and  the  triumphs  of  her  people. 
A  visit  to  her  Highland  home  can  only  intensify  one’s  loyalty  and 
admiration,  so  clearly  can  one  see  and  learn  that  the  Queen’s  messages  to 
her  rejoicing  or  sorrowing  people  are  from  the  heart.  Mingled  with  all  these 
thoughts  of  her  Majesty’s  goodness  come  those  of  him  whose  loss  she  has 
ever  mourned.  To  that  Prince,  Balmoral,  as  it  was  and  is,  is  due.  To 
use  her  Majesty’s  words,  it  is  “  his  own  work,  own  building,  own  laying 
out.  .  .  .  His  great  taste  and  the  impress  of  his  dear  hand  have  been 
stamped  everywhere.” 
As  Balmoral  was  left  behind,  it  was  with  the  earnest  hope  that  our 
gracious  Monarch  may  long  be  spared  to  draw  strength  and  comfort 
from  her  beautiful  Highland  home  and  the  everlasting  hills,  the  symbols 
of  the  Eternal,  which  rise  around. — S.  Arnott. 
Horticulture  During  tl\e  Queen’s  Reign. 
SIXTY  YEARS'  REMINISCENCES. 
When  I  was  asked  to  write  something  about  the  progress  of  horti¬ 
culture  during  the  Queen’s  reign,  I  was  somewhat  startled  by  the 
magnitude  of  the  task  proposed  ;  to  do  it  fully  would  have  required 
the  reading  up  of  a  great  mass  of  literature,  and  would  have  demanded 
not  the  writing  of  a  paper  but  of  a  volume.  Although  the  honour 
which  has  been  put  upon  me  iD  asking  me  to  write  this  paper  is  one 
which  I  duly  appreciate,  I  must  at  the  same  time  say  that  I  have  no 
intention  of  treating  it  as  just  suggested.  When  I  come  to  ask  myself 
on  what  grounds  I  have  been  requested  to  undertake  this  work  the 
only  answers  I  can  find  are  that  during  those  years  I  have  been  closely 
associated  with  horticulture,  and  that  my  horticultural  life  began  some 
years  before  Her  Majesty’s  accession  to  the  Throne.  This  advantage 
is  one  that  my  younger  brethren  will  not  envy  me,  but  experience  is 
one  of  those  good  things  which  we  old  men  can  claim  ;  and  as  I  have 
already  said  in  the  pages  of  the  Journal,  I  was  in  the  full  strength  of 
early  manhood  when  I  saw  at  Milan  the  announcement  of  the  death 
of  William  IV.,  and  that  his  niece,  our  present  Gracious  Queen,  was 
to  succeed  him. 
Old  Times  and  Old  Friends. 
My  paper  will  then  be  rather  one  of  personal  reminiscences  than  of 
detailed  historical  statements.  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  are  always 
exclaiming  that  the  old  times  were  better  than  the  present,  and  in 
nothing  is  this  less  true  than  in  horticulture.  Think  of  the  time,  my 
friends,  when  there  were  no  Japanese  Chrysanthemums,  no  tuberous 
Begonias,  no  Hybrid  Perpetual  or  Tea  Roses  worthy  of  mention,  no 
Lilium  auratums  ;  when  Orchid  growers  were  scarce  and  the  species 
cultivated  few  in  number  ;  and  it  will  be  then  seen  how  very  different 
our  gardens  are  now  to  what  they  were  in  those  days,  and  yet  there  is 
much  that  one  can  recall  with  pleasure,  and  scenes  occur  to  one  it  will 
be  impossible  to  equal  in  these  days. 
Especially  is  the  recollection  strong  of  two  exhibitions  which  I 
attended  in  the  early  days  of  Her  Majesty’s  reign.  One  of  these  was  the 
great  summer  show  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at 
Chiswick.  This  was  then  as  much  one  of  the  days  of  the  London  season 
aB  the  opening  day  of  the  Royal  Academy.  The  whole  way  from  the 
West  End  to  Chiswick  was  thronged  with  the  grand  equipages  of  the 
upper  ten,  while  the  brilliancy  of  the  toilettes  of  tha  ladies  showed  it  to 
be  as  important  to  them  as  the  day  at  Longchamps  is  to  the  Parisian 
belles.  The  exhibition  of  flowers  was  also  in  some  respects  remarkable. 
Ericas  and  bardwooded  plants  were  then  much  more  in  favour  than  they 
are  now,  and  I  well  remember  the  splendid  specimens  of  various  kinds 
which  used  to  be  shown  by  Mrs.  Lawrence,  who  was  an  enthusiastic 
horticulturist.  The  day  was  memorable  to  me  also,  for  on  going 
across  the  lawn  I  picked  up  a  well  filled  purse,  and  on  inquiry  soon 
found  an  owner,  Mr.  John  Edwards,  who  was  then  one  of  the  leading 
growers  of  Tulips,  Auriculas,  and  other  florist  flowers  in  the  Metropolis, 
which  led  to  much  pleasant  intercourse  with  that  most  ardent  florist. 
The  other  exhibition  was  a  scene  of  a  very  different  character,  and  took 
place  at  the  Horns,  Kennington,  lately  demolished  ;  it  was  an  exhibition 
of  Auriculas  and  Polyanthus,  and  very  keenly  were  the  prizes  (which 
were  insignificant  compared  with  those  which  are  offered  now)  contested  ; 
but  I  think  there  was  a  real  genuine  love  of  the  flowers  manifested  by 
all  the  exhibitors. 
Nor  in  other  respects  were  there  signs  wanting  that  there  was  as 
much  enthusiasm  amongst  the  flower  loving  community  then  as  now. 
It  is  true  that  the  extraordinary  prices  which  have  been  given  for 
Orchids  in  these  latter  days  could  not  be  paralleled  then,  but  I  re¬ 
member  going  to  Walworth  to  see  the  magnificent  beds  of  Tulips  grown 
by  Mr.  Groom,  many  of  the  bulbs  in  it  being  valued  at  £50  and  upwards. 
I  remember  also  seeing  at  Catleugh’s  shop  in  Chelsea,  carriages  standing, 
whose  fair  occupants  were  carrying  off  plants  of  the  new  Pelargoniums 
raised  by  Mr.  Garth,  who  lived  near  Farnham,  Surrey,  and  Mr.  Foster,  of 
Clewer  Manor,  for  which  they  had  paid  5  guineas  a  plant ;  and  well  do 
I  also  recollect  the  delight  with  which  I  received  shortly  afterwards  a 
cutting  of  Garth’s  Joan  of  Arc,  very  brilliant  in  colour,  but  of  such  a 
form  as  a  few  years  saw  it  quietly  displaced  by  others.  Then  I  call  to 
mind  beds  of  Persian  Ranunculus,  such  as  I  have  never  since  seen,  so 
brilliant  and  varied  were  the  colours,  and  so  exquisite  the  form. 
A 
