130 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER^ 
indeed  during  the  early  months  of  the  year.  Unfortunately  they  had 
finished  blooming  when  this  visit  was  paid,  but  vestiges  of  their  beauty 
still  remained.  _ 
Encircling  the  kitchen  and  fruit  gardens  are  walls  on  which  fruit 
trees  find  a  place,  and  are,  like  everything  else,  thoroughly  tended.  Some 
have  been  there  very  many  years,  as  have  several  espaliers  by  the  walks  ; 
but  they  still  have  to  do  their  share  towards  the  maintenance  of  the 
annual  supply.  Apples,  Pears,  and  Plum9  in  the  open,  as  well  as  the 
two  latter,  and  Peaches  and  Nectarines,  and  Apricots  on  the  walls,  are 
almost  all  in  good  health,  though  some  are  so  aged  that  their  days  of 
vigour  have  long  since  passed  away  for  ever.  They  are  old  friends  that 
have  done  valuable  service  in  days  gone  by,  and  it  doubtless  goes  some¬ 
what  against  the  grain  to  destroy  them  now.  The  main  principle  that  is 
kept  in  view  in  training  both  wall  trees  and  others  is  to  allow  every 
shoot  plenty  of  room,  and  this,  in  all  probability,  largely  accounts  for  the 
fine  crops  that  have  from  time  to  time  been  secured.  Currants,  Goose¬ 
berries,  and  Raspberries  also  occupy  a  considerable  amount  of  space  in 
different  portions  of  the  garden,  as  do  some  grand  beds  of  Strawberries, 
amongst  which  the  bold  leafage  and  flowers  of  Royal  Sovereign  are 
readily  observable.  Many  varieties  are  grown  out  of  doors  as  well  as  in 
pots,  and  the  variety  named  is  one  of  the  prime  favourites  with  Mr. 
Clayton,  as  it  indeed  appears  to  be  with  most  other  growers. 
Commensurate  in  size  and  equipment  with  the  other  departments  of 
the  garden  are  the  vegetable  quarters,  whence  have  been  taken  during 
the  past  few  years  some  grand  examples  of  culture.  Excellence  at 
Grimston  means  more  than  mere  3ize  of  individual  specimens — it  is 
synonymous  with  bulk  as  well  as  first-class  quality.  As  everyone  knows 
what  crops  will  be  found  in  a  fully  stocked  vegetable  garden  at  the 
middle  of  June  it  is  useless  to  specialise  them  all  The  sections  of  Peas 
were  particularly  good,  and  admirable  returns  would  be  secured  from  the 
many  healthy  rows  of  plants.  Potatoes,  again,  were  grand,  and  the  early 
varieties  were  yielding  capital  tubers  in  considerable  numbers.  Every 
effort  is  made  to  insure  the  best  results  ;  the  soil  is  worked  as  thoroughly 
as  can  be,  this  being  placed  almost  on  a  par  with  the  addition  of  the 
necessary  foods.  No  space  is  wasted  ;  every  portion  of  the  ground  must 
bring  forth  its  share  to  make  up  a  highly  creditable  return.  Year  after 
year  the  produce  must  be  heavy,  and  only  by  close  attention  to  cultural 
details  could  such  results  as  are  attained  to  be  insured. 
In  speaking  of  fruits  under  glass  we  feel  constrained  to  give  pride  of 
place  to  the  Vines,  which,  young  and  old,  are  alike  magnificent.  Not 
one  house  alone  is  good,  but  all  of  them  ;  early,  midseason,  and  late 
were  producing  splendid  crops.  There  are  Vines  of  Hamburgh,  Muscat 
of  Alexandria,  and  others  in  abundance,  all  in  the  very  best  condition. 
It  is,  however,  on  his  culture  of  Alnwick  Seedling  that  Mr.  Clayton 
most  prides  himself,  and  he  has  reason,  for  probably  no  one  secures  better 
results  with  this  variety.  He  is  most  emphatic  in  his  praise  of  the 
variety  as  an  enormously  heavy  cropper  of  fine  berries,  making  up 
shapely  and  clean  bunches.  Some  growers  say  it  is  inferior  in  flavour 
and  a  bad  setter,  but  at  Grimston  it  is  neither,  for  there  is  the  crop,  while 
when  fully  developed  the  flavour  is  very  fine.  If  there  be  any  secret  in 
the  production  of  this  Grape  we  may  rest  assured  that  Mr.  Clayton  is  “  in 
the  know.”  Let  it  not  be  thought  that  because  such  unstinted  praise  has 
been  accorded  to  the  Grapes  that  Peaches  and  Nectaries  are  inferior.  This 
is  by  no  means  the  case — indeed  they  are  as  good  in  their  way  as  the 
Vines.  The  trees  are  as  clean  and  healthy  as  anyone  need  wish  to  see 
them,  and  their  capabilities  were  proved  by  the  crops  they  were  carrying 
when  this  visit  was  paid.  Melons,  too,  are  well  grown,  but  enumeration 
of  these  and  others  can  be  nothing  more  than  repetition  where  all  is 
excellent. 
Plants  and  flowers  under  glass  receive  the  attention  that  is  due  to 
them  for  their  value  as  cut  flowers  or  for  decoration.  There  are  Ferns 
and  Palms,  Orchids,  and  all  kinds  of  flowering  plants  in  the  highest 
condition,  and  no  prettier  houses  could  be  found.  They  are  not  pretty 
because  they  are  modern  in  construction  or  artistically  painted  ;  neither 
of  these  is  the  case.  The  reason  they  are  so  picturesque  is  simply  on 
account  of  the  arrangement.  On  the  central  and  side  stages  are  fine 
plants  of  various  kinds,  while  creepers  depend  from  the  roof,  but  these 
are  shown  off  as  it  were  by  the  under  portion  of  the  stages  having 
been  built  up  in  front  with  stone.  This  has  been  done  for  several  years,  and 
growing  on  this  rockery  beneath  almost,  if  not  quite  every  stage,  are 
Lycopodiums,  Ferns,  Rex  Begonias,  Panicum,  Tradescantias,  and  othi  rs, 
and  their  beauty  can  be  realised,  but  it  certainly  cannot  be  described. 
This  arrangement  undoubtedly  adds  50  per  cent,  to  the  attractiveness  ol 
the  structures.  Though  it  is  not  professed  that  a  speciality  is  made  of 
Orchids,  the  Cattleyas,  Pleiones,  and  Calanthes  are  in  grand  condition,  as 
are  the  other  kinds  grown.  Ferns  are  grandly  grown,  as  are  the  several 
kinds  of  foliage  plants,  which  are  valuable  for  the  embellishment  of  the 
mansion. 
In  these  notes  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  give  more  than  a  cursory 
glance  at  Grimston  Park,  but  it  must  suffice.  It  was  my  first  visit  to  Mr. 
Clayton,  and  nothing  could  have  been  more  enjoyable  or  more  appreciated 
than  his  kindness  (with  that  of  Mrs.  Clayton),,  and  a  sight  of  the  good 
work  that  he  has  done  is  more  than  sufficient  reason  for  his  high  reputa¬ 
tion  as  a  gardener — a  reputation  that  places  him  amongst  the  best  in  the 
land.— H.  J.  WRIGHT. 
A”'v,;st  18,  1898. 
ud 
Roses  and  Rain. 
The  recent  weather,  which,  in  Scotland  at  least,  has  been  dominated 
by  electricity,  while  sufficiently  favourable  to  the  growth  of  plants 
has  been  very  destructive  of  their  flowers.  Roses  have  been  developing 
with  great  rapidity;  but  what  of  that,  when  their  blooms  damped 
off  as  soon  as  they  appeared  ?  There  are  certain  varieties  which,  how¬ 
ever  “impressive,”  have  this  serious  limitation  —  that  they  are 
extremely  susceptible  to  the  influence  of  rain;  conspicuous  among 
these  is  Marchioness  of  Londonderry,  which  is  well  worth  pro¬ 
tecting  for  the  preservation  of  its  magnificent  blooms.  Those  Roses 
which  are  not  quire  so  susceptible  have  nevertheless  their  necks  very 
badly  twisted  by  the  weight  of  the  floods,  and  are  thus  rendered 
useless  for  garden  ornamentation.  Lilies  also  have  suffered  con¬ 
siderably,  especially  L.  candidum,  and  fortunately  for  themselves, 
Lilium  auratum  and  L.  longiflorum  are  not  yet  in  bloom,  and  the 
period  of  flowering  of  the  fragrant  Lilium  speciosum  is  yet  far  away. 
[Had  our  correspondent  been  growing  Roses  in  the  south  of  late 
his  trouble  would  have  been  in  their  withering  through  the  heat,  not 
damping  by  the  rainsj 
A  New  Scottish  Rose. 
“  Fair  Helen  ”  is  the  name  of  an  interesting  white  sport  from 
Mrs.  John  Laing,  obtained  (I  believe  that  is  the  orthodox  expression) 
by  Messrs.  T.  Smith  &  Sons,  Stranraer  Nurseries,  Wigtonshire,  who 
have  more  than  once  been  successful  in  winning  at  Helensburgh  medals 
of  the  National  Rose  Society.  Fair  Helen,  which  has  not  yet  been 
introduced  into  cultivation,  has  nevertheless  had  the  privilege  of  being 
successfully  exhibited  at  the  Edinburgh  Flower  Show,  where  it  received 
a  first-class  certificate  from  the  Scottish  Horticultural  Society.  It  will 
doubtless  prove  an  important  acquisition  if,  in  addition  to  its  pure 
white  colour,  it  has^tbe  precious  attributes  of  Mrs.  John  Laing,  one  of 
the  most  reliable  varieties  within  the  range  of  my  acquaintance  — 
David  R.  Williamson. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
August  9th. 
Scientific  Committee. — Present :  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the  chair)  ; 
Mr.  Bennett-Poe,  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  Mr.  Marshall,  Rev.  G.  Henslow,  Hon. 
Sec.,  and  the  following  visitors  :> — Prof.  J.  Bailey  of  the  University, 
Ithaca,  N.Y.,  Herr  J.  K.  Budde,  Curator  of  the  Botanical  Gardens, 
Utrecht,  and  Mr.  Gordon. 
Tomato  with  Bed  and  Yellow  Fruit. — Mr.  J.  McLean,  Luttrellstown, 
Clonsilla,  Co.  Dublin,  sent  some  golden  yellow  fruit,  with  the  following 
observations  : — “  The  plant  which  produced  them  is  one  out  of  145 
Frogmore  (red)  selected.  The  first  cluster  produced  the  true  red  sort, 
but  on  the  same  plant  three  trusses  consisted  of  yellow  fruit,  as  sent.” 
Prof.  Bailey  observed  that  he  had  raised  yellow-fruited  Tomatoes  from 
the  seed  of  red-fruited  plants,  but  had  not  seen  a  case  resembling  the 
present  one,  in  America  ;  though  he  had  known  a  cutting  of  a  red-fruited 
sort  to  bear  yellow  fruit,  as  well  as  a  red  fruit  being  striped  with  yellow. 
Scolopendrium  var. — Mr.  Marshall  exhibited  a  plant  raised  from  a 
frond.  This  was  remarkable  for  its  great  size,  being  quite  a  foot  broad, 
and  terminated  with  numerous  barren  subdivisions.  It  was  buried, 
leaving  the  latter  only  exposed.  Roots  were  formed  at  the  bases  of  the 
incisions,  so  that  five_plants  were  raised.  Of  these  two  repeated  the 
remarkable  fronds,  two  reverted  to  the  wild  form,  and  the  one  exhibited 
bore  four  fronds  with  digitate  extremities,  one  frond  with  a  crisped  margin, 
one  being  flat  as  in  the  wild  state.  The  first  two  will,  it  is  hoped, 
establish  a  new  race. 
Tomatoes  with  Supernumerary  Carpels. — Dr.  Bonavia sent  two  specimens  : 
one,  consisting  of  four  carpels,  which,  instead  of  being  coherent  to  form  a 
single  fruit,  were  only  united  at  the  base,  and  therefore  nearly  apocarpous. 
The  other  had  several  extra  carpels  issuing  out  of  the  centre  above.  These 
formed  a  whorl  of  carpels,  in  addition  to  the  normal  series.  It  resembled 
the  “  Mellarose  Orange  ”  in  this  respect. 
Poppy-head ,  with  Pistillody  of  the  Stamens. — Herr  J.  K.  Budde  exhibited 
a  fruit  of  Papaver  somniferum,  with  a  complete  whorl  of  miniature  heads 
around  the  base  ;  these  being  metamorphosed  stamens.  This  peculiarity 
is  well  known  ;  but  it  is  interesting  to  hear  that  Prof,  de  Yries  has 
succeeded  in  fixing  it  by  selection,  so  that  this  monstrosity  now  comes  true 
by  seed.  A  similar  phenomenon  is  common  among  Wallflowers.  With 
reference  to  hereditary  monstrosities,  Mr  Bailey  observed  that  a  species  of 
Echinops,  with  a  fasciated  and  twisted  stem,  as  also  the  spirally  twisted 
variety  of  the  Fullers’  Teazle,  can  be  now  perpetuated  by  seed.  Mr. 
Henslow  inquired  if  the  Weeping  Ash  was  known  to  be  perpetuated  by 
seed,  as  of  thousands  of  seedlings  in  his  garden  at  Ealing,  none  ever 
showed  any  inclination  to  weep  ;  though  the  late  Prof.  J.  S.  Henslow 
found  a  slight  tendency  to  weep  to  exist  lor  two  or  three  years  in  his 
