JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  12,  1899. 
318 
responsible  for  the  management  of  Alnwick  Castle  Gardens,  whither  he 
journeys  often. 
A  heavy  downpour  of  rain  prevented  our  seeing  the  whole  of  the 
grounds,  but  judging  from  the  portion  we  saw  they  are  admirably  kept, 
the  mowing  being  done  with  a  steam  mower.  The  flower  garden  in  front 
of  the  huge  conservatory  was  still  quite  bright.  To  give  a  description  of 
the  many  plants  grown  in  this  establishment  would  take  up  too  much 
space,  suffice  it  therefore  to  say  that  everything  taken  in  hand  is 
done  well,  both  inside  and  our.  Hardy  fruit  forms  a  feature,  and  close 
attention  has  been  given  to  planting  young  trees,  some  of  which  were 
bearing  handsome  iruits.  The  outdoor  Peach  trees  deserve  special 
notice,  so  clean  and  healthy  is  the  foliage.  There  were  still  some  fruits 
on  the  tree  of  Sea  Eagle,  from  which  Mr.  Wythes  gathered  the  handsome 
dish  which  won  him  the  first  prize  at  the  Palace  Show  the  day  before. 
Taking  all  things  into  consideration  the  condition  of  the  place  reflects 
much  credit  on  Mr.  Wythes  and  his  staff.  It  was  now  drawing  near 
six  o’clock,  but  before  we  were  allowed  to  go  we  were  refreshed  with  a 
capital  tea  provided  by  Mrs.  Wythes.  We  left  one  of  our  party  at 
Chiswick,  the  other  two  finishing  a  pleasant  and  busy  day  with  savage 
South  Africa  at  the  Earl’s  Court  Exhibition. 
The  Crystal  Palace  and  Home. 
Meeting  again  on  Saturday  morning,  the  first  part  of  the  day  was 
spent  in  the  City.  We  had  a  ’bus  along  Piccadilly  and  the  Strand  as 
far  as  Southampton  Street,  then  a  walk  through  Covent  Garden,  too  late 
in  the  day  to  see  much  business  of  the  market,  but  even  then  it  was 
interesting  to  countrymen  ;  on  past  the  Law  Courts  into  Eleet  Street, 
calling  at  Mitre  Court  Chambers  to  do  a  little  business  at  the  Journal 
office,  then  forward  to  Ludgate  Hill,  luncheon  at  a  restaurant  close  to 
St.  Paul’s,  then  a  little  shopping,  and  wended  our  way  back  westward 
via  Holborn,  High  Holborn,  Oxford  Street,  and  Piccadilly.  At  Victoria 
we  entrained  for  the  Crystal  Palace,  where  we  were  due  at  six  o’clock  to 
“  pick  up,”  and  found  many  already  busy  packing.  I  am  sorry  to  say 
there  were  complaints  that  some  had  taken  the  wrong  fruit.  My  friend  had 
lost  his  best  dish  of  King  of  the  Pippins,  and  I  met  another  man  with  an 
empty  plate  in  his  hand,  who  remarked,  “This  is  all  they  have  left  of 
one  of  my  dishes  of  Pears.”  Fortunately  none  of  mine  were  touched,  and 
after  packing  we  started  for  Paddington,  the  great  terminus  of  the  west, 
en  route  for  home.  Thus  ended  a  pleasant  three  da\  s’  visit  to  London, 
which  was  as  interesting  and  instructive  as  it  was  enjoyable. — R.  M. 
THE  UNITED  HORTICULTURAL  BENEFIT  AND 
PROVIDENT  SOCIETY. 
The  thirteenth  annual  dinner  of  this  flourishing  self-help  Society, 
which  was  held  as  announced  at  the  Holborn  Restaurant  under  the  chair¬ 
manship  of  W.  Y.  Baker,  Esq.,  on  the  evening  of  Thursday,  the  5th 
inst.,  was  a  most  successful  and  enjoyable  fixture.  The  members  of  the 
Institution  and  their  friends  came  out  in  great  force,  and  the  palatial 
Venetian  Chamber  was  well  filled.  With  the  Chairman  were  his  sor, 
Mr.  John  Baker,  and  such  well  known  horticulturists  as  Messrs.  Geo. 
B unyard,  W.  Iceton,  H.  B.  May,  S.  T.  Wright,  W.  Thomson,  R.  Dean, 
J.  Hudson,  J.  F.  Hudson,  S.  Mortimer,  Thos.  Winter,  Jas.  H.  Veitch, 
P.  Kay,  G.  J.  Ingram,  B.  Wynne,  and  J.  McKerchar. 
A  comfortable  meal  despatched,  attention  was  turned  to  a  fairly 
lengthy  toast  list,  and  here  it  may  be  said  that  a  commendable  example 
was  set,  for  the  speeches  though  short  were  pithy  and  full  of  sterling 
common  sense. 
The  Chairman,  as  in  duty  bound,  gave  voice  to  the  loyal  feelings 
towards  the  reigning  house  it  is  customary  to  express  at  such  assemblies, 
and  then  he  proceeded  to  lay  before  the  meeting  the  claims  of  that  unique 
Institution — the  “United.”  Briefly  he  reminded  his  hearers  that  the 
Institution  was  a  savings  bank  and  an  insurance  against  the  troubles  of 
old  age  as  well  as  a  benefit  society,  and  amidst  cheers  he  congratulated  the 
members  that  among  a  body  890  strong,  only  three  were  at  present  in 
receipt  of  assistance.  Evidently  the  gardeners  were  a  healthy  class  of 
men.  The  convalescent  fund,  Mr.  Baker  thought,  was  not  supported  as 
it  ought  to  be  considering  its  wonderful  power  for  good,  and  he  also 
suggested  that  bigger  outlay  on  postage  in  publishing  the  claims  of  the 
Society  would  be  a  policy  of  wisdom. 
Mr.  J.  Hudson,  the  Treasurer,  with  whose  name  the  toast  was  coupled, 
described  Mr.  Baker  as  a  true  friend  of  gardeners,  and  he  proceeded  to 
make  everybody  connected  with  the  Society  still  more  comfortable  by 
referring  to  the  £15,000  invested  capital  that  stood  to  the  credit  of  the 
funds. 
The  toast  of  “  The  Craft  ”  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  R.  Dean, 
and  coupled  with  the  name  of  Mr.  S.  T.  Wright,  the  genial  Superin¬ 
tendent  of  Chiswick,  who  acknowledged  the  compliment  in  a  well-turned 
speech,  in  which  he  alluded  to  the  importance  into  which  iruit  culture, 
especially  of  a  commercial  character,  had  sprung  of  late  years. 
Other  toasts  followed,  interspersed  with  songs  and  recitations  from 
artistes  provided  by  the  kindness  of  the  Chairman.  Mr.  Baker’s 
generosity'  did  not  slop  here,  however,  for  when  the  list  of  subscriptions 
and  donations  was  read  out  it  was  found  that  out  of  a  total  of  £40  18s.  6d. 
he  had  contributed  15  guineas.  Included  amongst  the  other  sums  were 
Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  3  gns. ;  Messrs.  Jno.  Laing  &  Sons, 
2  gns.  ;  Messrs.  Dickson,  Ltd.,  of  Chester,  2  gns.  ;  and  Mr.  N.  N. 
Sherwood,  5  gns.  The  proceedings  were  brought  to  a  close  by  the  tinging 
of  the  tiuie-honoured  “  Auld  Lang  Syne.” 
A  RUN  ROUND  WEST. 
RESUMING  my  story  of  a  short  outing.  *1  went  on  the  7th  from 
Devizes  to  Newbury,  where  Mr.  Pope  of  Highclere  Castle  kindly  met  me, 
and  drove  me  out  to  that  splendid  demesne — for  it  is  one  of  the  finest  of 
its  kind  in  the  south  of  England.  Highclere  has  been  described  fully  in 
the  Journal.  When  I  visited  it  so  recently  it  was  under  peculiarly 
favourable  conditions,  for  the  showers  had  caused  such  a  beautitul,  bright 
greenness  to  pervade  the  grass  of  the  park  that  it  was  deliciously 
refreshing  to  look  upon.  The  trees,  whether  singly  or  in  groups  ;  the 
fine  undulations,  the  great  expanses,  the  lofty  and  noble  mansion,  the 
40  to  50  acres  of  kept  pleasure  grounds,  fine  masses  of  shrubs,  and  many 
other  beauties,  all  combined  to  render  the  place  singularly  attractive. 
At  the  time  of  my  visit  a  great  treat  was  furnished,  although  for  an 
old  frame  not  without  some  pain,  when  in  the  evening  a  visit  was  paid  to 
that  lofty  and  grandly  wooded  eminence,  Siddow  Hill,  which  is  just  about 
a  mile  to  the  south  of  the  castle.  From  its  great  height  may  be  seen  one 
of  the  grandest  pastoral  views  in  the  kingdom,  the  great  mansion  itself 
looking  quite  liliputian  in  the  foreground.  It  was  a  glorious  scene  on 
which  the  eyes  rested,  as  peaceful  as  it  was  beautiful.  There  are  no 
flower  gardens  immediately  near  the  castle,  but  some  lie  away  beyond  the 
dense  mass  of  shrubs  that  separate  them  from  the  lawD.  Here  there  was 
much  that  was  bright  and  gay.  Here,  too,  are  the  chief  plant  houses 
and  some  fruit  houses,  notably  a  good  range  of  vineries,  not  long  since 
rebuilt,  and  where  capital  fruit  is  grown,  though  there  is  none  too  much 
of  glass  for  so  fine  a  place. 
The  vegetable  gardens  and  some  other  glass  lie  on  the  other  side 
of  the  pleasure  grounds,  and  it  is  a  pity  that  all  the  houses  were  not  there 
concentrated.  In  these  houses  Pines,  Melons,  Grapes,  Peaches,  Nectarines, 
Figs,  Tomatoes,  and  other  luscious  products  are  grown  in  considerable 
quantity. 
A  matter  of  special  interest  was  the  fine  collection  of  Onions  at  High¬ 
clere,  for  Mr.  Pope  is  one  of  the  champion  vegetable  exhibitors,  and  I 
naturally  looked  for  fine  bulbs,  and  was  not  disappointed.  Of  these, 
from  winter-raised  plants  put  out  in  the  spring,  as  is  the  method  adopted 
by  all  the  great  growers  now,  there  were  huge  bulbs  of  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  a 
very  large  and  reddish  selection  from,  or  bred  from,  Ailsa  Craig.  This  is 
a  rather  later  ripener  than  is  the  one  named.  Ailsa  Craig  in  very  fine 
clean  form  is  a  harder  and  handsomer  Onion,  for  constant  selection  has 
brought  it  nearer  to  the  usually  handsome  Excelsior,  also  here  in  capital 
form,  and  one  of  the  best  of  the  Globe  type.  The  new  Aristocrat  is  a 
disappointing  Onion,  as  the  bulbs  are  of  moderate  size  and  flatfish,  ripen¬ 
ing  early.  It  seems  to  be  only  Rousham  Park  or  Banbury  Cross,  or 
perhaps  Lord  Keeper,  so  much  do  these  flattish  round  Onions  resemble 
each  other.  Besides  those  named  there  were  the  Wildsmith,  a  stock 
far  from  being  true  to  character  ;  Lord  Keeper,  The  Tankard,  one  of 
Mr.  Pope's  own  selections,  Cocoa-nut,  Veitch’s  Maincrop,  James’  Keeping, 
and  others.  Whether  from  glass-raised  or  outdoor  sown,  the  bulbs  were 
first-rate. 
Carrots,  Parsnips  and  Beets,  because  the  soil  is  far  from  kindly,  have 
to  be  grown  in  holes  previously  made  with  a  bar,  then  filled  with  tine 
soil;  but  the  results  are  first- rate..  Runner  Beans  are  very  fine,  really 
grand  rows  of  Sutton’s  Best  of  All,  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  Hill's  Prize,  and 
Carter’s  Jubilee  being  in  heavy  cropping.  Leeks  in  three  varieties,  all 
wonderfully  good  ;  so,  indeed,  are  all  vegetables.  It  is  only  needful  to 
take  stock  of  the  culture  here  given  to  understand  how  it  is  that  Mr. 
Pope  is  such  a  champion  amongst  vegetable  exhibitors. 
Hackwood  Park. 
It  is  not  many  miles  as  the  crow  flies  to  Hackwood  Park,  Basingstoke, 
but  to  reach  there  I  had  to  take  train  on  the  Didcot  line  to  Whitchurch, 
and  thence  to  the  Basingstoke  station.  Mr.  Bowerman  kindly  met  me  in 
the  Great  Park,  and  escorted  me  to  the  kitchen  gardeD,  probably  the 
finest  in  Hampshire,  where  the  first  subjects  of  interest  were  his  giant 
Onions,  really  a  superb  stock,  of  which  he  has  besides  his  own  famous  stock 
of  Ailsa  Craig,  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  Aristocrat,  Excelsior,  and  several  others. 
The  characters  of  these  varieties  here  are  just  the  same  as  seen  at  High¬ 
clere.  It  is  very  difficult  to  say  which  garden  gives  the  finest  samples, 
all  are  so  good.  The  ordinary  spring  sown  breadth  has  given  for  the 
season  a  capital  crop  also,  but  not  equal  to  what  has  been  seen  in  some 
previous  moister  seasons.  However,  there  is  no  falling  off  in  Onion 
culture. 
The  soil  is  so  deeply  worked  and  well  fed  that  there  are  splendid 
crops  of  Potatoes,  Carrots,  Beets,  Parsnips,  and  other  roots,  and 
Celery  and  Leeks  are  first  rate.  How  such  a  garden  as  this  evidences 
the  value  ot  deep  working  and  high  class  cultivation !  A  fine 
feature  of  the  walls  is  found  in  the  Plum  crop,  for  this  fruit  is  largely 
grown.  Rivers’  Early  Prolific,  Czar,  Victoria,  very  fine  Iruits,  large 
Black  Imperial,  Pond’s  Seedling,  Sultan,  and  Grand  Duke  were  of  the 
best  cooking  Plums  ;  and  of  dessert  varieties,  Denniston’s  Superb,  Jeffer¬ 
son,  Oullms  Golden  Gage,  Brahy’s  Green  Gage,  and  Coe’s  Golden  Drop 
were  in  heavy  cropping,  or  had  been.  I  have  seen  no  better  Plum  wall 
anywhere  than  is  this  east  wall  at  Hackwood.  Victorias  also  crop  finely 
and  later  on  a  north  wall. 
Perfect  pictures  were  4  feet  high  espaliers  of  Lane’s  Prince  Albert 
Apple,  sp'endidly  fruited.  Mr.  Bowerman  led  me  to  see  an  enclosed 
pinetum,  in  which  there  tfre  grand  specimens,  and  at  the  upper  end  is  a 
dismantled  Greek  temple,  which  is  in  odd  contrast  with  the  noble  trees. 
The  few  hours’  visit  was,  however,  soon  over,  and  then  off  home  to 
work. — A.  D. 
