JOURNAL  OF  LlORTlCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  23,  1896 
Proposed  Chrysanthemum  Show  for  Portsmouth. 
A  meeting  was  held  at  the  Town  Hall,  Portsmouth,  on  Friday, 
under  the  presidency  of  the  Mayor,  to  start  a  Chrysanthemum  show.  A 
number  of  growers,  including  Mr.  W.  Drover,  F.R.H.S.,  Mr.  Agate, 
Mr.  Penford,  Mr.  Adams,  Mr.  Steploe,  and  many  amateurs,  discussed  the 
question  and  a  committee  was  lormed.  Mr.  Councillor  Power  will  he 
asked  to  undertake  the  Hon.  Secretaryship.  PrizeB  in  open  classes  will 
be  offered.  It  is  regretable  that  the  Havant  Chrysanthemum  Society 
has  tailed,  but  its  members  will  support  the  Portsmouth  Show.  It  ig 
proposed  to  hold  the  show  on  the  10th  and  11th  November  at  the 
Town  Hall. 
Mr.  E.  Molyneux. 
I  trust  you  will  kindly  allow  me  as  a  grower  of  the  “mum”  to 
congratulate  Mr.  Molyneux  on  his  appointment  as  steward  of  the 
Swanmore  estate,  and  in  doing  so  I  should  like  to  acknowledge  my 
indebtedness  to  him  and  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  for  teaching 
me  how  to  grow  Chrysanthemum*.  Fourteen  years  ago  I  had  not  seen  a 
show  bloom,  but  about  that  time  I  read  an  article  by  Mr.  Molyneux  on 
how  to  grow  Chrysanthemums,  and  I  decided  to  have  a  try.  By 
following  the  instructions  given  I  succeeded  fairly  well,  and  my  debut 
in  the  show  arena  resulted  in  a  third  at  Shrewsbury.  Thus  encouraged 
I  persevered,  read  every  scrap  on  the  subject  in  the  Journal,  bought 
Mr.  Molyneux’s  book  aDd  read  it  until  I  could  turn  to  any  part  for 
particular  points  of  culture.  I  am  pleased  to  learn  that  he  will  still  be 
head  over  the  garden  be  has  loved  and  managed  so  well,  and  though  his 
time  may  be  much  taken  up  on  other  parts  of  the  estate,  I  think  I  shall 
be  expressing  the  wish  of  all  when  I  say  we  hope  to  see  his  well  known 
ii-itials  at  the  bottom  of  many  a  page  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  in 
the  luture.— Alex.  Haggart. 
Four  New  Varieties. 
As  1  have  received  numerous  inquiries  respecting  the  treatment  of 
the  undermentioned  varieties,  I  think  the  following  remarks  may  be 
found  useful  and  prevent  disappointment  . 
Mrs.  H.  Weeks.- I  notice  in  various  lists  of  Dovelties  stopping  in 
May  is  recommended  for  this  variety.  No  doubt  this  would  be  early 
enough  for  growers  in  the  south,  but  is  misleading  to  those  far  north 
of  London.  In  the  Midlands,  I  find  about  the  20th  of  April  is  the  best 
time. 
Lady  Byron. — Care  should  be  taken  not  to  overpot  this  variety,  for 
although  it  has  a  vigorous  growth  it  does  not  make  roots  in  proportion, 
and  is  apt  to  become  weak  and  sickly  if  overpotted,  an  8-inch  pot 
being  ample.  This  should  be  stopped  early  in  May  and  the  second  bud 
be  taken. 
Mrs.  Armistead. — I  have  seen  it  stated  that  the  crown  bud  is  the 
best  fur  this  variety,  but  I  find  the  second  crown  or  terminal  are 
better,  as  blooms  from  crown  buds  produce  a  number  of  quilled  florets, 
which  are  absent  in  those  from  later  buds. 
Mrs.  G.  Carpenter. — This  is  a  strong  grower  and  requires  a  10-inch 
pot.  It  comes  good  on  any  bud,  but  preference  should  be  given  to 
crown  buds.— H.  Weeks. 
A  CALL  AT  ORTON. 
Orton  Longueville,  near  Peterborough,  is,  as  most  readers  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture  know,  the  English  seat  of  the  Marquis  of 
Huntly.  They  also  know  that  the  pleasure  grounds  at  Orton  are 
famous  for  Conifers,  and  particularly  for  what  may  be  termed  a  majestic 
avenue  of  Wellingtonias.  It  io  further  generally  known  that  the 
gardens  have  for  several  years  been  in  the  admittedly  competent  charge 
of  Mr.  A.  Harding,  who  is  more  of  a  botanist  than  are  most  of  the  craft, 
while  he  is  not  less  practical  than  any  of  its  able  representatives. 
Up-to-Date  Methods. 
Mr.  Harding  is  one  of  those  workers  with  knowledge  who  can  and 
does  “  make  the  land  psy,”  though  certain  pessimists  would  almost 
appear  to  think  that  times  have  got  too  bad  for  anything,  as  their  cry 
is  that  “  nothing  pays.”  The  Orton  gardener  is  in  conflict  with  them, 
and  is  rather  of  opinion  that  “everything  will  pay”  that  is  grown  in 
gardens  and  is  in  common  demand  in  its  season.  The  necessary 
conditions  are  that  the  products  must  be  grown  in  the  best  possible 
manner,  placed  in  the  market  in  the  most  tempting  condition  and  at  the 
earliest,  possible  time  for  gaiuing  the  highest  prices,  before  the  glut  of 
more  or  less  rough  produce  pours  in  and  makes  little  or  nothing  for  the 
grower.  Vegetables,  fruit,  and  flowers  are  all  turned  to  account  in  the 
best  way  that  judgment  can  devise  and  attentiveness  to  small  details 
afford.  A  great  amount  of  produce  is  raised  beyond  what  is  needed  by 
the  family — often  long  absent — and  thus  more  men  are  employed  than 
would  otherwise  be  the  case,  and  the  gardens  and  grounds  kept  in 
admirable  condition.  Gardening,  theD,  it  will  be  seen,  is  conducted  in 
at  least  one  up-to-date  method  (the  commercial)  at  Orton.  It  iu,  more¬ 
over,  found,  after  nearly  twenty  years’  experience,  tha,t  for  early 
produce  of  high  quality  there  is  no  appreciable  diminution  in  price> 
for  the  simple  reason  that  for  the  first  and  the  best  of  everything 
there  is  always  a  brisk  demand.  This  aspect  of  the  question  may, 
however,  be  left  for  those  whom  it  concerns  to  think  about,  while  a  few 
other  items  of  interest  are  noted. 
Mr.  A.  F.  Barron  and  Orton. 
As  a  gardener  it  will  not  be  too  much  to  say  that  the  ex-Super- 
intendent  of  Chiswick  is  the  “  man  of  the  week,”  for  before  these  lines 
appear  in  print  be  will  have  been  the  recipient  of  one  of  the  most 
substantial  presentations  that  has  ever  been  made  to  a  representative 
of  the  craft  that  he  has  adorned  so  long,  and  with  which,  it  is  hoped,  he 
will  for  still  many  years  be  actively  identified.  It  may,  therefore,  not 
be  out  of  place  to  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that  Mr.  Barron’s  first 
experience  in  gardening  in  England  was  gained  at  Orton  Longueville. 
Though  more  than  forty  years  have  come  and  gone  since  he  was  a  dweller 
in  the  little  bothy  there,  men  are  still  to  be  found  on  the  estate  who 
well  remember  “  Archie,”  and  refer  to  him  in  speech  most  kindly. 
Always  a  quiet  man,  and  capable  of  being  silent  (when  he  had  nothing 
to  say)  in  all  languages,  it  is  easy  to  picture  him  as  a  gentle  youth,  and 
peaceful  ;  indeed,  so  peace-loving  was,  and  is,  his  nature  that  it  is  said 
of  him  that  he  received  a  great  shock  on  his  first  journey  from  the  north 
by  the  announcement  on  a  poster  at  Newcastle  that  war  was  declared 
with  Russia.  However,  as  Russia  was  somewhat  in  the  opposite  direction 
of  his  quest,  he  thought  it  as  well  to  get  as  far  from  the  scene  of  conflict 
as  possible,  and  so  pursued  his  journey  southwards. 
Rockeries  and  Conifers. 
An  interesting  feature  of  Orton  is  what  may  be  termed  the  old 
rockery — really  a  series  of  dells  and  sunken  pathB,  with  a  rough  quaint 
arch  formed  over  them  here  aud  there,  and  all  embowered  iu  the  foliage 
of  overhanging  trees.  The  sides  of  the  sunken  paths  are  walled  with 
rough  stones,  now  moss  covered  and  in  places  Fern  clad,  while 
Periwinkles  or  whatever  will  grow  hang  over  the  edges,  and  over  these 
again  Honeysuckles  and  Clematis  force  their  way  upwards  where  there 
is  sufficient  space  and  light  between  the  jungle  of  Conifers  and  other 
trees.  A  more  secluded  miniature  twisting  glen  it  would  not  be  easy  to 
find,  and  the  young  Scotsman  would  leel  safe  there  under  the  protection 
of  Lady  Huntly,  for  it  was  he  and  the  late  Marchioness  who  worked  all 
day  long  together  in  piling  up  the  stones.  Her  ladyship  was  artistic  ; 
her  helper  even  then,  aa  now,  practical,  said  nothing  would  grow  among 
the  stones  with  a  few  handfuls  of  soil  poked  between  them.  He  was 
right  in  regard  to  some  of  the  piles,  for  in  places  little  or  nothing  has 
grown  between  them  to  this  day,  but  a  good  deal  has  grown  on  them. 
In  Cool  Grot  and  Mossy  Dell. 
First  the  Mosses,  which  in  variety  possess  a  charm  of  their  own, 
covered  the  siones,  then  as  the  carpet  thickened,  sporeling  Ferns  sprung 
up,  and  eventually  seedlings  of  Thuia  gigantea,  of  which  seeds  are 
scattered  in  profusion  from  many  a  towering  tree.  One  of  the  plants 
that  grew  in  the  moss  on  the  face  of  a  large  boulder  has  attained  the 
dimensions  of  a  tree  many  feet  in  height,  kept  in  position  by  an  iron 
support,  but  its  roots  travelling  down  the  side  of  the  rock,  have  entered 
the  soil  at  the  base.  On  parts  of  this  cave-like  tangle  of  stones  and 
trees.  Moss  and  Ferns,  the  small  leaved  Periwinkles  sparkle  in  blue  and 
white  and  purple,  double  and  single,  from  their  cushion  of  glossy 
leaves.  As  “  under  tree  ”  plants  these  have  few  rivals,  though  the 
flowers  are  the  most  profuse  in  light  positions.  Happily  her  ladyship 
lived  to  see  this  work  of  far  past  days  mature  and  develop  a  charm 
which  is  of  an  out-of-the-way  character  and  enjoyable  ;  but  many  alpine 
plants  which  she  loved  so  much  could  not  there  thrive,  so  Mr.  Harding 
commenced  making  a  rockery  in  the  open. 
The  Lawn  Rockery. 
On  the  lawn  skirting  the  shrubbery  dell  a  simple  series  of  curling 
mounds  of  soil  and  stones,  about  3  feet  high,  was  formed,  with  twisting 
paths  between  them.  On  these  raised  rockery  beds  some  500  or  600 
species  of  plants  were  established,  and  flourished  as  iD  their  natural 
home.  Here,  as  age  and  infirmities  crept  on,  her  ladyship  spent 
many  happy  hours,  and  even  when  no  longer  able  to  walk  was  drawn  in 
her  small  carriage  to  enjoy  her  cherished  plants,  and  almost  lived  among 
them.  Such  is  the  solace  and  the  comfort  derived  from  flowers  by 
those  who  love  them  and  know  them,  for  Lady  Huntly  was  a  botanist 
and  recognised  authority  on  British  plants,  aDd  a  friend  and  fellow 
worker  of  the  late  Rev.  M.  J.  Berkeley.  Had  she  lived  some  years 
longer  there  is  no  knowing  how  far  this  pretty  lawn  rockery  would 
have  spread.  She  died  only  a  year  or  two  ago,  did  this  estimable 
lady,  Mr.  Barron’s  first  English  mentor,  leaving  behind  her  a  cherished 
name,  and  it  is  evident  that  his  is  cherished  too  by  many  friends. 
A  Wreck  and  Salvage. 
Visitors  to  Orton  two  or  three  years  ago  and  again  now  must  note  a 
strikiug  change,  a  change  brought  about  by  violent  meaDs.  A  tornado 
swept  through  the  district  with  terrific  force,  and  uprooted  many  a 
giant  of  the  forest  and  the  garden.  It  was  a  memorable  wreck  that  will 
leave  its  effect  visible  for  many  a  year.  Magnificent  Cedars  and  other 
Conifers  were  laid  low  beyond  the  chance  of  restoration  ;  yet  by  dint  of 
strenuous  endeavour  several  were  raised  to  something  like  their  original 
position,  supported,  watered,  and  made  to  grow.  Among  the  lost  was 
one  of  the  grandest  specimens  of  Abies  lasiocarpa  (or  coucolor)  in  the 
kingdom  ;  another,  and  greatly  missed,  was  an  A.  excelsa,  with  an 
extraordinary  sweep  of  branches,  as  well  as  a  notable  specimen  of  Pinus 
Jtnacrocarpa,  with  its  long  leaves  and  immense  cones.  In  some  respects, 
