278 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  17,  1888. 
THE  TREATMENT  OF  JUDGES, 
May  I  be  allowed  to  say  a  word  on  this  subject  ?  What  queer  ex¬ 
periences  we  meet  with  amongst  the  various  societies  for  which  one  is  called 
upon  to  act  as  judge.  With  some  the  oflBcers  seem  as  if  they  could  not 
do  enough  for  you — give  you  all  s  jrts  of  attention  previous  to  and  whilst 
judging,  and  sometimes  a  fee,  according  to  their  ability,  but  always  a 
feed  of  some  sort,  call  it  dinner  or  luncheon  or  whatever  you  like,  and 
send  you  off  rejoicing,  whilst  others  will  call  you  for  a  certain  hoar  ;  yoa 
go,  and  find  them  as  busy  as  can  be  receiving  exhibits  ;  consequently 
they  keep  you  waiting  about  for  an  hour  or  so,  then  turn  you  into  the 
tent  and  let  you  scramble  through  your  duties,  often  with  no  guide,  or 
one  who  doesn’t  know,  or  very  imperfectly,  where  anything  is,  and  you 
muddle  along,  inwardly  indulging  in  very  profane  thoughts,  and,  if  not 
a  very  patient  man,  strong  language. 
At  the  close  of  judging  they  beg  you  will  stop  for  the  official  opening 
by  Mayor,  Sheriff,  or  local  grandee,  who,  not  knowing  anything  much 
about  gardening,  indulges  in  some  very  weak  commonplaces,  smilingly 
prattling  along  until  it  occurs  to  him  that  he  had  better  do  what  he  came 
to  do,  “  declare  the  show  open.”  Then  will  follow  votes  of  thanks, 
stammeringly  proposed  by  some  local  notable  to  the  Mayor,  and  at 
the  fag  end  it  will  occur  to  someone  that  the  subscribers,  the  workers, 
the  judges  should  be  thanked.  They  are,  and  representatives  of  these 
bodies  are  expected  to  return  thanks  for  the  vote,  and  one  of  the  hungry 
judges  is  called  npon  for  that  body,  and  to  tell  them  what  a  fine  society 
it  is  and  how  good  a  show,  “none  better  anywhere,”  and  all  the  rest  of 
it ;  and  then  the  almost  famished  judges,  naturally  expecting  a  little 
refreshment,  seeing  that  they  were  called  for  twelve  noon  and  had  two 
or  three  miles  to  walk  there  and  would  have  the  same  back  home,  are 
very  coolly  dismissed,  at  about  2  30,  hungry  and  feeless,  with  a  “  Good 
gentlemen,  we  are  very  much  obliged  to  you.” 
Is  it  any  wonder  that,  however  public  spirited  these  men  are,  they 
will  think  twice  before  going  to  such  a  place  again  ?  We  do  not  accuse 
these  officers  of  meanness,  because  nine  times  out  of  ten  it  is  only  the 
result  of  pure  thoughtlessness,  but  it  is  time  they  learned  the  lessons  of 
hospitality,  and  especially  towards  men  they  could  not  do  without,  and 
who  have  many  times  put  themselves  to  both  trouble  and  expense  to 
attend.  County  Council  instructors  might  very  easily  and  reasonably 
be  expected  to  kindly  point  out  this  matter  in  their  talks  with  the  officers 
of  shows.  It  would  come  from  them  with  greater  force  than  from  almost 
anybody  else.  Gardeners  are  shy  men,  many  of  them,  and  would  shrink 
from  doing  it  themselves  however  strongly  they  felt  about  it.  I  am  not 
the  only  judge  who  has  gone  through  these  experiences,  I  am  sure,  and 
it  needs^  some  little  courage  to  voice  the  subject  now,  and  indeed  I 
suppose  it  could  only  be  done  by  such  a  one  as — An  Old  Provincial 
Judge. 
A  HARDY  PLANTSMAN  IN  IRELAND. 
{Continued  from  page  251.) 
Bright  and  clear  was  my  third  day  in  the  Green  Isle,  and,  after  a 
ramble  in  the  streets,  a  car  was  taken  along  the  quays  to  the  terminus 
of  the  Lucan  and  Leixlip  Steam  Tramway  at  Conyngham  Road.  Here 
I  took  passage  for  Lucanj  but  cannot  say  that  the  journey  was  a  pleasant 
one,  although  there  were  a  few  peeps  at  pretty  river  scenery.  There 
were  no  seats  on  the  top  of  the  carriages  whence  one  could  get  a  full 
view  of  the  country,  and  as  we  ran  along  the  road,  swiftly  enough  no 
doubt,  it  was  to  an  almost  constant  accompaniment  of  rattle  and  jolt, 
jolt  and  rattle.  Three-quarters  of  an  hour  of  this  and  I  alighted  at 
Lucan,  where  I  surrendered  myself  to  the  guardianship  of  “  K.,  Dublin," 
whose  articles  in  the  Journal  1  always  read  with  pleasure,  which  will  be 
in  future  increased  after  having  met  with  him  in  person.  His  modesty 
prevents  me  from  bein?  allowed  to  reveal  his  identity,  and  thus  I  must 
content  myself  with  speaking  of  him  by  one  of  his  “  pen  names,”  much 
against  my  will. 
Passing  through  part  of  the  apparently  prosperous  village  of  Lucan 
we  walked  along  a  pleasant  country  road,  whence  were  obtained  some 
pretty  glimpses  of  the  Liffey,  here  pellucid  and  unlike  what  it  is  when 
it  passes  through  the  city.  We  then  entered  the  beautifully  wooded  and 
picturesque  demesne  of  Luttrellstown  Castle,  known  for  many  years  as 
Wetlands,  but  now  by  its  former  name  of  Luttrellstown— a  change 
made  by  Its  present  owner.  Lord  Annaly.  A  delightful  walk  along  the 
woodland  path  led  us  to  the  picturesque  Ivy  covered  Castle  situated  in  a 
splendid  park  with  many  noble  trees. 
Luttrellstown  Castle  is  a  very  fine  structure,  enlarged  at  various  times 
by  successive  owners.  A  part  of  it  is  said  to  date  from  the  time  of  King 
John,  who,  according  to  tradition,  slept  in  the  building.  I  had  the 
privilege  of  seeing  a  considerable  portion  of  the  interior,  which  is  very 
interesting,  the  public  rooms  being  fine  apartments.  There  is  a  large 
number  of  fine  pictures,  some  of  these,  including  some  family  portraits, 
being  the  property  of  Lord  Annaly,  There  are  also  some  very  fine  paint- 
inp  telonging  to  the  tenant,  J.  G.  Nutting,  Esq.,  D  L.,  who  has  also  a 
splendid  pllection  of  ancient  furniture  and  china,  which  I  regretted  I 
had  not  time  to  see  more  fully.  Some  exquisite  cameos  belonging  to 
Lord  Annaly  were  also  looked  at  with  interest.  The  Castle  being  let,  the 
produce  of  the  gardens  is  sold,  so  that  they  are  not  so  interesting  to  a 
flower  lover  as  they  would  be  at  one  time.  There  are  some  beds  in  front 
of  the  Castle  and  some  Roses  trained  on  wire  arches,  but  no  attempt  is 
made  to  do  anything  more  in  this  direction  except  in  the  walled  garden 
where  a  few  herbaceous  plants  are  grown  in  the  borders.  ’ 
The  well-kept  conservatory  and  one  house  are,  however,  managed  by 
those  in  the  employment  of  Mr.  Nutting,  and  the  plants,  which  are  largely 
employed  for  bouse  decoration,  show  that  they  receive  careful  and  com¬ 
petent  cultivation.  A  visit  was  paid  to  the  other  houses,  where  magni¬ 
ficent  crops  of  Tomatoes,  Grapes,  and  Peaches  showed  in  a  remarkable 
degree  the  cultural  ability  of  Mr.  Buggins,  Lord  Annaly’s  steward.  Mr, 
Buggins,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  was  engaged  in  preparing  Strawberries 
for  the  market  from  the  celebrated  Strawberry  beds,  which  are  of  enor¬ 
mous  extent.  Sir  Joseph  Paxton  is  the  one  grown.  Some  Chrysan¬ 
themums  were  grown  for  cut  flowers,  and  beside  them  Mr.  Nutting’s 
grower  had  some  good  plants  for  exhibition  blooms,  for  which  he  has  a 
liking.  Picturesque  glens  seem  remarkably  numerous  in  Ireland,  and  a 
walk  through  a  very  beautiful  one  on  the  Luttrellstown  demesne,  and  a 
look  at  another  beautiful  lake  revealed  a  little  more  of  the  inexhaustible 
natural  beauties  of  Ireland. 
We  had  had  some  refreshment  by  the  way,  but  were  quite  ready  for 
an  adjournment  to  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  my  kind  guide,  whose  two 
young  housekeepers  mast  have  seen  that  their  excellent  cooking  was 
appreciated  from  the  manner  in  which  the  viands  were  rapidly  reduced 
in  quantity.  When  thus  refreshed  an  Irish  car  was  awaiting  us,  and  we 
were  soon  driving  along  the  road  enjoying  the  views — hedgerows  with 
thdr  many  flowers  and  the  sight  of  the  well-tilled  fields.  A  pleasant 
drive  it  was,  and  the  time  seemed  short  until  we  arrived  at  the  gate 
leading  to 
Carton  Park, 
the  seat  of  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Leinster.  Here  my  guide,  whose 
modesty  is  only  equalled  by  his  ability,  was  greeted  with  a  real 
Irish  welcome,  and  was  told,  much  to  his  embarrasment,  that  “  You’re 
just  lookin’  lovely,  Mr. - .”  The  demesne  entered,  we  found  our¬ 
selves  in  the  walled  grounds  of  the  Park,  1000  statute  acres  in 
extent.  A  striking  feature  here  is  Hypericum  coris,  which  is  literally 
in  acres  in  the  grounds  ;  and  in  another  place,  which  I  only  saw  from  a 
distance,  Omphalodes  verna  covers  a  space  some  acres  in,  extent.  Passing 
through  the  Queen’s  Pass,  opened  by  Her  Majesty  on  the  occasion  of  her 
visit  to  Carton  in  1849,  we  came  to  the  banks  of  one  of  the  lakes,  where 
there  is  a  beautiful  example  of  what  we  know  as  “  wild  gardening.” 
High  up  on  the  banks  under  the  trees  were  what  appeared  like  Foxgloves 
in  the  distance,  but  which  proved  to  be  Canterbury  Bells. 
These  are  grown  instead  of  the  Foxgloves,  which  are  not  a  success 
upon  this  soil,  and  the  Canterbury  Bells  form  a  capital  substitute,  and 
of  course  there  are  blues  among  the  latter — a  colour  not  found  among 
the  Digitalises.  Lower  down  were  Delphiniums,  Tradescantias,  Sidalcea 
Candida,  Spirmas,  Primulas,  Irises,  and  a  number  of  other  plants  suitable 
for  holding  their  own  in  such  situations,  with  Aponogeton  distachyon 
and  other  water  plants  in  the  streamlet.  Thence  we  went  along  a 
drive,  having  on  one  side  the  limestone  rocks,  which  had  in  some  places 
been  cleared  of  the  natural  vegetation  and  had  been  planted  with 
Dianthi  and  other  suitable  plants.  A  pretty  peep  was  obtained  from  a 
bridge  immediately  above  a  cascade  Mowing  from  one  lake  formed  by 
the  river  Rye  into  a  lower  one.  Growing  among  the  rocks  of  the 
cascade  was  a  number  of  plants  of  a  fine  native  Grass,  the  name  of 
which  I  did  not  know,  but  which  was  equal  in  beauty  to  almost  any  of 
the  Bamboos  so  deservedly  admired. 
A  picturesque  cottage  in  the  grounds  was  also  visited,  where  there  is 
a  large  collection  of  relics  and  curiosities.  Among  these  was  a  magni¬ 
ficent  “  wishing  chair”  of  bog  oak  in  which  Her  Majesty  is  said  to  have 
seated  herself  when  she  visited  Carton.  All  must  hope  that  the  “  wish  ” 
our  revered  monarch  is  said  to  have  expressed  may  be  realised — as  it 
seems  in  a  fair  way  to  be.  That  fleeting  thing — time — forbade  a  close 
examination  of  the  petrified  objects  and  many  interesting  things  here, 
80  we  had  to  depart,  my  mentor  for  the  day  being  again  complimented 
by  being  told  that  he  “was  younger  than  ever”— a  compliment  he 
vigorously  repudiated.  A  glance  at  the  beautiful  Rose  garden  in  front 
of  the  cottage,  with  its  arches  and  festoons  of  Roses  and  scarlet  Honey¬ 
suckle  and  its  beds  of  Roses,  made  one  wish  for  time  to  inspect  them 
properly.  One  can  only  notice,  however,  how  finely  the  old  Austrian 
Copper  was  flowering. 
On  again  through  the  beautifully  kept  grounds  until  we  reached  one 
of  the  garden  entrances,  where  we  received  a  hearty  welcome  from  Mr. 
A.  Black,  the  head  gardener,  and  were  ushered  into  his  picturesque 
house,  over  whose  wails  and  porch  climbers  hang  so  gracefully.  Here 
Miss  Black  had  prepared  for  us  a  plentiful  and  appetising  tea,  very 
welcome  after  our  drive,  although  we  are  supposed  when  on  tours  of  this 
kind  to  be  oblivious  of  the  wants  of  the  inner  man. 
The  walled  garden  is  ten  acres  in  extent,  and  a  walk  through  it 
showed  that  Mr.  Black,  the  energetic  young  gardener,  is  quite  competent 
to  perform  all  that  is  required  of  him.  Vegetables,  fruit  and  flowers, 
outside  and  in  the  houses,  all  showed  evidence  of  very  superior  culture. 
Mr,  Black  was,  however,  lamenting  the  appearance  of  a  disease 
among  his  tree  Carnations,  which  he  may  be  trusted  soon  to  defeat, 
should  it  be  possible,  but  those  in  the  borders  were  in  perfect  health.  A 
lot  of  fine  Canterbury  Bells  in  a  conservatory  showed  how  well  these 
flowers  are  adapted  for  mingling  with  other  plants,  such  as  the  fine 
Pelargoniums  and  other  greenhouse  plants  they  were  beside.  Of  the 
houses  I  must  leave  “ K.,  Dublin"  to  tell  again,  as  he  can  so  well  dow 
There  were  many  good  thingsto  be  seen  in  the  garden.  There  were  what 
would  soon  be  very  fine  borders  of  annuals  of  the  best  kinds.  Sweet  Peas 
are  largely  grown,  upwards  of  sixty  being  under  trial,  and  in  one  of  the 
houses  I  saw  the  miniature-growing  one,  Cupid,  which  quite  bears  out 
its  description,  and  which  I  hope  may  do  as  well  in  my  borders  at  home. 
A  special  note  of  praise  is  due  to  an  old  but  little  known  annual. 
Erysimum  Peroffskianum,  whose  hard  name  must  be  forgiven  for  its  fine 
