564 
'WURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  10,  1898. 
probably  cannot  be  seen  elsewhere.  The  ground  has  been 
excavated  to  form  a  huge  oblong  dish  in  the  lawn,  enclosed  along 
one  side  and  end  with  a  hedge  of  Golden  Queen  Holly,  and  the 
others  by  Yew,  the  hedges  cut  square  about  3  feet  high.  -In  this 
there  would  be  nothing  remarkable,  but  at  intervals  of  about  4  feet 
extension  growths  have  been  encouraged  and  cut  square  like  the 
hedge,  yet  tapering,  and  there  they  stand  like  so  many  golden  and 
deep  green  Cleopatra  Needle-like  columns.  In  the  lawn  thus 
enclosed  Mr.  Stirling  had  a  series  of  large  beds  formed,  and  these 
planted  with  tuberous  Begonias  in  separate  colours — white,  rose, 
scarlet,  crimson,  and  as  the  plants  had  grown  luxuriantly  they 
formed  bold  masses  of  colour,  and  as  looked  down  upon  between 
the  living  pillars  of  green  and  gold  like  a  huge  pallisade,  the  effect 
of  the  whole  was  unique.  It  should  be  said  that  the  vases  above 
mentioned,  judiciously  placed  so  as  to  have  a  background  of  foliage, 
were  beautifully  furnished,  the  twirling  stems  and  large  soft  yellow 
trusses  of  Calceolaria  amplexicaulii  showing  to  great  advantage  in 
association  with  other  flowers,  a  hint  that  may  be  taken  by  those 
who  have  not  yet  employed  that  beautiful  and  distinct  species  in 
the  same  way.  _ 
Keir  House  differs  from  all  others  that  we  know  in  outward 
ornamentation.  Instead  of  planting  the  usual  kinds  of  climbers 
or  wall  covering  plants.  Sir  William  had  recourse  to  Conifers  raised 
from  seeds  which  he  brought  from  the  East,  and  on  that  account 
the  species  become  known  as  Cupressus  orientalis.  It  is  really 
Cupressus  sempervirens,  also  known  as  C.  fastigiata,  the  Upright 
Roman  Cypress.  The  right  position  was  chosen  for  these  plants, 
as  the  species  is  too  tender  to  withstand  our  winters  in  other  than 
sheltered  places.  The  planter  was  no  doubt  aware  of  this,  and 
imported  a  distinct  feature  to  the  mansion  by  planting  and  training 
the  trees  as  shown  in  the  illustration,  fig.  96.  They  are  from 
18  inches  to  2  feet  in  branch  diameter  at  the  base,  tapering  to  the 
top,  and  appear  to  be  about  30  feet  high.  They  are  trimmed 
slightly  in  April.  There  are  nearly  forty  of  these  trees,  as  they 
occupy  the  west  as  well  as  the  south  side  of  the  building  (shown), 
and  it  may  safely  be  said  that  such  a  number  of  trees  of  the 
Upright  Roman  Cypress,  similarly  disposed,  cannot  be  seen  else¬ 
where  in  Britain.  The  trees  live  long  in  their  native  clime,  and 
Mr.  Veitch  points  out  in  his  “  Manual  of  Coniferfe,”  that  in  the 
Convent  Garden  of  the  Chartreuse  at  Rome  two  out  of  three  trees 
planted  by  Michael  Angelo  (1471-1563)  are  still  vigorous.  From 
remote  antiquity  the  Greeks  and  Romans  regarded  the  evergreen 
character  of  the  Cypress  as  a  symbol  of  immortality,  and  it  is  hoped 
that  this  remarkable  collection  at  Keir  will  keep  the  memory  of 
Sir  William  Stirling-Maxwell  green  for  many  generations. 
J ust  a  word  must  be  said  about  the  enclosed  kitchen  garden  and 
glass  department.  The  enclosure  seems  to  be  in  the  centre  of  the 
pleasure  grounds,  but  so  masked  as  to  be  unobservable  till  by  avenue 
or  terrace  walk  you  reach  the  massive  iron  gates,  which  were 
specially  designed  by  Sir  William  for  their  positions.  The  crops  of 
fruit  and  vegetables  in  this  garden,  with  flowers  for  cutting,  were 
all  that  the  most  exacting  critic  could  desire.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  the  excellent  work  as  represented  in  plant  culture  under 
glass,  both  in  the  form  of  prize  specimens  and  decorative  material. 
The  long  fruit  range  is  undergoing  renewal,  old  portions  being 
taken  down  and  new  and  wider  sections  erected  yearly,  for  pre¬ 
venting  any  serious  break  in  the  supply  of  produce.  Young  Tines 
are  taking  the  place  of  old  ones,  and  in  a  very  few  years  it  may  be 
expected  that  Keir  will  be  as  famed  for  its  Grapes  as  it  is  for  its 
beauty.  February  (of  this  year)  raised  Tines  were  maturing  canes 
as  thick  as  the  gardener’s  thumb,  and  20  feet  long.  Tines  raised 
the  preceding  February,  trained  up  the  back  wall,  and  as  super¬ 
numeraries,  bearing  eight  to  ten  fine  bunches,  and  the  permanents 
each  two  bunches,  or  an  average  of  eleven  to  a  rafter,  in  that 
short  time  is  excellertt  work,  though  Mr.  T.  Lunt  will  not 
tell  you  so  ;  he  will  let  you  see  and  judge  for  yourselves.  Black 
Hamburghs,  Muscats,  Mrs.  Pince  and  Gros  Colmans  were  all 
alike  splendid,  and  not  much  less  so  were  the  Chrysanthemums 
along  the  front  of  the  range,  which  have  since  developed  first  prize 
blooms.  Mr.  Lunt  is  a  man  of  deeds,  not  words,  and  gives  the 
impression  that  he  is  in  possession  of  the  valuable  quality  of  looking 
closely  after  his  own  business  and  letting  other  people’s  alone.  The 
condition  of  Keir  in  its  gardens  and  grounds  is  a  credit  to  him. 
The  beautiful  demesne,  bearing  as  it  does  the  stamp  of  a  master 
mind,  the  impress  of  the  capacity  of  a  truly  great  man,  must  be 
regarded  by  its  owner  as  a  priceless  inheritance  in  the  pleasures  of 
which  he  thoughtfully  permits  others  to  share,  a  boon  that  must  be 
highly  valued  ;  while  the  short  September  rest  enjoyed  within  its 
precincts,  and  all  the  kindly  associations  connected  therewith,  will 
be  long  in  fading  from  the  memory  of  someone  else  besides  the 
appreciative  wanderer — The  Sckibe. 
NATIONAL  BOSE  SOCIETY. 
Annual  Meeting. 
The  annual  general  meeting  of  this  excellent  Society  proved  a  very 
great  success,  for  it  was  one  of  the  best  attended  of  the  two  scores  that 
have  been  held.  As  usual  the  gathering  was  at  the  Hotel  Windsor,  and 
under  the  admirable  chairmanship  of  C.  E.  Shea,  Esq.  (one  of  the  Vice- 
Presidents),  everything  passed  off  smoothly  and  satisfactorily.  Amongst 
those  present  were  the  Reverends  H,  B.  Biron,  A.  Foster-Melliar,  J.  H. 
Pemberton,  W.  Wilks,  with  Colonel  J,  H.  Pitt,  Captains  Christy  and 
J.  Ramsay,  Dr.  Shackleton,  and  Messrs.  J.  Bateman,  W.  Boyes,  G. 
Bunyard,  C.  E.  Cant,  Frank  Cant,  G.  W.  Cooke,  W,  F.  Cooling,  G. 
Gordon,  W.  J.  Grant,  R.  Harkness,  T.  B.  Haywood,  W.  J.  Jefferies, 
Conway  Jones,  J.  H.  Laing,  R.  H.  Langton,  E.  B.  Lindsell,  J.  R. 
Mattock,  G.  Monies,  G.  Mount,  0.  G.  Orpen,  A.  W.  Panl,  G.  Paul,  G.  W. 
Piper,  W,  D  Prior,  T.  F.  Rivers,  T.  W.  Sanders,  A.  Slaughter,  W.  Tayler, 
A.  Turner,  R,  E.  West,  and  the  Honorary  Secretaries  the  Rev.  H, 
Honywood  D’Ombrain  and  Ed.  Mawley,  Esq. 
After  the  circular  calling  the  meeting  and  the  minntes  of  the  last 
general  meeting  had  been  read  Mr.  Mawley  was  desired  to  read  the 
report  fur  the  year.  This  proved  both  gratifying  and  enconraging  as 
may  be  seen  herewith. 
Report  op  the  Committee  for  the  Year  1896. 
The  past  season  will  long  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  difficult 
with  which  rosarians  have  had  to  contend  for  many  years.  It  is  there¬ 
fore  no  matter  for  surprise  that  the  leading  show  of  the  Society  should 
have  proved  an  unusually  poor  one,  and  yet  on  no  previous  occasion  has 
the  loyalty  of  the  exhibiting  members  been  more  clearly  manifested, 
blooms  having  been  staged  by  no  fewer  than  seventy-three  different 
competitors.  The  exhibition  at  Reading  on  June  24th  was  the  largest 
provincial  show  ever  held  in  the  South  of  England,  the  exhibits  even 
exceeding  in  number  those  at  Gloucester  in  the  previous  year.  The 
show  was  excellently  managed  by  the  Local  Committee,  of  whom  may 
be  specially  mentioned  the  Rev.  Alan  Cheales,  Mr.  B.  C.  Mount,  Mr. 
J.  T.  Strange,  and  their  energetic  Hon.  Secretary,  Mr.  W.  L.  Walker. 
The  members  present  were  most  hospitably  entertained  at  luncheon 
on  this  occasion  by  Mr.  Francis  FergusBon,  Chairman  of  the  Reading 
Horticultural  Society.  The  Crystal  Palace  exhibition,  which  was 
held  in  the  most  trying  part  of  the  season,  proved,  as  before  stated,  an 
inferior  one,  whether  regarded  from  the  point  of  view  of  its  extent,  or 
the  general  quality  of  the  flowers.  The  Northern  Show  at  Ulverston,  on 
the  other  hand,  was  a  surprise  to  many,  who  thought  that  a  show  held  so 
far  north  in  such  an  unfavourable  year  for  Roses  must  certainly  be  a 
failure,  whereas  the  display  of  blooms  was  not  only  large  but  in 
many  classes  remarkably  good,  while  the  attendance  of  visitors  was  also 
large.  The  success  of  this  exhibition  was  to  a  great  extent  due  to  the 
untiring  efforts  of  Mr.  G.  H.  Mackereth  of  the  North  Lonsdale  Rose 
Society,  as  well  as  to  the  generous  manner  in  which  all  the  arrangements 
connected  with  it  were  carried  out. 
The  prize  for  the  best  essay  on  the  "  Hybridisation  of  Roses,*’  offered 
by  Mr.  Alexander  Hill  Gray  of  Bath,  brought  out  six  competitors,  and 
the  prize  and  silver  medal  of  the  Society  were  ultimately  awarded  to  Mr. 
Walter  Easlea.  This  essay  has  recently  been  issued  to  the  members, 
together  with  the  supplement  to  the  official  catalogue.  The  Committee 
take  this  opportunity  of  conveying  their  best  thanks  to  those  gentlemen 
who  so  kindly  acted  as  adjudicators  upon  the  essays  sent  in  for  Mr.  Gray’s 
prize,  and  also  to  the  members  of  the  General  Purposes  Committee  for 
the  time  and  trouble  they  expended  upon  the  preparation  of  the  supple¬ 
ment  to  the  catalogue. 
They  record  with  much  regret  the  loss  through  death  of  two  of  the 
oldest  members — Mr.  Richard  Bloxam  and  Mr.  George  Prince,  both  of 
whom  have  for  many  years  past  taken  the  warmest  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  the  Society,  and  were  until  recently  members  of  the  Committee. 
Finance. — There  has  been  the  usual  fluctuation  in  the  list  of  mem¬ 
bers,  but  the  gains  have  again  exceeded  the  losses ;  in  fact,  at  the  present 
time  there  are  more  members  on  the  Society’s  books  than  at  any  previous 
period.  The  financial  year  was  entered  upon  with  a  balance  in  hand  of 
£46  14s.  3d.,  and  now  at  its  close  there  remains  £76  128.  3d.  to  be 
carried  forward  to  next  year’s  account.  This  the  Committee  cannot  but 
regard  as  very  satisfactory  when  it  is  considered  that  the  expenditure  in 
prizes  alone,  including  medals,  has  amounted  to  £506. 
Arrangements  for  1897. — The  arrangements  for  the  ensuing  year 
are  as  follows  : — Tne  Southern  Show  will  be  held  at  Portsmouth  on 
Wednesday  June  23rd,  in  the  Central  Gardens  ;  the  Metropolitan  Exhi¬ 
bition  at  the  Crystal  Palace  on  Friday,  July  2nd  ;  and  the  Northern 
Show  in  the  grounds  of  Carrow  Abbey,  Norwich,  on  Thursday,  July  15th, 
in  conjunction  with  the  Norfolk  and  Norwich  Horticultural  Society. 
Through  the  energy  of  Mr.  C.  J.  Grahame,  a  new  champion  challenge 
trophy  for  amateurs  has  been  subscribed  for  and  presented  to  the  Society, 
which  will  be  offered  for  competition  at  the  Crystal  Palace  exhibition 
