September  16,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
taken  the  freshness  from  the  London  house,  but  the  country  one  is  clean 
anc^b right  owing  to  the  purer  atmosphere. 
■IV  - 
To  the  left  of  the  mansion,  as  shown  in  the  illustration,  and  attached 
thereto  is  the  conservatory,  which  is  of  considerable  size.  A  handsome 
corridor  leads  from  the  interior  of  the  house  to  the  conservatory  proper, 
and  both  are  of  course  kept  stocked  with  plants  of  all  the  kinds  that  will 
thrive.  From  the  roof  depend  many  climbing  plants,  of  which  the  most 
attractive  just  now  is  undoubtedly  Bougaiuvillea  glabra.  The  cool 
atmosphere  of  the  structure  evidently  suits  it  splendidly,  for  the 
flowers  are  much  flner,  both  in  respect  of  size  and  colour,  than  when,  as 
is  so  frequently  the  case,  the  plant  finds  a  home  in  the  intermediate 
house,  or  even  the  stove.  The  Palms  in  here  are  numerous  and  varied, 
while  flowering  plants  are  introduced  in  suitable  places  to  brighten  the 
structure,  which  is  a  trifle  dark  in  colour  overhead  to  show  leafage  off  to 
the  best  possible  advantage  ;  but  this  cannot  well  be  helped,  and  the  best 
that  can  must  be  done. 
In  the  foregpound  on  both  sides  are  flower  beds.  These  are  not  very  I 
numerous  except  in  the  garden  enclosed  by  walls  especially  for  them,  and  1 
are  at  a  discount,  but  there  was  one  specimen  with  a  spike  of  three 
handsome  blooms.  We  shall  look  forward  to  seeing  some  of  the  older 
seedlings  in  James*  Street  next  year. 
Though  Orchids  are  not  grown  so  extensively  as  in  some  establish¬ 
ments  that  have  been  visited,  they  are  constantly  being  added  to  by 
Captain  Holford,  who  is  deeply  interested  in  them,  so  eventually  there 
will  not  only  be  quality,  as  is  the  case  now,  but  quantity  in  addition.  As 
with  the  Amaryll’s,  flowers  are  at  this  moment  conspicuous  by  their 
absence,  but  a  glance  at  the  labels  shows  how  judicious  has  been  the 
selection  with  a  view  to  securing  the  best.  All  the  Cattleyas,  Dendro- 
biums,  Odontoglossums,  Cypripediums,  and  others  are  in  splendid  health, 
and  will  render  a  good  account  of  themselves  in  the  years  to  come  if  the 
present  promise  is  fulfilled.  Coleuses,  Begonias,  Ferns,  Crotons. 
Solanums  on  the  roofs,  with  all  the  customary  greenhouse  and  stove 
plants,  are  thoroughly  well  grown,  many  of  them  in  considerable 
numbers.  When  this  visit  was  paid  the  first  three  were  making  beau¬ 
tiful  displays  in  their  respective  houses.  Nothing  advantageous  would 
accrue  to  the  naming  of  varieties,  so  we  will  advance  another  stej)  towards 
the  (ionclusion  of  our  tour  round  Westonbirt. 
where  some  beautiful  flowers  may  be  seen.  Outside  of  this  the  beds  are 
occasional,  and  are  occupied  generally  with  one  or  two  kinds  of  plants. 
To  enhance  the  charm  they  are  not  close  together,  but  are  separated  by 
broad  sweeps  of  lawn  or  clumps  of  flowering  and  foliage  shruVjs.  As  the 
customary  plants  are  utilised  in  the  flower  garden  they  will  not  be 
enumerated  here,  as  it  would  simply  be  taking  space  unnecessarily.  The 
stone  walls  encircling  it  are  clad  with  plants  of  all  sorts,  including 
Berberis,  Vines,  and  Ampelopsis  amongst  others,  to  see  which  in  their 
beauty  would  mean  a  visit  towards  the  end  of  October,  when  the  leaves 
have  taken  on  their  autumn  tints.  This,  indeed,  would  be  a  very  suitable 
time  to  visit  the  demesne,  as  the  trees  and  shrubs  would  then  be  very 
much  more  beautiful  than  they  are  now,  for,  according  to  the  head 
gardener,  Mr.  A.  Chapman,  the  colouration  assumed  by  many  is  intense 
and  really  superb.  _ 
The  number  of  structures  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  plants  is  very 
large,  and  as  the  whole  of  them  are  in  one  enclosed  space  they  are 
convenient  for  working.  Of  all  the  plants  grown,  the  greatest  interest  is 
centred  on  the  Amaryllis,  of  which  the  collection  is  certainly  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  country.  Frequenters  of  the  Drill  Hall  shows  will 
remember  the  grand  displa3's  thit  have  been  made  by  the  Westonbirt 
plants,  about  whose  flowers  there  is  a  distinctive  air  of  substantiality  and 
quality.  The  colours,  too,  are  distinct  from  many  of  those  grown  else¬ 
where.  There  are  thousands  of  seedlings  from  less  than  one  year  old 
uipwards,  and  some  interesiing  results  are  anticipated  in  the  future.  All 
«of  them  are  from  ilr.  Chapman's  fertilisation.  Just  at  present  flowers 
It  is  apparent  that  the  soil  is  admirably  suited  to  stone  fruits,  for  they 
crop  wonderfully  ;  and  this  is  the  case  year  after  year,  both  indoors  and 
out,  without  any  very  special  attention.  Plums  are,  perhaps,  the  lightest 
this  season,  but  these  are  far  better  than  in  less  fortunately  situated 
places.  Pears  on  the  walls  are  also  good,  but  Apples  are  not  quite  up  to 
the  average.  Melons,  Cucumbers,  Grapes,  and  Tomatoes  all  have  a  con¬ 
siderable  amount  of  space  allotted  to  them,  while  Peaches  and  Nectarines 
are  extremely  numerous.  The  vegetable  gardens,  of  which  there  are 
three,  are  well  stocked  with  all  kinds  that  are  required.  None  could  be 
selected  as  being  markedly  superior  to  its  neighbours,  for  all  were  in 
creditable  condition.  A  portion  of  the  smallest  vegetable  garden  is 
devoted  to  reserve  beds  of  hardy  flowers,  whence  one  may  cut  continu¬ 
ously  for  several  months  in  the  year.  Most  of  them  are  herbaceous,  and 
in  the  majority  of  instances  a  bed  is  utilised  for  one  kind  only. 
After  having  inspected  the  home  gardens  we  made  our  way  to  the 
arboretum,  which  is  situated  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the 
mansion.  Here  may  be  seen  thousands  of  trees  of  the  most  varied  kinds 
in  the  rudest  of  health.  There  are  Conifers  by  the  thousands,  as  well  as 
evergreen  and  deciduous  trees,  and  nowhere  can  a  bad  specimen  be  found. 
Obviously,  some  are  far  better  than  others,  but  all  are  interesting  and 
many  extremely  rare.  The  expert  who  examines  the  trees  in  the  pleasure 
grounds  would  find  himself  in  a  jiaradise  in  the  arboretum.  The  area  was 
not  known  by  Mr.  Chajtman,  l)ut  by  the  many  grass  drives  by  which  it  is 
intersected  it  must  be  of  very  great  extent.  The  drive  through  the  jjark 
