58 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  18,  1901. 
Netljerhall,  Cumberland. 
This  estate  is  situated  close  to  the  town  of  Mary  port,  and  is  the 
seat  of  Humphrey  Pocldington  Senhouse,  Esq.,  Lord  of  the  Manor  of 
the  town  and  port  of  Maryport.  A  great  portion  of  the  house  is  of 
very  ancient  date,  but  much  alteration  and  restoration  has  been  done 
since  1889  by  the  late  Mrs.  Elizabeth  P.  Senhouse  and  the  present 
owner,  her  son.  The  house  is  of  red  sandstone.  In  the  portico  are 
over  thirty  Roman  altars  with  inscriptions,  besides  seven  or  eight 
other  plain  ones,  and  several  sepulchral  and  monumental  stones,  with 
two  legionary  stones,  recording  the  presence  here  of  a  detachment  of 
the  20th  Legion.  These  have  been  taken  from  the  Roman  Station 
“  Virosidium,”  which  was  near  the  town.  The  front  hall  has  a 
mediaeval  appearance,  with  antique,  carved,  high-backed  chairs ;  an 
ample  fireplace,  over  which  are  the  escutcheons  of  families  who  have 
intermarried  with  the  Sen  houses,  and  on  the  walls  are  portraits  of  the 
Senhouse  and  Lowther  celebrities. 
The  family  De  Sewynhouse,  or  De  Senhouse,  derives  from  Walter 
de  Sewynhouse,  who  had  a  grant  of  a  one-fifth  part  of  the  township 
of  Bolton,  in  the  parish  of  Gosforth,  from  Alan  de  Copeland,  and 
likewise  a  grant  of  other  lands  in  the  same  parish,  from  William 
de  Wy berth waite.  These  grants  are  both  without  date,  but  were 
witnessed  by  Sir  Adam  de  Lamplough,  Knt.,  who  lived  in  the 
time  of  Richard  and  John.  From  Walter  descended  John  Senhouse,  who 
married  in  1528,  Elizabeth,  eldest  sister  and  co-heir  of  Robert 
Eglesfield  of  Alneburgh  Hall,  now  Netherhall,  and  he  was  High 
Sheriff  of  Cumberland.  His  son,  John  Senhouse  of  Ellenborough,  is 
the  person  whom  Camden  mentions  in  his  “  Britannia”  as  having 
collected  with  great  industry  numerous  Roman  stones,  altars,  and 
statues,  with  inscriptions,  which  he  placed  with  much  taste  in  his 
houses  and  buildings,  and  as  having  entertained  in  1599  the 
celebrated  antiquarian  himself  and  Sir  Robert  Cotton  of  Conington, 
with  great  civility. 
Netherhidl  is  surrounded  by  a  small  park  and  pleasure  grounds, 
through  which  the  River  Ellen  winds,  and  falls  over  a  cascade  close 
to  the  north  front  of  the  house.  A  very  ancient  Thorn  tree  is  near 
the  Hall,  and  it  has  assumed  a  decided  weeping  habit.  There  are 
large  clumps  of  Rhododendron  ponticum  in  the  grounds,  and  some 
large  Spanish  Chestnuts,  beside  a  fine  Rose  garden.  Roses  grow 
exceedingly  well  here.  A  small  flower  garden,  with  a  commodious 
stone  alcove,  supported  in  front  by  five  Ionic  columns,  is  a  chief  feature. 
On  the  wall  on  one  side  of  the  flower  garden,  amongst  other  plants,  are 
Azara  microphylla,  Escallonia  macrantha,  Hydrangea  paniculata  (a 
Lrge  plant),  Kerria  japonic^,  Clematises,  and  Roses  ;  there  is  also  a 
Water  Lily  pond. 
'I  he  herbaceous  borders  (500  feet  long  by  12  feet  wide)  contain 
Hollyhocks,  which  are  grown  in  hundreds,  and  do  well  here.  Large 
clumps  of  Lilium  candidum  were  noted,  besides  Montbretia  aurea 
doing  well ;  but  Mr.  Horne,  the  head  gardener,  lifts  and  replants 
the  corms  annually,  setting  them  a  few  inches  apart,  and  only  selecting 
the  best  1  <  r  this  purpose.  Herbaceous  Phloxes,  Paeonies,  and  early 
flowering  Cmysanthemums  are  largely  grown,  while  annually  a 
250  feet  row  of  Sweet  Peas  is  sown. 
Jhe  kitchen  garden,  about  2  acres  in  extent,  has  walls  which  are 
covered  with  healthy  fiuit  trees,  and  along  the  walks  are  finely  shaped 
Apples  and  Pears  planted  by  Mr.  Horne  within  the  last  nine  years. 
Border  Carnations  to  the  extent  of  2000  plants  are  grown,  the  favourites 
being  Raby  Castle,  Duchess  of  Fife,  Mrs.  Muir,  Queen  of  Bedders, 
Nora,  yellow ;  Lady  Curzon,  Lady  Grey,  and  Mrs.  Noel.  Violets  are 
well  grown,  and  the  variety  Princess  of  Wales,  both  in  pots  and 
frames,  was  full  of  flower  in  early  Maroh ;  Neapolitan,  Marie  Louise, 
and  Lady  Hume  were  also  seen  in  good  condition.  Downie’s  Best  of 
All  Cabbage  Lettuce,  which  has  stood  the  winter  in  a  sheltered  corner, 
in  March  had  been  transferred  to  a  south  border;  Broccoli  was  also 
looking  well. 
The  glass  here  is  not  extensive,  but  there  is  a  considerable 
demand  on  its  resources.  There  are  nine  houses,  with  a  conservatory 
adjoining  the  house.  Home-grown  Freesias,  which  Mr.  Horne  does 
well,  are  never  placed  in  much  heat,  and  after  flowering  are  set  in  a 
cool  Peach  house  in  full  sun.  They  are  watered  and  fed  until  the 
toliage  dies  away,  and  are  then  laid  on  their  sides  with  the  soil  facing 
the  south  at  the  foot  of  a  south  wall  until  about  August,  when  they 
are  repotted,  selecting  the  largest  bulbs  for  flowering.  On  the  roof 
•of  the  conservatory  there  is  a  large  plant  of  the  climbing  Niphetos 
Rose,  from  which  over  a  thousand  blooms  were  cut  last  year.  It  has 
l  een  planted  about  five  years.  The  only  pruning  done  is  to  cut  out 
weak  wood,  leaving  intact  all  large,  vigorous  growths. 
In  the  conservatory  is  a  iarge  plant  of  Tecoma  capensis,  which 
covers  a  considerable  space  and  flowers  freely.  The  other  climbers 
are  Ivy-leaved  and  scemed-leaved  Pelargoniums,  Plumbago  capensis, 
and  Lapageria  rosea.  There  are  three  vineries  ;  one  planted  with 
•’lack  Hamburgh  Vines,  with  Figs  on  the  back  wall,  in  restricted 
.borders.  Another  vinery  bears  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  Black  Alicante, 
and  Trebbiano,  with  Smilax  trained  up  strings  on  the  back  wall.  The 
third  vinery  has  Black  Hamburgh  and  Buckland  Sweetwater 
alternately.  About  150  healthy  Tomatoes,  in  3-inch  pots,  were  seen, 
and  about  120  Tea  Roses  in  numerous  varieties.  Three  hundred  Royal 
Sovereign  Strawberries  are  forced  at  Netherhall  ;  and  150  hybrid 
Amaryllis,  many  of  which  were  throwing  up,  spikes.  Amongst  the 
many  forced  things  are  Hydrangea  paniculata,  Acer  Negundo  variegata. 
Spiraeas,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  double  yellow  Daffodils,  Deu'zia  gracilis, 
and  two  large  Hydrangea  hortensis  in  tubs.  About  300  robust  young 
plants  of  Malmaison  Carnations  are  grown.  In  one  house  several 
trees  of  Alexandria  were  in  flower;  400  Chrysanthemums  for  pots  are 
cultivated,  and  healthy  stuff  in  3 -inch  pots  were  observed,  whilst  many 
are  struck  at  the  end  of  April  for  flowering  in  6-inch  pots.  Single 
Chrysanthemums  are  favourites  for  cutting,  and  about  fifty  are  grown. 
Trie  varieties  are  Ewen  Cameron,  Milly  Agate,  King  of  Siam,  and 
Mary  Anderson. — F.  Street. 
Societies. 
Royal  Horticultural— Scientific  Committee,  July  2nd. 
Present  :  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the  chair)  ;  Messrs.  Odell, 
Chapman,  Saunders,  Holmes,  Bowles,  Druery,  and  Worsdell;  Drs. 
Muller,  Cooke,  and  Rendle;  Prof.  Boulger,  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  and  Rev. 
G.  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Orchids  malformed. — Dr.  Masters  reported  on  the  flowers  sent  to 
the  last  meeting.  He  found  the  Cattleya  to  be  dimerous,  and  the 
Odontoglossum  to  have  five  perfect  stamens,  the  other  parts  being 
twisted,  &c. 
Hartstongue,  abnormal  form. — Mr.  Druery  exhibited  a  plant  with 
the  fronds  variously  modified,  being  sub-hastate,  emarginate,  sub-pinnate 
i  u  places,  and  much  crested.  It  was  a  seedling  of  doubtful  origin ; 
but  a  similar  plant  had  been  found  wild  many  years  ago. 
Aristolochia  ttilobata. — Mr.  Odell  showed  flowering  shoots  of  this 
species,  remarkable  for  the  form  of  the  flower,  in  that  the  calyx  closely 
resembled  a  pitcher  of  Nepenthes,  having  a  lid  provided  with  a  long 
pendulous  streamer. 
Cheiranthus  aljnnus,  pods  proliferous. — He  also  showed  specimens 
of  this  not  uncommon  monstrosity  in  certain  Cruoiferse.  The  pods 
were  swollen  at  one  place,  within  which  was  a  double  flower  having 
several  crumpled  yellow  petals  and  abortive  stamens  in  the  place  of  an 
ovule. 
Silene  and  Anthyllis. — Mr.  Holmes  found  that  the  specimens  sent 
to  the  last  meeting  proved  to  be  S.  hirsuta,  and  a  variety  of 
A.  vulneraria. 
Campanula  fasciated. — Mr.  Holmes  exhibited  a  large  terminal 
flower  of  the  common  Canterbury  Bell.  It  consisted  of  a  “  multifold  ” 
flower  of  numerous  parts  ;  also  a  flower  of  Paris  quadrifolia,  with  six 
leaves  to  the  whorl,  but  having  the  usual  4-merous  perianth. 
Plymouth  Strawberry. — Mr.  Holmes  also  brought  specimens  of  the 
“  Plymouth  Strawberry,”  which  he  has  had  growing  for  ten  years.  It 
is  remarkable  for  having  a  foliaoeous  flower,  the  petals  and  stamens 
being  represented  by  numerous  small  leaves,  as  in  the  green  Rose  and 
Alpine  Strawberry ;  while  each  carpel  on  the  receptacle  consists  of  a 
three-pointed  leaf,  or  rather  petiole,  rolled  up  upon  itself.  There  is  no 
trace  of  an  ovule  within  it. 
Beech  with  palmately-nerved  leaves. — He  also  showed  specimens  of 
this  peculiarity,  apparently  due  to  some  insect  attack.  Mr.  Saunders 
undertook  to  examine  it. 
Proliferous  cones  of  Cryptom°ria. — Mr.  Worsdell  brought  specimens 
of  this  monstrosity,  which  Dr.  Masters  observed  was  not  an  uncommon 
production  in  that  tree. 
White  Lily  diseased. — Dr.  Rendle  showed  stems  badly  attacked  by  a 
.fungus.  Dr.  M.  C.  Cooke  reports  as  follows  upon  it: — “It  may  be 
reasonably  assumed  that  the  Lilies  exhibited  were  suffering  from  the 
attack  of  the  *  Lily  disease,’  so  called  by  Marshall  Ward  in  his  memoir 
(in  the  *  Annals  of  Botany,’  vcl.  ii.,  page  319,  pi.  xxii.  to  xxiv.  1889). 
This  is  stated  to  be  due  to  a  white  mould,  of  the  genus  Botrytis.  Most 
of  the  species  being  only  a  eonidial  stage  of  a  trumpet-shaped  fleshy 
fangus  called  a  Pez  za  in  past  times,  but  now  dignified  by  the  name  of 
Sclerotinia,  because  the  cups  are  developed  from  a  hard  sclerotium, 
which  is  the  hybernating  mycelium  of  the  mould.  In  the  present 
instaooe  I  am  not  aware  that  the  sclerotium  has  been  observed,  and 
certainly  not  the  Peziza ;  hence  it  would  be  rather  premature  to  give 
the  supposed  Peziza  a  name  before  its  eiistence  has  been  demonstrated. 
Moreover,  Marshall  Ward  has  not  given  a  specific  name  to  his  Botrytis, 
although  he  has  described  it  with  its  clusters  of  egg-shaped  conidia. 
Berkeley  described,  in  1881,  a  species  of  white  mould  growing  on 
Lilies,  which  he  called  Ovularia  elliptica,  from  its  elliptical  conidia 
(‘  Gardeners’  Chronicle,’  Sept.  10th,  1881,  fig.  66).  This  nevertheless 
is  a  species  of  Botrytis,,  since  called  Botrytis  elliptica,  and  probably  is 
Marshall  Ward’s  species.  Long  previous  to  the  above,  Corda  figured 
and  described  a  white  mould,  with  ovate  conidia,  in  glomerules,  whioh 
was  found  growing  on  immature  fruits  of  Lilies  in  Bohemia ;  afterwards 
cited  in  other  parts  of  Europe.  This  mould  he  called  Polyactis  oana, 
