August  15,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
155 
reliable  oropper,  and  the  quality  invariably  good.  Paxton,  James  Veitch, 
and  Leader  are  also  grown,  but  the  first  named  variety  proves  the 
“  sheet  anchor.”  Grand  trusses  of  flowers  were  showing  on  the  plants, 
and  if  King  Frost  will  spare  them  there  should  be  abundance  of  fine 
Strawberries  of  Newnham  this  season. 
In  an  open  situation,  near  the  entrance  to  the  kitchen  garden,  my 
eyes  fell  upon  a  fine  breadth  of  fruit  trees.  “Ah!”  I  exclaimed  to  my 
guide,  “  let  me  see  what  they  are  like,”  for  I  thought  the  “canny  ”  man 
had  kept  something  good  in  the  background.  Truly  he  had,  for  I 
found  half  an  acre  of  as  fine  bush  Apple  trees  as  can  be  found  in 
Britain.  They  are  all  worked  on  the  broad-leaved  Paradise  stock, 
were  planted  five  years  ago  from  9  to  12  feet  apart,  and  yet  they  have 
almost  filled  their  allotted  space,  and  the  branches  were  studded  with 
blossom  buds.  In  the  management  of  these  bushes  there  has  been  no 
hard  cutting  back  year  after  year  to  produce  a  thicket  of  shoots.  The 
main  branches  were  simply  shortened  for  a  year  or  two  to  form  a 
shapely  tree  ;  they  were  then  allowed  to  “  go,”  but  kept  thinly  disposed, 
the  result  being  that  blossom  buds  quickly  formed  on  the  long  branches, 
andjstrong  growth  gradually  ceased.  The  trees  began  to  bear  fruit 
the  seopnd  year  after  planting,  and  have  cropped  regularly  since.  A 
practical  demonstration  of  this  kind  should  do  much  to  show  that 
NEWNHAM 
Warwickshire  is  well  adapted  for  fruit  growing.  The  vegetables  I  fear 
must  receive  but  scant  attention,  for  I  have  yet  much  to  write  about. 
I  therefore  dismiss  that  part  of  my  subject  by  saying  that  Peas,  Beans, 
.and  other  early  sown  orops  were  coming  on  well.  Asparagus  bods  were 
yielding  good  supplies  of  choice  vegetables,  and  late  Broccoli  and 
a  grand  bed  of  Ellam’s  Early  Cabbage  were  ready  for  outting  in 
quantity. 
The  glass  structures,  though  notioed  last,  are  by  no  means  the  least 
in  importance.  The  principal  range  of  fruit  houses  is  a  flue  one,  and  is 
turned  to  good  account  in  growing  splendid  fruit.  Two  houses  are 
-ocoupied  entirely  with  Black  Hamburgh  and  Foster’s  Seedling  Grapes, 
whioh  for  quality  are  hard  to  beat  early  in  the  season.  In  the  earliest 
houses  the  berries  had  reached  that  stage  when  they  should  soon  show 
signs  of  colouring.  In  the  adjoining  one  they  had  just  been  thinned. 
A  glance  was  enough  to  show  that  Grape  growing  is  oariried  on  at 
Newnham  by  a  master  hand  ;  each  Vine,  each  shoot,  is  allowed  ample 
room,  with  the  result  that  the  foliage  iB  thick  and  leathery,  and  the 
bunches  sturdy  and  shapely.  The  back  wall  of  one  house  was  entirely 
-covered  with  a  Vine  of  Foster’s  Seedling,  whioh  was  carrying  a  good 
crop,  and  Mr.  Harman  informed  me  that  it  cropped  well  every  year. 
I  have  never  before  met  with  so  successful  an  example  of  Grape 
growing  on  the  back  wall  of  a  vinery,  where  the  roof  above  has  also 
been  entirely  covered  with  Vines.  The  Vines  in  the  house  devoted  to 
Musoats  are  in  fine  condition.  There  were  plenty  of  good  shapely 
bunches,  and  some  very  large  ;  the  largest  when  ripe  should  weigh 
4  or  5  lbs.,  and  they  are  likely  to  be  as  well  finished  this  year  as  on 
previous  occasions,  when  Mr.  Harman  proved  victorious  at  the 
Aquarium  and  Birmingham  Shows.  In  another  house,  28  feet  in  length, 
one  Peach  tree  of  Hale’s  Early  entirely  covered  the  arc  shaped  trellis 
along  the  front,  and  another  covered  the  back  wall ;  such  trees,  too, 
with  strong  shoots,  large  leathery  leaves,  and,  above  all,  abundance  of 
fruit.  In  two  other  houses  Peaches  were  equally  well  grown,  the 
varieties  being  Violette  Hative,  Bellegarde,  and  Dymond.  In  one  of 
these  houses  I  noticed  an  exceptionally  good  batch  of  seedling 
Amaryllis,  with  flower  stems  fully  lj  inch  in  diameter,  some  carrying 
six  flowers. 
In  the  flowering  house  Cyclamen,  Roses,  Calceolarias,  and  hosts  of 
other  plants  afforded  a  brilliant  display  ;  seme  plants  of  the  former, 
growing  in  5  and  6-inch  pots,  carried  fully  100  flowers.  One  span- 
roufed  house  is  devoted  to  the  popular  Malmaison  Carnations  ;  one, 
two,  and  three. year-old  plants  were  represented ;  some  of  the  latter 
were  large  specimens,  carrying:  splendid  flowers,  but  as  a  rule  plants 
two  years  old  are  preferred.  Careful  watering  is  here,  as  in  so  many 
other  placep,  considered  the  secret  of  success  in  Malmaison  culture. 
Among  new  varieties  King  Oscar  was,  I  thought,  very  promising ;  but 
PADDOX. 
Princess  of  Wales  is  the  favourite,  and  is  largely  grown.  CLher  house 
are  devoted  to  Cucumbers,  Melons,  and  stove  plants,  the  latter  of  a  size 
suitable  for  decorative  purposes.  Cucumbers  are  exceptionally  well 
grown  ;  from  a  house  30  feet  in  length  432  “  Cues  ”  had  already  been 
cut,  yet  the  luxuriant  plants  were  still  carrying  heavy  orops. 
In  cool  pits  Chrysanthemums  grown  for  the  production  of  large 
blooms  were  looking  the  pioture  of  health  ;  in  fact,  they  were  just  such 
plants  as  one  might  expect  to  find  under  the  charge  of  one  who  years 
ago  won  his  spurs  as  an  exhibitor.  In  another  pit  I  noticed  good 
specimens  of  that  new  and  popular  flowering  plant,  Kalanchoe  flammea. 
Those  who  require  flowers  which  will  laBt  several  weeks  when  out 
should  grow  this  novelty.  Time  flies  !  The  silent  hour  of  midnight 
has  oome,  and  I  must  draw  to  a  close  these  brief  and  imperfect  notes  of 
the  beautiful  Warwickshire  home  of  the  Earl  of  Denbigh,  a  nobleman 
of  many  parts,  whose  time  is  largely  occupied  with  public  duties,  which 
often  take  him  away  from  such  pleasant  surroundings.  Fortunately, 
however,  both  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Denbigh  take  the  keenest 
interest  in  their  gardens,  and,  during  the  fifteen  years  that  Mr.  Harmann 
has  controlled  his  present  charge,  the  relationship  between  employer 
and  employed  has  been  of  the  happiest  description. 
Before  I  lay  down  my  pen,  I  have  to  tender  my  heartiest  thanks  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harmann  for  their  kindly  hospitality  to  a  wandering 
scribe,  who  hopes  again,  at  some  future  time,  to  spend  a  few  pleasant 
hours  with  a  genial  son  of  Erin. — H.  D. 
