.340 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE 
(Bavbens  IRounb  SbefRelb. 
With  the  fine  spring  weather,  the  trees  are  putting  on  their 
new  attire,  and  the  environs  of  the  city  are  gradually  becoming 
more  attractive.  With  the  advance  of  the  .season,  too,  tlie  work 
of  the  gardener  is  increasing.  Seeds  Iiave  to  be  sown,  grass  to 
be  mown;  the  vineries  require  attention,  and  the  gardener  is 
now  a  very  busy  man.  There  are  perhaps  compensating  advan¬ 
tages,  inasmucli  as  the  skill  and  care  he  has  bestowed  will  be 
more  apparent.  Most  gardeners  pride  themselves  on  some 
particular  department,  and  at 
Tapton  Court, 
the  seat,  of  H.  Steele,  Esq.,  there  are  two  departments  of  which 
the  gardener,  Mr.  Edwards^  niay  w’ell  be  proud,  viz..  Orchids 
and  Carnations.  Standing  in  its  own  grounds  of  eleven  acres, 
the  mansion  is  very  pleasantly  situated  in  one  of  the  most 
fashionable  suburbs  of  the  city,  that  of  Ranmoor.  Approaching 
it  by  a  handsome  drive,  one  notices  a  well  kept  lawn  of  perhaps 
some  two  acres,  on  which  are  Rose  beds,  and  on  one  side  is  a 
lake,  surrounded  by  Crimson  Rambler  Rose. 
Entering  the  kitchen  garden,  the  preparations  point  to  the 
fact  that  Celery  is  a  favourite,  and  important  item.  Every¬ 
thing  is  in  prime  order.  On  a  long  border  are  some  early  Peas, 
looking  well,  and  work  seems  to  be  pretty  well  in  hand.  The 
plant  houses  are  the  principal  feature,  however,  and  in  the 
Dendrobium  house  there  is  a  fine  collection,  including  D. 
Ain.sworthi,  Sniderianum,  Astriea,  Murrhianum,  grandiflorum, 
splendidissimum,  Juno  (a  grand  niece),  C'j'bele,  and  Sybil,  all 
of  which  are  doing  well.  In  the  Cypripedium  house  are  some 
seventy-five  varieties,  including  some  valuable  pieces  of  Dendro- 
chilu'in  glumaceum.  There  are  also  some  fine  pieces  of  Leelia 
elegans,  and  we  notice  a  grand  batch  of  Sutton’s  hybrid 
Gloxinia..s;  some  good  pots  of  Adiantum  Farleyense,  perhaps 
as  handsome  as  can  be  found  in  this  district;  while  in  the  next 
house  there  is  probably  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  Cym- 
bidiums  to  be  found  in  Yorkshire.  Indeed,  they  are  said  to  be 
the  finest  lot  within  100  miles,  and  grand  they  are.  C.  Tracy- 
anum  and  giganteum  are  particularly  robust,  one  plant  having 
no  less  than  ten  leads.  A  fine  piece  of  Coelogyne  Massangeana 
in  flower  demands  attention,  while  there  is  also  a  fine  stock  of 
Dendrobium  Venus.  Next  is  the  Peach  house,  containing  young 
trees  of  Barrington,  Royal  George,  and  Grosse  Mignonne,  with 
a  good  set  of  fruit ;  and  at  the  end  of  this  is 
The  Roseey, 
a  noble^looking  house,  Soft  by  15ft,  in  whicli  the  Cheshunt 
Hybrid,  William  Allan  Richardson,  and  the  old  favourite, 
Gloire  de  Dijon,  are  doing  well,  the  latter  .showing  a  plentiful 
crop  of  bloom.  The  visitor  now  comes,  to  a  range  of  glass,  140ft 
long,  devoted  to  Odontoglos.sums.  This  is  divided  into  two 
houses,  and  as  there  are  about  2,000  pieces,  they  are  a  really 
nice  lot,  and  look  very  promising.  Numei'ous  hybrids  are 
here,  many  being  in  flower,  one  fine  spike  of  “  Sceptram  ( ?) 
bearing  no  less  than  thiity-two  flowers.  As  they  advance  into 
flower  they  are,  however,  transferred  to  the 
CONSEKVATORY  (OrCHIDS), 
which  is  particularly  gay  and  rich  in  colour,  being  filled  entirely 
with  choice  Orchids  and  Carnations,  all  bearing  flower,  in  the 
pink  of  perfection.  Here  one  sees  0.  aspersum,  polyxanthum 
(very  fine),  Ruckerianum  ;  a  splendid  piece  of  Halli ;  a  lovely 
crispum ;  Dendrobium  Kenneth ;  a  fine  spike  of  Oncidium 
sarcodes;  a  grand  piece  of  Dendrobium  nobile  Victorise  (of  which 
variety  many  collections  are  short),  and  another  va,riety  with 
abundance  of  flowers  is  D.  nobile  nobilius.  A  hybrid  Odonto. 
(a  cross  between  Adrianse  and  crispum)  has  fourteen  very  fine 
flowers.  A  Cymbidium  Lowi  has  no  less  than  ninety  flowers, 
and  many  other  varieties  make  a  grand  show.^  The  Carnations 
in  flower  here  are  President  Roosevelt,  William  Robinson, 
Leopold  de  Rothschild,  Ethel  Croker,  Sir  Evelyn  W  ood,  and 
Nautilus,  some  of  them  being  particularly  fine. 
The  Malmaison  House 
is  some  176ft  in  length,  and  is  heated  by  two  boilers.  Mr. 
Edwards,  the  head  gardener,  is  evidently  at  home  in  this  branch 
of  plant  culture.  He  has  seventy-two  varieties  and  2,000  plants 
of  “Mals.,”  and  200  “Trees,”  many  of  the  “  Mals.”  having 
twelve  to  fourteen  growths  on  a  pot.  Near  this  is  the  Mush¬ 
room  house,  containing  twelve  beds,  and  a  nice  crop.  Mush¬ 
rooms  being  grown  here  all  the  year  round.  A  fine  collection  of 
Dahlias,  too,  are  just  being  started.  About  sixty  varieties  of 
the  best  sorts  of  Cactus  Dahlias  are  grown  here. 
In  the  vineries  are  .such  varieties  as  Venn’s  Muscat,  Mrs. 
Pince,  Alicante,  and  Madresfield  Court,  one  house  being  newly 
planted  with  fourteen  young  canes;  and  here  also  we  see  a 
batch  of  Strawberries,  from  which  fine  fruit  are  being  picked, 
about  150  plants  having  been  forced.  Veitch’s  Perfection 
Beans,  on  the  shelves,  are  also  being  picked,  while  Osborne  s 
Dwarf  and  Sutton’s  Forcing  are  coming  on  in  .succession. 
AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER,  April  16,  1903. 
The  Tomato  house  is  looking  well,  and  some  six  or  seven 
Varieties  are  being  grown.  In  the  Cucumber  house  they  are 
cutting  some  nice  fruit  of  Rochford  Market,  while  Lord  Roberts 
and  Everyday  are  also  grown.  ' 
That  Mr.  Edwards  knows  his  business  there  is  no  doubt. 
He  has  probably  about  4,000  Orchids,  and  lie  knows  how  to 
grow  them;  He  does  not  favour  leaf  mould  treatment,  prefer- 
I'ing  good  peat  and  sphagnum.  The  whole  place  shows  evidence 
of  his  ability,  and  does  him  great  credit. 
Endcliffe. 
Another  of  the  pleasant  residences  with  which  the  suburbs 
abound,  but  which  has  previously  not  been  given  prominence 
(perhaps  because  of  its  general  seclusion),  is  “Endcliffe,”  the 
seat  of  J.  Ba.ssett,  Esq.  To  .some  (locally)  “Endcliffe”  may  be 
a  vague  term,  seeing  that  there  has  been  a  tendency  of  late  to 
apply  the  name  indiscriminately  owing  to  the  popularity  of  the 
district  ;  but  the  fact  remains  that  this  is  claimed  to  be  the 
original  “  Endcliffe.”  On  either  side  of  a  fairly  long  drive  is  a 
sloping  lawn  of  about  one  and  a  half  acres,  on  which  are  Rose 
beds,  also  a  fine  Tulip  tree,  and  probably  some  of  the  olde.st 
and  biggest  Araucarias  to  be  found  in  the  district.  One  is 
about  50ft  high  and  fully  18in  in  diameter  at  the  base ;  but 
owing  to  age  they  have  lost  their  lower  branches.  There  is  a 
fine  collection  of  Rhododendrons. 
In  the  conservatory  one  records  a  good  show  of  Cinerarias 
(Jame.s’  strain),  some  of  the  flowers  being  Sin  across,  and  of 
varied  colours.  Cineraria  stellata  (Fisher’s  strain)  are  also  good, 
and  here  are  also  several  pots  of  the  lovely  Schizanthus  in 
flower,  forming  a  useful  item  for  conservatory  work  or  for 
house  decoration.  The  Primula  .stellatas  are  still  looking  well, 
though  past  their  best  now ;  and  a  William  Allan  Richardson 
Ro.se  on  the  roof  is  showing  plenty  of  blooms.  Azalea  indica 
and  Acacias  help  to  make  a  good  show.  In  the 
Croton  House 
are  .such  varieties  as  Nestor  (of  good  colour).  Flamingo,  Warreni, 
Queen  Victoria  Improved,  Zinnetziana,  and  Duchess  of  Wal- 
deck,  all  nice  young  stuff,  and  will  probably  be  heard  of  later 
in  the  exhibition  tent ;  at  least,  we  hope  so.  The  stove  fur¬ 
nishes  its  quota.,  and  passing  through  the  vinery  we  notice 
a  nice  batch  of  Cypripedium  insigne  plants,  and  from  this  vinery 
Grapes,  have  often  secured  honours  at  local  shows,  and  they 
again  look  promising. 
In  the  Peach  house,  where  there  is  a  capital  set,  and  as 
forward  as  any  we  have  seen,  are  such  varieties  as  Barrington, 
Royal  George,  Dr.  Hogg,  &c.,  all  young  trees.  Outside  we 
notice  a  nice  lot  of  Agaves;  and  then  we  chat  with  Mr. 
Sheridan,  the  gardener,  who,  though  young,  has  plenty  of 
“  push,”  or  grit,  in  him,  and  while  being  unobtrusive,  he  yet 
can  hold  his  own  in  plant  culture. 
He  is  by  no  means  unknown  a.s  an  exhibitor,  having  secured 
winning  cards  at  the  Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Shows,  the 
Sheffield  Floral  and  Horticultural,  Ranmoor,  and  other  shows 
for  groups,  specimen  plants.  Grapes,  &c.  ... 
He  evidently  made  good  use  of  opportunities  in  earlier 
years,  and  the  experience  gained  has  stood  him  in  good_  stead. 
He  has  been  at  “Endcliffe”  just  over  four  years,  previous  to 
which  he  was  some  time  at  Ashwick  Hall,  near  Bath,  as  foreman 
under  Mr.  Pentland. 
The  grounds  at  “  Endcliffe  ”  are  very  pleasant,  and  in  excel¬ 
lent  order,  ancl  would  be  a  sui-prise  to  many.  While  one  side 
skirts  a  much  freciuented  roacl,  the  general  privacy  of  the 
grounds  permit  full  enjoyment  without  being  overlocmed  ;  and 
though  not  so  extensive  as  some  establishments,  “  Endcliffe 
is  by  no  means  lacking  in  the  variety  and  condition  of  its  plant 
life. — W.  L.  _ 
We  shall  give  notes  on  “  Oakbrook,”  an  establishment  of 
much  interest,  in  a  future  issue. 
Weeping  Willows  in  the  United  States. 
It  is  stated  that  all  the  Weeping  W  illows  in  the  United 
States  are  descended  from  a  twig  planted  by  the  stepson  of 
George  W^a.shington,  at  his  place  at  Abingdon,  a  few  miles  from 
Mount  Vernon.  Young  Cu,stis,  as  a  member  of  Washin^on  s 
military  family,  sometimes  carried  messages,  under  a  flag  between 
the  belligerent  commanders.  In  this  service  he  became 
accj[uainted  with  a  young  British  officer,  who,  like  others,  had 
gone  over  with  an  impression  that  the  “  rebellion  would  be 
speedily  crushed  out,  and  that  he  would  then  settle  on  the  con¬ 
fiscated  lands  of  the  rebels.  He  had  even  brought  a  twig 
the  Weeping  W^illow  near  Pope’s  Villa,  at  Twickenham,  carefully 
wrapped  in  oiled  silk.  As  his  visions  of  a  ca.stle  in  America,  faded 
away  he  gave  a  twig  to  John  Parke.  Custis,  who,  on  his  return 
to  Abingdon,  planted  it  near  his  house.  It  grew  and  flourished, 
and  how  it  multiplied  may  now  be  seen  from  one  end  of  the 
United  States  to  the  other'.— -(“  The  W^estminster  Gazette.-  ) 
