518 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  11,  1903 
Crocus  vernus  (now  naturalised),  Tulips,  Fritillarias, 
Oriental  Hyacinths,  Anemones,  French  and  African  Mari¬ 
golds,  must  have  been  more  common  than  Gerarde  and 
some  other  writers  lead  us  to  infer.  Another  fact  is  that 
Orange  trees,  Lemon  trees,  and  Myrtles  were  cultivated, 
though  it  is  generally  considered  that  alone  at  Heddington 
were  Orange  trees  to  be  found.  And  they  were  not  only  culti¬ 
vated,  but  during  the  winter  season  they  were  “  stoved.” 
In  that  curious  aggregation  of  experiments,  “  Sylva 
Sylvanum,’'  Bacon  treats  of  “  The  Housing  of  Plants,”  and 
there  it  is  plain  that  some  means  of  heating  was  pursued, 
though  no  indication  of  methods  occur. 
As  to  how  Bacon  intended  his  garden  to  “  lie  ”  we  have 
no  indication,  and  one  of  the  puzzles  worth  trying  is  how 
to  divide  the  thirty  acres  of  garden  so  as  to  have  four  of 
lawn  near  the  house,  a  garden  of  twelve  acres  in  the  middle, 
beyond  that  six  acres  of  heath,  and  on  two  sides  four  acres 
each. — B. 
- - 
Oavbens  IRounb  SbefRelb. 
A  jaunt  into  the  country  in  the  merry  month  of  May  is 
generally  an  invigorating  and  pleasant  pastime;  but  the  season 
has  been  all  ‘‘ topsy  turvy”  with  rain,  rain,  incessant  rain,  and 
cold  winds  withal.  Yegetation  was  for  a  time  almost  at  a  standstill, 
the  trees  were  in  bud,  but  were  loth  to  burst  forth.  Yet  our  visit  to 
Ash^ate  Lodge,  Chesterfield. 
though  undertaken  during  the  cold  spell,  was  a  pleasant  one. 
This  is  a  fine  old  country  seat,  situated  about  three  miles  from 
Chesterfield,  and  commanding  an  extensive  and  splendid  view  of 
the  lovelj'  Derbyshire  hills  and  moors.  The  Rhododendrons  were 
in  flower,  and  the  beds  of  Hyacinths  and  Tulips  were  looking  well. 
A  bed  of  Fairy  Queen  Wallflower  with  its  apricot  hue  is  fine, 
and  beyond  the  lawn,  the  Narcissi  in  the  grass  had  a  pleasing 
effect.  The  kitchen  garden,  from  its  neat  and  well-kept  appear¬ 
ance,  at  once  attracts  attention,  and  a  feature  here  is  the  clean 
and  bright  walks  of  red  shale.  Early  Peas  were  showitig  flower  ; 
Strawberries  were  looking  well ;  fruit  trees  laden  with  bloom 
(a  perfect  picture  is  a  “  Lincoln  Holland  ”  Apple,  with  its  deep 
coloui’ed  blossom),  and  work  well  forward,  the  trees  and  borders 
giving  signs  of  careful  attention. 
Entering  the  glass  houses  we  at  once  realise  that  care  in 
culture  is  given.  Here  are  many  plants  that  have  graced  the 
exhibition  tent,  and  the  ffffet  is  a  cool  house,  in  which  are  Azaleas, 
Mignonette,  and  various  flowering  plants,  while  in  the  next  are 
some  fine  Crotons,  including  such  varieties  as  Warreni,  Golden 
Ring,  Elegantissima  aurea ;  a  fine  piece  of  Newmani  of  good 
colour  ;  Mrs.  Dormer,  Nestor,  and  Hookeri ;  also  a  very  fine  plant 
of  Solanum  W'endlandi,  Clerodendron  fallax,  Anthuriums, 
Acalyphas,  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine,  and  a  very  fine  specimen 
of  Gymnogramma.  In  the  next  house  are  Carnations,  with  a  nice 
sprinkling  of  flowers,  and  the  pretty  Statice  iirofusa. 
In  the  stove  we  are  attracted  by  a  wonderfully  fine  specimen 
of  Begonia  Godseffiana  about  6ft  high,  and  perhaps  some  3ft 
through,  with  plenty  of  foliage,  and  of  good  colour.  Gardenias 
are  clean  and  well  set  with  buds ;  and  Clerodendron  Balfouri  has 
plenty  of  bloom.  Caladiums  are  doing  well,  and  include 
Candidum,  John  Peed,  Rio  Janeiro,  and  Arashay.  Here  is  a 
grand  lot  of  Crotons,  including  a  lovely  specimen  of  Etna  of  good 
size  and  colour,  also  a  very  nice  plant  of  Medinilla  magnifica.  in 
flower,  with  Anthuriums,  Acalyphas,  Abutilon  Savitzi,  and  other 
varieties.  Mr.  Nelson  must  certainly  be  complimented  upon  his 
plants;  they  are  clean,  well  grown,  and  in  the  pink  of  condition. 
The  end  wall  bears  Hibiscus  and  other  plants. 
In  the  early  vinery  there  is  a  very  nice  crop  of  Black  Ham¬ 
burgh  and  Madresfield  Court  Grapes  just  colouring.  The  Grapes 
at  Ashgate  Lodge  are  well  known,  and  have  .secured  many 
honours.  The  Muscat  hou.se  looks  very  promising  with  a  nice 
crop,  and  bunches  of  symmetry  and  good  size.  In  the  late  vinery 
Gros  Guillaume  is  again  showing  some  enormous  bunches,  and 
from  this  house  many  premier  prizes  have  been  won.  We  were 
led  to  inquire,  “  What  have  been  your  best  bunches,  Mr. 
Nelson  ?  ”  “  We  have  had  some  good  ones  from  this  Vine,”  was 
the  reply  (pointing  to  one  at  the  end),  “  and  in  ’96  I  had  four 
bunches  on  it  weighing  121b,  111b,  lO^lb,  and  91b  respectively,” 
and  Mr.  Nelson  then  showed  us  a  photograph  of  them,  whicli 
showed  well-shaped  bunches  of  beautiful  form.  Me  have  seen 
bunches  exhibited  from  the  same  ^  ine  of  81b  or  91b  in  weight, 
and  one  has  only  to  see  these  vineries  to  understand  that  Mr. 
Nelson  knows  his  business  in  this  department.  Canadian  Wonder 
Beans  were  being  forced  in  one  of  these  houses )  Strawberries 
also  are  looking  well,  and  carrying  fine  fruits — Royal  Sovereign 
being  the  favourite.  r  -rt-  i  i 
In  the  Peach  house  are  Royal  George,  Princess  of  Wales,  and 
Grosse  Mignonne  Peaches,  and  Pitmaston  Orange  and  Elruge 
Nectarines.  Here  again  there  is  a  good  crop  of  large  sized  fruits, 
and  Roses  in  pots  are  staged.  Joining  this  is  a  flowering  house, 
and  a  feature  that  strikes  one  immediately  on  entering  is  a  very 
large  Clianthus,  with  its  peculiar  flowers,  covering  one  end  of  the 
roof.  Cytisus,  Azaleas,  Callas,  Cinerarias,  and  Hydrangeas  make 
an  imiJosing  show,  the  house  being  gay  with  colour.  In  frames 
outside  are  Chrysanthemums  (about  300  being  grown  here),  bed¬ 
ding  plants,  half-hardy  subjects,  and  Cucumbers,  while  in  front 
of  the  houses  is  a  Rose  border,  and  Tea  Roses  do  exceptionally 
well.  Sun  is  wanting,  however,  and,  speaking  of  Rose®,  there 
are  here  two  remarkably  fine  specimens  of  Rosa  rugosa,  which 
flower  very  abundant  l.y.  Homere  also  does  remarkably  well,  a 
very  fine  bush  of  it  has  to  be  “  knifed  ”  to  keep  it  in  ordinary 
dimensions.  We  could  not  help  noticing  how  well  Raspberrie.s 
(varietj'.  Superlative)  were  doing,  and  were  surprised  to  hear  they 
had  stood  the  test  of  nearly  twenty  years  in  the  same  situation. 
A  Jargonelle  Pear  on  the  end  of  the  gardener’s  house  seems  to 
have  found  congenial  quarters,  and  the  year  before  last,  produced 
fourteen  pecks  of  fine  fruits. 
AVe  can  only  speak  in  terms  of  praise  both  as  to  the  condition 
of  the  place  and  the  produce  upon  it.  The  late  owner,  Alfred 
Barnes,  Esq.,  D.L.,  was  formerly  M.P.  for  Chesterfield,  and  was 
much  interested  in  horticulture,  as  also  is  the  present  owner, 
Mrs.  Barnes  (the  widow).  Indeed,  the  whole  family  may  be 
termed  lovers  of  gardening ;  and  they  are  widely  known  and 
highly  respected  throughout  the  di.strict.  Mr.  Nelson  has  been 
here  some  eighteen'  years,  dunng  which  time  the  gardens  have 
been  considei’ably  extended,  and  new  glass  erected.  Previously,  he 
was  four  years  at  Braywick  Lodge,  Maidenhead.  He  is  a  well- 
known  and  successful  exhibitor,  and  his  groups,  specimens,  and 
fruits  have  been  features  at  Chesterfield,  Clay  Cross,  Tibshelf, 
and  Sheffield  Shows.  He  it  was  who  put  up  the  group  of  un¬ 
disbudded  Chrysanthemums  .some  four  years  ago  of  which  Mr. 
Molyneux  wrote  in  the  “  Garden  ”  as  being  the  best  he  had  seen 
in  a  2,000  mile  tour.  The  honour  he  attained  then  he  has  main¬ 
tained  ever  since.  He  is  a  noted  Chrysanthemum  grower,  a 
successful  Grape  grower,  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  local 
societies  (being  on  the  committees  of  both  the  Horticultural  and 
the  Chrysanthemum  Societies),  is  a  capable  and  fearless  judge, 
and  is  respected  and  esteemed  by  those  who  know  him.  He  is 
a  capable  gardener,  and  withal,  a  gentleman. — AV.  L. 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
The  shrubby  and  hardwooded  plants  cultivated  by  Messrs. 
Clibran  and  Son  at  their  nurseries  near  Altrincham  are  as  varied 
as  those  of  the  herbaceous  character.  The  propagating  pits  are 
full  of  cuttings  or  seedlings  of  Pines  and  Conifers  oflall  sorts, 
together  with  those  of  Oaks  and  ornamental  park  and  forest 
trees.  The  finer  varieties  are  not  omitted,  and  one  could  have 
spent  an  instructive  hour  noting  the  stocks  variously  employed 
in  grafting,  had  time  pei'mifted. 
The  Japanese  Maples  in  their  wealth  of  bright  colours  and 
different  forms  make  up  a  goodly  display  in  themselves,  and  with 
these  were  the  Ceanothuses,  the  Cytisuses  (C.  Andreanus  in  fine 
batches),  Romneya  Coulteri,  “the  Californian  Poppy  a  shrub 
— A^itis  heterophylla,  Desfontainea  spinosa,  and  endless  other 
subjects.  Bamboos  (inclusive  of  the  many  ornamental  and  hardy 
Phyllostachys)  were  noted  in  varied  quantities,  while  the  pot 
Ivies  are  quite  a  feature  here.  Before  passing  on,  one  may 
again  name  the  ncAv  semi-double  yellow  flowered  Ja.sminum 
primulinum,  plants  of  which  are  already  at  Altrincham. 
Cupressus  macrocarpa  lutea  is  ever  to  be  valued,  and  comes  mseful 
for  a  variety  of  decoi’ative  purposes.  It,  too,  was  seen  in  health, 
shapeliness,  and  vigour. 
Pot  Amines  could  not  be  bettered  anywhere.  The  houses  in 
Avhich  the  most  adA'anced  growths  Avere  cultiA'atccl,  Avere  ideal — 
Avide,  roomy,  airy,  SAveet,  and  clean.  The  groAvths  Avere  already 
8ft  to  10ft  long  and  stout.  The  foliage  AA'as  large,  leathei’y,  and 
absolutely  fresh,  so  that  if  the  plants  go  on  as  they  have  been 
doing,  the  Clibran  A’ines  must  give  general  satisfaction,  and  the 
newest,  equally  Avith  the  popular  varieties,  are  to  be  found. 
Pot  Rose®  and  Clematises  form  a  department  by  themselves  ; 
at  least,  it  might  Avell  be  .said  they  do.  Pot  Roses  are  greatly 
in  demand,  and  great  gaps  had  been  made  in  the  over-season 
stock.  Ncav  Rose  houses  are  among  the  new  structures  being 
planned,  so  that  the  coming  yeaFs  supplies  may  be  the  more 
easily  met.  Crimson  Rambler  as  a  pot  plant  cannot  be  propa¬ 
gated  and  groAvn-on  fast  enough,  and  the  .same  applies  to  some  of 
the  best  forcing  Tea  Roses.  Another  section  of  Avoody  subjects 
groAvn  at  Hale  in  some  quantity  are  the  Japanese  Rhododendrons. 
It  Avould  seem  that  private  gardeners  hardly  realise  sufficiently 
that  these  Rhododendrons  require  a  Avami  greenhouse  or  inter¬ 
mediate  house,  and  instead  of  pruning  aAA-ay  their  rather  loose 
and  slender  branches,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  tie  them  in, 
balloon-fashion  if  you  like;  but  keep  them  “in,”  giving  abund- 
