September  27,  1900. 
293 
JOVRNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND 
CO  TTA  GE  GA  RDENER. 
seems  to  be  the  order  of  the  day,  and 
consequently  the  stock  must  receive 
the  best  attention  or  it  would  not  stand 
against  the  strain.  The  collection  of 
outdoor  fruit  is  extensive  and  varied, 
the  best  being  in  the  home  garden, 
though  there  is  in  addition  an  ancient 
orchard  a  mile  or  more  across  the  park. 
Naturally  enough  all  kinds  are  grown 
more  or  less  largely  in  accordance 
with  home  requirements.  Wall  space  is 
very  abundant,  but  there  is  not  much 
unoccupied,  practically  the  whole  of  it 
being  given  over  to  fruit  in  several  kinds 
and  forms  of  trees. 
Equal  in  excellence  with  the  other 
portions  of  the  estate  is  the  flower 
department,  both  indoor  and  out.  In 
the  plant  houses  one  may  see  many 
plants,  both  flowering  and  foliage,  that 
are  comparatively  seldom  met  with  in 
private  gardens,  and  which,  of  course, 
add  a  certain  meed  of  interest  to  a 
visit.  The  Oranges  in  one  house  are 
said  to  have  been  there  for  upwards 
of  150  years,  and  if  they  are  not  par¬ 
ticularly  beautiful  they  will  doubtless 
be  kept  for  their  associations.  Camellias 
and  Lemons  have  been  almost  equally 
as  long.  Then,  of  course,  we  find  the 
orthodox  collections  of  plants  grown  for  the  embellishment  of  the 
Castle  and  for  providing  cut  flovvers.  Malmaison  Carnations  are  very 
great  favourites,  and  were  making  a  grand  display  on  the  occasion  of 
my  visit,  which  was  about  the  end  of  June.  The  most  conspicuous 
plant  in  the  borders  at  that  moment  was  Salvia  Bluebeard,  which  made 
a  really  remarkable  display.  Koses,  too,  were  there  diffusing  fragrance, 
as  indeed  were  many  other  flowers  in  beds  and  borders  in  different 
parts  of  the  garden. 
There  is  one  other  feature  of  the  Longford  Castle  estate  to  which 
I  should  like  to  draw  attention,  and  that  is  to  the  system  of  maintaining 
small  gardens  on  behalf  of  the  children  of  the  family.  Of  course  every 
one  knows  that  in  practically  all  large  establishments  these  plots  are 
set  apart,  but  generally  speaking  the  interest  therein  is  spasmodic,  or 
Fig.  80.— the  TERRACE,  LONGFORD  CASTLE. 
Fig.  79.— LONGFORD  CASTLE. 
in  some  cases  practically  absent.  At  Longford,  however,  everything  is 
done  to  create  a  love  for  the  garden  and  its  beauties,  and  when  this  has 
been  engendered  no  efforts  are  spared  to  insure  its  permanent 
continuance.  To  this  end  the  Countess,  before  she  attained  to  this 
dignity,  and  was  still  the  Viscountess  Folkestone,  might  frequently  be 
seen  at  the  pieces  of  ground  allotted  to  her  children,  working  with 
and  for  them  amidst  the  cherished  plants.  During  the  whole  time 
that  the  family  is  in  residence  this  is  a  very  frequent  occurrence,  and 
the  consequence  is  that  the  children’s  corner  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
great  interest,  as  well  to  every  visitor  to  whom  it  is  pointed  out  as  to 
the  several  members  of  the  family.  Thus  is  a  real  love  for  the  home 
and  garden  inculcated  while  the  children’s  minds  are  the  most  amenable 
to  such  teachings,  and  the  lessons  learnt  then  are  seldom  forgotten 
in  after  life.  When  there  is  no  one 
staying  in  the  Castle  it  devolves  upon 
Mr.  Hazelton  to  have  the  plots  kept 
free  from  weeds,  but  beyond  this 
and  supplying  some  of  the  plants 
the  gardener  does  nothing  in  their 
cultivation.  This  I  understood  had 
been  a  constant  practice  for  many 
years. 
With  the  kitchen  gardens  and  some 
of  the  many  excellent  modes  of  culture 
that  are  adopted  by  Mr.  Hazelton 
we  cannot  now  deal,  richly  as  they 
deserve  to  be  treated  of  in  the  pages 
of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture.  If, 
however,  one  were  to  venture  to 
bring  forward  all  the  beauties  and 
all  the  excellences  of  Longford,  one 
would  set  about  such  a  task  as  would 
keep  him  industrious  for  many  hours 
on  several  days;  certainly  the  present 
writer  cannot  pretend  to  any  such 
undertaking,  and  is  content  with  the 
visit  and  the  cursory  glance  and 
reference,  which  he  hopes  may  find 
repetition  in  the  future.  What  the 
future  may  have  in  store  for  this  and 
other  notable  gardens  none  can  toll,  but 
all  such  estates  tend  so  much  to  in¬ 
crease  in  charm  and  interest  that 
repeated  visits  are  constant  sources  of 
pleasure. — Zingari. 
