386 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  23,  1902. 
Gardening  at  Wistow  Hall. 
Some  gardeners  are  specialists,  and  they  achieve  success  by 
growing  a  few  things  superlatively  well ;  others  have  no 
specialities,  but  grow  everything  under  their  charge  creditably ; 
and  a  third,  and  very  limited  section,  seem  to  possess  the  gift  of 
branding  everything  they  grow  with  the  mark  of  a  master  hand. 
Mr.  F.  Clark,  of  Wistow  Hall  Gardens,  near  Leicester,  seems  to 
belong  to  the  latter  section.  At  least,  that  was  the  impression 
conveyed  to  me  by  a  recent  visit  to  the  gardens  he  controls. 
The  Sweet.  Peas  from  Wistow  have  often  been  described  during 
the  past  season,  as  they  have  won  high  honours  at  the  principal 
shows.  I  can  well  understand  this  when  I  saw  the  plants,  for 
although  the  flowering  period  was  practically  over  the  grand 
growth  still  remained.  The  clump  system  of  culture  is  adopted. 
These  are  planted  a  yard  apart,  and  each  contains  five  plants. 
One  would  think  from  appearances  that  there  were  twenty  plants 
to  each  clump  judging  by  the  great  number  of  grand  strong 
growths,  in  many  cases  12ft  in  height. 
In  the  kitchen  garden  splendid  produce  met  the  eye  at  every 
turn.  The  Celery  was  large,  strong,  and  healthy,  and  ready  for 
the  final  earthing.  Leeks  showed  great  promise,  zinc  tubes 
having  been  used  during  the  process  of  earthing.  Two  fine  rows 
of  Peas  proclaimed  how  difficult  it  is  to  find  a  better  variety 
than  Autocrat  when  it  is  well  grown.  Brussels  Sprouts  were 
giants  for  size  and  sturdiness,  and  showed  great  promise  of  fine 
results  in  the  near  future. 
The  glory  of  the  kitchen  garden  at  the  time  of  my  visit — 
September  18 — seemed  to  be  a  magnificent  lot  of  Ailsa  Craig 
Onions.  These  had  been  uprooted  a  few  days,  and  were  lying  in 
full  sunshine  to  ripen,  precautions  being  taken  to  turn  them 
over  every  day  or  two.  I  should  not  like  to  hazard  a  conjecture 
as  to  the  weight  of  the  individual  bulbs,  but  collectively  they 
were  certainly  the  finest  lot  I  have  seen  grown  in  a  similar  space. 
Trenching  the  land  three  spits  deep  very  year,  and  using  a  very 
liberal  allowance  of  farmyard  manure  are  the  main  cultural 
practices  upon  which  Mr.  Clark  builds  his  success;  and,  indeed, 
deeply  working  the  soil  has  produced  a  striking  effect  upon  the 
produce  of  the  whole  garden. 
In  the  vineries  were  many  large,  handsome  bunches  of  Madres- 
field  Court  Grapes ;  perfectly  “  finished  ”  Muscats  in  the  same 
house  were  also  large  and  shapely  in  bunch,  only  wanting  a  little 
more  of  the  amber  tint  [which  has  been  so  seldom  seen  this 
season. — Ed.]  to  make  them  perfect.  Considering,  however,  that 
they  have  been  grown  in  a  house  where  Madresfield  has  coloured 
splendidly,  this  must  be  regarded  as  a  fine  achievement  in  Grape 
growing,  as  Muscats  require  much  more  heat  than  the  popular 
black  Grape  above  mentioned.  I  noticed  several  standard  Apple 
trees  carrying  very  fine  crops,  as  a  result  of  judicious  thinning  of 
the  branches  and  root-pruning. 
Chrysanthemums  are  now  claiming  a  large  share  of  attention. 
The  plants  are  taller  than  usual,  but  look  particularly  strong  and 
healthy,  and  as  they  have  had  full  exposure,  the  wood  should 
be  well  ripened.  The  vagaries  of  the  season  have  had  a  somewhat 
peculiar  effect  upon  some  varieties,  which  were  stopped  when 
about  9in  in  height.  From  that  point  they  have  grown  con¬ 
tinuously  without  having  made  a  break  or  a  bud  until  the  begin¬ 
ning  or  middle  of  September.  Mark  Firth,  Esq.,  and  Mrs.  Firth 
have  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  fine  condition  of  their 
gardens,  and  of  the  achievements  of  their  gardener. — -H.  D. 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
Messrs.  Bull  and  Sons,  Chelsea. 
The  establishment  of  Messrs.  Bull  and  Sons,  at  536,  King’s 
Road,  Chelsea,  is  mainly  reputed  for  novelties  and  rarities  in 
tropical  exotic  plants,  and  the  collection  is  worthy  of  anyone’s 
time  to  go  and  inspect;  but,  besides  new  or  lesser  known  stove 
plants,  one  may  also  mention  hybrid  Orchids,  in  considerable 
variety  and  numbers,  Bromeliads,  economic  plants,  and  especially 
Fuchsias  and  Zonal  Pelargoniums,  each  of  which  form  important 
sections  of  the  firm’s  trade.  Probably  no  other  nursery  contains 
the  same  variety  of  economic  plants — plants  cultivated  on  an 
agricultural  scale  in  one  part  of  the  globe  or  another  for  the 
food  supply  of  mankind,  such  as  Cacao  (or  Cocoa,  as  we  English 
wrongly  name  it),  Coffea,  Chinchona,  Anonas,  many,  rubber- 
yielding  plants  like  Hoyea  braziliensis,  Kicksia  elastica,  and 
C'astiloas,  and  other  trffpical  genera  needless  to  detail. 
The  present  notes  are  descriptive  of  a  very  few  meritorious 
plants,  which  someone,  with  an  interest  in  tropical  and  temperate 
exotics,  may  find  useful.  The  beautiful  Cestrum  elegans,  with 
clusters  of  bead-like  pink  flowers,  is  an  admirable  pillar  plant  for 
a  temperate  range  or  corridor;  perhaps  the  yellow  or  orange 
Cestrum — C.  aurantiaca. — is  less  familiar  in  gardens  than  C. 
elegans,  and,  moreover,  the  generic  name  Habrothamnus  is  more 
generally  employed  than  that  of  Cestrum.  By  frequent  syring- 
ings  with  warm,  soapy  water,  these  very  beautiful  plants  can 
be  kept  quite  clean.  A  new  comer  in  the  line  of  “  foliage  plants” 
is  found  in  Dianella  tasmaniana  variegata,  which  may  most 
fittingly  be  described  as  a  pigmy  representative  of  the  New 
Zealand  Flax  (Phormium).  The  sideways  manner  of  growth  is 
a  character,  as  also  the  flat,  blade-like  leaves,  which  are  of  the 
same  consistency  as  those  of  the  Phormium,  and  far  more  deeply 
and  beautifully  variegated  with  orange-yellow. 
Another  variegated  plant  is  Tradescantia  regina.  It  is  larger 
in  growth  and  general  character  than  those  usually  seen  in 
gardens,  colouring  most  brilliantly  and  well  defined.  For  the 
edge  of  stages  or  on  rockeries  indoors  this  handsome  and  easily- 
grown  plant  commends  itself.  As  a  hall  plant,  where  cold 
draughts  are  excluded,  the  very  elegant  Jacaranda  elegantissima 
merits  a  place,  and  I  am  not  acquainted  with  a  more  suitable 
decorative  plant,  which  is  at  once  so  serviceable  and  elegant  for 
this  purpose. 
A  note  must  be  spared  for  the  following  subjects  with  coloured 
foliage,  namely,  Begonia  President  Boureuilles,  a  larger  and  more 
effective  foliage-Begonia  than  B.  margaritacea,  the  well-known 
purple-coloured  stove  species.  In  B.  President  Boureuilles  there 
is  a  shimmering  metallic  lustre  over  the  very  deep  purple-red, 
and  a  noble  plant  it  makes.  Dracaena  (or  Cordyline)  terminalis 
is  much  grown,  but  the  variety  Mayi  is  superior  as  a  colouring 
plant,  and  seems  also  neater  in  habit.  Messrs.  Bull  have  some 
shapely  samples  in  5in  and  Gin  pots.  Maranta  picta,  M.  insignis 
(new),  and  Panax  Yictorise  are  stove  plants  of  exceeding  beauty, 
and  all  introduced  by  the  firm.  Croton  Reedi  and  Dracaena  Vic¬ 
toria  are  irreproachable,  and  the  latter  is  unexcelled  for  winter 
use  as  a  golden  variegated  and  large-leaved  decorative  plant. 
Polypodium  ericoides  ramo-cristatum  is  a  Fern  of  dwarf  stubby 
growth,  much  incised  and  crested  at  the  tips  of  the  fronds. 
Platycerium  Veitchi  furnishes  one  of  the  most  elegant  of  the 
Elk’s-liorn  Ferns,  the  drooping  segments  of  the  stems  being 
covered  with  a  silvery-grey  pile  of  fine  hairs.  Licula  Muelleri 
resembles  Rhapis  flaxelliformis ;  Aralia  triloba  is  a  South  Sea 
“islander,”  deserving  a  paragraph  all  to  itself;  Polypodium  con- 
jugatum,  an  entirely  new  and  distinct  species,  which  will  assuredly 
make  its  way  to  many  collections;  Asplenium  marginatum,  very 
pale  green  in  colour,  with  handsome  fronds  of  tender  structure; 
and  lastly,  for  the  present,  Eugenia  myriophyllum,  a  graceful, 
shrubby  little  novelty,  with  abundance  of  dark  green  linear 
leaves,  are  each  worthy  of  attention. — Wandering  Willie. 
DOCHFOUR,  INVERNESS. 
Dochfour,  the  property  of  J.  E.  B.  Baillie,  Esq.,  lies  five 
miles  N.W.  of  Inverness,  on  the  north  side  of  Loch  Dochfour. 
The  gardens  and  grounds  stretch  along  the  loch  in  a  strip  about 
half  a  mile  long,  by  one-third  of  a  mile  wide,  lying  between 
the  loch  and  the  hill.  Being  on  a  slope,  they  are  terraced  round 
the  house  and  for  the  croquet  lawn  and  Italian  garden,  the  rest 
following  the  natural  slope  of  the'  ground.  The  garden  is  shel¬ 
tered  from  the  north  and  east  by  the  hill,  lying  in  the  loch, 
which  is  never  frozen,  the  climate  being  remarkably  mild — 14deg. 
was  the  hardest  frost-  last  winter — and  shrubs  and  plants  will 
grow  with  very  little  protection,  though  they  will  not  succeed 
in  the  Midlands  in  England.  The  west  front  of  the  house  is 
covered  with  Ceanothus  Gloire  de  Versailles,  and  the  gardener's 
cottage  has  Magnolias,  C’hoisya  ternata,  and  Azara  growing  on 
it  and  flourishing,  with  but  a  slight  protection  of  spruce  branches 
in  winter. 
The  terrace  is  planted  with  Gannas  in  variety,  Gladiolus, 
fibrous  rooted  Begonias,  and  Pelargoniums,  all  of  which  do  well. 
The  vases  were  last  summer  alternately  filled  with  Gannas  and 
variegated  New  Zealand  Flax,  and  the  general  effect  was  won¬ 
derfully  good  and  sub-tropical.  There  is  a  very  good  and  well 
grown  collection  of  Conifers,  said  at  one  time  to  be  the  most- 
complete  in  Scotland.  It  has  of  late  years  got  a  little  out  of  date, 
but  Mr.  Baillie  is  planting  largely,  and  the  young  trees  promise 
well.  An  orchard  was  planted  last  autumn,  on  the  model  of 
those  in  Kent  and  Surrey,  and  looks  well.  There  is  a  good, 
though  not  large,  kitchen  garden,  the  borders  of  the  different 
plots  being  fenced  with  espaliers,  and  planted  with  a  good  col¬ 
lection  of  herbaceous  plants. — J.  T. 
PEAR,  MICHAELMAS  NELIS. 
Our  illustration  of  this  Pear  on  the  opposite  page  defines 
its  natural  size  and  form.  The  skin  is  thin,  firm,  of  a  bright 
greenish  yellow,  with  minute  brownish  specks.  Eye  prominent, 
level  with  the  rounded  top  of  the  fruit;  the  segments  remaining 
distinct  and  generally  evenly  outlined.  Stalk  long,  narrow, 
somewhat  curving.  Flesh  pale  tea-coloured,  very  juicy,  melting, 
and  richly  flavoured.  The  tree  is  a  free  grower  and  bearer,  and 
was  introduced  to  commerce  in  1901  by  Messrs.  George  Bunyard 
and  Co.,  the  Royal  Nurseries,  Maidstone,  who  found  it  by 
chance  in  a  cottager’s  garden.  It  is  a  seedling  from  the  well- 
known  Winter  Nelis.  An  Award  of  Merit  was  given  to  it  on 
October  7,  1902.  It  succeeds  best  grafted  on  the  Quince,  and  Is 
in  use  during  September  and  October. 
