November  19,  1903.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  A\D  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
469 
Aladu-n^if  a}ui  Monvar,  Lfil. 
Interior,  Farmleigh  Conservatory.  See  note  on  page  404. 
been  planted  principally  with  annuals,  and  in  the  geometrical 
beds  on  grass,  Stocks  have  been  exclusively  employed,  and  right 
well  have  they  answered  the  purpose  for  which  they  w'ere  in¬ 
tended  by  giving  hosts  of  fine  spikes  of  showy  and  sweetly 
scented  flowers  throughout  the  season ;  a  fine  white  variety, 
named  “  Christmas  Tree,”  has  been  especially  good.  Near  by 
are  grand  beds  of  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas,  which  must  have 
been  brilliant  pictures  at  their  flowering  time.  Coniferse  seem 
here  to  have  found  a  congenial  home,  for  splendid  specimens 
may  be  seen  on  every  hand. 
And  now  I  come  to  one  of  the  great  features  of  the  gardens 
and  grounds  which  must  impress  all  visitors,  especially  those  who 
delight  in  styles  of  olden  times — viz.,  the  Yew  hedges.  I  have 
travelled  a  bit,  and  have  seen  many  of  the  best  of  British 
gardens,  but  nowhere  have  I  previously  encountered  such  an 
imposing  array  of  beautifully  kept  Yew  hedges. 
Here  there  are  gardens  enclosed  with  Yew  hedges,  gardens 
divided  with  such  hedges,  walks  bounded  with  Yew  hedges,  and 
walls  faced  with  hedges  ;  Yew  hedges,  in  fact,  everywhere.  They 
certainly  create  a  feature  which  carries  us  back  to  the  gardens 
of  olden  days;  but,  oh!  the  work  they  give.  For  six  long 
months  of  the  year  one  man  and  his  helper  are  constantly  em¬ 
ployed  in  clipping  them  into  their  rigid  sliape.  What  a  sum 
total  of  useful  labour  this  would  represent  if  spent  in  more  pro¬ 
ductive  gardening.  But  away  wdth  such  thoughts,  for  the 
laboiu'  is  well  spent  in  preserving  the  distinctive  character  of 
such  old-world  gardens.  As  in  many  other  ancient  gardens,  the 
vegetable  quarters  here  are  not  arranged  in^  the  form  of  one 
large  kitchen  garden,  but  vegetables  are  grown  in  several  'en- 
closures.  So  much  the  worse  for  the  gardener,  because  of  the 
extra  labour  it  entails. 
In  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  demand,  the  utmost  has  to 
be  made  of  eveiy  inch  of  space,  and  therefore  as  soon  as-  one 
crop  is  cleared  another  takes  its  place.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  enumerate  the  many  species  or  number  of  vegetables  grown, 
they  are  similar  to  those  cultivated  in  other  large  establish¬ 
ments  in  order  to  keep  up  a  continuous  supply  throughout  the 
year.  A  .special  note  must,  however,  be  made  of  grand 
breadths  of  Sutton’s  Matchless  Brussels  Sprouts,  and  Major 
Clarke’s  Red  Ccilery.  The  former  is  the  best  example  of 
‘•Sprout  ”  culture  I  have  seen  this  sea.son,  the  huge  stalks, 
three  or  four  feet  in  length,  being  studded  with  hard  round 
knobs,  which  are  the  true  test  of  good  culture.  Early  planting. 
firm  soil,  and  allowing  plenty  of  space  for  each  plant,  are  the 
details  which  have  brought  success, 
A  special  feature  is  also  made  of  herbs  and  vegetables  for 
making  salads.  Among  the  many  varieties  of  Peas  grown 
Sutton’s  Windsor  Castle,  has  proved  the  mo.st  prolific  and  satis¬ 
factory  in  every  way,  the  quality  being  of  the  highest  order. 
The  fruit  crop  in  the  open  air— as  in  inany  other  gardens — - 
has  been  almost  a  failure,  but  in  a  cool  Peach  house,  healthy 
trees  were  carrying  fine  crops  which  are  greatly  valued.  The 
other  glass  houses  are  devoted  principally  to  the  production  of 
plants  and  cut  flowers,  for  which  there  is  an  increasing  demand. 
A  grand  batch  of  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine  will  undoubtedly 
be  of  special  value  during  the  autumn  and  vdnter  months;  there 
must  have  been  fully  200  plants  in  5in,  Gin  and  Tin  pots,  each 
one  being  perfectly  clean,  and  a  model  of  good  cidture.  Late 
struck  cuttings  also  supply  hosts  of  “  baby  ”  plants  in  thumb 
pots  just  suitable  for  carrying  out  the  lighter  jjarts  of  dinner- 
table  decoration.  Palms,  large  and  small,  Ferns,  Chrysanthe¬ 
mums,  Carnations,  Begonias,  Gloxinias,  and  highly-coloured 
Dracaenas  and  Crotons,  are  largely  gron-n  in  pots  of  the  right 
size  for  decorative  purposes. 
A  good  collection  of  Orchids  is  also  being  got  together,  and 
already  the  collection  contains  sev'eral  very  fine  spccimeqs  of 
Cymbidiums,  Cattleyas,  and  Cypripediums,  and  the  Odonto- 
glossums  are  a  remarkably  clean  healthy  lot.  The  favouriti' 
Tomatoes  are  Debbie’s  Champion  and  Perfection,  a  good  batch 
is  grown  in  pots,  in  the  open  air,  ready  for  placing  under  glass 
in  October  to  supply  fruits  during  the  autumn  months.  Many  of 
the  best  modern  varieties  of  Strawberries  are  grown,  and  on 
September  21st  I  noticed  among  them  that  fine  late  variety, 
St,  Antoine,  carrying  really  good  ripe  fruits.  I  can  confidently 
recommend  this  variety  for  autumn  fruiting. 
Mr.  H.  Sinclair,  the  energetic  head  gardener,  who  took 
charge  of  the  above  gardens  a  little  more  than  a  year  ago, 
is  a  young  man,  who  should  make  his  mark  in  the  gardening 
world,  if  energy  and  close  attention  to  duty  wilT  achieve  dis¬ 
tinction.  He  is  an  old  and  constant  reader  of  the  Journal  of 
HorficxiUure,  and  his  good  training  in  .such  well-known  gardens 
as  Eaton  Hall  and  Barford  Hill  have  well  fitted  him  for  his 
present  post,  where  his  employers  take  the  greatest  intere.st 
in  all  matters  connected  with  the  gardens  around  their  English 
iioine — a  home  in  the  heart  of  the  Midlands,  yet  ancient  and 
secluded  as  a  forest  in  the  days  of  Robin  Hood.— W.^xdekek. 
