I hope the instructions you receive in the bothy will not be lost upon you."—"My mind,” replied Bauldy, "when I came to wark with you, was something like the wild brier that ye braught frae the wood, that braught forth naething but single roses and dog-hips; but ye planted it in the garden, and ye put bud after bud upon it, and noo it bears beautiful roses o' the Aurora, and the Elysian, and Isabella, and Amaranth, and Rosinella and every lesson that I receive I try to bud it in my mind, and few o' them dies; and when I get the name of a plant frae Sandy, or a lesson in arithmetic frae Colin, or the name o' a stane or an insect frae Wattie, I try to mind them a', and I pay them back sometimes wi' a sang, or, when they hae laid aside their books for a night, I give them a tune on the fiddle, and I am glad when I can tell them something about music that they dinna ken.” "Well, well, get on with your knowledge and your friendships," said their master, "and may ye all be happy! So good night with you all; I hope we shall soon meet again."

West Plean, Sept. 14. 1843.

(To be continued.)

ART. III. Notes made during a Horticultural Tour from Lowther Castle in Cumberland to Exeter in Devonshire. By J. CRUICKSHANK, Gardener at Lowther Castle.

AFTER calling at some of the small places at Sidmouth and its neighbourhood, where there is little else to be seen besides the beautiful scenery from the cliffs, and finding my time limited, I called to see the nurseries at Exeter, so fully described by you in p. 35. to 38. These far surpass what I expected them to be: I cannot pretend to give a description after you. I found the grounds in the very best order, and the plants in the best health. The propagating-house of Messrs. Veitch and Son is the finest thing of its kind I have ever seen. To these gentlemen I am indebted for their kind attention.

At the request of my kind employer, who wished me to see Tidworth (Thomas Ashton Smith, Esq.), I took the coach from Exeter to Andover, and I could not help remarking to the guard that it was certainly coaching in the olden time. We left Exeter at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and reached Andover at a quarter to 7 the next morning. The coachmen and guards in that part of the country seem never to have heard of Croals's (of Edinburgh) patent drag, which does not lose time in putting on the skid. I was quite delighted with the country, with its beautiful little hills and dales, and was sorry when night came on. I could not but think, when we got near Salisbury, what a contrast between the small fields of the

Devonshire farmers, looking like a piece of patchwork, and those of the Wiltshire and Hampshire farmers. The hedges in Devonshire are the worst I have ever seen; and in their implements of labour, waggons, carts, wheelbarrows, spades, horseharness, ploughs, &c., they are many years behind us. How a ploughman from the North would be surprised to see them struggling to get along with three, or sometimes four, horses; so badly managed, that it appeared to me as though the horses pulled in turn: as much as to say, I pulled last time, you must pull this! I saw, when walking with Mr. Barnes in the neighbourhood of Bicton, four heavy oxen yoked to one plough in the most primitive way I know, with wooden hames over their necks; the two leaders pulling by a chain. As might be expected, when turning at the ends, they got their feet over the chain; and then, of course, they came to a stand-still, until the assistant boy or man got it put to rights again. I found it was of no use to try to persuade the person in charge of the plough that two of his oxen were quite equal to do the work better and quicker, in that beautiful sandy loam, than four.

Tidworth. The house is situated in a bottom. It is a plain substantial-looking building; and would, I think, have looked much better had it been built on the rising ground behind it. There is a good architectural conservatory joined to the house. The plants are very well grown, very clean, and there was a very good show of flowers, of the commoner sorts of green-house plants.

There is an extensive flower-garden, in the very highest order and keeping; well filled with flowers, and much enlarged since Mr. Saunders has been there: if I recollect properly, it has been relaid out by him.

The kitchen-garden is large, and is kept in excellent order. There are five vineries with excellent grapes. One house is entirely planted with muscats of different sorts. The vines are planted in a pit in the middle of the house; and, for the time they have been planted, I never saw vines doing better, both as regards a beautiful crop of grapes and the wood for another season, which is both short-jointed and vigorous, and bids well for a splendid crop next year. The vineries are each 40 ft. long by 15 ft. wide. There are two good pine stoves 40 ft. long by 15 ft. wide. The pines are well grown. There were some very good fruit at the time I visited the place. Mr. Smith told me himself that he had three pines on his table at one time, last June, that weighed two stone. He walked round the gardens with me himself, and through all his houses, stables, &c. He seems to take a great delight in his forcinghouses, stables, and dog-kennels.

There are also two peach houses 40 ft. long by 15 ft. wide. The peaches were nearly over when I was there; but, from the

state of the trees, they appeared to have borne an excellent

crop.

There is a house built here, of the most extraordinary dimensions, for the purpose for which it was built, that I have ever seen. It covers a quarter of an acre and eight square yards of ground; 303 ft. long by 23 ft. wide, with a span roof, glass ends, and front sashes nearly to the level of the ground, and it contains 14,978 ft. of glass. There are large folding-doors at each end. There is a gravel walk down the centre of this house, wide enough for a lady to drive her carriage and turn round at each end of the house without going out of it, or in the centre, as may be convenient. The house is heated by hot water, and fitted up with stages sloping from each side; a trelliswork is fitted up all round the front and ends, and an immense quantity of peas and strawberries are forced in it with the greatest success; as Mr. Smith told me he had green peas every day, if he wanted them, from the middle of December until they came in out of doors, and strawberries from the middle of February until they were fit to gather in the open air. The stages are filled with small greenhouse plants, geraniums, cinerarias, bulbs, and other winter-flowering plants; and below the stages are grown seakale, rhubarb, asparagus, and salads of various descriptions, which afford an ample supply for the table. There are also trees budded at certain heights to suit the stages, such as cherries, plums, and apricots, the trees being planted in a border below the stage; but, as the roof is a fixture, they found they could not give the trees that rest which nature requires. I was glad to hear from Mr. Saunders that Mr. Smith is building a house 90 ft. long for forcing cherries, &c.; and that all the trees are about to be removed from the large house, which, in my opinion, will much improve it.

The stables, as might be expected, are good; each horse has an enclosed box by himself, as Mr. Smith allows none to be tied up. There is also here one of the largest rides I have ever seen, for exercising horses in bad weather, covered in and kept in firstrate order.

The dog-kennels are good, and as clean as any place of the kind can be. The water which supplies these kennels, the house, and the gardens, is raised from a deep well on the top of the hill, by an engine of several horse-power. While looking at the kennels, I could not but contrast in my mind the splendid lodgings appropriated for Mr. Smith's dogs, and the miserable damp hovels, in back sheds, generally set apart for under-gardeners. But, in my opinion, the gardeners are much more to blame than their employers. I speak from experience when I state, I never had any difficulty in the situations I have held, on having the thing properly explained to my employers, of having proper places built for that purpose. When

I came here, between five and six years ago, His Lordship was kind enough to allow me to build proper places for the young men here, and at Whitehaven. Men in such situations have a right to expect protection and comfort from their masters. I am glad when I see men in a clean place, comfortable and happy; it is a great inducement to them to stop at home and study their business. I have been induced to say this much, having suffered from having to live in such miserable places as I never wish to see any young man in.

I was glad to see the spirited manner in which every department is carried on at Tidworth: there seems to be no want of help there. Lowther Castle Gardens, Oct. 16. 1843.

ART. IV. Descriptive Notice of some of the Gardens and Scenery around Stirling, the Strath of Monteith, and Strathearn. By JAMES DRUMMOND, Gardener at Blair-Drummond.

INTRODUCTION.

WHEN Mrs. Loudon and you were in Scotland, in 1841, you visited some of the noblemen's and gentlemen's seats in the neighbourhood of Stirling; but, as your time was very limited, and the weather very wet, you regretted that you could not do justice to your tour in that quarter, as you had to pass some of the places you wished to see, and others you only got a glimpse of.

I believe, some time ago, I promised to give you a descriptive notice of the gardens at Keir, the seat of Archibald Stirling, Esq., of which you gave but a very short notice in your interesting periodical, the Gardener's Magazine.

As there are a great many fine gardens and forest trees around Stirling, the Strath of Monteith, and Strathearn, I intend (if time and health permit me) to give you a short description of some of them, in the following order.

Keir Gardens, new pinetum, park, and some of the large trees. Kippinross Garden, a drawing of the brass plate on the large sycamore, measurement of other large trees, &c. Dunblane, the old cathedral, and other buildings. Holm Hill, Anchorfield, and Mr. Barty's select collection of plants. Returning down the left bank of the river Allan, by Kippenret Glen, I shall take notice of some rare plants to be found there, then pass on to Airthrey mineral wells. From the wells to Stirling Castle hill, taking notice of some of the plants to be found on the hill; leaving the Messrs. Drummond's nursery, and some of the gardens to the south-east of Stirling, till another opportunity.

Leaving the Castle hill, I will proceed south-west along the Touch and Campsie hills, having in this route, between the hills on the left hand and the river Forth on the right, Touch House, the fine cedar of Lebanon, Oriental plane, and other trees; Gar

gunnock House, garden, and large Spanish chestnut trees; Leckie House, garden, and fine Scotch fir trees; Bouquhan House, garden, and trees; Kippin village and churchyard; Arngomery House, the large yew tree and others.

After passing Arngomery, I will cross to the north side of the Forth by Cardros Bridge, take notice of the fine park, large trees, and beautiful grassy lawns and gardens at Cardros House; port of Monteith; the Loch islands, and religious building, now in ruins, also the fine large old Spanish chestnut, and other trees in the islands: then turning eastward, between the Forth on the right and the Teith on the left, take notice of the garden, the ponds, the fine park, and large transplanted trees at Rednock House; Lendrick Castle and parks; Deanston garden, and fine collection of showy border plants, and new greenhouse.

Taking a very short notice of Blair-Drummond, as you have been kind enough to notice it particularly in a previous Number of the Gardener's Magazine, I will cross the river Teith by the old bridge near Doune, and notice the village, the old castle, Cottage Garden Society, and the garden at Newton, and fine old trees in the vicinity of the old castle of Doune; Kilbride Castle, a little to the north-east, and Doune Lodge, a little to the north-west of Doune. I will then proceed westward, along the north bank of the Teith to Cambusmore, the Gart, and the village of Callander; then, entering the pass of Lenne, up Loch Lubnaig side, giving the girts of some fine large Scotch firs growing at the top of the loch. Then passing through Strathtyre to Loch Earn head, give a description of some of the scenery on both sides of the loch; Edinample Castle; Ardvorlich House and large thorn tree; St. Fillan's, at the foot of the loch; the scenery at Dundum, south side of the Earn; Dunira House, gardens, and fine range of hothouses and melon pits, on the north side of the Earn; Dalchonzie House and little paradise of a garden, on the south side of the Earn; Aberuchill Castle farther on, on the same side, with its straight, wide, and extensive avenues of large old trees.

Crossing the Earn by the bridge of Ross, to Comrie, I will give a short notice of that interesting village; Dunmore Hill, a little above the village, with the stately column of solid granite, erected in memory of Lord Melville, which surmounts it, and the impetuous, roaring, mountain stream which falls into the deep, dark, cauldron or horrible abyss which lurks among the shaggy rocks and coppice wood at its eastern base. Leaving the village of Comrie, I will proceed to Lawers House, and notice the garden, park, extensive avenues of stately trees, &c.; farther on, to Ochtentyre House, fine ponds, large trees, garden, and large laurels. Crossing to the south side of the Earn, I will give a short notice of Strowan House, &c. From Strowan House to Crieff, on the north side of the Earn; from Crieff to Fern