INTRODUCTION. \]'l 



furnish the parterre with its beauties. For- 

 merly,, Flora took her departure from this 

 island as soon as Ceres and Pomona made 

 their appearance, as if the country was not 

 sufficiently spacious to contain the three god- 

 desses at one time ; but since we have natu- 

 ralised the plants of China and Florida to 

 our climate, we have the delight of seeing 

 these three deities in perfect reconciliation, 

 walking hand in hand, and continuing their 

 embraces until driven by Boreas into tem- 

 porary shelter. By this happy union, which 

 has been brought to such perfection by the 

 exertions of our indefatigable countrymen, the 

 time of the flower season is so considerably 

 lengthened, that what formed the dreary sea- 

 son of our ancestors is now half expired be- 

 fore we perceive its approach. The Vine is 

 now seen suspending its purple clusters over 

 the blushing petals of the China Rose ; the 

 Barberry Bush hangs its crimson fruit over 

 the variously-coloured Asters of China ; the 

 Mountain Ash droops its clusters of coral ber- 

 ries over the richly-painted Dahlias of the 

 new world ; the Juniper mixes its blue-pow 



