JANUARY. 9 



interspersed. It would shame half of our landscape gardeners of the 

 present day. At one side of the rockwork is a splendid specimen of the 

 majestic Pampas Grass, about 10 feet in height, and possessing 12 fine 

 spikes of silvery feathers glistening in the sunshine. What a noble 

 ornamental hardy plant for a lawn, with its handsome drooping foliage ! 

 Here, too, is a noble specimen of Pinus insignis full 40 leet through, 

 and about 50 feet in height, a fine specimen of Pinus Sinclairi, 8 teet 

 high : Pinus macrocarpa, 15 feet high, and a beautiful specimen of 

 Biota japonica, 8 feet high. On the rockwork are Desfontania spinosa, 

 Skimmia japonica, and other new and ornamental plants. By the side 

 of a long walk, reaching nearly half a mile, are superb specimens of 

 Pinus insignis, Abies Douglasi, Picea Nordmanniana, and various other 

 valuable Conifers, planted in large tubs composed of stout pieces of 

 wood, banded tolerably close together so as to admit of a partial egress 

 of the roots, and to f^nsure the safe removal of the specimens, as many 

 of the Pinus insignis and other conifers are of considerable height and 

 size. At the end of the walk is a small Pinetum, in which we observed 

 one of the finest specimens of Picea pinsapo we have ever met with. 



This nursery is remarkable for the immense stock of Conilers it 

 contains. There are large quantities of Araucarias, all handsome well 

 grown plants from 2 to 6 or 7 feet in height, large quantitiess of Pinus 

 Cembra, Juniperus sinensis, Irh^h Yews of all sizes ; and, in short the 

 finest stock of Conifers in the kingdom. Great attention has been paid 

 to standard Portugal Laurels, of which a quantity is to be seen with 

 clean straight stems, and symmetrically trained heads. Ours was a 

 hurried visit to both of these fine establishments, and we hope on a 

 future occasion to give further details respecting many new plants that 

 are in both nurseries, and that we had not time to notice. Passing 

 through the houses, and specimens, Heaths and green house plants are 

 well done and extensively grown here. We noticed the fragrant and 

 beautiful Luculia in lull bloom, as well as the graceful winter blooming 

 Thyrsacanthus rutilans, with its pendent racemes of scartet blossoms. 

 Here also was a good plant of the handsome Bouvardia longiflora, with 

 its clear white Jasminum like flowers. It is a charming winter 

 blooming plant, and is very valuable for bouquets ; there is a fine col- 

 lection of Orchids here, several of which were in bloom, but unfortunately 

 we had not time to take notes respecting them. 



CONSIDERATIONS ON SOILS. 



There is no subject of so much interest and of such vital Importance 

 to mankind, as a knowledge of the nature, constitution, and origin of 

 soils ; the causes of diversity in mineral character, and of their natural 

 productiveness. When we consider that the corporeal frame of every 

 organised being requires a certain amount of food to keep up its 

 healthy action, and that the products of the soil supply this food, and 

 that the amount of this supply will be in proportion to the fertility of 



