434 



DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



wards of 40 species of new and rare evergreens, 

 pines, tirs, cedars, &c, on their way hither. 



My attention, at this time, has been drawn to 

 the subject in a particular manner, by similar and 

 simultaneous suggestions in an English journal 

 and your February number. Your correspond- 

 ent, A. W. Cokson, suggests the formation of a 

 society for the introduction of the trees and 

 plants of California, Oregon and Mexico. In 

 Edinburgh, we see by the London Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, a meeting was held in the Botanic 

 Gardens on the 22d of November. Lord Murray 

 introduced a series of resolutions on the subject; 

 one of which was — " That with the view of raising 

 the necessary funds, each person willing to sup- 

 port the proposal, shall subscribe the sum of £5, 

 or so many sums of the like amount as they may 

 please; each subscriber being entitled for every 

 such sum of £5 to a corresponding share of such 

 plants and seeds as may be collected, and from 

 time to time sent home. No subscriber to be 

 liable for anything beyond the amount subscribed 

 by him." This plan is the result of necessity; as 

 it is found impossible to obtain seedling plants of 

 the noble Conifers, discovered and introduced by 

 the lamented Douglass. We have no doubt but 

 the plan will be well sustained throughout Great 

 Britain. And now, let mo ask why we cannot 

 adopt a similar mode of introducing these trees. 

 We have great advantage over Europeans, both 

 in regard to distance, and frequency, and regu- 

 larity of intercourse. Recent events have brought 

 us into close and constant communication with 

 these regions; our people are scattered all over 

 them ; and it appears to me, if a competent and 

 reliable collector could be found, that we might 

 in one year do more for the introduction of these 

 trees than others can do in five or ten. 



It strikes me that the nurserymen of the coun- 

 try, and gentlemen who are making collections of 

 rare trees, are numerous enough to raise a suffi- 

 cient fund for this purpose; and if the project ap- 

 pears feasible to you, I would take this occasion 

 to propose that every one who approves of, and is 

 willing to aid the plan, will send his name to you, 

 and state at the same time the amount he is wil- 

 ling to subscribe. When the subscriptions have, 

 in this way, reached an amount that may be 

 deemed sufficient, a meeting of the subscribers, or 

 as many of them as could conveniently attend, 

 might be held in some of the large cities to ar- 

 range the details. I offer these suggestions with- 

 out assuming any lead or prominency in the mat- 

 ter whatever, simply with a view to direct atten- 

 tion to what appears to me, at this time, a highly 

 practicable plan of operation. We cannot wait 

 for horticultural societies to move in this matter ; 

 for though some of them may possess ample 

 means, yet all the members may not agree to 

 such a mode of expenditure. Neither can we 

 hope for anything of consequence from parties 

 who go to these countries unqualified for this, and 

 with minds bent on other absorbing pursuits. 



Those who feel interested in the matter should 

 associate and act immediately. 



I am authorized to say that E. and B. will sub- 

 scribe at least $100. Others here will undoubt- 

 edly contribute. Yours, &.c. B. Rochester, 

 February 19, 1850. 



Visits to Green-houses. — Mr. Floy's, Har- 

 lem. The plants here consist principally of Ca- 

 mellias; several of which are now in bloom, and 

 very showy. There are also some handsome spe- 

 cimens of Strelitzia Reginu, India Rubber, and 

 other ornamental plants. The pots and houses 

 here are, to his credit, the cleanest that came 

 under my notice. Mr. Floy is well known to 

 florists as the originator of a showy Camellia, 

 commemorating his name. 



Mr. Hogg's nursery, near Yorkville, possesses 

 a large collection of the rarest and newest plants. 

 Those I particularly noticed are Lettsomia tomen- 

 tosa, a beautiful evergreen climber, from Peru ; 

 Raphiste/nma (asclepias) pulchella, stove ever- 

 green climber, from East India; Gardenia For- 

 tunii, Mr. Fortune's, from Cape Jasmine, Chi- 

 na; JEschinanthus Roxburghii, a stove plant, 

 that ought to be in every collection; Clcrodendron 

 scandens, var. rubrum, stove evergreen, from 

 Sierra Leone; Aphelandra aurantiaca, a splendid 

 stove evergreen shrub, from Mexico; Porphy- 

 rocoma lanceolata, a pretty stove plant, remarka- 

 ble for its large heads of purple bracts and flow- 

 ers; also, Nematanthus longipes, (formerly Co- 

 lumnea grandijlora ,) one of the finest tropical 

 plants in cultivation. It produces, from the axils 

 of its leaves, long thread-like peduncles, bearing 

 large, deep crimson flowers. It was collected by 

 the late Dr. Gardner, on the Organ Mountains 

 in 1841. I noticed, also, Zychia parmosa, green- 

 house climber, from Swan river; and Henfreya 

 scandens, a splendid climber, from Sierra Leone. 

 To grow the latter to perfection, it requires a 

 bottom heat of from 75 to 80 degrees, and to be 

 shaded in bright sun — (Paxton.) There was a 

 large plant of Combretum coccineum, showing its 

 flower stems. One of the greatest curiosities in 

 Mr. Hogg's green-houses, is a large specimen of 

 Bonapartea gracilis, with its leaves subdividing 

 into threads, like the well known Yucca filimen- 

 tosa. Some nice flowering plants of Gilia (Can- 

 tua) aggregata, a pretty scarlet biennial were in 

 bloom. There was a pretty species of Tillandria 

 also flowering here ; it was, like most of the ge- 

 nus, growing epiphytal, with some Orchids upon 

 a block of wood, suspended from the roof; pseudo- 

 bulbs, from two to three inches long, producing 

 from their summits a stem, bearing ten or twelve 

 exquisite blossoms; perianth purple, anthers and 

 stigma straw coloured; bracts rose; leaves about 

 17 inches long, whip-like, having something the 

 habit of Scuticaria Steelii. It was imported from 

 Para. Secropia palmata, a tropical tree, remarka- 

 ble for its beautiful foliage and hollow stems, at- 

 tracted my notice. Its wood is employed by the 



