A VISIT TO SPRINGBROOK, &c. 



413 



I will now introduce you to the Culinary 

 Forcing-house, with a low span-roof, 33 feet 

 long, in two departments. The cool de- 

 partment has now in it fit for the table, and 

 has been supplying it since Christmas, with 

 asparagus, radishes, lettuce, kidney or snap- 

 short beans, &c.; and there are in a state 

 of forwardness potatoes, and the following 

 strawberries : Hovey's Seedling, Keen's 

 Seedling, Buist's Prize, and Buist's Early 

 May. The warm compartment has grape- 

 vines in pots, showing their bunches ; cu- 

 cumbers, training up the rafters, and near 

 the glass ; citron and other melons grow in 

 perfection,' — all promising well for an abun- 

 dant crop. Proceeding towards the flower- 

 garden, the next interesting point, is the 

 Camellia-house, upwards of 60 feet in 

 length. The collection is very select, em- 

 bracing 106 varieties, selected from the 

 choicest European, Chinese and American 

 sorts. In its centre is a superb Rhododeii- 

 dron arhoreitm, now in full bloom, with 

 many rare and choice Camellias. It would 

 have afforded me pleasure to record the 

 names of the very conspicuous plants and 

 fruits in every department, but it would 

 have extended my notes beyond the ordi- 

 nary limits of magazine articles. To see 

 one of the specimens. Acacia pubescens, a 

 perfect picture, 9 feet high, was well worth 

 an 8 mile ride in a cold day. 



But we have not been in the "Mush- 

 room-house," where mushrooms are grown 

 in abundance from November to May, and 

 which is well worth a few moments. The 

 tool-house, that usual receptacle of broken 

 tools, lumber, old pots and pans, is like a 

 well arranged armory. Every article has 

 a place, and in it. The duties of the gar- 

 dener and his assistants are defined by 

 written rules and regulations ; a system 

 which the proprietor has found productive 

 of the best results. There is also a neat 



carpenter's-shop ; a house for shutters and 

 matts, where they are protected when not 

 in use ; and near these are the pits for cau- 

 liflowers, salad, and other matters that may 

 be required for the kitchen or table. 



The kitchen garden is separated from 

 the lawn and flower garden by the Cactus 

 and Orchid-houses. It covers 1^- acres, is 

 well arranged in beds and terraces, with a 

 large open cistern of water in its centre, — 

 all in excellent order. The quarters are 

 interspersed with dwarf fruit trees, vari- 

 ously pruned and trained, and all in a young 

 bearing state. The collection of pears, &c., 

 is of the most select sorts. Some new kinds 

 are not yet fully proven ; but the judicious 

 taste of the proprietor will not allow an in- 

 ferior article to produce a second crop. 

 Looking from this point to the west, you 

 see the gardener's cottage, on an elevated 

 position, overlooking all the buildings and 

 details, harmonizing with the green-houses. 

 Red brick edifices, you are aware, are un- 

 pleasant objects in rural landscape. And 

 we find all buildings here brought into good 

 keeping, by being painted of an agreeable 

 light stone colour. And now, having taken 

 you and your many readers through and 

 under 17,000 square feet of glass, kept on 

 the most refined system.of gardening, must 

 bring my notes to a close ; only adding, 

 that the plants and vegetables are grown 

 solely for the use of the family. Bas- 

 ket after basket is, however, generously 

 distributed to the sick and the stranger, 

 by the bountiful hand or orders of Mr. 

 Cope. 



I must also add, that not a week passes 

 that there are not some new additions to 

 the collection, either from Europe or the 

 public collections of this country ; whilst 

 the nurseries of Philadelphia come in for 

 their quota of patronage. Your pages often 

 record the success of the gardener, Bu 



