A VISIT TO KBW, THE ENG-LISH NATIONAL GARDEN. 



BV P. BARRY, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 



In an ornamental point of view, there is I 

 not in England, and I might perhaps sa}' in 

 Europe, a place so interesting, at this mo- | 

 m'^nt, as the Royal Botanic Gardens of j 



Kew. Previous to 1840, thev were the | 



I 



property of the reigning sovereign; but 

 since that time, they have become public 

 property, and are now accessible to all, 

 and, as fai- as possible, made subservient to 

 the public good. 



Since this change, the grounds have been 

 pTealiy extended, by the addition of a por- 

 tion of the adjoining property of the king 

 of Hanover, and of the royal pleasure- 

 grounds. The old kitcheti and forcing gar- 

 dens have also been thrown in, — this de- 

 partment having been removed to Windsor; 

 thus giving to the gardens, to be devoted 

 exclusively to ornamental trees and plants, 

 an area, I believe, of nearly 200 acres. 

 This enlargement, and the changes and 

 improvements consequent upon it, as well 

 as a thorough renovation of the old houses 

 and grounds, have completely transformed 

 the appearance and condition of the whole 

 establishment, and placed it in a condition 

 that entitles it to the name of the National 

 Garden. I was unfortunate in my visit, in 

 being overtaken by a rainy day, that greatly 

 diminished the pleasure and extent of my 

 observations. I ought to have had a week, 

 instead of a day, to examine such an im- 

 mense collection of interesting objects. As 

 it was, I had to exercise a great deal of 

 self-denial. On entering the grounds, the 

 first object that claimed my attention was 

 the old arboretum. I had it in my mind 

 beforehand ; and I thought I must first of 

 all pay it my respects. It is a circular 

 piece of ground, somewhat elevated, cir- 



cumscribed by a w^alk, and very closely 

 planted with hardy trees and shrubs, of 

 great interest. I noticed fine specimens of 

 Tarkry Oak, Cork Tree, Oriental Plane, 

 Cedar of Lebanon, &c. Of American trees, 

 I saw fine Li?idens, Sassafras, Lotus, or 

 Bate Plum, and many others. On one 

 side stands the remains of a magnificent 

 Cedar of Lebanon, that lost its top in a gale 

 some eight years ago. Its gigantic branches 

 cover I should think, 200 feet of ground. 

 Close by the arboretum, and connected 

 with it, is a fine collection of the new and 

 rare evergreens. Prominent among these, 

 is a beautiful Indian Cedar, (Deodora,) 

 about 30 feet high, perhaps the oldest and 

 finest in Europe; and here, I must add, 

 that this noble tree is worthy of every wrord 

 of eulogium that its most enthusiastic ad- 

 mirers have bestowed upon it. It is per- 

 fectly hardy, and grows rapidly; its habit 

 is exeedingly graceful, and its foliage dense, 

 and of a beautiful silvery green. This spe- 

 cimen is clothed from bottom to top with 

 branches, forming a perfect pyramid, cover- 

 ing at the base probably 70 feet of ground, 

 and standing, as it does, on a bright green 

 lawn, — you may well imagine how charm- 

 ing. And then, its wood is hard, fine 

 grained, and almost incorruptible, — render- 

 ing it of immense value as a timber tree. 

 No wonder, therefore, that there should be 

 such a mania for this tree, in a tree-loving 

 and tree-planting country. It is said that 

 Solomon, in embellishing the city of Jeru- 

 salem, " made Cedars [of Lebanon] as plen- 

 ty as Sycamores, that grow on the plains." 

 There is every prospect that this Indian 

 Cedar will, in time, be as plentiful as the 

 Larch or Scotch Fir, on the hills of England 



