AND HORTICULTURIST. 



upon the mind of a visitor among us than the 

 floral embellishment of many of our homes. It is 

 to be regretted when one meets with such taste as 

 a house of snowy whiteness, blinds of a verdant 

 hue and endowed with the neatest styles of archi- 

 tectural skill, surrounded with a fence that depicts 

 a painter's talent, that inside chick-weed should run 

 rampant, and purslane and the milk-weed luxuriate 

 in unwonted freedom to the delight of crickets and 

 grasshoppers. But thanks to the enthusiasm of 

 many of our townsmen, and despite these happily 

 now isolated scenes, there is even here now in the 

 vicinity of Torrington much for the student of 

 nature to look upon in her wild and unassisted 

 state. How sweet to meet her at early morning 

 when the sun beams forth its rays of golden light 

 among the brambles and through the thickets, 

 changing dewdrops into pearls and revealing the 

 beauties of the woodbine and clematis as they 

 twine around any available support that comes 

 within their reach, and imparts a living richness 

 of verdure and beauty to many an uncouth rock 

 or lagging fence. Polygonatum multiflorum (Sol- 

 omon's seal), Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the 

 pulpit) are to be seen waging a war for existence 

 as they push their way through a dense mass of 

 vegetation. Ferns of many forms adorn the wood- 

 land dells and bedeck the brows of many a crum- 

 bhng precipice. Side by side by the stately pine, 

 the button-wood and the sumach, lives and reigns 

 throughout the vagaries of our climate that beauti- 

 ful maiden hair — Adiantum pedatum — in all its 

 frailty and gracefulness. Pteris tremula and aqui- 

 lina, Athyriums, Polypodiums, Lastrceas, Blech- 

 nums and many others find dwelling places, if not 

 on terra firma, imbedded in the bosom of some 

 towering rock or peeping down from the limbs of 

 some aged woodland tree. The wild flowers that 

 array the wayside, the hill-tops and glen in gar- 

 ments of orange, pink and white are also a study in 

 themselves. But these wild scenes are not all we 

 have here now, for in few places has gardening 

 made more rapid strides than here under the 

 guidance and through the indomitable energy and 

 enthusiasm of the Hon. L. W. Coe, who now owns 

 one of the most charming residences and possesses 

 as rare and varied a collection of plants as is to be 

 met with in the district, and all has sprung up 

 within the past two years on a site that before 

 gave place to dwelling houses, barns, miry 

 swamps and gravel banks. A greenhouse and 

 two graperies now stand, where but a brief time 

 since, was a commodious homestead. The scene 

 is now changed. All has vanished — not a vestige 



remains. Figs, grapevines and roses now flourish 

 over the spot where the maternal parent might 

 possibly have admonished an unruly child or 

 watched with delight the juvenile freaks of her 

 mirthsomc progeny ; and a bed of smilax now 

 graces a corner where might have been a bed- 

 stead, a bureau or perchance the favorite resting- 

 place of the family cat. The banana, the orange 

 and lemon, the date palm and pine apple now 

 thrive within a circle once hallowed by the sweet 

 communion of family intercourse. The green turf 

 now clothes where recently toads and innumer- 

 able amphibious creatures disported themselves in 

 joyous revelry. Rockeries, fine foliage beds, ger- 

 aniums and choice shrubs give an appearance to 

 the place that hitherto knew no beauty. The 

 dahlia stoops its haughty head to receive the 

 homage of the honey bee. The tuberose and 

 heliotrope shed their fragrance on the surrounding 

 air. The hollyhock, the sunflower and lily of 

 aesthetic fame, weep over the unhappy fate of their 

 less captivating floral gems. The Humea sways its 

 feathery plumes, and the Hydrangeas bend their 

 laden heads ; while the Agave stands unmoved. 

 Such revolutions as these, wrought in so brief a 

 period of time, but faintly illustrate the taste and 

 determination with which the beautiful art is now 

 pursued on the part of the worthy proprietor. 



Our extent of glass at present is one conserva- 

 tory, two graperies and propagating or starting 

 house, with more in contemplation. The grape- 

 vines planted in January have this summer made 

 canes from eighteen to twenty feet in length, and 

 promise well for future fruition. In the conserva- 

 tory and greenhouse we have the following collec- 

 tion of plants brought here at considerable expense 

 within the past twelve months : 



Ananassa sativa variegata 

 AUaraamla Hendersonii 



■• neriifolia 



Antlmriuui Schertzeiianuiu 



•' graiidis 



Alo(-a?iia Machoiiza 



" metallica 

 Arala filicifolia 

 Ardisia crenulata 

 .lEsehynanthus Lol)bii 

 Antbericuni reyeiis 

 Acacia pubescens 

 Bilbergia bracliystacliya 

 Bertolonia guttata 

 Bougainvillea glabra 

 Begonias of many sorts 

 Cissus discolor 

 Cori)hya Australis 

 Cnrculigo recurvatuiu 

 Cainiisidiuni filicifoliiuu 

 Croton variegatuni 

 Wei.^nianni 



Chorozenia spcctabilis 

 Clerodendron Balfourii 

 Cyperus alteniifoliiis 

 Cycas revoluta 

 " circinalis 

 Cordylina Veitcliii 

 Cyanophylluni magnificuia 

 Chaniierops huniilis 



" Fortunii 



exceLsa 

 Caladiuni argyrites 

 Bellymeii 



" Matl. Heine 



'• AVightii 



Albert Edward 



•• bicolor Splendens 



" Meyerbeer 



'• Excellent 

 Cyclamen persicuni 

 Calla .iEtliiopica 

 Dionaea muscipula 

 Dipiadenia amabilis 



