73 DR. V. MARTI US 



3, peculiarities in. the vital functions; and 4, prominent medicinal 

 or other properties. Kespect must necessarily be had to the 

 space which we have at command ; and here we are obviously 

 bound to prefer, in our choice of inmates, such as are most 

 likely to attain all the stages of their vegetation, or at least those 

 stages which peculiarly recommend them for a place in the house; 

 and, secondly, they must be placed in a situation most favourable 

 for their easy and frequent blossoming. This is scarcely attain- 

 able as regards herbaceous plants and shrubs ; but the case is 

 very different in regard to trees. Artificial means will help us 

 in many cases ; but in others all our endeavours are vain, years 

 and years passing by without the trees showing any disposition to 

 repay our cost and trouble by flowering. In many such cases 

 the judicious director of the institution would, as a matter of 

 course, exclude such refractory inmates, as useless dead weight, 

 were it not that the public expect to have the opportunity of 

 seeing those plants, in any stage, concerning which they have 

 heard or read interesting accounts ; such as the Teak (Tectona 

 grandis), tlie Bread-fruit (Artocarpus incisa), the Cliina bark 

 (Cinchona), Maranhara-nut (Bertholletia excelsa), &c., however 

 crippled and incapacitated from exhibiting their colossal native 

 growth. 



On the other hand, there are numerous plants which, though 

 never or only rarely showing blossoms in a hothouse, are yet 

 deserving a place there, on account of their elegance or some 

 striking peculiarity or other ; especially does this apply to arbo- 

 rescent monocotyledons, such as certain lilies, palms, Pandane«, 

 Smilaceae, grasses, climbing large-leaved Aroidese, tree ferns, and 

 other remarkable productions ; also Coniferse, such as Cunning- 

 hamia, Araucaria, Pbyllocladus, Podocarpus ; Myrtacese, Laurineae, 

 Proteaceee, &c., from Australia and the Cape of Good Hope. If 

 we cannot hope to see flowers we may at least enjoy the sight of 

 some peculiarly splendid production of foliage, although nothing 

 like what is witnessed in tropical countries is usually now 

 produced in our houses ; es^Decially is this the case with AroideiB, 

 (Anthurium, Pliilodendron, Carludovicte, and Cyclanthi,) producing 

 leaves 8 to 1 2 feet long. I remember only once having seen 

 these sorts of plants in perfection, at Schonbrunn, under the 

 treatment of the experienced Mr. Schott. Showy plants of the 

 above class require those lofty and roomy houses which are called 

 serves cVexhihition in France and Belgium, in contradistinction to 

 the serves de culture. All the plants in the former, with the 



