100 Transactions of the 



Society's meetings, the gifts to it have been very numerous. I 

 have to express my especial thanks to the following institutions 

 and private individuals, who have given me the most zealous help 

 in the formation of this Garden : — Royal Botanic Gardens, Edin- 

 burgh (Prof. Balfour) ; Trinity College, Dublin (Prof. Percival 

 Wright) ; Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, London (W. 

 Sowerby, Esq.) ; Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin (Dr Moore) ; 

 Botanic Gardens, Hull (J. C. Niven, Esq.) ; Rev. H. N. Ellacombe, 

 Bitton ; J. Saunders, Esq., Clifton ; George Maw, Esq., Broseley ; 

 J. Backhouse, Esq., York ; T. Proctor, Esq., Clifton. Further 

 donations are promised this spring by Dr Hooker, Kew ; Professor 

 Lawson, Oxford ; Professor Babington, Cambridge ; and J. 

 Richardson, Esq., Liverpool. 



The formation of the Garden w^as a work of considerable diffi- 

 culty, the place assigned for it being exceedingly barren and 

 unpromising. However, T. Proctor, Esq., with his usual gener- 

 osity, gave us a great quantity of excellent top-soil, and the 

 ground having been thoroughly drained and prepared by Mr 

 Nelson during the winter of 1870-71, was made ready for the 

 reception of plants in the following spring. The garden is divided 

 by a path into two portions, each with a neat iron fence. The 

 hedges are formed of the following shrubs : — Berberis Darwimi, 

 Spartium junceum, JJlex Europoia fl.pl., Primus Lauro-cerasus, 

 var. Golchica, Rosa Indica ('monthly' rose), Ligustrum japoni- 

 cum, and Aucuba japonica. At intervals along the hedges are 

 placed examples of the trees and shrubs indigenous to or commonly 

 grown in England. This ' arboretum ' (presented by Mr Proctor) 

 is intended to familiarise learners with the names and appearance 

 of the common specimens which they are most likely to meet with. 

 Every tree and shrub has a conspicuous label attached to it, bear- 

 ing the English and Latin name, the order, and native country of 

 the specimen. There is an extensive rockery on the terrace in 

 the Garden, but it is now completely stocked with Alpine plants, 

 and room must be found ere long for a new one. Here will be 

 found a number of rare Pyrenean plants, obtained by purchase 

 from Chevalier Bordere last November. The collection of saxi- 

 frages is good and flourishing. The herbaceous plants are disposed 

 in ten plots of ground, and they are grown in narrow parallel beds, 

 with strips of grass border between. They are of course arranged 



