168 CRITICAL NOTICES. 



situations where stagnant water is likely to be present, drains must be 

 employed, and they should be 3 feet in deptli. If the soil is not natu- 

 rally suitable, a compost, as before described, must be supplied ; and if 

 the beds are so situated that tlie plants can enjoy the shade of trees 

 without drip from them, it will be an acquisition. 



" At Highclere, the seat of the Earl of Carnarvon, in tlie lake at 

 Milford, are several small islands of from 10 to 20 yards in diameter, 

 planted with American plants, presenting the Iiighest state of luxu- 

 riance ; many of the plants are from 10 to 15 feet high, and constitute, 

 in the blooming season, masses of beauty, from their summits to the 

 very surface of the lake. The soil of tliese islands is not more than 

 18 inches above the water. 



" On the Himalaya Mountains, the Rhotlodendron is invariably 

 found growing near or on the margin of morasses. »So magnificent is 

 the appearance of masses in flower of the scarlet species of these moun- 

 tains, that Dr. Wallich compares the effect to tiiat of regiments of 

 soldiers in scarlet uniforms in the full sun when viewed at a distance. 

 In America and other parts of the world, where any of the very exten- 

 sive tribe, commonly known as ' American plants' are found, it is 

 always on the margin of lakes, rivers or bogs, or on the nearest portions 

 of dry land in their vicinity. vSurely, then, if the many boggy places 

 and swamps which are to be found in the plantations, on the borders of 

 ' drives,' and even in view from many of our noblemen's princely 

 mansions, are not worth reclaiming for any other purpose, they afford 

 excellent situations for the display of taste and liberality ; the ultimate 

 result of which must be to gratify the eye of the proprietor, to enrich 

 the landscape, and to give to our woodhind scenery a beauty which is 

 now, except in a few isolated cases, confined to the shrubbery and the 

 pleasure ground. 



" If only a moderate amount of stagnant moisture is present, ordinary 

 draining is all that Mill be requisite. But tliere are situations in which 

 this is not available, or would be too expensive, as, for instance, where 

 the bog is of such a depth as would require a large amount of labour 

 to procure sufficient ' fall' for the drains. Under such conditions tlie 

 desired end can be arrived at by the following means : Procure a 

 quantity of brushwood, faggots, poles, old ' pollards,' or any materials 

 of a like nature, and with them form a foundation on the spot you wish 

 to plant ; upon this sufficient soil nmst be placed, that, allowing for 

 subsidence, not less than 18 inches of suitable compost will remain 

 above the surface of the bog. In such localities the Rhododendron 

 will flourish in all its native beauty, and as the growth will be rapid, 

 the whole substance of the soil Avill quickly become matted together by 

 the roots of the plants, completely preventing any subsidence in the 

 soil after the wooden foundation is decayed." 



If the soil of a situation desired to plant in be naturally dry, the 

 opposite to what Rhododendrons best flourish in, still a bed may be 

 formed which will retain a degree of moisture that the plants will 

 succeed in, and the writers observe : — 



" It now becomes our duty to show in what manner tlie Rhododen- 

 dron can be induced to succeed in dry situations, as we have established 



