164 Notices of some of the Gardens and Nurseries 



which had been struclc only seven weeks previous to the time we 

 saw them ; the former was a foot high. Mr. Mackenzie informed us 

 that they were potted in a soil almost similar to the one recommended 

 by us, (p. 21) ; and thinks that if our observations are followed, the 

 plants will bloom very strong. He placed the pots in a small cistern 

 of water, where a few gold fish are kept, and to this circumstance 

 he accounts for the strength of the plants. In the garden of the 

 London Horticultural Society at Chiswick, where the roseus and 

 some other species were first introduced, they are grown around the 

 edge of a small pond, and their singular shaped flowers and brilliant 

 colors, continue to be produced throughout the season. We would 

 suggest the keeping of a pan full of water under the pots of these 

 plants, where they cannot be treated as just mentioned. 



We now passed into the fifth house, which is used as a dry stove 

 or hot-house. We here saw very large plants of the coffee tree 

 (CofFaea arabica), full of fruit ; several Justicias had been finely in 

 flower; six or eight varieties of the Chinese Hibiscus (Hibiscus 

 rosa sinensis), had been profusely blooming during all the winter. 

 H. mutabilis fr), with flowers very similar to the vesicarius, was 

 full of blossoms. There were here five or six plants of the Euphor- 

 bia Poinsettii (?), as it has been called ; all of which were displaying 

 their large, magnificent scarlet bractes. Our readers probably recol- 

 lect the notice we made (p. 70J of a plant of the same species which 

 flowered in the hot-house of J. P. Gushing, Esq., at Watertown. 

 We believe Mr. Pratt has more plants of this Euphorbia than are to 

 be found in any other collection ; a gigantic plant of the E. hexag- 

 onus, growing in the border, reached nearly to the top of the house ; 

 it has been planted nineteen years ; one of the Cytisuses was 

 flowering beautifully. The next and last house of the range, was 

 also filled with tropical plants ; the Musa paradisica (Banana tree), 

 we here saw, with both flowers and fruit ; on which we counted up- 

 wards of fifty, some of which were nearly ripe. Here was also the 

 Gauva, Cherimoya, Plantain, &.c. A very large plant of Ficus 

 bengalensis, was loaded with fruit ; JMaranta zebrina was flowering 

 elegantly. We might fill pages with the many fine plants that we 

 observed, but we hope, at some future opportunity, to be able to de- 

 scribe them at greater lengtli. 



On leaving the hot and green-houses, we walked through the forc- 

 ing ground. Mr. Mackenzie had cut asparagus previous to our visit; 

 he had potatoes just breaking the ground in the frames ; his cucum- 

 ber plants were just showing blossoms, and looked uncommonly heal- 

 thy, considering the extremely unfavorable weather of the past winter; 

 the lettuces in the frames were heading finely. We were highly 

 pleased with the neatness and appearance of every thing about the 

 houses and forcing grounds ; neatness in the latter is too little at- 

 tended to at many places, and oftener presents more the appearance 

 of a manure yard, than the forcing department. We had not time 



