6 DOUGLAS' JOURNAL 



ticularly fine, belonging to an old Dutch farmer, consisting of twenty acres 

 {English). Of peaches he had about twenty-four varieties in fine health, 

 only four years old. The stones he sows in the month of April about four 

 feet between the rows and six or ten inches between the seeds in the rows ; 

 they generally make their appearance towards the middle of May, after 

 which he takes care to keep them clear of weeds, which he does by means of 

 a plough drawn by one horse. As soon as any lateral shoots appear, they 

 are pinched off, suffering the plant to run up, having only a top. About 

 the end of August the same season they are inoculated [budded], headed 

 off at the usual time the following spring, and frequently the second season 

 after budding they produce fruit. Plums are frequently raised from 

 seed. The whole of this day was occupied in the gardens, &c., and was 

 devoted chiefly to ornamental plants in the swamps : we observed 

 Sarracenia purpurea ; a species of Chironia and its varieties ; Blitia tuberosa 

 sic] 1 fading ; two of Rubus ; in the swamps Lycopodium dendroideum and 

 L. clavatum, and two other species, one of a Rose, growing in the margins 

 of pools, appears to have had a great show of blossoms in form of a 

 corymb. Catalpa along the roadsides, in conjunction with Salix babylonica, 

 Populus balsamifera, P. tremella, Liriodendron, made an agreeable appear- 

 ance. In the pools Nymphaea odorata, Nuphar advena, and N. luteum, 

 Kalmianum (? ?) is this the same as N. minimum of Britain ? 

 Orontium aquaticum in abundance. 



Thursday, lith. This day I visited the Botanic Garden, which is now, 

 I am sorry to say, in ruins ; one of the hot-houses is taken down, one 

 stripped of the glass, and the greenhouse still in a sort of form. It has 

 been well chosen, in point of soil and situation, there being a great 

 variety of both ; some good trees of Magnolia cordata and M . macrophylla ; 

 all the herbarium plants are gone from the greenhouse, and have been given 

 to the lunatic asylum, j In the afternoon I called on a Mr. Codie, who had 

 a good fruit orchard and garden ; he promised me some fruit in the 

 autumn and seeds of melon, in which he excels. 



Friday, 15th. Through the medium of Dr. Hosack I learned of a fine 

 plum named ' Washington,' a name which every product in the United 

 States that is great or good is called. This gentleman kindly sent me 

 four which weighed and measured as follows : largest, 3f oz. avoir., cir- 

 cumference 7| in. ; second, 3 oz., circumference 7 in. ; third, 3J oz., 

 circumference 7 in. ; fourth, 3 oz., circumference 6f in. Form of a 

 greengage; colour somewhat between cream and sulphur; flavour very 

 delicious, like greengage ; the stone remarkably small, the skin thin. Pur- 

 chased by a Mrs. Miller about thirty years since out of the flower-market. 

 After standing in her garden for five years it was during a thunderstorm 

 cleft nearly to the bottom, which caused its death so far as was rent ; next 

 spring it sent up suckers and the great Wm. Bolmer, Esq., obtained one of 

 them, which he planted in his garden and in a few years produced fruit 

 without any grafting ; the fruit has improved every succeeding year, 

 the taste being the best. Soil, pure red sand ; the original was removed 



1 (?) Bletia tuberculosa, now Phaius tuberculous, Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. ii. p. 182. 



