about the Hudson^ <^c. 149 



horticulture, to view the improvements in cuUivation, or to draw from 

 the rich resources of fruit and ornamental trees collected here, for the im- 

 provement and embellishment of their own estates. Although the pro- 

 prietors mentioned to me that their establishment was new, and compara- 

 tively in its infancy, yet, from the vigorous manner with which it is con- 

 ducted in the various departments, it must become the source of great 

 advantages to the whole country. The proprietors appear to possess a 

 profound knowledge, both theoretical and practical, of their profession, 

 and a constant correspondence is maintained with scientific individuals 

 and estalili.shments of the same kind in Europe, by which means all the 

 new fruits, and every thing rare and valuable to the amateur, is obtained 

 as soon as it comes into notice. The variety of fruits cultivated in the 

 nurseries is quite astonishing: I can only recollect one hundred and fifty 

 kinds of apples, and more than two hundred of pears — what a trea- 

 sure for the farmer and horticulturist ! The proprietors pay the most 

 minute attention to the genuineness of the sorts, and bearing trees are 

 planted to test all the varieties. As a proof of the advantages of, and 

 the perfection to which grafting is carried, I was shown several trees 

 which bear annually twenty-five or thirty varieties of fruit upon the 

 different branches. 



" In the lower parts of the grounds we observed an extensive walk just 

 formed, exhibiting a complete botanical circuit of plants, arranged in a 

 scientific manor — a rockwork for alpine plants, and a pond for aquarian, 

 in which the water-lilies and a number of other aquatic plants were thriv- 

 ing admirably. In this way the establishment will, when completed, 

 comprise every thing desirable in its way to the botanist, the amateur, 

 and the agriculturist. I noticed large plantations of the celebrated 

 Chinese mulberry, grape vines, and the rarer and more delicate shrubs 

 and plants — and among the treasures of Flora, rich collections of roses, 

 dahlias, and other ornamental plants. In the hot-house, among a vari- 

 ety of curious vegetation, I was struck wiih the size of a huge aloe, one 

 of those wonders of nature which bloom but once in two of the ordi- 

 nary lifetimes of the human race. This specimen has, I believe, 

 achieved more than one half its centennial period. From the hasty 

 glance which I took through the establishment, I was unable lo note 

 more particularly those ininutite of such an establishment w hich, after 

 all, must be seen to be appreciated — but I was delighted with the 

 greenness of the hedges, of which I saw four or five kinds growing 

 here, to test their comparative merits in this climate. Every foreigner 

 is justly offended with our unsightly fences — why should we not ajjpro- 

 priate to ourselves the beautiful materials which nature seems to have 

 armed with thorns, and decked with foliage, for that special purpose. 

 And then, what a discord between rail fences and green meadows, and 

 what a harmony in live hedges and equally verdant fields!" 



The amateur collection of Mr. Knevels, one of the best in the 

 state, and which has been described by our friend and correspond- 

 ent, Mr. A. J. Downing, in our II. p. 96, is alluded to in the 

 following words: — 



"I encountered, in my rambles in the suburbs, a very rich private 

 collection of exotic plants at the demesne of J. W. Knevels, Esq., who, 

 as I understand, is a zealous amateur, and has recently deprived 

 Philadelphia of some of her boasted floral and botanical treasures, 

 to enrich this neighborhood. There are many superb tropical ])lants 

 in his range of hot-houses, more than one hundred feet in length, 

 which I had never before seen, and many of which I had never 

 observed specimens so fine. The large variety of camellias — 

 the noble orange trees — the stately palms — the bread-fruit tree — the 



