visited in the early part of March. 163 



ing several elegant and well grown specimens. The walk be- 

 tween this and the border, all round, is paved with marble; at 

 each end of the large bed, is a beautiful marble vase, in 

 which were growing vigorously, and running over the edges, 

 that brilliant little gem, the Ferbena chanisedrifolia. This 

 plant we could wish to see grown in vases much more extensive- 

 ly than it is at present; by proper care and treatment it may be 

 made to extend its creeping stems to a great length, and, over- 

 hanging the sides of a beautiful vase, or even a common flower 

 pot, elevated upon a pedestal, either in the conservatory in win- 

 ter or the open garden in summer, covering their whole distance 

 with its dazzling blossoms, is one of the richest ornaments of 

 either place. In the centre bed we noticed several large camel- 

 lias, among which was Lady Hume's blush, and the maliflora, 

 and also a number of small ones of the newer kinds. The 

 lemon and orange trees planted out are large and fine specimens. 

 Passifloia quadrangularis was blooming well, and a white azalea, 

 A. /edifolia, was one mass of flowers. That pretty little plant, 

 the Lotus jacobae\is, which may be treated as an annual, and set 

 in the border, had grown vigorously, and was full of dark blos- 

 soms. Some geraniums, roses, stocks, &.c. partly filled up the 

 spare room in the conservatory, which, as it had only been just 

 completed, Mr. Becar had recourse to these, in order to make 

 some display; and at a future time they can be thrown out to 

 make room for newer and more choice plants. 



The conservatory is warmed by a hot water apparatus, construct- 

 ed by Mr. Anderson, an engineer, of Brooklyn. It is neat in 

 its appearance, (the pipes being made of cast iron and bronzed;) 

 but we do not admire the pipes running above the borders. In 

 our opinion there is no method so neat, and at the same time 

 equally as well adapted for heating all kinds of horticultural struc- 

 tures, as that of running the hot water pipes under the walks, and 

 allowing the heat to rise through a cast iron grating, or wooden 

 trellis work. ]Mr. Anderson's apparatus seems to heat the house 

 very readily, but its first cost is more than double that of copper 

 pipes, boiler and reservoir. The furnace is set considerably 

 below the walks of the conservatory; from the boiler, which is 

 very large, holding a great number of gallons of wafer, proceeds 

 an expansion pipe, which rises to the height of five or six feet; 

 this pipe is fitted to the boiler so as to be water-tight. The fur- 

 nace being at the end of the conservatory from which it is enter- 

 ed, this expansion tube rises on one side of the door, out of the 

 narrow border, to the above height; from this tube or pipe the 

 water is conducted through the horizontal pij)es round the liouse, 

 into another tube or perpendicular i)ipc, corresponding with that 

 just mentioned, and which answers the purpose of a reservoir. 

 These pipes are about ten inches in diameter, and are surmount- 



