Epsom Nursery. 



597 



2 ft. 3 in. 



wall. Mr. Hislop has invented a short grass- rake (Jig, 127.), which consists 

 of a piece of thin plate iron 128 



(/g. 128.) cut into teeth, f— n 



with two slips of ash, or ^ l\ 



other tough wood, between 

 which it is firmly riveted, to 

 form a back, and keep it 

 from bending. When put 

 together, the back is li in. thick. The wood 

 is beveled to nothing half an inch above the interstices of the teeth, at 

 which point the iron is slightly bent longitudinally, to admit the thickness 

 of wood underneath, and give a proper inclination to the handle. The 

 instrument serves both as a grass-rake and a daisy-rake, and has the advan- 

 tage over the daisy-rakes in conniion use of being easier cleaned, from the 

 wideness of the insterstices between the teeth. VVe have not time for fur- 

 ther details, and indeed have partly forgotten some other things which we 

 intended to notice ; but we repeat that we were better pleased with this 

 kitchen-garden than with any other which we have seen on this excursion ; 

 in testimony of which we have presented to Mr. Hislop Vol. I. of our ilfa- 

 gazine of Natural History, and a copy of the EncyclopoBdia of Plants. 



Epsom Nursery ; Messrs. Young. August 18. — This nursery has under- 

 gone considerable changes since we last saw it in 1827. At that time it had 

 been enlarged and improved, and one of the foremen, a self-taught drafts-^ 



"^^ 129 



man, had made us a general view of it as seen from the road. {Jig. 129.) 

 Since that sketch was made, several plant-houses and pits have been erected, 

 and, as will be allowed by any one who is in possession of Hortus Epsome'n- 

 sis (vol. iv. p. 260.), the most extensive collection of herbaceous plants, at 

 least in Britain, has been assembled. A great many species have been added 

 since the catalogue was published, and some of ver\^ great rarity. The lists 

 of rare plants which flower in the Epsom Nursery, furnished us by the bota- 

 nist of the nursery, our very intelligent correspondent, Mr. Penny (p. 470.), 

 render it unnecessary for us to enter much into detail, and indeed, if we were 

 determined upon this, we do not know where we should begin. Mr. Penny 

 is a most successful propagator, and the number of young plants, of rare 

 articles, both of the green-house and open air, is sufficient, one would ima- 

 gine, to supply all the trade, both in Britain and France. Messrs. Young 

 have bought the entire stock of Magnolia Soulangiawa from M. Soulange 

 Bodin for 500 guineas, in consequence of which that fine tree will soon be 



o Q 3 



