Botanic Gardens. 69 



one kind was introduced into England so early as 

 the sixteenth century, I believe there were but a few 

 plants in our city till I introduced several from my 

 small garden at Malahide to Merrion-square, about 

 the year 1861. There are now in its borders above 

 a hundred healthy specimens of the kinds most com- 

 monly grown. Hitherto all varieties of Y. aloifblia, 

 a species known in England since about the year 

 1700, have been treated to greenhouse care, with rare 

 exceptions. One of these was for many years in a 

 conservatory at Crlasnevin, and I have known it out- 

 side there for the last fifteen years, during which 

 time it has produced a few suckers, and looks likely 

 soon to flower. It is one of the fleshy-leaved species 

 now common in Italy and other parts of the Conti- 

 nent ; and from the place where it is at our Botanic 

 Gardens, it abundantly proves the hardiness of the 

 species in many parts of Ireland. 



The variegated varieties, called quadricolor, and 

 others, may be less hardy than the green ; but, with 

 glass, or a board, or some cover overhead for winter, 

 I expect to see most kinds grow out permanently in 

 this country. 



Amongst the species which for some years attracted 

 my particular attention at Glasnevin, was ]T. Trecul- 

 ratttf, under the name 1^. or Agave Canaliculata, 

 which is one of several synonyms by which it was 

 long known. Till the last very few years it was 

 scarce in this country ; but, having flowered and 

 fruited in more than one part of France, and from 



