234 Foreign Notices. — Domestic Notices. 



cies of dahlia, from Oaxaca, Mexico, which is said to grow to the height 

 of fifty feet. There are living plants of it in the Liverpool Botanic 

 Garden. — { Gard. Mag.) 



Ribes glutinbsum. — Dried specimens of a species, with several others, 

 under this name, were sent to the London Horticultural Society, by Mr. 

 Douglas, during the years 1831, 1832, and 1833. The plants have not 

 yet flowered (1835). It is nearly allied to sanguineum, but promises to 

 exceed the latter in beauty ; the bimches of flowers are twice the 

 length of the bunches of sanguineum, and contain, at least, from 

 thirty to forty flowers, which are borne on long slender pedicils ; the 

 color of the flowers is red. It is perfectly hardy, and grows in common 

 garden soil. — [Hort. Trans.) 



CHINA. 



Chinese Style of Gardening. — The style of Chinese gardening, like all 

 their other arts, is peculiar ; they have no idea of spacious landscape ; 

 there is a littleness in all their designs ; they have no desire for a small 

 part of even the grandest features of nature : lakes, where a mackerel 

 would be puzzled to turn ; rocks which a man may carry away under his 

 arm ; aged trees fifteen inches high ; and thick forests of pines composed 

 of equisetum. Of whatever extent the ground may be, it is all divided into 

 little squares, parallelograms, or irregular areas of a few square yards or 

 perches. These compartments are surrounded by low brick walls, hav- 

 ing- a flat coping, on which are placed flowering plants, in fine glazed 

 porcelain pots. The paths are often composed of flat stones, not two of 

 which are on the same level, if near together. A great deal of trellis- 

 work are in the gardens, either appearing like the remains of former 

 fences, or as covering's of naked walls. If a ditch or artificial hollow be 

 in the garden, it must be crossed by a semi-circular arch of four or five 

 feet span. Their little tanks of water are not considered beautiful until 

 they are completely covered with ducks'-meat (L6mna) ; in short, there 

 are so many childish freaks which constitute the beauty of a Chinese 

 garden, that it is astonishing so clever and civilized a people can be grat- 

 ified with such puerile efforts of unnatural taste. As far, however, as 

 their collections of flowering plants decorate a garden, the assemblage is 

 enchanting. Their magnolias, bombaces, azaleas^ camellias, ixoras, pse- 

 onias, &c., not to mention the great variety of herbaceous and aquatic 

 plants natural to the country, are indeed magnificent ; indeed one of the 

 finest traits of the Chinese character is their fondness for flowers, — (J. 

 Main, in Hoii. Reg.) 



Art. III. Domestic JVotices. 



Stray Leaf from JVature's Calendar, for May 18<?i.— Crimson, and green, 

 and pure white ! and what shades of verdant hue ! With what magic 

 power the woods have put on the cheerful livery of joyous and welcome 

 spring. We might fancy that each shrub and tree was vieing with its 

 next neighbor in displaying its natural elegance, beauty, or loveliness. 



