Soil and Climate of Washington. 19 



'•is as hardy and fast growing as the larch, more valuable 

 in its timber, and with the evergreen beauty of the cedar 

 of Lebanon. Of all the trees of British India, this is in- 

 comparably the most important to England. It has every 

 good quality and no bad one." Thus speaks Dr. Lindley ; 

 and from his preeminent botanical knowledge, and from the 

 position which he occupies, no one in that country ought to 

 be a better judge. 



Other new hardy and beautiful trees are — the ^S'orbus 

 hybridas, or silver leaved mountain Ash, the Garrya elip- 

 tica, and some others wiiich I might name ; but none com- 

 paratively appear to be worthy such distinguished notice 

 as those which are above described. 



W. K. 



Nonanium Hill, Newton, Nov. 1842. 



Art. III. Observations on the favoi^ahleness to Horticulture 

 of the soil and climate of Washington, District of Co- 

 lumbia, u-ith some remarks upon the Cidtivation of the 

 Peach. By J. S. S., Post Office Department. 



In a brief newspaper account of the late "Horticultural 

 Exhibition" at Boston, which has fallen under my eye, it 

 has been seen with surprise and admiration, that apples and 

 pears are cultivated, in that vicinity, in greater variety than 

 many people suppose to exist in all the world. How differ- 

 ent are the tastes and habits of your people, in this respect, 

 from those who reside soidh of the Chesapeake, where es- 

 tates of five hundred, and even of a thousand, acres, exhibit 

 no sign of any thing like systematic horticulture. Instead 

 of one hundred and fifty-two varieties of pears, and ttcentij- 

 six sorts oi apples, as presented by Mr. Manning, of Salem, 

 it is by no means uncommon to find, in the south, large 

 estates without a single choice pear or palatable apple on 

 them. 



True, you may still see, on some of them, near the old 

 family mansions, the stumps and decaying remnants of 

 large old orchards ; and there too, you may trace the faint 

 outlines of extensive gardens gone to utter ruin. 



