Flushing, L. I. 333 



their establishment. We now found a good quantity of fruit 

 trees, more particularly of the peach, cherry, and apple ; pears 

 being slower in their growth, have not yet been brought for- 

 ward in similar quantities. The stock of ornamental trees is 

 also large, and of good variety. Magnolias raised from seed, 

 particularly M. glauca, grow freely and rapidly in the soil 

 here, which is a good stiff loam. The Cedrus Deodara, Arau- 

 caria imbricata, Paulo wma, &c., have been planted out, and 

 the former, as well as the Paulownia, found to stand the win- 

 ter of Long Island without protection. Messrs. Parsons pos- 

 sess a capital stock of the Norway spruce. 



Since our last visit, a greenhouse and grapery, one hundred 

 feet long, has been added, and a span roofed building for 

 grapes was in the course of completion. In the grapery, twice 

 the number of vines have been planted which will finally be 

 allowed to remain, in order to test the correctness of the kinds. 

 The building is heated with hot water. 



The collection of greenhouse plants is small, with the ex- 

 ception of the tender varieties of the rose, of which Messrs. 

 Parsons possess an excellent collection, and they are constantly 

 adding the new kinds. 



Nursery of Messrs. Valk ^ Co. — This establishment is of 

 recent commencement : a short account of it was given by a 

 correspondent, in a previous volume, (X. p. 19,) and since that 

 time, the proprietors have added many new and rare plants to 

 the exotic department, and made arrangements for the growth 

 of trees and shrubs. 



The greenhouse is about two hundred feet long, and twenty 

 wide, span roofed, and built in the best manner ; the internal 

 arrangements consist of a two feet shelf against the front and 

 back, with a walk corresponding, and a bed in the centre, 

 which is used partly for peach trees, and large plants, such as 

 camellias, &c. Grape vines are trained under the rafters, and 

 they were now just beginning to produce a small crop. The 

 gardener is Mr. Jones, formerly of the Kew Gardens, near 

 London, and he brought with him, in the spring of 1845, 

 a great assortment of new plants, bat many of them did not 

 survive the importation. 



In the stove, which is a small building about twenty-five 

 feet long, we found a greater portion of the new plants, among 



