166 Notes and Recollections of a Tour. 



tain, though probably by accident. Mr. Groom has succeed- 

 ed in raising some beautiful hybrid lilies, between L. atro- 

 sanguinium and L. bulbiferum, which are stated to be very 

 showy. The plants were now out of flower. 



Great numbers of frames were filled with auriculas, of 

 which Mr. Groom is a great cultivator ; this is a class of 

 plants which has been but little appreciated by our cultiva- 

 tors, but they possess many beauties which entitle them to 

 attention. If they require more care than other plants, they 

 well repay all the labor bestowed upon them. The plants 

 may be wintered safely in frames, and we hope to see some 

 of the fine varieties introduced. 



Preparations were making for planting out the great collec- 

 tion of tulips in October. For this flower Mr. Groom is fa- 

 mous ; he has raised several very splendid seedlings, some 

 of which are priced as high as five hundred dollars, and 

 a great number at one hundred dollars each, (£21 sterling.) 

 It would seem to those who know little of the tulip that this 

 was something of a tulip-mania ; but the tulip is a most 

 gorgeous flower, and when once a love for it takes possession 

 of the amateur, and he obtains a knowledge of its properties, 

 there is scarcely any thing he would not sacrifice to obtain 

 the choicest kinds. In England, there are many collections 

 valued at thousands of pounds. In this country the tulip is 

 but little valued, and a bed of the most common kinds at- 

 tracts nearly as many admirers as one of the choicest and 

 high-priced flowers. It is gratifying, however, to see the 

 dawn of a better taste, and within a few years, especially in 

 the vicinity of Boston, some very fine collections have been 

 obtained, and the present season we anticipate a better dis- 

 play than has ever before been seen. Our visits to Mr. 

 Groom's garden afforded a great deal of gratification. 



Regent's Park Botanic Garden. — Regent's Park contains 

 upwards of four hundred acres, and the central portion of 

 this, called, we believe, the Inner Circle, embracing sixteen 

 acres, is occupied as a garden, under the care of a new soci- 

 ety, called the Royal Botanic Society of London. The cura- 

 tor is Mr. Marnock, formerly of the Sheffield Botanic Gar- 

 den. It is only five or six years since the first operations 

 were commenced upon the grounds, but for so short a period 



