Nursery of Messrs. Loddiges. 363 



them. We here saw hundreds of seedhng rhododendrons 

 raised from Himalayan seeds. 



Leaving this garden, we entered the great camellia house, 

 which is a semi-circular range, on the north side of the divis- 

 ion wall before mentioned, having also one of similar dimen- 

 sions on the south. Here the camellias had grown up so rap- 

 idly, that they formed a perfect wood, several of the plants 

 being fifteen feet high : we walked under the branches of 

 many of them with perfect ease. The plants are most of 

 them planted out in the border, and the growth they made 

 quite surprised us. The following are the names of a few 

 of the largest: — wyrtifolia, fifteen feet; elegans, ten feet; 

 Sweetii, ten feet; reticulata, ten feet; punctata, twelve feet; 

 rosea, (China.) ten feet; Chandleri, ten feet; fimbriata, ten 

 feet ; and double whites of all sizes. The south side of the 

 range is less lofty than the north, and contains smaller plants, 

 though many of them had reached to the glass. Immense 

 quantities of young plants filled one wing of the range, con- 

 tinuing to the left, and among them were the Rev. Mr. Her- 

 bert's seedlings, Fortuna, foliosa, Eburnia, and pumila ; large 

 quantities were yet remaining out in the open garden. 

 Messrs. Loddiges use the knife freely'- in the cultivation of the 

 camellia, and by heading in well, their plants are kept in 

 compact form : their principal mode of propagation is by in- 

 arching. The other wing of this range, the whole of which 

 is nearly one thousand feet long, is devoted to a miscellane- 

 ous collection of New Holland and other plants, which were 

 now just being removed to their winter quarters. 



In front of this range, a narrow strip of ground is devoted 

 to pseonies, lilies, and hardy plants of various kinds. 



The arboretum is separated from the plant department by 

 a public road, over which a bridge is thrown, by which it is 

 reached. It contains four or five acres, laid out in concentric 

 circles, with walks between, the trees being arranged in 

 natural groups from the circumference to the centre. The 

 trees are well grown, though rather crowded, and the whole 

 arrangement is most interesting to every lover of trees and 

 shrubs. The variety of maples, poplars, beeches, oaks, &c., 

 is very numerous, and we regret that we could not have 

 spared a day or two, in looking through the arboretum, in 



