On the Cultivation of American Plants. 365 



soils and to situations of the worst character. In trenching 

 and cultivation a small pecuniary outlay will accomplish 

 much. Labor, in this respect, is cheap, and employment 

 much needed. The sweepings of lawns, consisting of leaves 

 and grass, the trimmings of walks, and the refuse and clear- 

 ings of the flower beds, will, when thoroughly decayed, 

 furnish a compost in every way available for the purpose, 

 where the natural soil is not what could be desired ; and 

 here the preparation of the beds constitutes a mere nominal 

 outlay." 



We shall take some opportunity of commenting upon 

 these good practical remarks, which, in the meanwhile, we 

 recommend as safe rules to be observed by those who wish 

 to emulate the rhododendron growers of Bagshot and its 

 neighborhood. 



The comments of Dr. Lindley appear in a subsequent 

 paper, and are intended to show that the experience and 

 practice of Messrs. Standish & Noble are also strictly con- 

 formable to theory. They are as follows : — 



The three points which a gardener must attend to, if he 

 wishes to grow American plants well, are the following : — 

 1, the soil must be loose and rich ; 2, there must be free and 

 constant access of moisture without stagnation ; and 3, 

 there must be no chalk. In these three rules the whole art 

 and mystery consists ; and all the tedious directions which 

 books contain on the subject are either superfluous or are 

 included in them. 



The soil must be light and rich. Peat is not insisted 

 upon ; on the contrary, it is expressly stated that other sub- 

 stances will answer the same purpose, provided they are in 

 the same mechanical condition. The reason of this is 

 obvious. " American" plants have, in all cases, delicate 

 hair-like roots, which remain for years without any consid- 

 erable increase in diameter ; such roots cannot force their 

 way through a soil which ofiers much resistance to their 

 progress. Therefore clays, stifl" loams, and any other adhe- 

 sive compact kinds of earth, are unsuitable to them. Bx- 



