406 Notes on Gardens and Nurseries. 



Art. Y. Notes on Gardens and Nurseries. 



A RECENT visit to some of the principal gardens in the 

 vicinity, in company with a committee of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, with a view to inspect the varieties of 

 strawberries in general cultivation, enabled us to jot down a 

 few hasty notes which may not be uninteresting. Our first 

 visit was to 



The Garden and Nurseiy of S. Walker. — The principal 

 objects of interest here, besides the general collection of fruit 

 trees, were two seedling strawberries, raised by Mr. Walker, 

 one of which has been shown at the rooms of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society for two or three seasons, and 

 giving promise of excellence. Mr. Walker set out a new 

 bed last year, which was now in the most vigorous condi- 

 tion, bearing an excellent crop of fruit, each plant producing 

 one truss, containing eighteen or twenty perfect berries, of a 

 very rich dark color, and of moderate size ; scarcely large 

 enough, however, to give it a prominent place among the 

 most desirable sorts for general cultivation. 



The pear trees sutfered here as well as in other places, 

 and the fruit showed the injurious effects of the cold storms 

 of May. A few new sorts were in bearing, but we had not 

 time to examine them, and at this early season no very cor- 

 rect opinion could be formed of their merits. 



The flower garden, though somewhat spotted with pear 

 trees, still was gay with many of our old favorites, — Lych- 

 nis vesicaria pleno, exceedingly pretty, with its spikes of 

 double pink flowers, and the old yellow iris, very showy. 

 Everything denoted the most perfect keeping in every de- 

 partment. 



Garden of Capt. W. H. Austin, Dorchester. — The grounds 

 of Capt. Austin comprise about two acres, situated on Pleas- 

 ant street. The location is quite level and the soil rather 

 light, but, notwithstanding this, every part of the premises 

 showed the most thorough cultivation and the judicious man- 

 agement of the proprietor. The house, stable, carriage 



