Notices. — England. 



451 



The building of the Athenasum is commenced, and from the progress which it is 

 making, there is no doubt it will be completed during the summer. The Com- 

 mittee will anticipate no observations on this building, confident, that when 

 finished, its beauty and convenience will be duly appreciated by all who see it. 

 A Library is now forming upon an extensive scale : many of the Shareholders and 

 Subscribers having promised to contribute the loan of books, for the accommodation 

 of the Institution, thereby forming a central point for valuable works, to which 

 all may have access, and without the necessity of the Institution, in the first 

 instance, incurring any expense. (General Frederick St. John, Chairman.) 



Tulip Beds. Mr. Saul sends us a section (Jig. 91 . ) of a tulip bed, which has 

 just been put into his hands by 

 an extensive tulip grower in 

 Lancashire, and which he thinks 

 it may be useful to publish at 

 this time, as tulips are generally 

 planted in November. The 

 bed consists of five stratums ; 

 the bottom one (a), is composed 

 of a mixture of manure and 

 fine loam ; the second (b), of 

 two fifths fine. loam, one fifth 

 sand, and two' fifths manure ; 

 the third (c), of three fifths fine 

 loamj one fifth sand, and one 

 fifth very rotten manure; the 

 fourth (d), of fine loam, with 

 one fifth of sand ; and the 

 sixth, or top stratum (e), of fine 

 sandy loam, not too light. In 

 this last stratum the bulbs are 

 planted in a nucleus of pure 

 sand. The bed may be of any 

 length, but four feet six inches 

 is the most convenient width, 

 as it admits of eight tulips in 

 each row across the bed ; the 

 advantage of this number is, that sixteen tulips may be supported by four 

 rods, each rod being placed in the centre of four tulips, and a piece of leaden 

 wire turned round the rod, and reaching to each of the stems, &c. (Jig. 92.) The 

 bulbs are planted about six — 5 - 

 inches apart every way, and / 

 from two and a half to three 

 inches deep. (Lancaster, Au- 

 gust 20.) 



Yucca gloriosa. Few British 



Summers have witnessed so 



many of this fine plant in bloom 



as that which has just passed. 



The highest we have heard of in 



England, is that of Mrs. Mar- 

 shall, near Manchester. One 



in the nursery of Mr. Viner, at 



Windsor, is thus described by 



Mr. Thomas Ingram, gardener 



to the Princess Augusta, at 



Frogmore, whose letter was ac- 

 companied by a sketch (Jig. 93). 



" It has been planted in the 



nursery twelve years, and was, 2 



probably, two years old when planted 



It flowered for the first time this seaso i 



