Calls at Suburban Gardens. 



123 



leading hardy articles are also grown there. The stocks are cherries, crabs, 

 Paradise apples, pears, and common, muscle, Brompton, Brussells, white pear, 

 and mignonne plums. The Paradise apple and plums are raised from layers, 

 and the others from seeds. The laying is not practised in the usual manner, 

 but the young shoots laid down in a horizontal position their whole 

 length, without being tongued ; they are then wholly covered with soil 

 to the depth of about two inches, and in that state throw up shoots 

 from every bud, which shoots root at their lower ends, and are ready to 

 be taken off in the autumn. An immense number of plants are thus ob- 

 tained annually from one stool. 



There are some other practices peculiar to the nurseries in this quarter, 

 and some also which are peculiar to Mr. Donald. Among the former may 

 be mentioned the mode of shading and protecting newly sown pine and 

 fir seeds, by. covering the beds with small furze/large heath, and similar 

 ligneous matter as a mulch. This at once deters birds, excludes excessive 

 light, and preserves moisture ; as the plants come up the mulch is removed 

 by degrees. Of Mr. Donald's peculiar practices we shall only at present 

 mention that of propagating the different varieties of Jrbutus J7nedo by 

 cuttings, a thing not, as far as we know, done in any other nursery. 



In noting down what presented itself in passing through the grounds, we 

 begin with a propagating house lately erected. (JZg.52.) It stands south and 

 north, with a span roof and hol- 

 low walls (a) on Mr. Silverlock's 

 principle. (Encyc. of Gard., § 

 1561.) By means of a boarded 

 roof over the centre path (b), 

 the sashes can be pushed up, as 

 well as drawn down, which is a 

 great advantage in houses of this 

 description, both for ventilation 

 and working. In this and other 

 houses were, stools of thirty dif- 

 ferent sorts of camellias, and a large stock of young plants raised from them. 



Standards of Rhododendron ponticum, and R. catawbiense were first 

 grown by Mr. Donald ; and the straw and light orange azaleas were raised 

 by him. There is a large stock of Magnolia tripe'tala, tall plants; medlars 

 are superiorly grown ; and also the different species of Clematis ; forest 

 trees and thorns to a considerable extent. In transplanting the last, the 

 plough is used to turn in the earth on the plants, but the trench for bedding 

 them on is prepared by the spade. 



The planting, and all the operations of culture in this nursery, are per- 

 formed with a degree of neatness and precision, which is rare even in those 

 of the metropolis : one reason is, that the men employed here are not 

 gardeners who have come in to work for a few weeks or months till they 

 can get a place, but local labourers who know nothing more of garden- 

 ing than the performance of the operations of nursery culture which they 

 have been taught, and which they continue to perform year after year, till 

 they attain a higher degree of perfection in them than professed gardeners ; 

 the soil, which is a light sandy loam, is also highly favourable for nice 

 operations ; but the grand reason is, that few masters of nurseries are more 

 particular, or have a greater love of neatness and order, than Mr. Donald. 

 On a recent addition to his nursery grounds, purchased by Mr. Donald, he 

 has built some cottages for his workmen, with hollow walls, in Silverlock's 

 manner, already mentioned ; a circumstance which does credit to him as 

 a liberal-minded man for adopting a plan so new, and as a man of sense 

 for adopting one so decidedly advantageous. 



