Foreign Notices : — Holland and the Netherlands. 595 



In all, the number of square feet planted with bulbs in this establishment 

 is 12,300; and, besides this, one finds here quantities of Amaryllises, Ixias, 

 Antholyzas, Georginas, Auriculas, Primulas, and Pelargoniums. 



After glancing at this specification, and considering that there are here 

 still twelve other first rate florists, and as many or more establishments on 

 smaller scales, all of which are exceedingly neat ,• you may imagine that the 

 small town of Haarlem stands amidst the finest florists' flower-gardens in 

 the world. 



With respect to fine Cape and New Holland plants, they are very scarce 

 here, neither do they thrive well. The reasons of this appear to me to be, 

 that the climate is too unfavourable, the soil too wet in winter for exotics, 

 and that too little use is made of the rich turf so common here ; but it is 

 also true, that a florist cannot think about botanic plants and his florists' 

 bulbs at the same time, without neglecting one of them. 



Although M. van der Hope has a fine and well kept collection of exotics, 

 and seems to be a very great amateur, collecting every year some very 

 scarce plants, with which he endeavours to gain the honorary medal of the 

 exhibitions of Utrecht and Haarlem, he is also, for want of good mould, 

 put to the expense of fetching it in boats from a place thirty miles distant 

 from Haarlem 5 this is, in my opinion, unnecessary, for I think the turf in 

 the neighbourhood of Haarlem would answer the purpose as well if pro- 

 perly prepared, and it only requires a trial. However, there must be some- 

 thing in this soil which is favourable to hyacinths, and disadvantageous to 

 camellias, ericas, epacrises, and other fine plants ; for I was not able, when 

 here last year, to root one cutting of camellia out of fifty, although in Franc- 

 fort I always counted on rooting nine out of ten. 



Fine market-gardens are very common here, as well as large pleasure- 

 grounds, or parks, though the Dutch manner of laying out grounds is very 

 inferior. The whole park is usually planted so thick, that one actually 

 walks in the dark under the trees when the sun shines ; and it is only from 

 the mansion that a fine view can be obtained. Stagnant ditches cross each 

 other in all directions ; but this taste is too well known, and very justly too 

 little adopted, in other countries, to require further notice. 



Horticultural science, about Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and the whole pro- 

 vince of Holland, is kept up merely by a few florists in Haarlem, and some 

 botanists in Leyden, and perhaps by a few others ; but the love of garden- 

 ing in private gentlemen has so declined, that the florists could not exist 

 without their trade to foreign countries. It is surprising that as yet none 

 of the numerous cultivators of bulbs has published a work ; and even few 

 foreign books on gardening are known among them, because they are of no 

 use for the culture of bulbs. 



The botanic garden in Leyden has, as I remember when I was there last 

 year, a good collection of hot-house plants, and others ; but it is much in- 

 ferior to Kew Gardens. 



From this I shall depart soon for Hanover, Brunswick, Hamburgh, and 

 Berlin ; and hoping that in this last place I shall find a few hours' leisure, 

 I will take the liberty of writing to you again. I am, Sir, &c. — Jac. Rinz. 

 Fruit-trees in Churchyards. — N. Phillipe Bosquet, who died at Am- 

 sterdam on the 8th of January last, bequeathed two thousand florins to the 

 Benevolent Society of the Northern Provinces of the Netherlands, on the 

 condition that " two fruit-trees of full growth shall be planted over his 

 grave, the fruit to be publicly sold by auction every year, in order to prove 

 that the receptacles of the dead may be rendered useful and beneficial 

 to the living." The directions of the testator, say the papers, have been 

 complied with. (Scotsman, May 20. 1829.) 



The most beautiful and picturesque road in Europe, not excepting even the 

 beauties of the Rhine, is the tour from Namur to Liege along the banks of 

 the Meuse. Half-way stands the town of Huy, with its lofty castle and 



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