and Suburban Gardens. 687 



of Borts budded or grafted on the common oak. We trust that Mr. Donald's 

 friends and ours, in every part of the country, will send to Mr. Donald what- 

 ever species or varieties they may have which they think will add to the 

 value of his collection ; and we are sure that they will not find him tai'dy 

 or niggardly in making a return. 



The Addlestone Nursery, Mr. Cree. — Oct. 27. Every thing here is as 

 neat and orderly as usual, and the georginas are not less splendid than they 

 are in the other nurseries which we have seen. Cactus Opuntia, which had 

 suiFered during last winter, has recovered its vigour in this its thirty-second 

 summer. The roots of all the species of Fuchsz'a in the same border, which 

 passed the winter under the protection of some fern leaves, have sent up 

 shoots in the course of the summer, which are now covered with flowers. 



The Hammersmith Nursery, Messrs. Lee. — Oct. 29. The show of chry- 

 santhemums is here superior to what we have elsewhere seen this season. 

 The plants are from cuttings struck in very small pots in the beginning of 

 June, and afterwards shifted repeatedly in the manner of balsams, and kept 

 in a sunny exposed situation in the open air till the beginning of October, 

 when they were housed. They now form short stocky plants, of a single 

 stem each, covered with leaves, and dividing, at from 6 in. to 10 in. from 

 the surface of the pot, into three branches of flowers, which are now begin- 

 ning to expand. The collection includes forty-five varieties. 



The Chiswick Garden. — The trees in the arboretum are shedding their 

 leaves, with very little discoloration to what takes place in dry autumns. 

 Among the exotics which have stood the winter with slight protection is a 

 very fine plant of Jcacia dealbata ? which has made shoots 6 ft. long. There 

 has been a very poor crop of every description of fruit, and there are 

 scarcely any apples, and very few pears, in the fruit room. A quantity of 

 tobacco stalks are drying, to be used in the form of powder, and dusted on 

 the leaves of peach trees in the open air after watering. This Mr. Thompson 

 considers by far the best manner of applying tobacco to the leaves of trees. 

 The particles adhere for several days, and with every dewy evening or 

 slight shower give out part of their juice. The en quenouille pear trees 

 are beautifully covered with shoots full of blossom buds. The peach tree 

 trained as a specimen of Seymour's method (Vols. I. p. 128., II. p. 295., 

 VI. p. 436.) already covers a space 30 ft. in length. Mr. Thompson, as we 

 have before observed, considers this mode decidedly the best for peaches 

 and nectarines, and we are therefore very desirous of repeating our recom- 

 mendations of it. It is the only decidedly scientific method that has ever 

 been proposed, because there is a specific reason for the position of every 

 branch and shoot of which the tree may consist. Unfortunately this speci- 

 men peach tree is on a peach stock, so that it will not last very long. 

 Almond stocks last longer, but plum stocks longest. 



Botanic Garden, Kew. — The present king has given directions for enlarg- 

 ing the arboretum, by the addition of several acres hitherto connected with 

 the private garden of the palace, but which will in future be thrown open 

 to the public, and sprinkled over with additional species. It is highly gra^ 

 tifying to us thus to find that our excellent king is as good a gardener 

 as he is a magistrate. We wish he would order two or three acres to be 

 covered with span roofs, like those of Whitbread's brewery, but with glass 

 instead of tiles, and thus show his subjects what palms are capable of 

 becoming when they have room. A considerable addition to the Australian 

 plants has lately been brought home in excellent condition by Mr. Cunning- 

 ham. Among these is a shrub or tree evidently belonging to Aurantiae, 

 and another which may probably turn out a Quercus. One of the Legu- 

 minosae, named *Castanospermum australe, has a fruit remarkably like a 

 chestnut, which is eaten by the natives, and forms one of the very few 

 edible fruits furnished by nature in a part of the world where in the open 

 air, and with common culture, are produced the fruits of every other 



