160 Gardening i?i Lotioer Canada, 



of our winters, few fruits will ripen with us : but quite the 

 contrary is the fact. The frequent and warm rains of April 

 and May, and the very intense heat of our summer which 

 succeeds, cause so rapid a course of vegetation, that many 

 fruits ripen here in the open air, and as standards, which can 

 only be matured in England and the north of France as 

 espaliers, or by the assistance of artificial heat : we only 

 require hot-houses for the purpose of ripening or forcing 

 tropical fruits, and fruits in winter. There is hardly an exotic 

 which we cannot bring into full flower in our dwelling-houses, 

 where we are obliged in winter to keep up a great degree of 

 heat. Should we wish to possess any extensive assortment, 

 of coui'se a hot-house would be required. 



The following are the Montreal nurseries and gardens: — 

 Blinhhonny Garden^ situate at Cote a Baron, owned and 

 carried on by Mr. Robert Cleghorn, is the oldest and de- 

 cidedly the most respectable establishment of the kind in 

 Montreal. Mr. Cleghorn has paid great attention to the 

 introduction and cultivation of fruit trees, of which great 

 numbers are disposed of annually by him : his trees are always 

 healthy and good-looking ; and, as I am in the constant habit 

 of frequenting his garden, in which I may call myself a pri- 

 vileged man, I can testify as to its neatness and order. No 

 catalogue has been published from Blinkbonny for some years ; 

 but, from my own knowledge, Mr. Cleghorn cultivates and 

 has for sale about thirty good kinds of apples, about fifteen 

 or eighteen kinds of pear, about as many kinds of plum, four 

 or five kinds of cherry, as many of grape, about six or eight 

 kinds of gooseberry, besides other fruits, and a large col- 

 lection of perennial, herbaceous, and green-house plants ; 

 among which I must notice his collection of ericas and aloes. 

 Blinkbonny exhibits also an extensive collection of indigenous 

 plants and trees. 



JDonnellaiH s Garden stands next to Blinkbonny; and though 

 my Hibernian friend Donnellan and I may diifer a little in 

 our political way of thinking, we agree perfectly in our ideas 

 of gardening; and I must do Donnellan the justice to say 

 that he possesses a most capital and promising nursery ; and 

 his addition of a green-house to his establishment (I omitted 

 to state there is one at Blinkbonny), heated by flues in winter, 

 and present collection of green-house plants, bid fair to make 

 us rich in the introduction of new exotics. Mr. Donnellan has 

 a fine collection of carnations, which he is successful in raising 

 from seed, and in propagating from pipings, though I prefer 

 the system (which I always follow) of layering {inargotter^ 

 as the Canadians call it). Mr. Donnellan is also a market- 

 gardener. 



