482 Calls at the London Nurseries. 



in France it is stated that it bears some years male flowers, and some 

 years female ones, and that about twice in ten years both male and female 

 flowers appear at once, when seed is ripened. There are numerous silver 

 firs in these grounds, of enormous size; their timber, we conjecture, not 

 being esteemed sufficiently valuable for them to be cut down. The place, 

 we understand, is for sale, and we sincerely hope it may fall into the 

 hands of some person who will appreciate its value better than its present 

 possessor appears to do. 



Godalming to E-psom, July 5. — The road passes through Guildford, and 

 along a tract of chalky table land, to Leatherhead. Between the latter 

 place and Guildford there are several parks of considerable extent, the 

 general scenery of which is seen from the road. The fields were covered 

 with good crops, especially of wheat. Preparations were making for 

 sowing turnips in every part of the country through which we passed ; but 

 only in one solitary field did we see a Scotch plough, and the turnips 

 sown on raised drills. We observed a drill, resembling in appearance 

 Morton's broadcast sowing-machine, from which the seeds were distributed 

 in lines about a foot asunder, on a flat surface ; a very bad mode, and 

 much more expensive than the common equally bad mode of sowing 

 broadcast. We would have no one attempt the culture of turnips in 

 fields, who does not perfectly understand the Berwickshire system. The 

 wild plants on both sides of the road, from Guildford to Leatherhead, are 

 numerous, and some of them very beautiful. The wild endive and the 

 small convolvulus were finely in flower, ^allota nigra was every where 

 more vigorous than tusual. The wild carrot, the wild parsnep, and the 

 wild lettuce, are all to be found in the hedges along this road. At 

 Leatherhead the scenery takes something of a new character, becoming 

 more enriched and woody. The cottage gardens are most beautiful, and 

 we observed in them many of the new North American plants introduced 

 by Mr. Douglas, which would seem to indicate the neighbourhood of the 

 Epsom nursery, and the nurseries of Dorking. In passing Ashtead Park, 

 vv^e were much gratified to observe Mr. Hislop's dendrophylactics (see 

 Vol. VL p. 47.), continuing to protect the trees so humblj', and yet so 

 effectually. There can be no doubt but that this is a most valuable in- 

 vention for protecting newly planted trees, wherever appearance is an 

 object. 



Epsom Nursery. — There is much to be seen and talked of here. One 

 of the first things which we ascertained was, that several lists, which Mr. 

 Penny has sent us, of new things which have bloomed in the nursery 

 during the last 18 months, have been lost ; a circumstance difficult to 

 account for, and which we deeply regret. We have, however, taken means 

 to insure the safe arrival of Mr. Penny's lists in future. The nursery was 

 in perfect order, and our excellent fi'iend, Mr. Penny, as active and 

 obliging as ever, and, as usual, overflowing with his subject. The roses 

 here, as every where else, have bloomed better than they have done for 

 many years. A number of the climbing sorts, trained as pyramids, were 

 still covered with flowers. One Bengal florida had 300 buds in one 

 bunch, and the Queen of the Belgians, a beautiful new double variety of 

 the Ayrshire rose, had 450. One plant of iiosa elegans had above 

 3000 flowers. The rose called Madame d'Arblay produced a shoot this 

 year 16 ft. long, and nearly as thick as the wrist. Messrs. Young have 

 lately begun to collect heartsease (a plant which has, during the last 

 ten years, been elevated into the rank of a florist's flower), and have 

 already 278 sorts. No. 84., Reform, we were told by Mr. James Young, 

 was the best of the whole. Of the genus Berberis there are now 

 12 rare species in this nursery, besides as many more of the common 

 kinds : a few years ago, there were only half a dozen species in the 



