Nurseries at Oxford. 109 



which he grows cucumbers all the winter, were heated by hot 

 water. The pipes are conducted along the bottom of the pit; 

 over these are placed narrow one-inch boards, about an inch 

 apart, and over these a layer of turves. On these turves is 

 placed a bed of mould, 18 in. thick, in which the plants are 

 grown. We do not altogether approve of this plan, which, under 

 a careless gardener, must be liable to some of the principal ob- 

 jections to a common hot-bed, viz., that of over-heating the roots, 

 and that of having no power to produce a dry atmosphere. One 

 pipe under the bed, and one over it at the front, would, we think, 

 have been better. 



Humphrys's Nursery is on the Banbury road ; and we are 

 much mistaken if it will not be in time the first of the Oxford 

 nurseries. Mr. Humphrys has only been here a year or two; 

 and he has had every thing to contend with, the ground, before 

 he got it, having been just enclosed from a common. He told 

 us that he was one of the first who assisted in establishing the 

 Clapton Nursery Library in 1826; and he was also the first 

 who proposed the establishment of a garden library for the use of 

 the Oxford gardeners, which has ended in a gardening and 

 natural history society and library, extensively supported by 

 the gentlemen of the colleges and of the surrounding country. 

 Mr. Humphrys has already built a dwelling-house and some 

 forcing-houses. He brought with him here an excellent col- 

 lection of tulips, which he grows in a bed under an awning 

 like that of Mr. Groom. He has also raised several seedling 

 georginas of a superior description, and grows a number of 

 the liner annual flowers for seed. For this last department of 

 gardening, the soil of Mr. Humphrys's nursery is particularly 

 suitable. Eschscholtz?V?, which scarcely ripens its seed at all 

 about London, ripens it well here. Indeed, we have no doubt 

 that the growing of flower-seeds might be carried to a very 

 considerable extent in this neighbourhood, on account of the 

 shallow calcareous soil and dry rocky subsoil. Mr. Humphrys's 

 ground is admirably situated ; and, as he appears a most indus- 

 trious as well as most intelligent man, we have no doubt of 

 his meeting with the success he deserves. His grounds were 

 in good order and keeping. 



Jeffery's Nursery is quite new, and chiefly cropped with culinary 

 vegetables. Part of it is laid out, however, with considerable 

 taste, and is devoted to flowers and shrubs ; among which were 

 some valuable new sorts. We have no doubt it will be a good 

 nursery in a few years. We noticed here a plant of Calliopsis 

 bicolor, with the dark-coloured part of the petals extending to 

 the very tips, which alone were yellow. Seeds should be saved 

 from this individual; but we saw no one in the nursery whom we 

 could recommend to do this. The grounds were in good order, 



