686 Calls at Suburban Gardens. 



herbaceous plants in the open garden. Mr. Allcard, with sound judgment 

 and elegant taste, has discarded pines, grapes, and melons, in a great measure, 

 from his kitchen-garden, and peaches and other fruits from his garden walls, 

 intending to clothe the latter with half-hardy exotics : in short, to make 

 all his walls conservatory walls. No man who has much taste for plants 

 would ever grow any fruits in the neighbourhood of London, which he can 

 purchase of far better quality, and for much less than he could grow them, in 

 Covent Garden Market. All the choice, and also the culinary, fruits, such as 

 pines, melons, grapes, peaches, pears, apples, plums, &c., can be purchased 

 both cheaper and better than they can be grown ; and it is, therefore, only 

 worth while, for a London botanist, to grow gooseberi'ies, strawberries, and 

 such articles as are best when quite fresh. Peas, beans, and all sorts of salads, 

 he ought to grow, and, perhaps, most sorts of kitchen crops for summer use ; 

 but turnips, carrots, parsneps, onions, potatoes, and the like, for winter use, 

 can be got in Covent Garden Market, of far superior quality, and cheaper than 

 they can, by any possibility, be grown within ten miles of London. But we 

 are deviating from our trees. We found here a kind of drooping cherry, with 

 black fruit, which is said to be peculiar to the neighbourhood : the trees were 

 brought here, a few years ago, from a distant part of the country. We were 

 much gratified by inspecting, in the flower-garden, one of Nutt's bee-hives, 

 with a handsome architectural casing over it. We are convinced, as we have 

 elsewhere stated, that Mr. Nutt's method of managing bees is decidedly the 

 most scientific and the most profitable that ever has been laid before the public. 

 A swarm was put into this hive in May last, and already 12 lb. of honey have 

 been taken from it. The mode of management is simple and easy, without the 

 least danger of being stung, and without the necessity of destroying a single 

 bee. The mode of feeding is admirable. Taken altogether, we do not know 

 a more interesting kind of care and amusement for a lady of leisure ; but the 

 attention required to regulate the temperature of the hive in summer renders 

 it, perhaps, unfit for the majority of cottagers, in their present state. Dr. Ure's 

 thermostat, or Kewley's apparatus, might, no doubt, be applied so as to regulate 

 the temperature to a nicety ; and then, we think, this hive would be perfect. 

 The handsome architectural case put over this hive was designed and executed 

 by Mr. Thomas Dalby, architect and builder, Stratford : it cost, we under- 

 stand, nearly 201. ; but, if half a dozen or a dozen were ordered, they might 

 be manufactured for a fourth part of that sum each. The gardener's cottage 

 here is also by Mr. Dalby. Exteriorly, it is one of the handsomest gardeners' 

 houses we have any where seen ; and ranks, in this respect, with that of 

 Mr. Wells of Redleaf. Interiorly, it is roomy and commodious : the rooms 

 on the ground floor appear to be 9 ft. high. We do not altogether object to 

 this height, but we should like 10 ft. better ; and, indeed, we think it ought to 

 be the minimum height of every apartment destined for a human being to 

 breathe in. The exterior ornaments to this cottage, and the architectural 

 finishings, in the Gothic style, to different doors and other objects near it, and 

 to a cow-shed in the paddock, all by Mr. Dalby, are much to our taste. Not 

 the least of our gratifications at this place was, to find that such an admirable 

 plant cultivator and practical botanist as Mr. Bevis, had met with such a 

 liberal and enlightened amateur as Mr. Allcard, who is enthusiastically fond 

 of plants : it is happiness to see such a servant meet with such a master. 

 Mr. Bevis has constructed a pit here on quite a new plan : it has a span roof, 

 and the floor is placed on air-flues, for the purpose of keeping it perfectly dry, 

 and thus avoiding those damps which destroy so many young plants. The 

 flues communicate with the open air at the sides and ends of the pit, and are 

 left open all the year, except during very hot weather in summer, and frosts 

 in winter. Mr. Bevis, its inventor, has kindly promised us a plan of it ; and 

 we hope, also, to be able to give an elevation of Mr. Dalby's bee-case, and 

 plans, and other architectural details, of Mr. Bevis's cottage, as a suitable one 

 for head gardeners, who have their dwelling near a flower-garden. 



The Let/ton Nursery. — This nursery was established above a century ago, 



