Hints for Improvements. 687 



by a gardener of the name of Hay, who was succeeded by Mr. Hill, who died 

 about three years ago; and it now belongs to his widow and daughters. There 

 is an ample stock of American articles in it of a large size, and some trees 

 and shrubs which are comparatively rare ; viz. a large specimen of Cratee^gus 

 laciniata, which has lately been introduced into the London nurseries, by 

 Mr. Booth of Hamburgh, and which was supposed new, but which must have 

 been in this nursery for seven years at least. The tree is 12ft. high, but has 

 not flowered. It appears to belong to tanacetifolia, or orientalis ; but the 

 leaves are larger than those of either of these sorts. Of Qu^rcus Banisten, or 

 the scrub oak, there are a good many plants ; of ^etula angulata, here, as in 

 some other nurseries, called the paper birch, there is a good stock j Photinia 

 serrulata, nyssa, and several other choice articles, abound. The variety of 

 red American oaks is very great. We were informed that the late Mr. Hill se- 

 lected them from the seed-beds, and planted them in rows as lines of separation 

 to different compartments, where they have attained the height of 20 ft. j and, 

 not being pruned so severely as at Messrs.Loddiges's, their depending branches 

 and foliage are of surpassing beauty. Of, perhaps, a hundred trees, there are 

 not two whose foliage is alike. When shall we have such oaks distributed 

 through the Regent's Park, and such thorns as are now to be seen in the 

 Horticultural Society's arboretum planted in Kensington Gardens ? C. tana- 

 cetifolia, odoratissima, Aronia, and orientalis, are now in the Chiswick arbo- 

 retum, and in the grounds of Fulham Palace, covered with ripe fruit, and in 

 very great beauty. Had we a hawthorn hedge by the roadside, we would 

 graft or bud all these, and thirty other sorts, as standards, at regular distances. 

 C. orientalis, which is considered by many to be exactly the same as C. odora- 

 tissima, differs from it in having stronger stiffer wood ; in not being nearly so fra- 

 grant when in blossom, and in having a deep port-wine-coloured fruit, instead of 

 a yellowish-red fruit, like that of odoratissima. The fruit is juicy, and not 

 bad to eat, though not so good as that of odoratissima ; and, taken altogether, 

 the variety is one of the most beautiful of the azarole division of thorns. 



Stamford Hill ; William Bromley, Esq. — A number of Australian trees have 

 stood out here during the last three or four winters. Several species of 

 eucalyptus have attained from 12 ft. to 16 ft. in height, and form beautiful 

 trees ; one of which we have, with the permission of Mr. Bromley, had drawn 

 for our Arboretum. The acacias, metrosideroses, melaleucas, and even the 

 banksias, have stood here remarkably well ; but the most beautiful Australian 

 tree which we have ever seen in England is in Mr. Bromley's grounds, and 

 apparently as hardy as a native : it is the Casuarina equisetifolia ; a symmetri- 

 cal stately little tree, 10 ft. high, as singular as it is beautiful. Mr. Bromley's 

 grounds are stocked with all the more rare and valuable exotic trees and 

 shrubs that will stand the open air in the neighbourhood of London : they 

 contain almost a complete arboretum ; and thus realise, in a great measure, 

 our beau ideal of what the grounds of a subm'ban villa residence ought to be. 

 We have been promised a list of the Australian trees which stand the open 

 air here, by Mr. Wilson, the gardener, with the number of years they have 

 been planted, their height, and whether they flower and ripen seeds, &c. ; and, 

 as soon as we receive it, we shall lay it before our readers. In the meantime, 

 we recommend all who can procure a plant of Casuarina equisetifolia to plant 

 it out in a dry sandy soil, and in an open airy situation, next spring. The 

 plant is by no means rare in the green-houses about London. — Cond. 



Art. V. Hints for Improvements. 



Scale for showing the comparative Hardiness of Trees. — There are many trees, 

 generally considered as hardy, which will not stand except in favourable situ- 

 ations ; and others, called tender, which do very v/ell occasionally in the open 



