in Somersetshire, Devonshire, and Part of Cornwall. BBS 



34 acres, as the whole extent of the ground covered by the trees 

 and shrubs. The planting was commenced in the spring of the 

 year 1839, and continued in the spring of 1840. It would have 

 been better had the extent of ground been greater: but, as it is, it 

 was admirably arranged and planted by Mr. Glendinning, while 

 at Bicton; who has, both there, and in various articles which he 

 has written in the Gardener'' s Magazine, proved himself to be pos- 

 sessed of an excellent taste in landscape-gardening, as well as an 

 enthusiastic love of trees and shrubs. The plants in the arbo- 

 retum are judiciously disposed according to the space allotted to 

 them, but greater room to the trees would have been an advan- 

 tage, if it could have been obtained. It was a great step, 

 however, to have formed so new a feature as an arboretum at 

 all; and the merit of having accomplished so desirable an 

 object is, we believe, entirely due to Lady Rolle. We ex- 

 amined a great many of the plants individually, and found many 

 of them with wrong names, the inevitable consequence of the 

 present state of nomenclature in almost all the nurseries; some 

 species were dead, and, with regard to completeness, a number 

 wanting. The care of this arboretum is at present committed to 

 Messrs. Veitch and Son, who are taking measures to have all the 

 plants correctly named, and all the blanks and deficiencies sup- 

 plied. When this shall have been done, the collection, open as 

 it is to the inspection of the horticultural world, will be of ines- 

 timable value to the surrounding country. We cannot leave it 

 without noticing the very careful manner in which the plants 

 have been planted on raised hills of prepared soil, and carefully 

 staked and mulched, where staking and mulching were necessary. 

 The boundary of the arboretum on the side next the outer park is a 

 sunk fence, and on the inner side either a strained wire fence 

 or iron hurdles. The arrangement is according to the Natural 

 System, beginning near the house with the Clematidese, and 

 ending at the entrance to the walled flower-garden with the 

 Juniperinae. A green drive leads through the whole. Nothing 

 can be more perfect than the style in which every part of this 

 arboretum is kept; Messrs. Veitch and Son having six men con- 

 stantly employed mowing the grass, and mulching the dug 

 circles round the plants with it, as practised in the Derby Arbo- 

 retum (see our Volume for 1839, p. 539.); destroying weeds 

 as soon as they appear ; and removing dead leaves, suckers from 

 grafted plants, insects, decayed blossoms, &c. One great beauty 

 of the Bicton arboretum is, that every tree and shrub which it 

 contains may be seen, and the name on its label read, by a per- 

 son while sitting in a carriage, and driving through it along the 

 green walk. 



There is a drive through a pine wood to a prospect tower, 

 (the latter the best piece of architecture at Bicton,) which deserves 



