51 1 HORTICULTURAL TOUR. 



seed saved by himself. His quarters of spinage, lettuce, 

 celery, sea-cale, &c. were very [extensive. The whole 

 grounds are really managed in a most superior manner. Mr 

 Grange is of Scottish origin, his father being from May- 

 bole in Ayrshire. 



Mr Grange kindly accompanied us to Messrs Loddiges 

 and Sons, nurserymen, Hackney. The extent of glass 

 here is little short of 1000 feet, and forms three sides of a 

 square. It is all heated by steam, from one large oblong 

 boiler, 11 feet by 4, of malleable iron. The houses are 

 wholly applied to the propagation and rearing of green- 

 house and hot-house plants ; and these were in the very 

 best condition. It was undoubtedly the most complete 

 establishment of this kind we had seen in our tour. The 

 houses in general are narrow ; there is, however, a wide 

 and lofty one in the north range, chiefly for palms, in 

 which are two or three turns of the steam-flue. This is 

 probably the largest collection of palm-trees in Europe; 

 and several of the species are hitherto non-descript. Musa 

 superba is a truly grand specimen, and Cocos fusiformis 

 is also very fine. The Asplenium nidus from Java, one of 

 the rarest of the fern-tribe, may here be seen. Several 

 kinds of epidendrum are successfully cultivated, by plant- 

 ing them in split cocoa nuts, surrounded with sphagnum. 

 Behind this palm-house the boiler is placed, and from 

 thence one steam-pipe runs round the whole range. In the 

 middle of the south side of the range there is another wide 

 house, entirely filled with double camellias, of which they 

 enumerate seventeen varieties *. It may be mentioned, that 



• In July 1821, I had an opportunity of viewing a splendid new conser- 

 vatory, ^hich had recently before been erected here, under the direction of 

 Mr Bailey, No. 272. Holhorn. It combines much lightness and elegance of 

 appearance with the durability resulting from the nature of the material em* 



