288 
species of palms which we have now accumulated. And I have not 
hesitated to transfer to the Temperate House plants which I thought 
would probably endure a lower temperature. I did not expect to find, 
as has proved to be the case, that many of them luxuriated in the change. 
The Temperate House, as its name indicates, had previously been 
dedicated to the plants of warm temperate countries, which were 
incapable of surviving our English winter in the open air. It appeared 
to me that its interest might be gre wes enhanced by introducing freely 
into it sub-tropical types of vegetatior 
ow, nowhere have plants of this. kind been made the subject of ex- 
perimental cultivation on so vast a scale as on the Riviera. The 
exceptional conditions of its climate have tempted persons possessed of 
horticultural tastes and considerable wealth to try freely in the open air 
to the South of France to report upon what he was able to observe. To 
this the Board assented; and the result of Mr. Watson's mission is 
contained in the following pages. They are published in the hope that 
they may be useful to others beside the staff of the Royal Gardens. 
Moo. oe 13 
Rew , 25 November, 1889. 
The gardens of the Riviera have become rede for the large number 
of exotic plants, many of them even tropical, which are cultivated there. 
with astonishing success in the open air. Probably in no other part of 
Europe are the conditions so favourable to real and varied sub-tropical 
gardening as in that narrow strip of country which UE along the 
northern bordet of the M edterratdkn from Hyères to Gen 
Reports of what these gar — ontained have decirme foti time to 
time in horticultural and other journals ereeither too discursive 
or fragmentary to enable one to for m any correct dosi to what was grown 
and how it was accomplished. It was therefore decided that I should 
visit some of the principal gardens of the Riviera for the purpose of 
seein ng what succeeded best in somewhat similar conditions. This I 
accordingly di di in the latter part of October last, visiting as many 
gardens as possible between Hyères and Mentone in’ the fortnight at my 
dis 
The f following notes are intended to serve as a report on the mos 
pine. of the many tropical and sub-tropical plants noted during this 
journ 
sinite and other otiafttons beh Ms to this portion of the South of 
France. In the Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol. XVIII, p. 135 
(1880), is a paper by Professor Allman, M.D., F.R.S., on the natural 
vegetation of the Riviera, in which o one gets an excellent idea of the 
characteristic features of those parts which I visited. I take the liberty 
to quote from this paper the following paragraphs :— 
- “Nowhere in Europe is there a region which, in winter and spring, basks 
* under the rays of a more genial sun, where its mountain barriers more . 
* thoroughly defend it from the icy. winds which sweep over the ek 
_ © tected plains of the north ; and when the season of rains is at an 
* there spreads over all this sunny land an atmosphere of absolute 
Kee eese ae extreme southern boundary lie the 
