64 
the finest specimens to be seen either in the United States or in Europe. 
It has very large leaves, and where it thrives, is a stately and very 
distinct tree. Mr. Meehan informs me that this specimen was 15 years 
old, and as it was fully 30 feet high its hardiness and its value as an 
ornamental tree seem sufficiently proved as far as the neighbourhood of 
Philadelphia is concerned. A beautiful specimen of a very distinct 
weeping variety of Prunus serotina was also noted. A fastigiate form 
of Picea Engelmanni with very glaucous leaves was especially note- 
worthy ; it is a compact, dense pyramid about eight feet high, and 
altogether i is one of the most distinct and interesting conifers of recent 
introduction, the Germantown specimen was produced from a graft 
ren by Mr. Meehan from the timber-line on Gray’s Peak in 
Colora 
Up Mie side of the house and up to the top of a flag-pole at the end 
of the gable a plant of Akebia quinata had climbed and formed a 
Clethra Rosen I had seen. Asimina triloba, 
grows wild in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia; in the nursery were 
nice ratio bushes ll trees. Pueraria thunbergiana, a 
name of Dolichos japonicus, is here grown as a tall pillar plant, a 
column of greenery 15 feet high producing in August numerous dense 
recemes of sweet-scented flowers s; in colour the standard is red with a: 
Herde base and the wings are maroon. Big cherry trees, the stems 
girthing about 18 feet and tall in proportion, are striking objects here ; 
they originated as seedlings from imported trees. 
agnus parvifolia makes a good hedge plant, and so also, in this 
neighbourhood, does the Osage orange, Maclura aurantiaca. Loni 
cera japonica clothes wire fencing with a thick growth and flowets 
profusely ; ; when in flower it is constantly visited by humming birds. 
There is a good collection of the best herbaceous plants. Hibiscus 
grandiflorus, a noble species, with large blossoms, white, with a blood- 
coloured eye, was in flower at the time of my visit. Helianthus 
doronicoides, a species not generally known, was also noted as specially 
good ; it grows from four to five feet high, and has foliage very te 
from that of any other sunflower 
ermantown.— The streets of this suburb of Philadelphia are clean 
and well-planted, and every tree lover who can do so should see them. 
A 100 years ago the le here were interested in trees, and intro- 
duced = planted considerable numbers of rare species. The first 
botanical garden in new world, the ous Bartram garden, now 
dedicat to the publie use through the efforts of Mr. Meehan, is not 
far from here, and in every old garden near Germantown there are 
numbers of interesting trees. On the lawn of Dr. Dunton's house is a 
splendid Pecan hiekory (Carya oliveformis), about 90 feet high ; this 
tree was raised from a nut brought rom Arkansas by Thomas Nuttall. 
A garden just opposite contains many remarkable -— Through 
the courtesy of the owner, Miss Haines, we were allowed to wander 
through it. The house had a very English aspect, boing clothed with 
ivy, Jasminum nudiflorum, honeysuckle, &c.; it was one of the first 
ouses built in Germantown, and a former member of Miss Haines's 
family found the money to send Nuttall on his Arkansas mp The 
