HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 285 



river seems like a quiet lake shut in by the turn at Laurel Hill. The walk 

 to Manayunk, about four miles further, is varied and picturesque ; a rich 

 wood above the Fall's bridge well repays exploration. Here we found, last 

 spring Orchis spectabilis and, Corollorhiza verna. 



Crossing at Manayunk, a walk of two miles brings us to the mouth of the 

 Wissahickon. On the river side below the creek is a steep wood where are 

 many beautiful plants ; along the river grows the Tradescantia virginica; 

 the Qommelyna angu-stifolia, the type of the natural order to which Trades- 

 cantia belongs is now in bloom and forms masses which in cultivation would 

 almost rival beds of Plumbago Larpentse — having here filled our "botany 

 box," we made a strait walk for home, doing the six or seven miles at a 

 pace which gave us an excellent appetite for dinner. We hope soon to be 

 up further among the limestone rocks, where JPteris atropurpy,rea, and 

 Camptosorus and Aspelenium pumatifidum are now in fruit — if we see any- 

 thing worth recording, we may give a notice of it. 



THE ORCHID HOUSE AT SPRINGBROOK. 



Dear Sir : — The glazing of this house is not exactly the same as des^ 

 cribed in "Florist," No. 8, vol. I., and which is there termed the AmerU 

 can system. It was originally on the old putty system, but in spite of great 

 care would leak with every thaw. In the spring of 1852, all the putty 

 that could be got out was removed, and its place painted over. This being 

 fround to answer admirably, all the putty was subsequently taken out, and 

 the glass merely painted in, the loose ones being first tack'd in with tin 

 glazing sprigs — with the exception of the glass laing on the old putty, the 

 house is correctly as you described it. It appears to be entirely without 

 putty to all but close observers. Though our glazing originated from ne- 

 cessity and not from imitation, I was subsequently made acquainted with 

 the fact of houses being frequently glazed on this system in the neighbour^ 

 hood of Boston. I believed the Florist had the merit of first making this 

 system known, till I afterwards found that it properly belonged to Hovey's 

 magazine-, one gentleman denies even this, and is "surprised at our igno- 

 rance." His "surprise" adds nothing material to my information. I would 

 thank him much more for a reference to the journal in which the system I 

 styled American, was published previously to Hovey's account. 



Thomas Meehan. 



