HORTICULTURAL REPOSITORY. 



3 



Cor thirty years, had never so much as seen a single 

 specimen of the Cape Brocoli, previous to the present 

 season : and probably there are sever?.! who never yet 

 have heard of it. It is altogether a mistaken notion 

 which many entertain, that the extra price which the 

 products of every enterprising cultivator bring him, 

 will ever act as a sufficient inducement to ensure or ex- 

 tend our improvements ; for it is well known, that the 

 first achievers of most of our valuable improvements, 

 are rather losers in a pecuniary pointof view, which loss 

 it is the grand desiderata of a Society to make up by 

 the honorable award of their meed of praise — that'which 

 entitles such to the gratitude of a nation. The follow- 

 ing statement may serve as a clear illustration of the 

 above observations. 



About seven years ago, before the proper mode of 

 regulating the ci lcure of the Cape Brocoli to this cli- 

 mate, was rightly understood, the writer of this lost the 

 crop of a quaiter of an acre of it, by sowing the seed 

 and planting out too early. In another quarter of an 

 acre of the same soil, and from the same seed, sown 

 and planted two weeks later, he had a good crop. But 

 what will the theorist think, when he is informed that 

 out of thirty vegetable stands in the Washington mar- 

 ket, the holders of not more than two or three of them 

 ■would purchase it at all ; and that at whatever price 

 ■■they pleased to offer. Its qualities being then known 

 only to few, it was seldom enquired for ; and purcha- 

 sers pay so little notice to the encomiums of hucksters, 

 on articles they are themselves not acquainted with, 

 their first introduction is oftener attended with loss than 

 gain to the grower. But to proceed : on this last 

 quarter of an acre, there were some flowers produced 

 from a plant or two, of a white variety, that measured 

 thirty inches in circumference. This was considered 

 an irresistible inducement to give it a trial upon a wi- 

 der scale ; and the next spring I obtained a quantity of 

 the very best seed, of the white sort, with which I plant- 

 ed about a quarter of an acre ; but not one of them ev- 

 er produced a single flower. Such disappointments, 

 every enterprising improver in horticulture is liable to. 

 And what has been thus explained concerning the Cape 

 Brocoli, is equally applicable to other similar improve- 

 ments, and clearly demonstrates the value of that spi- 

 rit of perseverance and enterprize, which it is the funda- 

 mental object of this Society to cherish and maintain; 

 and which from the liberal countenance and support 

 she receives from our enlightened citizens and ambi- 

 tious horticulturists, there is every reason to hope will 

 continue to be attended with the most beneficial con- 

 sequences to all, and that too at a very moderate rate of 

 contribution by the members. The establishment of a 

 botanical or horticultural garden, would add much eclat 

 to our name as a Society, and could not fail, if properly 

 managed, of being productive of much benefit to our 

 improvement in botanical science and refinement in ru- 



ral taste. And for these purposes it is an object much 

 to be desired ; yet it could never supersede the neces- 

 sity of a strict continuation of the past and present 

 mode of our Society's operations, which have already 

 been productive of a greater degree of improvement in 

 our valuable esculent vegetables, than such an estab- 

 lishment could effect in a length of time equal to the 

 age of Methusala. That noble spirit of emulation and 

 active industry which our Society maintains, is the 

 foundation of all our horticultural excellence. On our 

 boughs may be appended the garden of Eden, and 

 with such support as we have hitherto obtained from 

 these, she could never fall. As we are, we stand the 

 true though unornarnented oak of the forest; unaspi- 

 ring to the lofty attitude of the towering pine, not easi- 

 ly prostrated by the winter's blast, we anticipate the re- 

 volving period of a verdant spring. 



The following letter was politely handed to us by 

 Dr. Hosack. We are much pleased to record this 

 renewed instance of the courtesy existing among nat- 

 uralists of different countries. It also exhibits one of 

 the many instances in which the public are much in- 

 debted to learned and patriotic individuals, for the in- 

 troduction into our country of exotic plants, distinguish- 

 ed for beauty aud utility. Ed. 



Port Louis, Isle op France, ) 

 April 20th, 1827. ) 



Sir, — Agreeably to the wishes of my most valued 

 friend, Mr. Robert Barclay, of Bury Hill, in England, 

 I have the pleasure of forwarding to you by Capt. But- 

 ler, of the Dawn, of New- York, a parcel of the seeds 

 of this island and Madagascar, as well as some roots of 

 Monandrian plants of Nepaul, which I have no doubt 

 will reach you in good order, and add to the beauty of 

 your gardens. I also send some seeds of a plant of ex- 

 traordinary beauty and fertility, from the east coast of 

 Africa. It is a perennial cucurbitaceous plant, pro- 

 ducing a melon-shaped fruit of three feet long, filled 

 with seeds, such as I send. Sir James E. Smith, the il- 

 lustrious President of the Linnan Society, considers it 

 a ' Feuillea,' and has given it a specific name ' pedata ; ' 

 but we have reason here to believe, that the specimens 

 on which he formed his judgment were not sufficiently 

 developed, and that it will be found to be of a new ge- 

 nus, to which the name of Jollifea has been given by 

 Mr. Boger, our Professor of Botany at the College of 

 Mauretius. 



I have requested Capt. Butler also to take on board 

 a quantity of the seeds of the cotton plant of Seychelles, 

 so remarkable for the length, whiteness, strength, and 

 silkiness of its staple, in hopes that it may improve; 

 that article in the United States. 



He takes also some young fish of the genus ' Goav- 



