England. By John Livingstone, Esq. 423 



days in a month, (say the eighth, eighteenth, and twenty- 

 eighth,) and they must besides pay eight dollars for their 

 chop, or permission to go thither. In these gardens may 

 be seen all the plants, for which a demand exists among the 

 Chinese themselves, but they will be found to consist of a 

 very small variety, comprehending only shewy or odorife- 

 rous plants, shrubs, and trees, and such fruit trees as are 

 commonly cultivated in their gardens. To these may be 

 added, abundance of dwarf trees, which the Chinese greatly 

 admire, and for some of which they are content to pay a very 

 high price. 



The soil of these gardens, and indeed of the banks of 

 the river, to a considerable distance, consists of a strong 

 alluvial clay. The plants are either kept in the ground, or 

 they are placed in pots, which are invariably filled with the 

 same kind of clay as the soil. The clay, at lesst on the 

 surface, both of the ground, and of the pots, is broken into 

 small cubical pieces of about half an inch in size. This 

 soil has, no doubt, many advantages in the climate of Can- 

 ton, where violent rains, and droughts of long continuance, 

 are very common : for the small lumps of clay do not rea- 

 dily coalesce and run together, in consequence of the rains, 

 or necessary waterings ; but it is very obvious that plants 

 so prepared, cannot be generally well suited for the pur- 

 pose of transportation. The rich Chinese commonly con- 

 tract with the proprietors of these nurseries, at a certain 

 price by the year, for a succession of plants, when in flower 

 or fruit, which, after being used, are returned, to make room 

 for others, in a fresher state, or of greater beauty. 



It is from these collections which I have described, that 



