By Mr. William Smith. 



140 



been very much reduced, by careful selection, and now 

 amounts to sixty, whose names and characters are hereinafter 

 given. 



The collection was originally formed by small accessions 

 from various friends of the Society, whose names, wherever 

 their plants have been preserved, will be mentioned in the 

 places where they are described. Additions from different 

 persons have been also recently made, but the supplies of the 

 greatest extent have come from the garden of Mr. Arie Cor- 

 nelis Van Eeden, of Haarlem ; from Mr. David Douglas, 

 Gardener to Lady Grantham, at Putney Hill, who has been 

 fortunate in producing many excellent varieties; and from 

 William Wells, Esq. of Redleaf, near Tonbridge, in Kent, 

 whose peculiar success in raising some of the most valuable 

 kinds I shall have occasion hereafter to notice. The Dutch 

 collection of Mr. Van Eeden, having been obtained by means 

 of his extensive connections from different countries, has been 

 supposed to contain as many splendid varieties as are to be 

 found in any other public nursery. The kinds obtained from 

 the Putney Hill and the Redleaf gardens nearly all originated 

 at those two places, 



In making the descriptions, attention has been paid to the 

 habit of the plant, as well as to the colour and disposition 

 of the flower. With respect to the heights of the several 

 varieties, those given are what they obtained in the Chiswick 

 garden; in other soils and situations they may differ in 

 this point, but they will probably preserve the relative pro- 

 portion indicated by the heights here recorded. 



Before I proceed to the descriptions, it will be necessary 



