about the best : — Aclhatocia cydonioefolia ; Allaman- 

 da cathartica ; Angelonia Gardneriana ; Aphelandra 

 Gliiesbrechtii ; (Escbynanthus, any of the species ; 

 Centradenia floribunda and rosea ; Chirita sinensis ; 

 Clerodendronfallax ; Cypripedium venustum ; Eu- 

 phorbia splendens and Jacqninseflora; Poinsetta 

 pulcherrima; Franciscea exima ; Gesneria elongata 

 and zebrina ; HetBrocentron, rose and the white ; 

 Justicea carnea ; Cyrtanthera roagnifica; Lasiandra 

 splendens; Pleroma Benthamiana ; Mandevillse 

 suaveolens ; Meyenia erecta ; Medinilla magnifica ; 

 Muss^nda frondosa ; Porphyrocoma lanceolata ; 

 Eussellia juncea ; Stephanophysum Baikeii ; Thyr- 

 sacanthus rutilans. 



{Jommunirefions, 



GARDEN VISITS. 

 BY THE EDITOR. 



Travelling from Philadelphia towards New York, 

 a little over three hours brings us to Eiizabethtown, 

 New Jersey, and about five minutes walk from the 

 station is the Nursery of 



D. D. Buchanan, son-in-law to the late William 

 Beid, under whose management the nurseries ob- 

 tained a world wide reputation. Mr. Dole, who lor 

 so many years was superintendent under the late 

 proprietor, we found still at his post, and the busi- 

 ness therefore carried on much as Mr. Beid had it. 

 The beautiful lav.^n'-^ roads, and hedges which, with 

 the scrupulous neatness ot all things which made 

 the place so famous, were not quite so apparent as 

 in times past, but this was no doubt owing to the 

 pecuHar wet season, which has in so many nurseries 

 disarranged the usual routine of labor. The variety 

 of the collections is still kept up and the quality 

 well m.aintained, — additions of new things being 

 regularly made as has always been done here. 



The hedges, which so many go to see, are beau- 

 tiful specimens. The Osage and Honey Locust still 

 prove the best protective kinds. The Hornbeam 

 and the Beech beautiful ones of an ornamental and 

 very strong. Amongst the evergreens. White Cedar, 

 Hemlock and Arbor- Vitas carry away the palm. 

 Amongst the rarer evergreens was a fine specimen 

 of Taxodliim sempervircns^ the red wood of Cali- 

 fornia. In most cases it is not hardy in the east, 

 but here and there one v/ith an extra hardy consti- 

 tution survives, and when it does it is as in this 

 case a valuable prize to the proprietor. A few miles 

 from the old grounds, Mr. Buchanan has some fifty 

 acres put into nursery stock within the last two 

 yeaiij. Here are found a very large stock qf dwarf 



and standard Pears, Cherries, Apples, &c., with 

 many thousands of young evergreens all in first-rate 

 condition. 



Elizabethtown when we last saw it was a town 

 which appeared to have finished its growth, but it 

 has since made a new effort, and has become a 

 suburb of New York. Taking advantage of compara- 

 tively low prices as compared with New York, and 

 the rapidity and frequency of railroad communica- 

 tion, many men buy and build here who do business 

 in the city ; new buildings in first styles are therefore 

 abundant, and Landscape gardening therefore pros- 

 perous. 



Evergreen Cemetery on the west of the town 

 is a much more prettily arranged place than most 

 country burial places. To us, however, its chief 

 interest was as the last resting place of William 

 Beid, one of ourearhest and best frien^ds, and whose 

 memory as an active and useful Horticulturist will 

 long live in the land. A neat shaft erected by him- 

 self over his deceased wife marks also his own grave. 

 A circular tract, enclosed by a low and well dressed 

 hedge, encircling a well kept grass plat without any 

 other ornament, is a fitting tribute to one who so 

 much gloried in these natural beauties while alive. 

 Near the Cemetery was the nursery of 



John Hutchinson, rather a new beginner, but 

 exhibiting signs of growing prosperity. Mr. H. has 

 been a gardener in some of the best places about New 

 York, but like most first class gardeners ultimately 

 concluded to row his own boat, and launch out into 

 the commercial sea. His chief branches appear to 

 be cut flowers, bedding plants, and such small shrubs 

 and stock as would suit cemetery purposes. He 

 prided himself much on his Geraniums, and Yerbe- 

 nas ; many seedlings of the last were really of first- 

 class excellence. Amongst the bouquet plants in 

 use here we found an old acquaintance the Santo- 

 Una Chamoecyparis, a first-rate thing with finely 

 cut foliage like a Chamomile, to which family, 

 although a shrub, the plant belongs. Arriving next 

 morning in New York we prepared to see the 

 GreatAmerican Institute StrawberryShow, 

 but the plant proved to have imperfect blossoms,and 

 through not being properly fertilized by the Director 

 variety, which is generally found the best for that 

 purpose, the whole thing proved "bogus," and 

 there was no fruit to see ; so to smother our disap- 

 pointment we took the boat to Flushing to seek that 

 comfort from Flora, Pomona had denied to us. — 

 Near the depot in Flushing is the nursery of 



Parsons & Co., one of the old time nurseries, 

 and still maintained in the highest order of nursery 

 excellence. In many establishments we find a few 



