Chap. I. GARDENS OF FOREIGN RESIDENTS. 15 



attempt rearing vegetables on a large scale. He 

 introduced asparagus, which now succeeds admirably 

 at Shanghae, rhubarb, seakale, and all the vegetables 

 common in English gardens. He also raised the 

 strawberry from some seeds I sent him in 1846, and 

 large quantities of this fine fruit were seen for the 

 first time in Shanghae in the summer of 1850. The 

 ground about the town is too low and wet for the 

 growth of the potato, and hence no one has succeeded 

 in rearing what would be called a good crop of this 

 desirable vegetable. In the course of time, however, 

 when the cultivation is attempted in the higher parts 

 of the country, we may expect to get better potatoes 

 here than at Macao, although the latter are usually 

 most excellent. 



The English consul, Mr. Alcock, has also a good 

 vegetable garden on the grounds attached to the con- 

 sulate. There is a noble plant of the Glycine sinen- 

 sis in this garden, which flowers most profusely, and 

 becomes covered with its long legumes, or pea-like 

 fruit, which ripen to perfection. 



The two most beautiful ornamental gardens are 

 those of Mr. Beale and the Messrs. Mackenzie. Mr. 

 Beale's house, a fine square building of two stories, is 

 placed in the centre of the garden. In front is a fine 

 grass lawn, which extends from the house to the 

 boundary-wall near the river. Behind the house 

 there is another lawn surrounded with a dwarf orna- 

 mental wall. A wide gravel walk, leading from the 

 entrance to the back part of the garden, divides the 

 house from the business part of the premises. This 



