THE AMERICAN EDITION. 
ix 
derive enjoyment from excitement, and the glare of wealth, may 
smile at this conceit, but to us it is as sure an evidence of a re- 
fined mind, as the exquisite texture of the hangings, or the mir- 
ror-like purity of the glass. 
It is gratifying to be able to say that Philadelphia leads in hor- 
ticultural taste; none can witness the display of rare and beauti- 
ful garden products, at the monthly and annual exhibitions of the 
P. H. Society, and the thousands of delighted visiters, without 
conviction that, though much remains to be done, much,. very 
much, has been accomplished ; whether this perception of floral 
beauty, which exists among us, has been formed in a measure 
by the facility with which it may be gratified, or that that capa- 
city has created the ample means for its enjoyment, admits of 
question ; perhaps they have mutually reacted ; certain however 
it is that the well-kept private gardens, and choice collection of 
plants, in and around the city, are very numerous, and on the 
increase. 
Philadelphia, may emphatically be termed the Plant Mart of 
the Union, for within the bounds of the county are accumulated, 
there' can be no doubt, a greater number and variety of plants, 
for sale, than can be found in any other spot in America; and it is 
the source from which much of the distant demand is supplied. 
Two of the oldest Nursery establishments in the Union, Bar- 
tram’s Botanic Garden and the Landreth Nurseries, exist 
in its vicinity, and a multitude of young and thriving establish- 
ments, mainly devoted to the culture of exotics, have been formed 
within the last ten or fifteen years. 
If this little work, unpretending as it is, shall have the effect 
to. extend a taste for horticulture, or induce reflection on the 
pleasure its pursuit may give, a leading object in its republication 
in this country, will have been accomplished. 
Philadelphia, March, 1844. 
