20 6 
GARDEN-ENGINE.—-NORTHERN PLOWS FOR THE SOUTH. 
culture of the Chinese.” Amongst other things of 
interest, the author completely elucidates the history 
of the Chinese tea, having been an eye-witness of 
all the operations attending the culture and prepa¬ 
ration of this great article of commerce. He has 
established, beyond a doubt, the important fact, 
that black and green teas are both produced by the 
same plant; and that the difference in their quality 
depends entirely upon the manner of preparation. 
We will devote the remainder of this number to 
his highly interesting account of the flora of the 
island of Chusan. 
Chusan, in spring, is one of the most beautiful 
islands in the world. In the morning the grass 
sparkles with dew, the air is cool and refreshing, 
the birds are singing in every bush, and flowers 
are hanging in graceful festoons from the trees and 
hedges. 
The new plants of the island, some of which I 
had discovered in the preceding autumn, I now saw 
in flower for the first time. Early in spring the 
hill-sides were covered with a beautiful Daphne 
with lilac flowers ( Daphne fortuni , Lindl.); Azalea 
ovata, Lindl., certainly one of the finest and most dis¬ 
tinct plants of this kind which l have introduced, 
also grows wild on the hills, and was in full bloom 
at this period. A fine new Buddlea (jB. lindleyana) 
had a most graceful appearance, as its long spikes 
of purple flowers hung in profusion from the hedges 
on the hill-sides, often side by side with the well- 
known Glycine sinensis. Another plant, certainly 
one of the most beautiful shrubs of northern China, 
the Weigela rosea, was first discovered in the garden 
of a Chinese mandarin near the city of Tinghae on 
this island. This spring, it was loaded with its 
noble rose-colored flowers, and was the admiration 
of all who saw it, both English and Chinese. I 
have great pleasure in saying that all these plants 
and many others, natives of Chusan, are now grow¬ 
ing in our gardens in England. 
The flora of Chusan, and all over the main land 
in this part of the province of Chekiang, is very 
different from that of the south. Almost all. the 
species of a tropical character have entirely disap¬ 
peared, and in vheir places we find others related to 
those found in temperate climates in other parts of 
the world. I here met, for the first time, the beau¬ 
tiful Glycine sinensh wild on the hills, where it 
climbs among the hedges and on trees, and its 
flowering branches hang in graceful festoons by the 
sides of the narrow roads which lead over the 
mountains. The Ficus nitida, so common around 
all the houses and temples in the south, is here un¬ 
known ; and many of those beautiful flowering 
genera which are only found on the tops of the 
mountains in, the south, have here chosen less exalt¬ 
ed situations. I allude more particularly to the 
Azaleas which abound on the hill-sides of this 
island. Most people have seen and admired the 
beautiful azaleas which are brought to the Chiswick 
fetes, and which, as individual specimens, surpass 
in most instances those 'which grow and bloom on 
their native hills; but few can form any idea of the 
gorgeous and striking beauty of these azalea-clad 
mountains, where, on every side, as far as our 
vision extends, the eye rests on masses of flowers 
of dazzling^brightness and surpassing beauty. Nor 
is it the azalea alone which claims our admiration; 
clematises, wild roses, honeysuckles, the glycine, 
noticed above, and a hundred others, mingle their 
flowers with them, and make us confess that China 
is indeed the “ central flowery land.” There are 
several species of myrtaceous and ericaceous plants, 
which are also common on the hills, but no species 
of heath has ever been found, and I believe the 
genus does not exist in this part of the country. 
THE GARDEN-ENGINE. 
Fig. 43. 
The box of this engine, which holds 40 gallons, 
is placed on cast-iron -wheels, with handles attached, 
so that a man or a boy can move it about with 
ease. The calibre of the pump is 2\ inche^in dia¬ 
meter, and is mounted with double-acting valves 
and pistons, that will throw water, with the aid of 
one person, 70 feet horizontally, or to the height of 
40 feet. 
This engine is well calculated for watering gar¬ 
dens, washing windows, destroying vermin on 
trees and shrubbery, protecting buildings against 
fire from other buildings, &c. Soap-suds, or diluted 
gas-water, thrown by it on plants or trees, will de¬ 
stroy worms and insects. It will prove a very use¬ 
ful implement to horticulturists, and maybe service¬ 
able, in time of drought, for watering gardens, nur¬ 
series, &c. Price $40 to $50. 
NORTHERN PLOWS FOR THE SOUTH. 
A distinguished planter in Mississippi writes 
us, that he has a northern cast-iron plow, which he 
has used for four years, and that he has but just had 
occasion to put on a second point or share to it. 
We believe it cost him originally $6.00; and he 
adds, if it had cost me $20, it would have been 
cheaper than any home-made plow at $7. 
Look at the advantage, he writes, of possessing 
one like it. No sharpening, no mending, no laying, 
and no time lost in running to the blacksmith’s 
shop. One of our common plows would have cost 
the first year 75 cents for sharpening; $1.25 for 
loss of time going to the shop, &c. The second 
year, $1.75 for laying and sharpening, and $1.25 
for loss of time. The third year the same. Thus 
one team would have used up two plows ere this 
at $7 each, and $10 for expenses on them ; whereas 
my northern plow, with two or three more points, 
may last me four years longer. If all my tools 
were of this stamp, I could keep a set of two-horse 
and a set of one-horse plows, a set of cultivators, 
scrapers, bull-tongues, shovel-plows, &c.,not cost¬ 
ing over $150. I could thus employ more work¬ 
men, and my plows would not cost me over $20 
to $30 a year on an average. Now a set of our 
