274 
NOTES ON THE FLORA OF AMERICA 
was no sign of growth amongst the flower gardens of the 
district; all were grown under glass, and realised from Is. to 
2s. each blossom in the shops. 
Our first impression of the American landscape was its 
similarity to our English scenery, being composed of trees, 
shrubs, flowers, and grass, most of which from a distance 
looked about the proportion, size, and colour of those at 
home ; but on closer examination every one seemed a little 
different in some detail or other, the trees differed in species, 
the flowers in form and colour, and even the grasses, which 
were mostly coarser than ours. Perhaps a few illustrations 
from some of our commonest and best known flowers will 
best enable us to realise this difference. 
The nurserymen seem to grow most of our greenhouse 
flowers, and to about the same state of perfection ; but the 
private conservatories appear to be much neglected ; the 
“ mighty dollar” evidently engrosses the attention of “ pater¬ 
familias.” But the alteration of climate makes a great 
change in out-door flowers; they have a far greater amount of 
heat in the summer and a much more intense frost in the 
winter than we ever get. Hence a number of plants which 
do well with us die directly with them ; for instance, we 
consider the ivy a common hardy plant, but it dies if exposed 
to their winter frosts, and they cultivate it in pots to 
ornament their houses and train round the inside of their 
windows. Again, the most common—and by the children the 
most prized—of flowers is the English daisy, Beilis perennis. 
But although I looked carefully, I never saw one in America ; 
I suppose the winter kills them, and even if they survive the 
frost, the drought of August would kill them. Once I thought I 
had found one, but on gathering it it was quite a different 
plant (Aster spectabilis ), but 1 have laid it before you to-night 
that you may see how very much the blossom resembles our 
pretty English daisy. 
Now, on the other hand, the garlic is not very common 
with us, while it has been taken over from Europe to New 
York, and has now spread for 200 miles inland and grows as 
common there as grass. The hawthorn was also absent, their 
hedges being made of other shrubs near the towns, but in the 
country either by trees cut from the forests forming a “ snake” 
fence or by galvanised wire, certainly not very picturesque, 
however economical it may prove to the farmer. The golden 
buttercups were scarce but I gathered four different kinds, but 
none grew in the rich profusion of our field buttercup. 
I was much charmed with the beauty of the peach 
blossoms ; near Baltimore large tracts of land are given up 
