86 
A FEW FACTS CONNECTED WITH WHAT ARE TERMED AMERICAN PLANTS. 
limb of five nearly equal rounded segments ; they are bright brick-red, inclining to orange, especially at the base, 
the limb spotted with deeper red. From Panama. Introduced in 1847. Flowers in autumn. 
Rhododendron jasminiflorum, Hooker. Jasmine-flowered Rhododendron (Hot. Mag., t. 4524).—Kat. Ord., 
Ericaceae, § Rhododendreae.—A heautiful small evergreen shrub, requiring probably a warm greenhouse. The 
branches are bare of leaves below, but towards the upper part these are crowded; they are obovate-oblong, rather 
acute on short petioles, glabrous, nearly coriaceous. The flowers are numerous in terminal umhels; they are 
salver-shaped; the tube two inches long, straight, scarcely swollen at the base, the limb of five obovate wavy, 
spreading, nearly equal lobes ; they are white, and have a most beautiful appearance from the coloured eye formed 
by the cluster of red stamens which appear in the mouth of the tube. From Malacca: Mount Ophir, elevation 
5,000 feet. Introduced by Mr. T. Lobb, in 1848. Flowers in September and in May. Messrs. Veitch, of 
Exeter. 
<51 
A FEW FACTS CONNECTED WITH WHAT ARE TERMED AMERICAN PLANTS. 
By Mr. R. ERRINGTON. C.M.H.S., Gardener to Sir P. M. Egerton, Bart., Oulton Park. 
a 
f T must be a most gratifying fact to every lover of true progress, to witness in these our days, barrier 
after barrier thrown down, and with a magical rapidity, too, with which the ignorance and pre¬ 
scriptive conceits of former times had fenced out many objects in horticulture. I do not, however, by 
any means make the observation as a mere jeer on the by-gone age, which, undoubtedly, fully per¬ 
formed the part allotted to it, as a link in the great chain of time. Nevertheless, ignorance it was; 
and the high-starched pomposity of time-honoured prescriptions, of course, came in for no mean share 
in continuing such barriers. 
Time was, when the class termed American plants had their culture closely confined to what was 
termed 44 bog culture,” that is to say, it was considered futile to attempt to cultivate them in any other 
kind of soil. The idea of examining its component parts, in order to see if such materials as it might 
be composed of could be brought together, in order to form an economical and efficient representative, 
had scarcely entered the thoughts of our sires, or if it had done so, merely to be rejected as visionary. 
Thanks, however, to the progress of science, which has now been brought to influence, more or less, 
every proceeding of the day, together with an amount of investigation and perseverance unknown in 
previous ages, such matters have become stripped of the mystery which enshrined them; and, in con¬ 
sequence, many materials within the reach of every one, and which in former days were totally wasted, 
are now known to be capable of forming an excellent artificial compost for this charming tribe of 
plants. Hence, we find their culture progressively on the increase, and the time has arrived, when even 
our ordinary pleasure grounds need not be confined to the dull and sombre Laurel, the Holly, the Yew, 
&c., but may be made to display, through most of the summer, floral beauties selected from the fast in¬ 
creasing families of the Rhododendron, the Azalea, &c. 
Now, it is not merely the gratification of the eye which is the result of this simplification, and, by 
consequence, extension of such charming objects. No, the mind in looking back, rejoices with a proud 
satisfaction, in reflecting on the increased assurance of success, which has resulted from bringing true 
science to bear on horticultural affairs, as also on the fact, that thousands now enjoy such luxuries 
as were never anticipated in former days, by those in a similar position in society. 
I am aware, while offering these remarks, that a book has been written of late on the very subject 
—a book, by the by, which I have not yet been able to see—and I am aware that some other persons 
have recently done their best to throw increased light on the subject. Still, as I have been a long 
and attentive observer as well as admirer of these fine shrubs, together with their habits, I make bold 
to offer a few T hints, and to give a detail of some facts bearing on the subject. Besides, there is 
nothing like multiplied evidence, until a question is fully established—when matters before of a hypo¬ 
thetical character, frequently become, as it were, mere truisms. 
And first, as to a detail of some facts bearing on their culture :—About two years since, in conse¬ 
quence of some alterations in the gardens here, an old rubbish-yard, situated in the suburbs of the 
kitchen garden, had to be turned over to the ornamental portion of the grounds. Now this yard 
was full of the remains of rotten vegetables, and indeed, some in an undecomposed state. An elevated 
mound of American shrubs had to be planted on this site, in order to carry out certain objects ; and 
the higher the mound the better. The first proceeding w r as to burn or rather char all the raw vege¬ 
table matter, and such being done, and the rubbish of the yard generally, thrown into shape and 
equalized, a coating of coarse-looking clayey matter happening to be the nearest commodity, was 
spread over the surface, about a foot thick. This clayey material was subsoil, from clayey lands, 
yet not so adhesive, but that it would crumble with working. Next we applied several loads of leaf 
