830 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 26. 
begin by extracting from it a notice of the Hong-Kong 
gardens. The volume we thus praise and quote is Mr. 
Fortune’s Visit to the Tea Districts of China and India. 
“ I have always thought that, although various causes may 
operate to render Hong-Kong unhealthy, yet one of the 
principal reasons is the absence of trees and of the shade 
which they afford. In a communication which I had the 
honour of making to the Government here, in 1844, I 
pointed out this circumstance, and strongly recommended 
them to preserve the wood then growing upon the island 
from the Chinese, who were in the habit of cutting it down 
annually, and at the same time to plant extensively, par¬ 
ticularly on the sides of the roads and on the lower hills. 
1 am happy to say that those recommendations have been 
carried out to a certain extent, although not so fully as I 
had wished. It is well known that a healthy vegetation, 
such as shrubs and trees, decomposes the carbonic acid of 
the atmosphere, and renders it lit for respiration ; besides 
which there is a softness and coolness about trees, parti¬ 
cularly in a hot climate, that is always agreeable. 
“ Many of the inhabitants have taken up the matter with 
great spirit, and have planted all the ground near their 
houses. Some of them have really beautiful gardens. I I 
may instance those of Ilis Excellency the Governor, at 
“ Spring Gardensof Messrs. Dent and Co., at “Green 
Bank;” and of Messrs. Jardine and Matheson, at “East 
Point." In order to give some idea of a Hong-Kong garden 
I shall attempt to describe Messrs. Dent’s, which was then 
in the possession and under the fostering care of Mr. 
Braine:— 
“ This garden is siLuated on the sloping sides of a valley, 
near the bottom of one of the numerous ravines which are 
seen on the sides of the Hong-Kong hills. It is near the 
centre of the new town of Victoria, and is one of its greatest 
ornaments. On one side nothing is seen but rugged 
mountains and barren hills, but here the eye rests upon a 
rich and luxuriant vegetation, the beauty of which is greatly 
enhanced by the contrast. 
“ Every one interested in Chinese plants has heard of the 
garden of the late Mr. Beale, at Macao, a friend of Mr. 
Reeves, and like him an ardent botanical collector. Nearly 
the whole of the English residents left Macao and went to 
Hong-Kong when that Island was ceded to England, and 
all the plants in Mr. Beale’s garden which could be moved 
with safety were brought over in 1845, and planted in the 
garden at “ Green Bank.” 
“ On entering the garden at its lower side there is a wide 
cliunamed walk, leading in a winding manner up the side of 
the hill, in the direction of the house. On each side of this 
walk are arranged the trees and shrubs indigenous to the 
country, as well as many of the fruits, all of which grow 
most luxuriantly. Ficus nitida, the Chinese banyan, grows 
on the right hand side, and promises soon to form a beau¬ 
tiful tree. This is one of the most valuable trees for orna¬ 
mental purposes met with in the south of China; it grows 
rapidly, with but little care, its foliage is of a glossy green 
colour, and it soon affords an agreeable shade from the 
fierce rays of the sun, which renders it peculiarly valuable 
in a place like Hong-Kong. The India-rubber tree ( Ficus 
clastica) also succeeds well in the same part of the garden, 
but it grows much slower than the species just noticed. 
On the other side of the main walk I observed several 
specimens of the Indian “ neem ” tree (Melia Azedarach), 
which grows with great vigour, but is rather liable to have 
its branches broken by high winds, owing to the brittle 
nature of the wood. This defect renders it of less value 
than it would otherwise be, particularly in a place so liable 
to high winds and typhoons. This same Melia seems to be 
found all round the world in tropical and temperate lati¬ 
tudes ; I believe it exists in South America, and I have seen 
it in Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, the Straits, and 
in the south and north of China, at least as far north as the 
31st degree of north latitude. Amongst other plants worthy 
of notice in this part of the garden are the Chinese cinna¬ 
mon, the pretty Aylaia odoratn, and Murraya exotica, both 
of which are very sweet scented, and much cultivated by the 
Chinese. Two specimens of the cocoa-nut palm imported 
from the Straits are promising well. Other fruits—such as 
tile loquat ( Eriobotrya Japonica), the Chinese gooseberry 
(Averrhoa Carambola), the wangpee ( Cookio punctata), and 
the longan and leecliee—are all succeeding as well as could 
be expected, considering the short time they have been 
planted. The Pinus sinensis, which is met with on the 
sides of every barren hill, both in the south and north of 
China, and which is generally badly used by the natives, 
who lop oft' its under branches for fuel, is here growing as 
it ought to do. The Chinese have been prevented, not 
without some difficulty, from cutting off the under branches, 
and the tree now shows itself in its natural beauty. It does 
not seem to grow large, but in a young state, with its fine 
green foliage reaching to the ground, it is not unhandsome. 
“As the main walk approaches the terrace on which the 
house stands, it turns to the right, between two rows of 
beautiful yellow bamboos. This species of bamboo is a 
very striking one, and well worthy of attention in England ; 
the stems are straight, of a fine yellow colour, and beauti¬ 
fully striped with green, as if done by the hand of a first- 
rate artist. I sent a plant of it to the Horticultural Society 
in 1844. 
“ At the bottom of the terrace on which the house stands 
there is a long narrow bamboo avenue, which is called the 
“ Orchid Walk.” This always affords a cool retreat, even at 
mid-day, as the rays of the sun can only partially reach it, 
and then they are cooled by the dense foliage. Here are 
cultivated many of the Chinese orchids, and other plants 
which require shade; amoing them I observed Pliaius 
yrandifolius, Cymbidium sinense and aloifolium, Aerides odo- 
ralum, Vanda multiflora and teretifolia, llenanthera coccinea, 
Fernandezia ensifolia, Arundina sinensis, Habenaria Susanna, 
a species of Cypripedium, and Spaihoglottis Fortuni. ’There 
are also some other plants, such as Clarita sinensis, the 
“ man-neen-cliuug ” (a dwarf species of Lycopodium, highly 
prized by the Chinese), and various other things, which, 
taken altogether, render this shaded “ Orchid Walk ” a spot 
of much interest. 
“Above the “ Orchid Walk” is a green sloping bank, on 
which are growing some fine specimens of bamboos, Poin 
ciana pulcherrima, myrtles, Gardenias, oleanders (which 
thrive admirably in China), Croton variegatum and piclum, 
Magnolia fuscata, Oleafragrans, Dracama ferrea, and Buddlea 
Lindlcyana. The latter was brought down from Cliusan by 
me in 1844, and is now common in several gardens on the 
island, where it thrives well, and is almost always in bloom, 
although the flower-spikes are not so fine as they are in a 
colder climate. A large collection of plants in pots are 
arranged on each side of the broad terrace in front of the 
mansion. These consist of camellias, azaleas, roses, and 
such plants as are seen in the Fa-tee gardens at Canton; 
many of the pots are prettily painted in the Chinese style, 
and placed upon porcelain stands." 
The following is a list of the Horticultural and 
Poultry Shows of which we aro at present aw r are. We 
shall be obliged by any of our readers sending us ad¬ 
ditions to the list, and giving the address of the Se¬ 
cretaries. 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
Abf.rdeenshiee, Sept. 17. (Sec. G. Reid.) 
Allendale, Sept. 11th. (Secs., G. Dickinson and G. J. 
French.) 
Bath, Sept. 10th. (Sec. II. T. St. John Maule, Esq.) 
Bridgewater, Sept. 22. (Secs., Mr. J. Leaker and Mr. 
J. Hayward.) 
Brigg, Sept. 15th. (Sec. Mr. D. Nainby, Jun.) 
Bury St. Edmunds, Sept. 10 (Abbey); Nov. 20 (Chry¬ 
santhemums). (Sec. G. P. Clay, Esq ) 
Caledonian (Inverleitli Row), Edinburgh, Sept. 2, Dec. 2. 
Cheltenham, Aug. 20. 
Chepstow, Sept. 14. ( Sec. J. F, Ilartland.) 
Clapham, Sept. 11. 
Colchester and East Essex, Sept. 8, at the Rev. T. 
Round’s grounds, Holly Trees, All Saints. 
Coventry and Warwickshire, Aug. 31st. (Sec. Dr. 
Phillips.) 
Dumfries and Galloway, Sept. 9th. (Sec. Mr. W. G. 
Johnstone.) 
