THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Mabch 26, 1861. 
379 
first, as to Spergula pilifera , in winch I see you took much 
interest. Its hardiness we have tested thoroughly by exposure 
of all degrees in low grounds, where w r ater from melting snow 
would stand for weeks freezing and thawing, and completely 
covered with ice and water, and again on high ground exposed 
to cutting winds and drifting sand, with a marking of 15° below 
zero (Fahrenheit). In the latter case the lively green is dulled, 
but it speedily recovers with the return of spring. But, and 
alas ! our heats are too much for it in sandy districts, especially 
when planted in very small bits to get up stock, or when 
pricked out from seed-pans. I live in such a district; and a 
considerable plot pricked out in early spring last year, and 
covered from late frosts till well rooted, took hold finely, and 
covered the ground well, so that on my return in July last it 
was beautiful and promised well, but with the succeeding month 
very dry it burnt out in patches, turned brown, and looked a 
very eyesore. It threw up fresh green again from the roots 
with the full rains, but never recovered fairly, and now in early 
spring looks wretchedly. I shall give it one more trial from 
well-established plants in pots which may have sufficient strength 
over the pricked-out young stuff to withstand the summer ; but 
I have but little hope that it will answer on Long Island, 
although it may possibly do in other parts of the country where 
clay or loamy soil abounds. So you must expect that with a 
very hot or dry summer your lawn may disappoint you, although 
you so seldom are thus affected—so seldom, in fact, that it would, 
perhaps, be a blessing to the land, and the sacrifice of Spergula 
to the crops would be cheerfully made. It may be, however, 
that it would be so well established by your generally moist 
seasons, that an exceptional hot summer would not affect it. But 
if we lose Spergula, what think you of the same heats enabling 
us to bloom Victoria regia in the open ground ? This was 
accomplished last summer, and it will be but a short time now 
before our enterprising nurserymen and gentlemen can respond 
to a demand for the blossoms for table and drawing-room 
decoration whenever called upon, from July to October, and for 
a few shillings each, when grown for sale. Especially easy is 
this to be done in the neighbourhood of our large cities where 
basins and fountains are supplied from the large distributing 
reservoirs, the water in which with so slow an outward flow 
becomes too warm to drink without ice, but just the tempe¬ 
rature for a steady, warm stream for the noble Lily tribe, of 
which the Victoria is truly queen. 
“ I think the blooms and leaves I saw grown in this manner 
last summer exceeded any that I have ever seen in England. The 
reason (as I judge to be the case) is that our furnace needs no 
cooling, and the temperature is never dependant upon the care¬ 
lessness or sickness of its attendant, but is regular, and its 
variation is gradual and slow as the season. So you see the 
system of compensation rules with us as with you. If we have 
the heat of the Tropics, we can with a little enterprize enjoy 
its luxuriant vegetation. And while on the ‘ topic of the 
Tropics,’ I shall make an experiment this summer, which if 
successful, would almost entice you to visit us, as there is only 
a ten-days’ run between us now. In the fulness of summer on 
the shady bank of a pond amidst Ferns and Lilies I shall plunge 
a large number of Caladiums, in the full hope of blazing here 
and there with C. Cbantini, C. Baraquini, and 0. Belleymeii, with 
argyrites and Troubetski peeping up here and there, among 
sundry Begonias of silver and bronze, with Cannas and Gyne- 
rium, Palms, &c. (not the accursed Palmetto with its rattle¬ 
snake accompaniments). I have the plan and the place already, 
and I can see it in my mind’s eye alive as a tropical scene of 
beauty. Leaving out the alligators, will it not be worth seeing 
and trying for ? I have a large quantity of propagating going 
on now for this especial purpose, and the result will, I hope, be 
a success, especially if I can manage the Victoria among them. 
It will be the first trial here that I am aware of, and if you 
worild care to know how it turns out I will write you again. 
[Pray do and often.] 
“ My propagator has been very successful with the new bedding 
Geraniums, and, thanks to strong plants sent me by your old 
friends, the Hendersons, of Wellington Nursery, and Lowes, of 
Clapton, I shall have some thousands or so to start the beds 
with this season, and I hope to have a fine show in a moderate 
way. Golden Chain promises finely as a distinct edging 
variety, but we dare not trust it to our full sun, which burns up 
the variegated sorts. I shall try some of the new variegatas, 
however, in the full glare, in the hope to strike upon a sort that 
will bear it. I have for such purposes started an “ Experi- 
menta’ ” of my own for trials of all sorts, and a pretty mess I 
expect it will look—but it is hid from observant eyes. 
“ By-the-by, a package has just come to hand, a present from 
Hong Kong, of sixty varieties of flower seeds, all in small porcelain 
jars. The varieties all per list in Chinese characters (much 
good to me truly) ; these will have a corner, but not much 
trouble I assure you, for I presume your collectors have sup¬ 
plied us long ago with all desirable novelties. I have not 
forgotten the tasteful examples which I had the pleasure and 
privil?ge of seeing in the Surbiton Experimental Grounds ; and 
as our climate is again unfortunately against the culture of Ivy, 
I have improvised a substitute for the Ivy baskets for the lawn, 
and shall use an Ivy-leaved plant which grows very rapidly, 
and roots from the cuttings as easily as Verbenas, and bears no 
flowe', which is just the thing. It bears the name here of 
Germ in or Parlour Ivy, leaf light green, and not hardy. It is 
Ivy, however, and I can find no one who can name it; but I 
think it is of the Maurandya species. It will grow 20 feet in a 
season if wanted, and stand any quantity of heat, and last 
summer completely enveloped the rough trunks of some old 
Locust trees on my place, by the aid of something to cling to. 
Do you know it? [Yes, it is Ipomcea hedercefolia.'] A botanist 
on w'lom I rely calls it Bryonia, but it does not accord with the 
description of that genus. I have twice imported the Gazania 
splen lens from Hendersons’, but lost it both times on the way, 
and they write me that it does not seed; yet Carter’s cata¬ 
logue just to hand offers seed for sale. How is this ? [Probably 
it seeds in Italy.] 
“ And now, lest I forget it, let me add my testimony about 
Cala Hum Belleymei. This I consider the finest of all the tribe, 
and, ; side from the Alocasia metallica, which I never look at 
with nit an exclamation of wonder at its ‘exclusiveness of 
style,’ I consider this Caladium as remarkably interesting for 
its inconstancy. A large plant now in my stove with sixteen 
leaves averaging from 6 inches broad to 15 inches long, no two 
leave s are alike, varying from pure delicate white ground to 
light green with pink spots, and dark green with white spots, 
and each beautiful and distinct enough for a separate variety, 
and in twenty different plants somewhat smaller all partake of 
this change. It is a great acquisition. 
“ I trust no serious damage has arisen to the English gardens 
from flie excessive cold which I read you have experienced this 
winter ; but I am really glad of it on one account, as we seldom 
in this latitude read the Fahrenheit lower than you have 
marked it this season, and we shall now know how to import 
the glorious Rhododendrons, in which you so revel; for all 
the varieties which have withstood the winter with you will 
doubtless do well enough here, where but few of those formerly 
selected have survived, and I shall look with much interest for 
the list. 
“ The title of ‘ American Garden,’ which you gave to those 
splendid banks of Standish and Waterer’s blooms, seems to us 
natives a misnomer, as we have nothing of the sort here except 
under glass, and the few native hardy varieties which we possess 
would be thrown on your rubbish-heap. I look upon it as a 
very undeserved compliment to talk of those splendid plants as 
Americans. Just give a hint to some of your nursery friends 
to tally the hardy kinds for us, and I doubt if they can begin 
to supply the demand which they will have for them from this 
side. 1 
“ I find that I am spinning out too long a yarn for an amateur 
to a professional so learned in the law (‘ of nature ’) as your 
good self, but it occurred to me that you would not object to 
hear of the practice on this circuit; and if any of the hints prove 
of value, pray use them, and remember that you last summer 
‘ cast your bread upon the waters,’ and it has floated back in 
this shape after a long voyage.”—B. C. T., New YorJc. 
This is a highly interesting communication from an 
American amateur at New Y^ork, who is a good customer 
to some of our nurserymen in London, and who travelled 
here and on the Continent last summer, hut was too 
early in the season to see the effects of our bedding-out 
system. Of all the large gardens he had seen in England 
he was most struck with Shrubland Park. 
The plan he mentions for flowering the Victoria regia 
out of doors in America, and that for his own experi¬ 
mental garden, should stir us up in our old favourite 
pursuit of trying our spare plants from the stove and 
greenhouse out of doors in the summer. And as we 
