kale: 1. Alexander Smith; 2. James Tough. Lettuce, Alexander Smith. Leeks, James Tough. Early Potatoes: 1. Alexander Smith; 2. Mr. Clark, Charleton. Early Cabbage: 1. J. Hardie, Brotherton; 2. James Tough. Asparagus: 1. James Tough; 2. Mr. Clark. Autumn-sown Carrots, Alexander Smith. Autumn-sown Onions, James Tough. Old Onions, Neil M'Donald, Newton Mill. - Fruit. Kept Apples: 1. James Tough; 2. Alexander Smith. Tart Rhubarb, from Old Montrose, was adjudged an extra-prize.

Judges: Messrs. Morson, Montrose; J. Dorward, Noranside; J. M‹Donald, Dunninald; and A. Forbes, Ardovie. We are glad to find that the Society is so decidedly meeting with the encouragement of the public. (Montrose Review, May 1. 1829.)

The Aberdeenshire Horticultural Society held a Meeting on the 10th of March for the election of office-bearers. Among the new members added was the Conductor of the Gardener's Magazine as a honorary member, for which he now returns his best thanks.

Aberdeenshire Horticultural Society. - A Spring Show of this Society took place on May 5th; and, notwithstanding the extreme backwardness of the season, it was remarked that the display of flowers, particularly the auriculas, polyanthuses, hyacinths, &c., had never been exceeded; in early vegetables the productions were numerous, and most of them in very high perfection. After carefully examining the different articles, the Judges awarded the premiums as under :

Flowers. Stage Auriculas, David Gairns, gardener, Glenbervie House. Seedling Auriculas: 1. The large silver medal, David Gairns; 2. Joseph Riddoch, Banchory Lodge. Polyanthuses, Captain John Clyne, Gilcom

ston.

Seedling Polyanthuses: 1. James Ferrar, gardener, Gilcomston; 2. Mr. J. I. Massie. Hyacinths, Captain John Anderson, Skene Square. Culinary Vegetables. Mushrooms, William Gallow, gardener, Scotstown. Asparagus: 1. James Alexander, gardener, Murtle; 2. William Gallow, gardener, Scotstown. Broccoli: 1. David Taylor, gardener, Belmont; 2. William Lawson, gardener, Devanha. Sea-kale: 1. Peter Archibald, gardener, Park; 2. George Cardo, gardener, Woodhill. Cucumbers: John Davidson, gardener, Dunnottar.- Fruit. Apples: 1. William Chalmers, gardener, Lochhead; 2. Alexander Brown, gardener, Heathcot. To David Young, Esq., Cornhill, for the best Scotch champagne, made from unripe gooseberries, which the Judges declared to be the finest that had hitherto been produced before the Society, the silver medal. An extra-premium was also awarded to David Taylor, Belmont, for a basket of very fine rhubarb. Among the flowers exhibited to deck the tables there was a plant in full bloom of the Blètia Tankerville, from the garden of D. Young, Esq., of Cornhill; and another of the Alètris capensis, from the garden of Mr. Roy, nurseryman; both of which were much admired. A number of articles were received too late to be admitted for competition, particularly some black currant wine, from Mrs. Crombie of Phesdo, and some from Mr. Thomas Burnett, advocate, the quality of which was ascertained to be peculiarly rich and high-flavoured. (Aberdeen Chronicle, May 9.)

Raising the Scotch Pine and Larch from foreign Seeds.-The Highland Society have offered handsome premiums for the following objects:

To the nurseryman or other person in Scotland, who shall, between the 30th of October, 1826, and 30th of October, 1829, have raised on rather poor nursery-ground, and sold for planting, the greatest number of plants, not being fewer than three millions, of the Pinus sylvestris, from seed imported from Norway, and taken off healthy trees in that country, or taken off healthy and free-growing trees of the natural-grown pine in the Highland districts of the counties of Aberdeen, Moray, and Inverness, ― twenty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value.

To the nurseryman or other person in Scotland, who shall, between the 30th of October, 1826, and 30th of October, 1829, have raised, and sold for planting, the greatest number of plants, not being fewer than one million, of the Pinus Làrix, or larch fir, from seeds imported from the Tyrol, or other regions of the Alps to which it is indigenous, and taken off healthy trees in that country, thirty sovereigns, or a piece of plate of that value. (Scotsman, March 4. 1829.)

Practical Schools of Agriculture: --We observe, in the Farmer's Journal (May 4.), an advertisement from a farmer in Strathmore, for young gentlemen as apprentices in farming; and another from our much-valued friend and scientific correspondent, Mr. Shirreff of Mungos-wells, near Haddington, for a few young gentlemen as boarders, to whom he will impart the scientific principles, as well as practice, of East Lothian farming. Few English proprietors are aware of the good they might do their families by sending such of their sons as are destined to possess land to study the agriculture of the northern counties, and especially of East Lothian. It is difficult to give credit to the fact, that there is such a superiority in the practice of an art, every where followed, within such a short distance; but such is still the fact, notwithstanding all the endeavours by societies, premiums, books, and northern bailiffs, to diffuse a knowledge of Scottish agriculture in the centre and south of England. How wonderfully a proprietor in Normandy, and, still more, one in the neighbourhood of Saverne and Metz, where clover is scarcely known, and the soil as good as between Dunbar and Haddington, would profit by adopting the East Lothian husbandry! - Cond.

Crinum amábile and Nepenthes distillatòria.— Sir,_ There is at present in full flower, in the stove of Professor Dunbar of Rose Park, a beautiful plant of the Crinum amabile. The same plant has now flowered with the Professor either five or six times, last year three times. I am not sure whether it has flowered oftener than once or twice in England, and certainly never has it flowered so continually as now in Mr. Dunbar's stove. The flowers are of the most beautiful description, consisting of a number of florets, which succeed one another; so that when one dies, another comes out. These florets are supported on a long, thick, fleshy, round, smooth stem, which shoots up from the body of the plant with amazing rapidity.

Professor Dunbar had also very lately, in the same stove, the Nepenthes distillatòria in full blow, the flowers of which were female; and as it fortunately happened that there was in the botanic garden, at the same time, a similar plant in flower, whose flowers were male, impregnation was effected, and the result has been a large supply of seeds, which the Professor and Mr. Macnab have already sown. If I am not mistaken, this is the first time impregnation between these plants has been performed in this country. I am, Sir, &c.-W. D. March 19. 1829. Retarding Gooseberries. - A gentleman who has a garden in a high and rather late part of this district, sowed a crop of a tall kind of pea immediately bordering on some gooseberry bushes. From deficiency in the length of the stakes, the peas, after they had attained a certain height, fell over and completely covered one gooseberry bush, which was thus buried and lost sight of at the time the fruit of the others was ripe. The haulm of the peas was not removed till the beginning of December, when the gooseberries were discovered hanging on the bush in the greatest perfection. Perhaps this is too inartificial a method to be recommended to be followed, but it may afford a hint for improvement in the mode of prolonging the season of this excellent and popular fruit. - John Ferme. Haddington, Sept. 25. 1828.

VOL. V. No. 20.

The Gaelic Schools in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland amount to eighty, and are attended by five thousand scholars. Many of the scholars are grown up persons, and not a few are advanced in life; but, notwithstanding this, many of them have acquired the art of reading with fluency in three months. When the Gaelic School Society commenced its labours, there were not fewer than 150,000 persons capable of instruction yet unable to read in any language whatever. (Evan. Mag., March, 1829.) Venerable Orange Tree. - Your extract from the Journal of the Bristol Nursery Library Society, under the above head, in Gard. Mag., No. XIV., has been copied into it from the Journal of the Tour of a Deputation of the Caledonian Horticultural Society through France, &c., where you will find a more full account of it, p.411.- John Ferme. Haddington, Sept. 23. 1828.

IRELAND.

Counsellor West's Curvilinear Iron Sash-bar Hot-house, lately erected in the neighbourhood of Dublin, is, perhaps, the most beautiful thing of the sort in the united kingdom. I am surprised that your correspondent Mr. Fraser has not sent you some account of it. The hot-water system of heating is making rapid progress in this country, and succeeds perfectly. Messrs. Bailey of London, who put up Mr. West's hot-house, I believe, were the first to introduce it in Ireland.-J. H. Feb. 16.

Draining Bogs.- A very interesting work of this kind is likely to be soon undertaken. There is a chain of three lakes in Galway, very near one another, Lough Corrib, Lough Mask, and Lough Corra. By cutting a gallery 3,000 feet (13 miles) long, through a limestone rock between the first and second of these lakes, an interior navigation of 30 miles can be opened up, and 16,500 acres of land, now all under water, will be drained. The costs of the gallery are estimated at 30,000l., and the value of the land to be gained at 330,000l. (Scotsman.)

Education. At the Anniversary Meeting of the London Hibernian Society, April 25., it appeared that, during the past year," the schools have increased from 1,046 to 1,352; and the scholars now enrolled, to 76,444. These schools are distributed in the four provinces, but chiefly in Connaught. (Times, May 5.)

ART. IV. The London Nurseries.

Two varieties MR. KNIGHT'S Exotic Nursery, King's Road, April 21. of Rhododendron arboreum have lately been in flower here in the large curvilinear conservatory, also several species of Acàcia, and some new seedling camellias, raised by Mr. Knight. The jet of water in the large cast-iron vase (fig. 78.), placed in the middle of this conservatory, produces a very brilliant effect; and, by keeping the air moist, promotes the health of the plants, and the diffusion of their different perfumes. It is worthy of remark, that not a single pane of glass in this iron house has been broken since its erection four years ago (Vol. I. p. 249.), and that during the last winter, when

78

the thermometer in the open air was as low as 25', no fires were made The earth in the Caméllia pots was frozen, but no damage ensued. The sides of this structure being chiefly of masonry, and the glass roof being very lofty, account for the quantity of heat retained. Mr. Knight is building a new orangery, to be heated by hot-water on an improved plan, of which we hope soon to give some account.

Colville's Nursery, King's Road, April 21.-The show of forced flowers and shrubs here is most splendid. A number of varieties of Bengal roses and azaleas seem eligible shrubs for forcing. The brilliancy of the poppy anemones, in pots, shows what may be done even in cheap articles; and we cannot but regret that there is not a large public conservatory in London, in the way of market, for exposing such articles for sale, that every shopkeeper might place some of them in his windows, and every householder on his balconies or window sills. The air of London would thus be rendered like that of a flower-garden, which it sometimes is, even now, in the streets about the west end of the town, from the abundance of mignonette. We have suggested the idea of forming such conservatory markets for plants in pots, both in what are now the churchyards, and in Covent Garden market; but the time is not yet come for carrying all our ideas into effect. In Mr. Colville's conservatory are large specimens of Hòvea Célsi, covered with their fine blue pea-flowers; and Wistària Consequàna is going out of flower there, and coming into flower against the end of a green-house. Every one, therefore, that wishes to have the full enjoyment of this charming twining shrub, ought to have three sets of plants; one set for forcing, one for the green-house, and one for the open air. In the hot-house, Calathea veratrifolia and other Orchideæ are beautifully in flower; and an artificial tree, formed of the shells of cocoa nuts and moss, is covered with a great many specimens of this curious family, in vigorous growth, of which there is one species or another in flower every day in the year.

The Fulham Nursery, May 11.-Thermópsis laburnifòlia, which at a distance looks like a laburnum on a large scale, is here both in flower and leaf in the open air; it is worthy of a place against every wall of half-hardy shrubs. A most complete collection of azaleas, planted a few years ago, are now in a vigorous state. Lagerstroemia indica, Acàcia Julibrissin, and similar trees, have stood the last severe winter, as they have done upwards of a dozen winters before; and we have elsewhere noticed, on the authority of Mr. Sweet, that Brunsvígia Josephine has stood the winter in the open border in front of the hot-house, without losing its leaves. There can be no doubt that many exotic plants, if treated the season before so as to produce the perfect ripening of their wood, buds, or bulbs, would stand the winter better than even indigenous articles that have been caught in a growing state by the frost. In this nursery there are some fine specimens of cork tree, nettle trees, purple beech, Ailántus glandulòsa, and Fulham oak, Quércus Cérris var. dentata of Sweet's Hortus Británnicus. This last tree is of an immense size, and shows that forest trees may be grafted to advantage in cases where the seeds are with difficulty obtained.

Malcolm's Nursery, Kensington, April 25.—Magnòlia conspicua is here nearly as finely in flower as when we described and figured it in April 1826. (Vol. I. p. 154. and Vol. II. p. 370.) Mr. Malcolm has imported a very complete collection of azaleas from the Netherlands, mules raised there from seed. Gualthèria procumbens is here profusely covered with purple red berries, which, it was observed by Mr. Malcolm, the birds do not eat even in the most severe seasons.

The Mary-la-bonne Nursery, April 20.- The botanic garden here, as we formerly noticed, is let for building on, and Mr. Jenkins has, in conse quence, concentrated his energies. He has lately erected ranges of glass,

upwards of 500 ft. in length, and heated a great part of them with hot water, from his own plan, and with no other assistant than his own carpenter and smith. Having fallen into the common error of fixing an insufficient number of pipes for meeting the demands of very severe weather, to remedy the error (which he is not the only nurseryman who has committed) he has placed a small steam boiler by the side of his water boiler, and conducted steam pipes from it in the centre of his water pipes. These steam pipes are not quite an inch in diameter, but they are effectual in heating the water at a distance of nearly 200 ft. from the boiler, and we have little doubt they would effect the same object upwards of 500 ft. distant. The pipe, if we are not mistaken, returns to the boiler, into which the condensed water is pushed forwards by the steam. By this arrangement the smallest possible quantity of water and steam is lost; only care must be taken, by air or water valves, to provide against a vacuum. We do not, however, recommend this plan for imitation, as we consider it too intricate, but to show how errors may be corrected, or difficulties overcome, by an ingenious persevering man.

Epsom Nursery, May 19. New or rare plants which have flowered during the months of March and April:

Ranúnculus (C. Bauh.) frígidus Willd.

Magnolia (L.) Soulangeana Sweet's Brit. Fl. Gard. 260.

Arabis (L.) ròsea Dec., arenòsa Scop.

Ibèris (L) Lagascàna Dec.

Sterigma tomentòsum Dec., B. F. G. 278.

Moricándia arvensis Dec.

Schizopétalum Walkèri Sims, Bot. Mag. 2379.

Viòla (Tourn.) palmàta L. v. bícolor variegata Fisch., pubéscens Ait. Brit. Fl. G. 223.

O'xalis (L.) Déppë Link and Otto.

Hòvea (R. Br.) purpùrea Sweet's Fl. Ausl. 13.

Kennedya coccinea Vent. Swt's. Fl. Aust. 23.

Lupinus (Tourn.) canaliculàtus Sweet's B. F. G. 283.

Claytònia (L.) grandiflòra Sweet's B. F. G. 216. v. pállida, caroliniàna Mich. B. F. G. 208.

Ribes (L.) sanguíneum.

Panax trifòlia L. Bot. Mag. 1334.

Borkhaúsia (Böhm.) purpurea Spreng.

Andrómeda (L.) buxifòlia Lam. Bot. Mag. 2660.

Rhododendron (L.) arbòreum Sm. v. ròseum, phoníceum, Smithiànum,

sinénse Sweet.

Polemonium (L.) Richardsòni Graham, Bot. Mag. 2800.

Witheringia (Herit.) montàna Dun.

Pedicularis canadénsis L. B. F. G. 37.

Calceolària (L.) thyrsiflòra Graham, purpùrea Graham., connàta Hook. Bot. Mag. 2876.

Verbena (L.) Melindris Gillies, Bot. Reg. 1184., pulchella Sweet's B. F. G. 295.

Cyclamen (L.) repándum Sib, and Sm. B. F. G. 117.

Narcissus (L.) álbus Haw. Bot. Mag. 1300., Macleàii Lindl. Bot. Mag. 2588., sexlobàtus Haw., montànus Ker, Bot. Reg. 125., pulchellus Haw. A'cis (Salisb. and Sweet) trichophylla Sweet in Obs. B. F. G. 297., grandiflora Sweet in Obs. B. F. G. 292.

Trillium séssile L. Bot. Mag. 40. cérnuum L. Bot. Mag. 954.

Scilla (L.) pùmila Brot.

Alpha.