eye, than those at Kew; the lawns were also in the most perfect keeping. The exhibition of flowers, under tents, although not large, was beautiful, and the specimens very well grown. Allamanda, Ixora, Stephanotus, Fuchsia, and many others, were in abundance; the dahlias were exceeding fine, much deeper, rounder, more swelling, than any I have seen here; indeed, the amateurs there, observed, that they had seldom been surpassed. The show of vegetables was good, not exceeding, however, what I have, of late years, seen raised here, except the autumnal crops of peas, Scymetar and others; these were extraordinary. It seems that the mould disease, which prevents our raising late peas, does not exist there. The apples and pears were entirely beneath remark, the best of them would not have been admitted to any exhibition here. I had, unfortunately, not time to make any inquiry whether this was from temporary causes, or whether it was usual, but can only remark, that, neither in London or Paris, have I seen any thing nearly so fine as these fruits in this country. The grapes and peaches were not uncommonly fine, but such as are usually seen in our weekly exhibitions; the nectarines, however, were excellent. The weather was beautiful; a fine band of music enlivened the scene, and as the price of admission was low, multitudes of happy faces were pouring in, when I was obliged to leave. The collection of greenhouse plants was quite respectable; for lofty specimens they had a domical conservatory, exactly resembling that formerly belonging to the Public Garden, but only about two-thirds the size-there was, however, a wing on each side-and altogether the institution appeared to do great credit to the liberality of the town of Birmingham. On my arrival at Paris, I found time to devote an hour to the Winter Garden, in the Champs Elysees. It is an immense, lofty and extensive structure of glass, with large halls or antichambers, in which concerts or any great national fêtes, or entertainments are given. There seems not to have been any expense spared in getting it up; in the centre is a parallelogram, to imitate a lawn, formed of the beautiful vivid lycopodium, common in our greenhouses,—the effect of this is brilliant. There is an Araucària imbricata, about 30 feet high, multitudes of bananas (Mùsa) in blossom, and fruit, with most of the rare tropical plants, nearly all growing in beds, not in pots or tubs; ponds for tropical water-plants, at one end of a fountain, which plays to the top of the structure, the water falling on a small collection of rocks, and beautiful climbers all round the interior, their branches, tendrils, and flowers hanging in elegant profusion. The whole is, in fact, arranged with that peculiar taste for which the French are so eminent, and by which every thing is made, by means and calculations generally unknown, to meet the eye exactly at the proper place and time. I regret much to add, that the whole undertaking is bankrupt, and, like many other marks of civilization and enjoyment, will, probably, sink under the effects of the ill-directed and rude attempts to attain that rational liberty which can hardly ever be obtained by convulsive efforts, but must result alone from steady perseverance and the exercise of the most mature judgment One of my greatest regrets was, to have quitted England without having examined the Agricultural School, at Cirencester, which I understand is quite worthy of imitation. Boston, Oct., 1849. Such is the rapidity of communication now, not only throughout our country, but with the Eastern Continent, that our nearest friends may cross the Atlantic, see the worlds of London and Paris, and return before we know they have been absent. Such has been the case with our friend and correspondent, J. E. T. We are pleased to welcome him back, and still more pleased to record the results of his walks in the gardens around London and Paris, and only regret that he was so hurried for time as not to allow him a better opportunity to see more of the gardens and gardening of London, where he was so well acquainted, and where, for so many years, he resided, assured, as we are, that he could have afforded all our readers so much that would have been instructive as well as entertaining, in all that relates to horticulture and its kindred branches. We indulge in the hope that there are yet some things which he may have overlooked in the present communication, which will serve as a -text for another article. We would remind our correspondent, that, during his ab sence, three of the fuchsias he names have flowered finely in our collection, viz., Acantha, Napoleon, and Beauty Supreme -the first of which we had two years ago. Phlóx Drummóndii var. Leopòldii has already been recommended by us for its great beauty, (Vol. XIV, p. 311.)—Ed. ART. II. Descriptions and Engravings of Select Varieties of Plums. By the EDITOR. OUR last article, under this head, appeared in our last volume, (XIV, p. 149,) when we described four varieties. Last year we did not have an opportunity to secure many drawings, owing to the limited crop; but the present season, in this vicinity, the plum was the only fruit which escaped the general destruction of last winter, and our own trees, as well as others in the neighborhood, were weighed down with the profusion of fruit. This has enabled us to inspect many varieties, and to complete the descriptions and drawings of a large number, which we shall, hereafter, lay before our readers. 9. COE'S GOLDEN DROP. Hort. Soc. Catalogue, 3d Ed., 1842. Coe's Golden Drop (fig. 42) is one of the most delicious of all plums; resembling the Washington in size, equalling the Green Gage in the lusciousness of its juice, and coming in after both of these varieties have gone, it may be fairly ranked as one of the best kinds yet produced, and indispensable to even the very smallest collection. Mr. Downing states, that this variety "succeeds well in the Middle States," which would imply that it does not succeed in New England. This, however, is not the case; so far as we have any knowledge, it ripens freely, and produces abundantly, unless in the extreme Northern parts of Maine and New Hampshire, where it may not acquire that richness, owing to its late maturity, which constitutes its high character. Coe's Golden Drop was raised from seeds, nearly forty years ago, by a gardener of the name of Coe, at Bury St. Edmunds, near London, but from the stone of what variety is not known. Its excellence, however, made it a favorite variety, and it soon became generally introduced into all choice collections of this Fig. 42. Coe's Golden Drop Plum. fruit, under the several synonymes which we have quoted above, except the last, which is of recent addition to the list; the French have disseminated it considerably under the name of Waterloo; trees, received under that name, have fruited in our collection this year, and proved to be the Golden Drop. The tree is of a vigorous and rather compact growth, having smooth, short-jointed, purplish shoots, with prominent eyes, somewhat like the Green Gage, and with small, glossy, deep-green leaves. It is a most abundant bearer, and the fruit, which ripens the last of September, if carefully gathered, will keep in a sound state for more than a month, shrivelling slightly, but retaining its juiciness and fine flavor. Fruit, large, about two inches long and one and three quarter inches in diameter, oval, largest in the middle, tapering to the apex, which is depressed, and narrowing to the stem, where it is abruptly hollowed out; suture distinct, running half round, one side little longer than the other: Skin, golden yellow, fair, smooth, somewhat mottled with green under the skin, dotted with a few bright crimson specks on the sunny side, and covered with a thin whitish bloom: Stem, medium length, about half an inch long, rather slender, and obliquely inserted in a small cavity, on the somewhat elongated base: Flesh, pale yellow, thick, very melting, and firmly adhering to the stone: Juice, abundant, sugary, sprightly, and delicious: Stone, large, very long, rather narrow, compressed, and sharp pointed. Ripe the last of September. 10. KIRKE'S. Pomological Magazine, Vol. III, pl. 111. Among the large blue plums, this variety (fig. 43) stands unrivalled. It is about the size of the Columbia, and surpasses that very good plum in its flavor, being nearly or quite as rich and luscious as the Green Gage. The Pomological Magazine, in describing it, says, that a "plum as hardy and prolific as the Orleans, -as handsome as the Damask, -and as good as the Green Gage, cannot be too extensively cultivated.” The origin of the Kirke's is unknown; it was first brought into notice by Mr. Kirke, whose name it bears, and was accidentally met with by that gentleman, in a fruiterer's window, in London. Upon tasting the fruit, he found, to his surprise, that it excelled in flavor any purple plum he was acquainted with; and, upon inquiry, it appeared that the fruit was received from a gardener in the country, who had procured the variety from a gardener in his neighborhood, and that the original tree was introduced from some foreign country. The Pomological Magazine states, that it had not been found in the writings of pomo Fig. 43. Kirke's Plum. |