ART. II.

On the Cultivation of some of the most select Biennial and Perennial Plants, with some Remarks upon their Beauty. By S. WALKER.

"A breath of unadulterate air,

The glimpse of a green pasture, how they cheer.
The citizen, and brace his languid frame!
E'en in the stifling bosom of the town,

A garden, in which nothing thrives, has charms
That soothe the rich possessor; much consoled,
That here and there some sprigs of mournful mint,
Of night-shade or valerian, grace the wall
He cultivates. These serve him with a hint
That nature lives; that sight-refreshing green
Is still the livery she delights to wear,

Though sickly samples of the exuberant whole."

THESE elegant lines from Cowper, are so full of beauty, and soul-stirring spirit, to every lover of Flora, that I have thought them peculiarly adapted to my present purpose as an introduction to a few remarks, upon some of our hardy and beautiful plants, which it is my present intention to make, and which I may, in some future communication, carry out to a more extended length.— My observations will be confined to such plants as, in my estimation, are most deserving of the care, and are most likely to reward the novice in the culture of flowers. I shall not address myself to the initiated cultivator; he will seek better authority, and more detailed information; it is to those who have taken only their first steps in the garden that I would presume to offer myself as a guide, it is the young and the fair that I wish to see engaged in floral pursuits, and, if they are still more ambitious, in the science of botany. It requires but little effort to begin. The task will not be one of labor, but of pleasure, and perseverance will ensure a reward. Flora may be said rather to give fruition than hope; her rewards are ever in anticipation, and are ever at hand. Let us but for a moment look at her progress; after the healthy recreation of preparing the soil to receive the seed, and it is deposited, the spot becomes sacred, and an object of our anxious care; the germination of the seed is watched until the plant in its first state is realized; over this we hang in fond anticipation of all that shall hereafter delight our senses in richness of color, delicacy of texture, or sweetness of perfume, and in some cases with all these qualities combined; with the strength of the plant our cares and expectations keep pace, our sympathies are all called into action, the rude wind or the scorching rays of the mid-day sun are to be provided against; in some cases, the foliage of the plants, of the same kind, are day by day examined, to ascertain if they in any manner differ from each other in form or color; the least shade in color, the least. alteration in form, raises the hopes of the florist; he is full of expecta

tion that his labors will be rewarded with a new variety, that may add lustre to that particular class of flowers, and that his friends, and the floral world, may delight in beholding one of the handmaids of his goddess in a new dress. Such, my readers, are the delights of the lover of nature, and with all this nearly parental care, he may mingle better feelings, he may, in the midst of his ecstasy of admiration, remember the divine Being who fashioned and painted the object of his pleasure. The botanist with the world before him, the king and the nobleman with his parks, the opulent merchant with his villa, the cottager with his garden, and the mechanic with his pots and tubs placed at his window, while he toils for his daily bread, are each rewarded to the full, out of the never-failing source of pleasure which the garden can dispense. To such of my readers as have made a beginning in the garden, I would say, persevere; to those who think of doing so, I would say, delay not; to such as suppose they have no means, I will give a picture drawn from our favorite and amiable poet.

"The most unfurnished with the means of life,
And they, that never pass their brick wall bounds
To range the fields and treat their lungs with air,
Yet feel the burning instinct: over-head
Suspend their crazy boxes, planted thick,
And watered duly. There the pitcher stands,
A fragment, and the spoutless tea-pot there,-
Sad witnesses how close-pent man regrets
The country; with what ardor he contrives
A peep at nature, when he can no more.

None need be discouraged; a violet will smell as sweet, bloomed in a broken tea-pot as in a China vase; the rose will bloom as fair, and shed its perfume as far, though bloomed in the poor man's tub or crazy box, as in the rich parterre.

The remarks and description that accompany the list of plants annexed, and those which I may hereafter furnish for publication, will, in some cases, be taken from such sources as I may think best calculated to answer my purpose; when I copy from others, I shall give credit by making the usual quotation marks, but I shall not give the author's name. If the plan now proposed shall meet the approbation of the conductors of the "American Gardener's Magazine," and may in any way be acceptable to its readers, I may, as before remarked, continue this subject at some future time; but, in saying this much, I do not pledge myself so to do. Yours, &c. S. WALKER.

Roxbury, March 22d, 1836.

(To be continued.)

ART. III. Some Hints on the importance of improving Cottage Gardens. By AN OLD FLORIST.

In looking over the last number of your Magazine, I was much pleased with an article from your correspondent, Mr. R. Murray, respecting the neglected state of cottage gardens, or perhaps, more properly, the gardens of people in moderate circumstances in life, in the immediate vicinity of Boston. This is an important subject for discussion, and one which requires to be handled by persons. who are competent to suggest methods for improving them. I have observed, in travelling through the villages in this neighborhood, many places that lay entirely waste, or but very little improved, that might, by bestowing upon them a small portion of time and care, be made a great source of amusement, if not of profit, to the proprietor or occupant. This state of things is apt to strike the eye of persons unaccustomed to such, very unfavorably; and they oftentimes judge precipitately. It is very rare in Britain to see the gardens, even of the poorer cottagers, lie so neglected. A small, neat flower garden in front of the house, in which a few choice flowers are grown, and with the honeysuckle, jessamine, &c., climbing over the walls, and running up the sides and over the door, adds very much to the appearance of the premises, especially if the house is an indifferent one. I have frequently thought, when the subject has occurred to me, that this must in some measure be owing to the very long cold winters which are experienced in this climate, and which prevents gardening from being carried on here but a limited part of the year. Yet, however, I have found, that many plants which I should have expected that the cold winters would have killed, live through them with but little or no protection, and flourish as well as in England.

The horticultural and floral societies which abound throughout Britain has tended greatly to encourage gardening among the people numerous prizes are awarded to individuals who are not members, but who produce any thing worthy of exhibition. I have never attended a meeting, but what a part of the room has been set off for the productions of the cottagers; and at certain times, the secretary and two or three members visit all the gardens within several miles of the place where their meetings are holden; a report is drawn up of the state in which they find them, and a prize is awarded to the person who keeps his under the highest cultivation. By this means emulation is produced, and the neighbor of the person who has gained a prize, begins to devote his leisure hours to the garden, rather than idle them away in places of dissipation; his family also receive more of his company, and the money that would perhaps have been uselessly spent, is applied to some good purpose. I do not know of any thing that ever gave

me more pleasure, in travelling through the country, than to see a man, in the cool of evening, cleaning and watering his little garden, with his children playing about him.

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I am not aware whether all florists' flowers can be successfully cultivated here; more particularly the picotee, carnation, auricula, polyanthus and ranunculus. They all live through the winters in England without protection, though persons possessing valuable collections generally give them some covering during a few days of severe weather which sometimes occurs. Whether such flowers can be grown with equal success here, I am not able to state, but undoubtedly many of your readers who are more acquainted with the subject than myself, will give their opinions respecting it. I have always been a great admirer of the flower garden, and for many years spent my leisure hours in cultivating many choice kinds, although I never carried it to the extent that many of the fancy" do. Those persons who have become so thoroughly carried away into the love of florists' flowers as to walk twenty or thirty miles in a hot day in July, to get a sight of a new carnation, and having been gratified with such a view, will almost sell their coats from their backs to obtain a plant, may be truly said to be enthusiasts in the highest degree; but to that class I did not belong; nor do I wish to see any person in this community become so deeply imbued with such a feeling; it would be carrying things too far, and would have an injurious rather than a good effect. But I think that if mechanics, and especially persons employed in manufactories, would spend their leisure hours in the garden, where they have one, and where one could be obtained, they would find it a place of innocent and healthful amusement, and of time well spent. There only wants to be a few examples set, and a stimulus will then be given; and I have no doubt but that florists' flowers of every kind could be produced, and made to take the place of the weeds your correspondent complains of. I feel unable to do that justice to the subject which it requires, and hope that there are many of your readers, who see its importance, and will not neglect to occasionally remind us of it: at a future time, I may state something upon the culture of some kinds of flowers as gathered from my own practice; but as I have now trespassed too much upon your room, to the exclusion of more useful matter, with my best wishes for the success of your Magazine, and a hope that you may be rewarded for your labors, I subscribe myself,

Boston, Feb. 1836.

AN OLD FLORIST.

ART. IV. Beautiful Plants growing wild in the Vicinity of Boston. By E. B. KENRICK, Watertown.

(Continued from page 57.)

Hedera.

Hedera quinquefòlia, Cissus hederacea, &c. Common Creeper, Five-leaved Ivy. The common creeper is much cultivated as an ornament of walls. The stems climb to a great altitude, and are supported by radicating tendrils. Leaves smooth, in fives, with stems. Flowers greenish, in branching clusters. Berries of the size of peas, dark blue, acid.-Woods, &c.-July.

Kalmia.

Calyx five-parted; corolla salver-shaped, with ten prominences underneath, and the border five-horned; capsule, or seed vessel, five-celled.

Kálmia angustifolia Narrow-leaved Laurel, Lamb-kill. This little shrub, however fatal to sheep, has exceedingly beautiful flowers. It grows to the height of one or two feet. The leaves stand either scattering, or in threes, with short stems; oblong, lance-formed, blunt at the tip, evergreen, and a little rusty beneath. Flowers deep rose-colored; disposed in corymbs or tansy-like clusters, rising from the shoulders of the leaves, and forming a sort of whirl around the stem.-Common in pastures, swamps, and sandy woods.-June, July.

Kalmia latifolia Broad-leaved Laurel, Mountain Laurel. A very ornamental shrub, generally about four or five feet in elevation. But on the Catskill mountain, Dr. Eaton says it is found more than twenty feet high. Leaves on short stems, and either in threes, or standing without order; evergreen, leathery, very smooth; oval, indented on the edge, acute, or sharp at the tip. In one variety, the flowers are white; in the other, rose-colored. They grow in corymbose clusters, like those of the Kalmia angustifòlia; but the flowers and clusters are much larger.-Rocky hills; woods at Gloucester, Princeton, Boylston, &c. Not common very near Boston.-June, July.

Laúrus.

Laúrus Benzoin L. Fever Bush, Spice Bush. An aromatic shrub, from four to ten feet high, with a flavor like benzoin. Leaves smoothish, somewhat hairy, pale beneath, oval, or inverted eggformed, sharp at base, and a little pointed at the tip. Flowers yellow, in small umbels; appearing when the leaves just begin to expand. Berries scarlet.-Shady, wet places. Near Newton Corner; also, in abundance, a little south-west of Brighton village. -Blossoms early in May.