Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-03-04
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Society. ID
The Cincinnati horticultural Society hS
Its regular meeting on Saturday last, bu
transacted little business. The foIlovinI
communication from VIM. Heavier, now 4
England, was read, which, at. this time Of tn
year, must be particularly interesting;
TO the President Of The Cincinnati HoTHeul
turdl Society;
SIR-In compliance with the expresse,
wishes Of my fellOw.members Of the Horti
cultural Society, / beg leave 10 present th
following remarks on the impressions, from
what saw during my late visit to the Ian,
Of my birth:
The first thing that arrests the attention o
the visitor on entering an English garden i
the extreme neatness and trimness in tn
general aspect of every thing around, almos
approaching to formaiity in appearance, ant
! giving evidence that labor is not spared. Ii
this particular the comparison with our
selves, the contrast is greatly to our disad
vantage. This, as most Of my friends whC
hear me, will know, is easily accounted for
Few of us well know from experience no,
only the trouble and difficulty Of obtaining
intelligent t0orking gardeners but the oner
GUS cost of such when they are obtained
Another reason also is, that with us noxiou,
weeds grow with much greater vigor ant
rapidity that in the climate of England.
The LGtDn.-lf there is one feature tina.
excels ali others in Landscape gardening il
England, it undoubtedly is their LdWRs
Times over, and over again, have they beer
compared to carpets OF velvet but no velve
ever bad the same pleasant feelings to the
feet, so elastically springy and refreshingll
cool as the surface of q well mown EagRsl
Ldtcn on o summey's evening.
Another etrikipp faafnro - a. ~,aJnu-
English gardens, is the great variety and
beauty OF the Coniferous Trees, many oil
which are Of recent introduction. Language
will fail 10 convey to minds unihitlated the
beautiful effect of the numerous fine speci.
mems of ECergreen Trees, now to be seen 10
English gardens and Ornamental Grounds
First, in my estimation, for its graceful
beauty o ffOrm, is the cedfas deodqTd, with its
soft, silvery, spongy foliage. U~nfortuuately
for US, this tree is too tender for our climate.
Could we have this beautiful species to
flourish with us in the same perfection as our
native Allies Canadensis (Hemlock Sprucel
it would add much in picturesque beauty to
our grounds.
Truth compels me to state that in no place
in England did | see the hemlock doing as
well as with us they generally had a vel.
low, sickly look. In striking contrast TO
the graceful Deoddr is the stiff, rugged out.
AAA1 Va NhS a a AulblHCdthA OullI 1IbeI
with its intense deep green foliage, their
form and sharp points resembling rows and
tiers of spear-heads, its very appearance
seeming to say, Touch me at yOur peril"
Among the most ancient, yet still strikingly
distinct in its character and general appear
ance, is the Cedrus Libani Cedar OF Leba-
Donb throwing out its huge horizontal limbs
Of somber hue as though DESTROYS of clasp
ing its neighbors in its fond embrace, but
wlthal OF a somber and repelling char
acter.
Among the most beautiful of the new
Colnters that fell under my observation, is
the Picea Pinsapo, of q peculiarly neat and
symmetrical habit, bearing some resem-
blaDce in its general appearance to compact
specimens ofthe Black Fir of Cansda cables
nigra.) The Pinsapo, think, may prove
hardy with us. Abies nobilis 1.-THE noble
Firh abies Nordmaniana (Nordman's Fir,
aoles Douglasii douglas Firl are all beau
tiful, and may prove hardy with us.
To go through the list of beautiful ever
greens to be seen in England, would far ex-
ceed the limits designed in this paper, aud
l have only referred to some of the most
strikingly beautiful and commonly seen
species.
In the Exotic Floral Department, the
Orchide, or Air Plants, are the ruling favor
rites, and many varieties command extrava-
giant prices. The appearance of a house
hlled with specimens of these grotesuue
and singular looking plants is peculiarly
picturesque; some are attached to the walls,
others attached to blocks of wood and moss,
suspended from the ~rafters; others, again are
grown in wire baskets, and suspended.
Some are grown in pots.
Many of the varieties bear q strong resem-
blance to snakes, lizards, or other reptiles,
but when in bloom nothing can exceed the
dazzling delicacy and beauty of the flowers,
coupled with the most fantastic forms.
Some of the flowers resemble the most gor-
geously painted butterfly, and many possess
the most delicious fragrance. The English
gardeners are admitted to lead the world in
the perfection of cultivation of this most
unique genus of plants.
Next to the Orchidae, in the estimation of
English florists, are the different species and
varieties of Ericas, or Heaths; and beautiful
OBJECTS they are as they grow them, en-
bracing every shade of color, through all the
gradations or hues of purple, red aud white,
and the different species blooming during
nine months of the year. Unfortunately for
us, our hot, drying atmosphere, in summer,
makes them very difficult to manage, conse-
quently they are rarely seen here.
The fine Foliaged plants, as they are
popularity called THAT is, plants remarkable
for the varied marking of the leaves, without
reference 10 tnelr nOWersC are beginning to
attract attention, and some beautiful soeci-
mems may be seen in a few recherche coIlec-
tions, but they are by no means generally
cultivated at present.
The collections of ferns, moses and Iyca.
pods are rapidly growing into popular favor,
and many recently introduced novelties are
both singular and beautiful. In pomology
but little could be seen during the season Of
my visit, as the weather was not only
unusually severe for that country, but the
past year had been peculiarly unfavorable
for the fruit crops of all kinds, owing to
almost incessant rains throughout the sum.
mer and autumn, and the consequent
unusually low temperature.
The apples even did not acquire their ma
ture flavor; such as l tasted were about
equal in flavor and quality to what they
usually are with us when about half grown,
but, TO compensate them in some measure
for the failure of their apple crop, our New
York spectators were keeping their princi-
pal markets pretty well supplied from this
side the Atlantic.
During Christmas time, S~pitzenbergs,
Rhode Island Greetings and Newton Pip
pins were retailing in the streets of Liver.
pool cheaper than from the fruit stalls in the
city of New York. Apples were being i'm
ported into the principal English cities from
France in large quantities, but of very in
ferior quality. i saw no good apples in En-
gland but what had been grown in ~lerica.
Respectfully submitted by
W. HEAVIER.