WHILE in England during the past summer I had the pleasure of visiting some of the most prominent horticultural establishments in and around London. I called upon the celebrated firm of James Veitch & Sons, of the Royal Exotic Nursery, Kings Road, Chelsea, where I had an opportunity of going through their extensive houses, and seeing nearly everything that was new or rare in exotics. Although I had long known that this firm stood at the head of European nurserymen in the introduction of these plants, I was scarcely prepared for such a display of good things ; but as my object was more the study of hardy ornamental trees, than flowers, I will not attempt to describe any of the plants I saw in the houses. Not long after my first visit to Chelsea I received an invitation from Mr. H. Veitch, the head of the firm, to visit their nursery at Coombe Wood, Kingston Hill, Surrey, where their hardy ornamental trees, shrubs, conifers and American plants are grown. We were accompanied there by Mr. James H. Veitch, who is an enthusiastic admirer of fine trees ; after a drive of about seven miles from Chelsea, we reached Kingston Hill, where the nursery is located. It is a commanding spot, in the neighborhood of fine villa residences.

On entering the nursery my attention was directed by Mr. Veitch to a long avenue of superb trees, consisting of Araucaria imbricata, alternating with Sequoia gigantea. The araucarias are the finest of their kind to be found anywhere in the neighborhood of London and the sequoias are equally fine, although not quite so large as some that are growing in the grounds of Ellwanger & Barry, at Rochester, N. Y. This extensive nursery contains the largest collection of new and rare trees, shrubs, and conifers of any in England. The late Mr. J. G. Veitch was a most indefatigable collector, and introduced many fine things. After leaving this beautiful avenue we passed to the general collection of conifers, where I saw the beautiful Abies Veitchii, discovered by Mr. Veitch in Japan, and introduced by him into England in 1860. I recognized many old favorites introduced from the Pacific coast that were growing remarkably well here, Abies amabilis being one of them. It is a beautiful tree when young, as it is well furnished with branches from the ground upwards. It grows in California on the summit of the Sierras at an altitude of seven thousand feet, so it is quite hardy.

Abies Doug-lasii was very fine, also Abies Albertiana and Abies pungens glauca was growing finely here, being regular in outline and remarkable in its glauces-ence. It is a most beautiful lawn tree and ought to be a great favorite in America. To me it was a very interesting sight to observe so many young and beautiful trees introduced from the Pacific coast range flourishing so well in this nursery. Passing from the fir trees to the cedars our attention was directed to some fine specimens of Cedrus Atlantic a, glauca, a most beautiful lawn tree, as in fact nearly all the cedars are ; and such varieties as were presented to me here in all their youth and beauty were afterwards seen in all their majesty in many of the large cities in England, for what tree is there that will equal in grandeur or that will harmonize with the Grecian style of architecture like the Cedar of Lebanon, and what a royal tree is the Cedrus Deodara, or Indian Cedar ! It is a magnificent species, and when grown singly on a lawn is very striking. The young trees of this species as grown at Coombe Wood Nursery were remarkably handsome in their foliage.

It is considered by many as the most beautiful of all ornamental trees.

Of the cupressus which I saw here, Cupressus alba, spica nana, a garden variety, was very pretty ; also C. albo-variegata, C. glauca, and C. fragrans. Larix Kampferi, the golden larch, was very striking. Among the Japanese cypress were some very striking species, such as Retinospora filifera, aurea, R. leptoclada, R. gracilis, aupea, and R. argentea. Besides all these I have mentioned, they grow large quantities of all kinds of hardy trees and shrubs, many of which are remarkable for their foliage, form and color. Of these I will mention golden arborvitae, golden yew, silver holly, Japanese maples, purple beech. The Acer Negundo, fraxinifolia variegata is a very striking object in a landscape, with its silvery, paper-like foliage. It immediately attracts attention and is considered one of the most effective trees when viewed in contrast with the deep green of other trees. It is in great demand for this purpose, and it is sometimes used in connection with Prunus Pissardii for grouping; in fact, there is a great demand in England for nearly all kinds of trees and shrubs having high-colored, variegated striking foliage.

American plants, such as rhododendrons, kalmias, hardy azaleas, and andromedas, in all their varieties, are grown in immense quantities at Coombe Wood Nursery. In fact I found this place replete with good things, most carefully and systematically grown, and thus of good salable quality.

Rochester, N. Y. Wm. Webster.