1G4 Actual Slate of the British Empire. 



of civilization, It cannot be too often repeated, that the 

 great remedy for this evil, as for all other evils of modern 

 society, is only to be sought for in the gradual and general 

 education of the poor. 



Proceedings of the Horticultural Society. 



March Uh. 



An account was read of the manner in which an orchard of 

 cherries belonging to P. C. Laboucliere, Esq., is protected from the 

 attacks of birds. This orchard is of considerable extent, and is 

 covered over completely with net-work, strained from poles to 

 poles, which are placed among the trees ; a noble instance of a 

 disregard of cost in effecting a useful object. A paper was also 

 laid before the Society upon the mode of training vines at Thomery, 

 near Fontainebleau, where the famous grapes are produced that 

 supply the Paris market. The method appears to consist in allow- 

 ing the plants very little room to grow either with their branches or 

 their roots, and in keeping the latter very near the surface of the 

 ground ; in the practice at Thomery, each vine is only allowed to 

 occupy a space of about six feet, so that the walls are supplied by 

 a multitude of plants instead of by a few, as with us. Several 

 interesting varieties of seeds and cuttings were distributed ; and 

 the table was covered with a profusion of flowers and fruit. Among 

 the latter, the most remarkable were some oranges from the open 

 air, which had been produced in the garden of the Rev. J. L. Lus- 

 combe, upon trees protected in the winter with nothing more 

 secure than wooden shutters. 



March ISth. 



A paper by Mr. Sharp was read, upon the advantages of 

 heating hot-houses by the combination of steam and hot water. 

 This it was proposed to effect by introducing steam pipes into 

 troughs of water, by which means larger masses of heating fluid 

 might be prepared at very considerable distances from the boiler. 

 It was anticipated that in this method the advantage of permanent 

 heat, which is attendant upon the use of hot water, might be com- 

 bined with the power of heating rapidly and at points far more 

 distant from the boiler than is practicable with water alone. The 

 paper was illustrated by a fine model. Some asparagus of extra- 



