GARDENS OF HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 179 



adopted^ the plants may be made to fall into gronps ; 

 but few of the examples of this kind of planting 

 which have come under our observation are mate- 

 rially better than the others. They are usually 

 planted in cliunps in grass^ but the figm'es are seldom 

 good j the intervening spaces of gTass are too narrow ; 

 and the plants too small to produce any of that 

 lawn-like effect which we suppose is aimed at. We 

 should deem it more ad^isable to arrange such collec- 

 tions in the form of parten'es_, composed of beds suited 

 for the various tiibes and genera^ and intersected with 

 gravelled walks — a method wliich would economize the 

 ground occupied_, and facilitate inspection. 



Sect. IV. Gardens beloxgixg to Horticultural 

 AND Zoological Societies. 



(1.) The Garden of Horticultural Societies. — This 

 species of garden is of more recent origin than those 

 devoted to strictly botanical purposes. Soon after the 

 rise of the horticultural societies, in the first decade of 

 the present centmy, it was felt to be desii'able that these 

 'institutions should possess pieces of garden gi'ound_, on 

 which to perform such extended experiments as might 

 be beyond the reach of private cultivators. Methods 

 of cultoi'e recommended by professional men or spe- 

 culative amateurs were to be repeated, and their general 

 utility to be ascertained. Original obser^'ations were 

 to be made. In aU these and various other spheres 

 of progress, the gardens of which we now propose to 

 speak, as is universally admitted, have conferred most 

 important benefits on the practice of horticulture. 



In botanic gardens many valuable and interesting 



