182 PARKS AND PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 



every considerable village and little town has its own 

 flower and fruit shows ; and when it is considered how 

 much harmless and healthful enjoyment is thus afforded 

 to all classes of society^ and what substantial additions 

 are made to the people^ s food, the philanthropist must 

 be ready to approve and rejoice. 



Laying-out of Horticultural Gardens. — In the arrange- 

 ment of these gardens, the special objects to which they 

 are destined must be kept distinctly in view. When 

 furnished with complete appointments, they include divi- 

 sions for culinary vegetables, fruit-trees, forcmg, flowers, 

 shrubs, etc. ; in other Avords, they embrace gardening in 

 all its branches, and so require treatment of the most 

 varied description. Our limits forbid us to enter into 

 full details ; we shall, therefore, suppose that a suitable 

 locality in respect to soil and situation has been chosen, 

 and shall content ourselves vni\\ throwing out a few 

 hints which may be usefal to persons contemplating 

 work of this kind. 



The extent of such a garden ought to be a matter of 

 primary and serious consideration. It should be first of 

 all ascertained what amount of expense the average 

 resources of the society are adequate to meet. Finan- 

 cial difficidties always operate most injmiously on insti- 

 tutions of this kind, as they impede or obstruct direct 

 experiment, and by limiting the number of workmen 

 employed, embarrass the superintendents and divert 

 them fr'om their proper work. Such gardens ought 

 never to be too extensive ; they should rather be small 

 than otherwise. A large flower-garden, to be filled with 

 beds of ordinary annuals, or even common florists^ 

 flowers which have been cultivated perhaps for half a 

 century, is wholly unnecessary. We should even be 



