394 Notes of a Visit to Oakley Park. 



result a permanent gain is seciu-ed. We see no reason why 

 gourds should not be bred into melons ; at least we know to 

 our cost that melons are easily bred into gourds. There is 

 nothing impossible in the Miller's Burgundy grape transform- 

 mg into a sort with berries as big as Muscats ; or in a leek 

 gaining a bulb as solid and round as a Tripoli onion ; or in a 

 raspberry bearing berries as fine as a British dueen strawber- 

 ry ; such changes are far more likely to happen than the 

 transformation of ^gilops into Triticum ; what they want 

 for their accomplishment is time, patience, and an intelligent 

 knowledge of the nature of the plants, and a fixed residence ; 

 with all which gardeners as a body are better provided than 

 any other class of society. To them we earnestly recom- 

 mend the steady pursuit of M. Fabre's experiments. If any 

 one should succeed in the course of a dozen years in giving 

 & raspberry the dimensions of a mammoth strawberry, he will 

 deserve to be placed by the side of the great inventor of the 

 Crystal Palace. 



Art, II. Notes of a Visit to Oakley Park, England ; with 

 some Remarks on Draining and the Use of Drain Tile. 

 By R. S. F. 



[A FRIEND and correspondent, who is now making a so- 

 journ near London, has kindly promised us an occasional 

 letter on arboriculture and rural subjects. Every way quali- 

 fied to do justice to whatever he may undertake to comment 

 upon, and with a real love, as well as a fine taste, for rural 

 art, we anticipate some interesting as well as valuable infor- 

 mation. The great agricultural meeting at Lewes, which 

 he alludes to, was to be accompanied by a great horticul- 

 tural display, affording an excellent opportunity to witness 

 the manner in which these are got up in England, and the 

 plants and fruits which contribute most to the interest of 

 sudi displays. — Ed.] 



