498 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 8 



Bhire's large house is expected to be completed in 

 the course of the year 1838. 



The next greatest improvements making in pri- 

 vate gardens are those at Woburn Abbe_v; where 

 the Dul<e of Bedlbrd has recently completed a 

 large rustic structure for the protection of arauca- 

 nas during winter, and where an extensive range 

 of glass, includmg a palm -house, has been com- 

 menced. The beauty, and hia'h order and keep- 

 ing, of all the wardens of the different persons be- 

 longing to the Woburn Abbey eslablishment, in- 

 cluding the cottage and village gardens, are be- 

 yond all praise; and we are not aware of any 

 landed estate, of similar extent, on which it is 

 equalled. Extensive improvements are making 

 at Bagshot Park, by the J3uchcss of Gloucester; 

 at The Deepdene, by H. T. Hope, Esq; and at 

 Gunnersbury, by Mrs. Rothschild. In the 

 grounds of different noblemen's and gentlemen's 

 residences throughout the country, many altera- 

 tions are going forward under the direction of Mr. 

 Nesfield, a landscape-gardener who only requires 

 to cultivate a botanical and horticultural knowl- 

 edge of trees and shrubs to place him at the head 

 of his profession. Mr. Nesfield perfectly under- 

 stands the difference between the picturesque and 

 the gardenesque; between fac-simile imitation of 

 nature, and imitation on artistical principles; and 

 between lowering and caricaturing real scenery, 

 and elevating and ennobling it. The pervaditig 

 error of one class of landscape-gardeners (lliose, 

 viz: who have arisen from being painters) is, that 

 of aroruing, or seeming to argue, that there is only 

 one kind of^ beauty applicable to natural scenery, 

 viz: the picturesque; and the pervading deflect of 

 those landscape-gardeners who have arisen from 

 being cultivators is, that they do not know correct- 

 ly what constitutes either the picturesque or the 

 gardenesque. The error of supposing that the 

 only kind of beauty adapted for garden scenery is 

 the picturesque, was a very natural one to fdl into 

 in the early days of Price and Kniirht, after the 

 long prevalence of the very opposite kind of beau- 

 ty in garden scenery, viz: the ffeomefresque, or 

 the architecturesque, if we may be allowed these 

 terms. At present, however, the picturesque is 

 found to be only a beauty among other beauties; 

 and, though appropriate for some kinds ofartificial 

 ecenery, such as extensive parks, dells, dinirles, 

 &c., it is much less adapted for scenes of cultiva- 

 tion, such as shrubberries, lawns, and flower-gar- 

 dens, than the gardenesque; and by no means so 

 suitable for the immediate vicinity of a mansion as 

 the architecturesque. It is a happy circumstance 

 when the architect and the landscane-sjardener 

 operate harmoniously together; and this has been, 

 and is lonir likely to continue to be, the case with 

 Mr. Nesfield. and his brother-in-law, Anthony 

 Salvin, Esq., architect. The latter is an artist of 

 real genius; and, though not regularly initiated in 

 the profession of architect, and still a young man, 

 he is, perhaps, next to Mr. Barry, more extensive- 

 ly employed by country gentlemen than any archi- 

 tect in England. Another landscape-gardener 

 who has been, and continues to be, extensively 

 employed, is Mr. Forrest, than who no artist in 

 England is more thoroughly acquainted with the 

 executive part of his profession; and particularly 

 with the various kinds of trees and shrubs adapted 

 for different soils and situatiouvS, without attending 

 to which, the execution of the most elegant de- 



sign would lose half its interest. As a garden ar- 

 chitect, we know no man to be compared with Mr. 

 Forrest. Among many examples, in different 

 parts of the country, we may refer, as a standing 

 proof of his abilities in this department of his pro- 

 fession, to the admirable range of forcing-houses 

 and pineries erected in the kitchen-garden at Syon 

 (see the plan, &c., vol. v. p. 509,) and lo the 

 walks and general arrangennent of that garden. 

 Mr. Forrest has, also, had more experience in 

 laying out zoological gardens and arboretums than 

 any other artist. 



Commercial gardening, taking the country gen- 

 erally, is in a more prosperous state than it has 

 been for some years; though, as we have else- 

 where observed, a large portion of the business of 

 the metropolitan nurserymen is transferred to the 

 provinces; a change which cannot fail to be high- 

 ly beneficial to the public as a whole, and ultimate- 

 ly so even to the metropolitan nurserymen, by in- 

 creasing their wholesale business with the trade in 

 the country. 



The nurser}^ business in the neighborhood of 

 London, to be carried on with success, must now 

 be established on a different principle from what 

 it was fnrmerly; and, instead of the main object 

 being to get business by keeping an extensive 

 stock, and by travelling through the country to so- 

 licit orders, it must be sought by having the arti- 

 cles composing that stock true to their names, and 

 by exhibiting specimens not only of fruits and 

 flowers, but of all the more remarkable trees and 

 shrubs, to ijentlemen and country nurserymen who 

 jiropoee becoming purchasers. Facilities must al- 

 so be given toyouni; gardeners to acquire a great- 

 er knowledge of the articles jirown and sold by 

 nurserymen, than they have hitherto enjoyed; oth- 

 erwise, how is it possible that they can order them 

 after the}^ have entered on situations as head gar- 

 deners? The London nurserymen, in short, would 

 do well to take a hint fi'om the horticultural and 

 agricultural exhibitions made by some of their 

 brethren in Scotland. Mr. Forrest, who (as ob- 

 served in a future page) has lately commenced 

 nurseryman at Kensington, appears to us to have 

 set out in a manner likely to be attended with suc- 

 cess. In the first place, he undertakes, with the 

 name of every plant, seed, or root, which he sends 

 out, to add the authority for that name in the man- 

 ner done by Messrs. Audibertof Tarascon. Sec- 

 ondly, he intends having specimen plants of all 

 the hardy trees and shrubs, and, as far as practi- 

 cable, of all the fi-uit trees and fruit shrubs, which 

 he sells. Thirdly, he intends, in every month of 

 the year, to exhibit in his shop gathered speci- 

 mens, correctly named, of the best fruits, flowers, 

 flowering plants, and culinary vegetables, which 

 are in perfection at that particular season; so that, 

 by visiting Mr. Forrest's shop, any person, though 

 totally ignorant of the art of gardening, may be- 

 come acquainted with every uselul gardening pro- 

 duction which the open air of this country will af- 

 ford; and will know the season, or the different 

 seasons, at which each production will arrive at 

 perfection. Fourthly, he intends to have a col- 

 lection of garden implements, machines, utensils, 

 and articles used in gardening, foreign and domes- 

 tic, both for show and for sale. This was the 

 practice about a century ago, as may be seen by 

 the gardener's calendars and nurserymen's cata- 

 logues published about that time; but the practice 



