Retrospective Criticism. 95 



be doubted but it would have the effect on a neighbourhood, which your 

 valuable Magazine has had on gardening in general, — that of raising' the 

 whole science. 



And, Sir, when we consider the rapid improvement of the present ao-e, 

 the information diffused by horticultural societies, magazines, and other 

 periodicals, he must rank very low in the scale of gardening who sees and 

 knows nothing of this various information, and who is thus standing still 

 while the world goes round. Apologising for the liberty I have taken, I 

 am. Sir, yours, &c. — J. Clarke. Saffron JValdcn, Oct. 



We have not time at present to enforce the arguments of our intelli- 

 gent correspondent in favour of garden libraries and the diffusion of know- 

 ledge ; nor indeed is it necessary, for he has given the essence of all that 

 we could advance. With respect to lists of books, we could give none 

 which has not appeared in the Encyc. of Gard., or in preceding Numbers, 

 and all those of real worth are characterised as such. If Mr. Clarke will 

 make out a list and send it to us, we will note on it what omissions we think 

 might be made, and what additions would be advisable. Provincial societies, 

 with libraries formed on the model which our correspondent contemplates, 

 and which seems to be nearly the same as that of the Newcastle upon 

 Tyne society, are in accordance with what we have stated in Vol. II. p. 373., 

 under the head of Village Libraries. It will there be seen how important 

 we think them for the progress of society. — Cond. 



A Village Library, or reading club, has lately been established in the 

 village of Carcolston, Nottinghamshire, by which, at the trifling expense of 

 Zd. a month, the subscribers will be furnished with agricultural and general 

 reading. Among the subscribers is the Protestant vicar of the parish, and 

 the Catholic priest. {^Nottingham Review.) 



East Lothian Itinerating Libraries. — Sir, I am obliged by your notice of 

 the East Lothian itinerating libraries in your Gardener's Magazine. I en- 

 close you a copy of the P'ifth Report lately published. Every year's expe- 

 rience convinces me that the itinerating library is the cheajiest plan for 

 diffusing knowledge, where there is a reading population, that has been 

 adopted since the invention of printing. At Haddington, North Berwick, 

 and some other stations, almost the whole books on general subjects have 

 been in constant circulation, so that when persons did not apply on the 

 evenings in which they were issued, they could hardly procure one. I am. 

 Sir, &c. — Samuel Brown. Haddington, June 16. 1828. 



We intend to notice the report in our next Number; in v/hich, we 

 shall have a good deal to say on village libraries, village museums for the 

 use of infant schools, village infant and adult schools, with gardens, and, in 

 short, the adoption of an improved modification of theWurtemberg, Bavarian, 

 and Baden system of general education ; a system which, with the modifi- 

 cations and additions which we have proposed in a pamphlet which we had 

 translated and published in P;iris, would, if universally adopted, do more 

 for the human race, than any thing that has yet been attemj)teil ; that is (in 

 our opinion at least), it woukl render them all that they are capable of 

 being. — Coiid. 



Art. VIIL Retrospective Criticism. 



To condense and preserve Vegetables. — One of your correspondents, in 

 a former Number, has described the method of preserving cabbages, and 

 other green vegetables, by salting them ; allow me to refer you to a differ- 

 ent process for attaining the same end. Boil, over a fierce wood fire, so 

 as to preserve their colour when completely cooked ; grind them into a 

 complete pulp, by some such means as are used to crush ajiples for cider, 

 &c. ; then let them be subjected to the action of the press (being fust put 

 into hair bags, or treated as grapes are in wine countries), till all the fluid 



