GARDENING. 



GARDENING. 



fication rendered comparatively easy in a few 

 months. That gardeners availed themselves 

 of the advantage needs no further instance 

 than Philip Miller, in whom the perfect bota- 

 nist and horticulturist were combined, and who 

 was a correspondent of the chief men of sci- 

 ence then living. 



For the working with full effect of the spirit 

 of the immortal Swede, our own Ray had pre- 

 pared the arena. Indefatigable, enthusiastic in 

 his pursuits, of clear and comprehensive mind, 

 he gave an impetus to botany and its correla- 

 tive arts, more effectual to their advancement 

 than they had received during ages of years 

 preceding. For 50 years he most successfully 

 laboured to clear the path of this science and 

 to increase her stores. Nor does he enjoy his 

 fame only among his countrymen ; it is afforded 

 to him by all Europe. Haller says, he was the 

 improver and elevator of botany into a science, 

 and dates from his life a new era in its history. 

 In little more than 20 years, Ray recorded an 

 increase in the English Flora of 550 species. 

 His Catalogus Plautarum Jlnglice, in 1670, con- 

 tains 1050 species: his Synopsis, in 1696, de- 

 scribes more than 1600 species. A phalanx 

 of botanists were then contemporaries which 

 previous ages never equalled, nor succeeding 

 ones surpassed. Ray, Tournefort, Plumier, 

 Plukenet, Commelin, Rivinus, Bobart, Petivir, 

 Sherard, Boccone, Linnoeus, may be said to 

 have lived in the same age. 



I will not pass unnoticed, as being of this 

 period, Abraham Cowley, the well-known poet, 

 physician, and author of The Four Books of 

 Plants. Although he deserves little praise as a 

 botanist or as a gardener, he merits notice as 

 assisting in their advancement, by winning to 

 them and encouraging the attention of the 

 literary. Of the influence which botanists 

 possess over the forwarding the interests of 

 horticulture, I shall quote but one more in- 

 stance. Sir Arthur Rawdon was so gratified 

 with the magnificent collection of West Indian 

 plants possessed by Sir Hans Sloane, that he 

 despatched a skilful gardener, James Harlow, 

 to Jamaica, who brought thence a vessel nearly 

 freighted with vegetating and dried plants, the 

 first of which Sir Arthur Rawdon cultivated in 

 his own garden at Moira in Ireland, or distri- 

 buted amongst his friends, and some of the 

 continental gardens. His taste for exotic plants 

 was probably much encouraged by his intimacy 

 with Dr. William Sherard, who, being one of 

 the most munificent patrons and cultivators of 

 exotic botany during that " golden age" of the 

 science, appeared, as Hasselquist observed, 

 " the regent of the botanic garden" at his house 

 at Sedekio, near Smyrna, where he was British 

 consul : for here he cultivated a very rich 

 garden, and collected the most extensive herba- 

 rium that was ever formed by the exertions of 

 an individual. It contained 12,000 species. 

 His younger brother, Dr. James Sherard, also 

 cultivated at Eltham, in Kent, one of the richest 

 gardens England ever possessed. (Pultney's 

 Sketches of Eot. vol. ii. p. 1 50.) 



But it was not only in the collecting and ar- 

 ranging of plants that botany was adding fresh 

 stores and zest to gardening. Previous to this 

 period little was known of the structure of 

 51G 



plants, and the uses of their several parts. 

 Grew, Malpighi, Linnaeus, Hales, Bonnet, Du 

 Hamel, Hedwig, Spallanzani, &c., cleared away, 

 in a great measure, the ignorance which en- 

 veloped vegetable physiology. Previous to 

 their days the male bearing plants of dirccious 

 plants, as spinach, and the male flowers of cu- 

 cumbers, &c., were recommended to be re- 

 moved as useless ; they taught the importance 

 of checking the return of the sap ; the mode of 

 raising varieties : in short, all the phenomena 

 of vegetable life, which throw so much light 

 upon the practice of the gardener, were first 

 noted and explained by the labours of these 

 philosophers. Another class of philosophers 

 who contributed a gigantic aid to the advance 

 of horticulture, were those chemists who espe- 

 cially devoted themselves to the vegetable 

 world. Such men were Ingenhouz, Van Hel- 

 mont, Priestley, Sennebier, Schraeder, Saus- 

 sure, fec. To them we are indebted for the 

 most luminous researches into the food of 

 plants, the influence of air, of heat, of light, and 

 of soils. Previous to their researches the im- 

 mense importance of the leaves of plants was 

 unknown. Cultivators were unaware that by 

 removing one of them they were proportionably 

 removing the means of breathing and of nou- 

 rishment from the parent plant ; and mankind 

 in general were ignorant that it is by the gas 

 which plants throw off that the animal creation 

 is alone enabled to breathe. 



The scientific institutions of previous years, 

 which had merely existed, were now in a state 

 of vigorous exertion. The Botanic Garden at 

 Chelsea was especially distinguished under its 

 curator Philip Miller. This garden, as pre- 

 viously stated, was founded in 1673, though the 

 inscription over the gateway is dated 1686, 

 until which year it was not effectually ar- 

 ranged. It was strengthened and rendered 

 permanent by Sir Hans Sloane, in 1721. He, 

 having purchased the manor, gave the site, 

 which is a freehold of four acres, to the com- 

 pany, on condition that they should pay 51. per 

 annum for it, and that the demonstrator of the 

 company, in their name, should deliver annu- 

 ally 50 new species of plants to the Royal So- 

 ciety, until the number amounted to 2,000. 

 This presentation of plants commenced in 

 1722, and continued until 1773, at which time 

 they had presented 2550 species. 



If old botanical institutions improved, so also 

 new ones were formed. The Kew Gardens 

 were commenced in 1760, by the Princess 

 Dowager of Wales, mother of George III. The 

 exotic department was established chiefly 

 through the influence of the Marquis of Bute, a 

 great patron of gardening. It was placed under 

 the care of Mr. W. Aiton, and it has since be- 

 come one of the most celebrated botanical in- 

 stitutions in the world. 



The Cambridge Botanical Garden was also 

 founded in 1763, by Dr. Walker, vice-master 

 of Trinity College. He gave the site, com- 

 prising nearly five acres, in trust to the chan- 

 cellor, masters, and scholars of the university, 

 for the purpose of establishing the garden. 

 i Thomas Martyn, the titular professor of botany, 

 \ was appointed reader on plants, and Charles, 

 j son of the celebrated Philip Miller (who had 



