332 Domestic Notices : — Scotland. 



out in such a style as to bring it into harmony with the other parks, become 

 inviting to the wealthy classes as well as the general mass of the population, 

 and thus assimilate, to a much greater extent than at present, the East end of 

 the town with the West end, — Cond. 



The Margins of the great Lines of Railway, that have been some years exe- 

 cuted, are now becoming covered with grass, and much more agreeable to the 

 eye than before ; and, while lately gliding along the line to Birmingham, it oc- 

 curred to us that additional interest might be given to the banks, at very little 

 expense, by planting a collection of trees and shrubs on them. The plants 

 might be a furlong apart ; those on the sides of the deep cuttings may be 

 shrubs ; those on the sides of the embankments tall trees ; and those where 

 the ground on each side is nearly on a level with the road middle-sized trees, 

 such as thorns, Pyrus ^S'orbus, &c. Half-way between each tree or shrub there 

 might be a tall-growing, striking, herbaceous plant, such as the hollyhock, Sibe- 

 rian parsnep, &c. We are not aware of any objection to this idea except 

 the expense, which could not be very great, and if ever the ground came to be 

 pastured by sheep, which we think must be its ultimate destination, the herb- 

 aceous plants might be given up. The trees and shrubs, when once planted, 

 would require no expense whatever to keep them up, because the nurseryman 

 who planted them might contract to keep them in order for three years, when 

 they would be fully established. The herbaceous plants would require a small 

 annual expense, but they might be omitted or given up when the ground was 

 to be pastured. The fine effect, both of herbaceous plants and trees, may be 

 seen on the bank on the right-hand side of the approach to the London ter- 

 minus of the Great Western Railway. There the trees and plants are, very 

 properly, numerous, so as to form a plantation; but along the railroads we 

 propose the trees or shrubs to be a furlong apart, so as to form what may be 

 called a varied and running foreground to the passing scenery. The directors 

 of all the railways have paid most laudable attention to the architecture of the 

 bridges, station houses, and all other buildings, and have succeeded in blending 

 utility with architectural beauty in a highly gratifying degree. It would be 

 only consistent, therefore, to confer some ornament on the naked banks, the 

 formation of which was not less necessary to the existence of the railway than 

 the building of the viaducts and bridges. To any person at all fond of observ- 

 ing trees and shrubs, the recurrence of a new species or variety about every 

 minute would be a source of perpetual interest, and would not interfere with 

 the distant scenery. The collection on one side of the road should have no 

 connexion with the collection on the other side, in order that a person wish- 

 ing to see the whole might confine himself entirely to looking to one side in 

 going, and to the opposite side in returning. Many beautiful trees and shrubs 

 might thus be brought into notice, that at present few people know any thing of. 

 The banks of railroads in some parts of the country, when once they are com- 

 pletely separated from the road by the growth of the hedge, or by some other 

 effective fence, might be let out as garden ground, or for orchards ; but, in 

 general, too little attention has been paid to preserving the old surface soil on 

 the new surface, for these kinds of occupation. — Cond. 



SCOTLAND. 



A General Cemetery is in contemplation here on some ground which is beau- 

 tifully varied on the surface, and abounds in rocks, and situations from which 

 views of the sea are obtained ; in short, on a part of Arthur's Seat. RuUian 

 Green, on Pentland Hills, has also been talked of. — W. D. Edinburgh, April, 

 1841. 



White's Patent Heating Appai'attis has been applied to a vinery in Yester Gar- 

 dens. Our readers will find a notice of Mr. White's apparatus, by Mr. M'Nab, 

 in the present volume, p. .3. It is recommended for its great economy of fuel, 

 and the comparatively little attendance it requires from the gardener. The 

 following is an extract from a letter on the subject, addressed to Mr. White by 

 the gardener at Yester, Mr. Dohson : — 



