and of Rural Improvement generally during 1841. 591 



Oving near Chichester, for which the public are indebted to the 

 proprietor of the living, Miss Woods of Shopwyke. A good 

 deal has also been done in the same manner with some of the 

 churchyards in Edinburgh and Leith ; and a great improvement, 

 introduced into these and some other burying grounds in 

 Scotland, consists in the use of a box for containing the soil 

 thrown out of the grave in digging it. This keeps the grass 

 and the ground round the grave quite clear; and it also saves 

 much labour, because, by taking off one of the movable sides 

 of the box and tilting it up, the soil is instantly returned to 

 the excavation. We shall describe this box and its uses 

 more in detail in our next volume. It is worthy of notice, that 

 the improvement of the churchyards of Edinburgh and Leith 

 arose from the circumstance of gardeners having been employed 

 in them as superintendants. 



Garden Literature. ■ — Perhaps the most valuable books for 

 gardeners, which have been published in the course of the year, 

 are, the Selcctio7iJ'roni the Physiological and Hortiadtural Papers 

 of the late Mr. Knight (p. 327. )> and a cheap and excellent work 

 On Vegetable Physiology, forming part of a popular cyclopaedia 

 of natural science (p. 327. and 593.). The first volume of the 

 Flora of North America, by Drs. Torrey and Gray, has been 

 completed, and forms one of the most interesting botanical 

 publications, in a practical point of view, that could fall into the 

 hands of a native of Britain, who is desirous of enriching his 

 country with the plants of other countries of analogous climates. 

 In this first volume of the North American Flora, there are 

 some hundreds of species of herbaceous and ligneous plants 

 that have never yet been introduced to Britain in a living state ; 

 and, as the work is expected to extend to several volumes, it 

 will show that the species which remain to be introduced from 

 North America, and which will be perfectly hardy in our 

 gardens, amount to several thousands. When we reflect on 

 this, and also on the number of species which are every year 

 being introduced from the mountainous districts of India, and 

 which are also hardy in our climate, the mind is filled with 

 wonder and delight at the botanical riches which at no distant 

 time will be exhibited in the artificial scenery of this country. 

 The Gardenei''' s Chronicle was commenced in January last, and 

 is, without doubt, a journal which will have a most powerful in- 

 fluence on the progress of gardening. As it must be in the 

 hands of all our readers, it is unnecessary for us to say more 

 respecting it; further than this, that it is our intention to note in 

 this Magazine every thing in the Chronicle that we think neces- 

 sary to constitute our miscellany what it professes to be, "a 

 register of all gardening improvements," With the Gardener's 

 1841. — XII. 3d Ser, aQ 



