182 Review of Loudon's Gardener^ s Magazine. 



over that 2 in. of soil, in which the grass might be sown ; thus placing a 

 stop between the grass and the rich earth, in order to |)revent tlie former 

 from becoming rank, and the latter ti-om being deteriorated. Fmiher 

 ex[)eriments on the subject should be made, to determine the effects of 

 other vegetable surfaces, as mint, tliyme, &c., upon temperature; the 

 variations produced by long and short grass; and also its efiects on tem- 

 perature in winter as well as in summer. 



"1 may mention that a peacli border of eighty j'ards in length, which 

 has been treated in the above way now for three years, produces luxuri- 

 antly." 



Art. 2 contains some remarks on tlie " necessity of the study 

 of botany and entomology to gardeners." The profession of the 

 gardener in England, is, at the present time, one of considerable 

 acquirement, and the requisitions which would formerly have been 

 sufficient for a good one, would now go but little ways towards 

 fitting hiiT>for that duty. When gardening shall have acquired that 

 perfection in this country, which it has in Britain, it may be thought 

 that then will be sufficient time to impress upon gardeners, the 

 importance of a knowledge of botany ; and that in its present 

 stale, there is no need of such a sacrifice of time, and perhaps 

 expense, towards attaining what will not be wanted; we would, 

 however, disagree with those, if there are any, who are of this 

 opinion, and urge upon all who are interested in horticulture, the 

 importance of giving a considerable portion of their leisure time, 

 to the study of botany and entomology ; convinced as we are, that 

 it will contribute greatly to the pleasure of the amateur, and inter- 

 est, as well as facilitate, the gardener in the cultivation of the 

 different objects under cultivation. We have often wished that 

 our horticultural societies, under whose auspices gardening has 

 advanced in a wonderful degree, would induce gardeners to make 

 botany a study, and also, by some reward, to induce them to form 

 herbariums of our indigenous plants, or such at least as can be 

 easily collected witijin the vicinity of their residence. The study 

 of entomology, too, as a means of acquiring a better knowledge of 

 the character and habits of the inumerable insects, which destroy 

 vegetation, is very important, and has been much neglected. We 

 should not so often hear of the destruction of whole crops of fruit 

 — the sweeping off of plantations of trees, or other disasters, 

 attributable to insects, of whose habits little or nothing is known, if 

 they were made a study. But we are certain that all are convinced 

 of the importance of more attention to these subjects, and we here 

 adopt the closing words of the author in saying : — 



" 'Let these two important branches have full share of your attention 

 with the rest of your professional pursuits; collect specimens of [)lants 

 wherever you can ; dry them, and fix them in the usual way in your 

 specimen book ; and, if your instructor shoidd be ignorant of the names 

 of any of them, take every opportunity of asking other gardeners.' I 

 think 1 need not add that these acquirements will lift a young may much 

 above those gardeners who have repeatedly to confess, on being asked the 

 names and descriptions of flowers or trees, that they have not paid much 



