NINETEENTH CENTURY 291 



the road to a knowledge of current horticulture lay open 

 to all. 



The natural outcome of all this floral wealth was a complete 

 change in the manner of gardening. For instance, a pinetum 

 would never have been contemplated had not Douglas and 

 Lobb discovered and sent home the seeds of a bewildering 

 number of pines. One of the earliest to be made was at 

 Dropmore ; that at Kew was begun by Sir Joseph Hooker in 

 1843, and in all the larger gardens in the Kingdom pinetums 

 were laid out during the twenty years which followed. The 

 present generation is reaping the benefit of them, and really 

 fine trees are to be seen in those early established. Naturally, 

 little was known of the growth or habits of many of the newly 

 imported pines, and years had to elapse before the age of the 

 trees was sufficient for their style of growth to become apparent. 

 Hence it unfortunately arose that mighty forest trees were 

 planted in confined spots or amid uncongenial surroundings, or 

 specimens were injured by overcrowding. But, on the whole, 

 the early Victorian pinetums were well designed. The ex- 

 citement caused by some of these new arrivals often led to their 

 being planted to the exclusion of more suitable trees. The 

 " Monkey Puzzle " or " Chili pine " [Araucaria imbricata) 

 attracted much attention from its originality. A writer in 

 1847^ describes how greatly he was impressed on seeing a plant 

 of this 10 or II feet high in the Birmingham Botanical Garden 

 — " the most indifferent spectator would be immediately struck 

 with the singular beauty of its appearance "; and he goes on 

 to declare that he considers " no gentleman's demesne com- 

 plete without " it. From the numbers of this formal tree stuck 

 about amid the most incongruous surroundings in many 

 " demesnes," it can easily be seen how well this advice was 

 followed. 



In aJl considerable gardens the green-houses and stoves were 

 much added to. These latter were also called " Bark-stoves," 

 as, to keep up a moist heat, banks of bark or other fermenting 

 material were used instead of stages, and but little air was 

 admitted. It was not infrequently the custom to devote a 

 whole house to one kind of plants. In this way an immense 

 ^ In The Midland Florist. 



19—2 



