HORTICULTURE. 



181 



y- 



anl So- 



rectory," a little book which soon acquired the high 

 character which it ftill retains. The " Gardener's Ca- 

 lendar," in one Urge volume octavo, came out in 1810; 

 and forms at this day one of the best books on horti- 

 culture in our Language. In the same year he under- 

 took an extensive journey through England, visiting 

 all the principal seats and plantations in that country ; 

 and on his return he made some progress in composing 

 a ' Planter's Calendar." But alter a few weeks illness 

 he died, on the 5th March 1811. His last work just 

 mentioned, has since been completed and published by 

 his friend Mr Edward Sang, nurseryman at Kirkcaldy 

 in Fife. 



22. In 1805, Horticultural Society was instituted 

 at London, under the patronage of Earls Dartmouth 

 and Powis, Sir Joseph Banks, and other distinguished 

 characters. The first volume of its Transactions ap- 

 peared, in 4to, hi 1812, containing several useful and 

 scientific communication-, by Mr T. A. Knight, Mr R. 

 A. Salisbury, and other ingenious horticulturists. In 

 ilsJiiiii 18O9, the Caledonian Horticultural Society was esta- 

 Hortwuhu- blished at Edinburgh by the individual exertions of that 

 l Society, venerable physician and excellent amateur gardener 

 Dr Andrew Duncan senior, Professor of the Institutes 

 of Medicine in the I'nivenity there. The .Society ha* 

 been fostered by several of the Scottish nobility ami 

 gentry, particularly the Duke of Baccleuch, the Earl of 

 Wemyss and March, the Earl of Leven, Sir. fame* Hall, 

 SirGcorge Stewart Markeniie, Sir George Buehan Hep- 

 burn, and others. It publishes Memoirs, inthe octavo use, 

 in detached parts or numbers, two parta generally appear- 

 ing in the course of the yew; and oia important enough 

 papers have in this way been brought before the pub- 

 A desire of improving their h nuwsidgsi of gsudm- 



Botanical 

 gvdener. 



dencr. 



cerning the treatment of fruit-trees. 1. The business History 

 of the botanical gardener implies, as already remarked, 

 the cultivation of all sorts of rare plants, either in the 

 open border, in frames, in the green-house, the conserva- 

 tory, or the stove; the adapting of the soil and artificial 

 climate, to the respective kinds of plants; a discrimina- 

 ting eye, and an acquaintance more or less familiar with 

 the characters and names of the genera and species of 

 plants as described by \Villdenow, at least of such as are 

 contained in the Hortus Kewensis, or the Cambridge Ca- 

 talogue. To these qualifications must be added, general 

 taste inthe disposing of plants in borders, and in the form- 

 ing and keeping of ornamental grounds. 2. The fruit- 

 gardener should have a correct knowledge of the different 

 kinds of fruit-trees, and the principal cariclitt of each 

 kHul ; he must be familiarly^ acquainted with the method 

 of training and pruning suited to each sort, and must at 

 the same time possess judgment and experience to en- 

 able him to adapt the degree of pruning or mode of 

 training to the peculiar circumstances of the individual 

 tree. He must understand the formation of fruit-tree 

 borders, the operations of grafting and budding, and 

 the preserving of blossom. The peach-house, the vine- 

 ry, and the pine-stove, belong to his department, as 

 well as the melon frames, and some other subordinate 

 matters. Much may be learned from authors ; from 

 Miller, I'.ir-\tli, ilitt, Speechly, and others; but an in- 

 timate acquaintance with the proper training, and the 

 proper pruning and dUbudding of wall trees, is to be 

 i-d only by observation and practice, as th<y vary 

 continually, according to the soil, aspect, luxuriant r 

 weakly state of the tree, and even according to the 

 season. 3. The kitchen-gardener's duty is generally 



ing has thus been excited among gentlemen ; and the 



intelligence and teal of practical cultivator* i thus, in 



Ir t- .i- -e 

 o< employ- 



the moot unassuming way, mads) known to the world. 



23. Perhaps no fitter place may occar for warning 

 gentlemen of the value of the services of* an experienced 

 gardener, and of the propriety of employing only one 

 who has made himself acquainted with all the parts of 

 his business ; as well as for snfulraTmf on gardensts 

 themselves the necessity of their diligently and prac- 

 every branch of thetr ptuJMltuii. A 



SIS-ia 1 aMjls_li SJ1S.SM 4**vl*n^* a*MM*&J t... 



uu JBCDCBOTU fmf\ifnfT t InKTIH 'rtf I ' V 



experience, is a treasure which every ftintisMiSM should 

 pnxe. NuBeram aa are the books on gardening, and 

 excellent as some of them undoubtedly are, there are 

 many parti of the gardener's dsrty for which no gene- 



- _.! _ . I III II .1 l 



rai rules can 

 he has to 



tically studying 



^11 



well 



be laid down : like tbephysscian, 



tea 



with the living principle, 

 ment, of his tree* especially, must vary, aCMfd 

 tinasumi n.sailiii twiasnsuam.. Much must 

 at all times on hi* own sapfily and 

 very much is to be learned by a 

 practising under the eye of an experienced 

 gaiuWna ought to have some knowledge of t 

 particularly of the doctrines of heat, of the 

 water, and of vegetable physiology. All good 

 ganleners, indeed, become Asnuati to certa 

 without knowing it. 



The profession contains different dayaiUimiU. The 

 cultivator of rare plants, or the botanical gardener, may 

 excvl in hit own dipaitiiHSJt, and yet be very little ac- 

 Minted with the proper minagiainu of fruit-tree*. 

 The fruit-gardener generally possesses a knowledge of 

 the culture of kitchen-vegetables : but a great propor- 

 tion of the common order of workman who have ac- 

 quired a competent knowledge of the last-mentioned 

 branch of horticulture, are extremely ill informed coo- 



thought to be very simple and easy ; but he who can 

 .1 it neatly and with success, may be accounted 

 a good general gardener. The rearing of several culi- 

 nary articles require* particular attention ; such as as- 

 paragus, eatery, saa calt, mushrooms, and above all, 

 melon* and cucumber*. Great assistance may be deri- 

 ved from book*, from Abercrombie's Practical Gar- 

 dener and Nicol's Calendar ; but a person who has ne- 

 ver witnessed nor practised any of tin- nicer parts of 

 the kitchen-gardener's duty, will be but ill qualified 

 to attempt them. 



The public nurseries an useful seminaries to young 

 gardeners. The overseer* of these establishment* are 

 generally well-informed persons, and dexterous work- 

 men, having been selected on account of possessing 

 these qualities. Many vary useful part* of the profes- 

 sion may here be acquired; such a* the level-digging of 

 ground, and neat finishing off of beds or borders, ap- 

 parently simple matter*, in which, however, many gar- 

 dener* are extremely deficient. In some nurseries ex- 

 tensive collections of hardy and green-houie plants are 

 kept, and a knowledge of the culture of these may thus 

 be acquired. Nor is the knowledge of the mode* of rai- 

 sing from the seed and rearing in nursery-beds, of the 

 various forest trees, an inconsiderable matter: in many 

 places, indeed, the head-gardener is required to maintain 

 a nursery of seedling forest-trees, for tiie use of his mas- 

 ter'* estate. In tin public nurseries a knowledge of the 

 processc* of grafting and budding may be acquired ; but 

 the gardener who has studied only in this school, will 

 afterwards discover how much he has to learn a* to the 

 proper wood to be used for graft*, as well as to the site 

 and quality of the stocks. Under any of the first raU- 

 market-gardener* a young man may learn many part* of 

 hi* profession with great advantage, particularly the 

 raising of all sorts of pot-herbs and salads, anil the for- 

 cing of many of them. But here too he will labour Un- 



Kitchen 

 gardener. 



