THE WISLEY GARDEN 57 



nature they must, their places, we may be sure, 

 will be refilled, as far as it may be desirable; for 

 every essential feature is to be faithfully pre- 

 served, and in time to come the garden, it may 

 be, will attain to a degree of even higher per- 

 fection. 



Could a better way of spending a bright day 

 in spring or summer be found by a garden artist 

 or a true lover of plants than in that beautiful and 

 instructive garden at Wisley ? 



We are apt greatly to underrate the practical 

 value of an experimental garden of the kind which 

 has been so long maintained at Chiswick, and is 

 to be perpetuated in this memorial garden at Wis- 

 ley. Its motive and equipment is entirely distinct 

 from that of the botanic garden, and in some 

 ways it concerns even more intimately the every- 

 day life of the nation. It touches the commercial 

 side of the community by testing any new pro- 

 duction in fruit, flower or vegetable that is sub- 

 mitted for rigorous and careful comparison, and 

 awarding to that which is most worthy the good 

 send-off of the approval, signed and sealed, of 

 the best experts of the day. At the same time, 

 the general public gain a warranty of merit which 

 is of signal importance to them in their own gar- 

 dening transactions. It helps to solve difficulties 

 of culture. It brings to light new forces, natural 

 and mechanical, by which the products of the 

 soil can be augmented and improved. It keeps 

 alive the enthusiasm in gardening matters without 

 which progress of all kinds must'come to a stand- 

 still. Here, too, the amateur, if he will, has ample 



