212 



SCIENCE OF GARDENING. 



Part II. 



988. TVie uses of these arrangements, and of the other tables in this chapter to the botanist 

 and cultivator, are very considerable. They afford a full view of the riches of the British 

 garden ; a condensed view of the affinities of plants, by which their properties, culture, and 

 alliances by grafting, crossing, &c. may be estimated ; and the means of selecting plants 

 for every department of the garden. Thus, a person wishing to possess a collection of 

 hardy plants, may, from the two last tables, order a certain number of annuals, biennials, 

 perennials, and trees from each of the Linnaean or Jussieuean classes. Or if he wishes 

 merely a few species of dried plants to illustrate each of the classes or orders of these systems, 

 he may give instructions for forming a herbarium from the tables of the genera before 

 given. (588, 589.) He may there also make a choice for any purpose confined to British 

 plants. To the gardener these tables will be particularly useful, by enabling him to form 

 arrangements in any of the departments of culture with ease and effect. Thus, supposing 

 he is desirous of arranging his green-house plants according to the method of Jussieu ; 

 then, beginning, say with Ranunculaceae, he finds that order contains only one tree and 

 two perennials which are green-house plants ; on turning to the Jussieuean classification 

 of the genera (589. ), he finds Atragene and Knowltonia furnish these. If these genera are in 

 his collection, he begins by placing them together. Next, he proceeds to Magnoliaceje, 

 in which there are three green-house trees, and so on ; proceeding thus, whether in ar- 

 ranging hardy, green-house, or hot-house plants in the natural method, and similarly, if 

 arranging them according to that of Linnaeus. It is proper to observe, that though great 

 care has been taken to attain arithmetical correctness in these tables, yet, in some cases, 

 we have failed of perfect success ; but as the number of plants in the artificial Flora is 

 every day increasing, and their arrangement and even names very frequently varying, 

 there is no occasion for absolute perfection in arithmetical enumerations for subjects such 

 as ours, and even a much less degree than what has been attained would have answered 

 the purpose equally well. 



989. Purchasable British Flora. The whole of the plants enumerated as forming the 

 British Flora, are probably not at any one time all in existence in Britain. Many of them, 

 especially the exotic species, which were introduced at Kew, have been lost there through 

 accidents or diseases, and are wanting for a time till new seeds or plants are obtained from 

 abroad. Had they been distributed among the nurserymen they would have been 

 abundantly multiplied and spread over the country. Casualties happen even to hardy 

 plants, and a species which at one time is to be found in moderate quantities in the nur- 

 series is at another period comparatively scarce. Thus, if we reduce the actual number 

 of species to be found in cultivation at one time to from 9000 to 10,000, it will be found 

 nearer the truth. In the public nurseries, varieties are very much cultivated, in order, as 

 it were, to place the beauties of esteemed species in different points of view ; or to produce 

 in vegetables something analogous to what are called variations in musical compositions. 

 The following may be considered as a popular or horticultural distribution of the species 

 and varieties obtainable from British nurseries. It is taken from a catalogue entitled 

 Prodromus, &c. ; or Forerunner of the collection in Page's Southampton nursery-garden, 

 drawn up by L. Kennedy, (late of the Hammersmith nursery,) and published in 1818. 

 It is a work of great practical utility, and with Sweet's Hortus, should be in the hands 

 of every gardener who has a collection of plants under his care. 



990. Hardy Plants. 



