INTRODUCTION. 



zine," say these letters, " will put Gardeners in distant parts 

 of the country on a footing with those about the metropolis." 

 It is not that improvements are exclusively made in the latter 

 circle ; but more are made there than anywhere else, and most 

 of those made elsewhere are soon heard of in the metropolitan 

 district. Besides, almost all new importations are made to 

 London, and all new varieties of useful or ornamental produc- 

 tions, originated in distant parts of the country, soon find their 

 way to the metropolis, either for the purpose of being made 

 more generally known, or to be propagated for sale by nur- 

 serymen and market gardeners. 



The London nurseries and market gardens are the first 

 schools in the world for vegetable propagation -and culture, 

 and for acquiring a practical knowledge of botany. The know- 

 ledge acquired in these schools will not alone fit a gardener 

 for undertaking the charge of a private gentleman's garden in 

 the country ; but unless a private gentleman's gardener has been 

 properly initiated in this species of elementary knowledge, 

 though he may know the common routine for supplying a family 

 with fruits and vegetables, yet, he will be unfit to be entrusted 

 with new or with rare plants, and incapable of keeping pace with 

 the progress of his art. As a recent and very considerable ac- 

 cession to the advantages of the metropolis, we may add that 

 great centre of intercourse and emporium of novelties, the 

 London Horticultural Society, and its extensive garden. The 

 impulse which this Society has given to horticultural improve- 

 ment in Britain, is truly astonishing; and even on the con- 

 tinent, and in America, similar societies have sprung up in 

 imitation of it, and for the same objects. In the gardens of 

 this Society many new plants have been already introduced ; 

 and this garden affords one of the best chances of settling the 

 nomenclature of edible fruits and culinary vegetables, respect- 

 ing which, at present, there is great uncertainty and confusion. 



The general practice of gardeners and their employers con- 

 firms this view of the importance of the metropolitan district. 

 When a gardener is in want of a situation, or a gentleman in 

 search of a capital gardener, both apply to a London nursery- 

 man : inferior situations may be filled up from provincial nur- 

 series, but first-rate gardeners for every part of the empire are 

 obtained from London. A first-rate gardener in place, in a 

 distant province, would soon cease to be such, unless he paid 

 frequent visits to those nurseries for improvement. In this 

 respect, a gardener who does not stay longer than six or seven 

 years in one situation has a great advantage over him who re- 

 mains double or treble that time ; for before he acquires a new 

 situation, he goes to his patron nurseryman, and works under 



