Retrospective Criticism. 441 



gardener, within these few years, since forcing and the culture of exotics 

 and of various new culinary and ornamental plants and fruits, have been in- 

 troduced, have greatly increased. However, we shall leave the matter to 

 itself; the price paid for gardeners, as for every thing else, will find its own 

 level. All our wonder is, that more gardeners do not emigrate to America; 

 and we have no hesitation in telling those of them who are only fit for the 

 lower departments of the profession, who are in fact not reading gardeners, 

 that they never can expect to rise much higher than common country 

 labourers. The influx of agricultural labourers from Ireland and other 

 countries has been, and will probably for a long period of time continue to 

 be, so great, that a gardener has no chance but in raising himself to the 

 highest order of the profession in this country, or in departing for a 

 country where, in consequence of the want of gardeners, any gardener is 

 in demand. It is no difficult matter to render an expert agricultural 

 labourer a tolerable gardener of the lowest class, even in the present state 

 of things; and when, as we have no doubt will be the case in a few years, 

 the agricultural population of the country shall be a reading population, 

 they will tread still more closely on the heels of the gardener. When Ire- 

 land shall have become so enlightened, that her surplus hands will seek 

 abroad for higher occupations than those of the lowest kinds of English 

 labour, the profession of gardeners will be still more encroached on by a 

 new race of Irish gardeners, and to that will be added the surplus popula- 

 tion of other countries. For, the moi'e the nations of the world become 

 enlightened and free, the greater will be the tendency of the labourers of 

 rude countries to carry their labour to those which are richer and more 

 refined. It is true that the operation of the same principles may end in 

 there being no native Englishmen in the condition of common labourers at 

 all ; and that the time may come, and we hope it will come, when all the 

 male population of England will be so enlightened and improved, that 

 neither common labourers nor livery servants will be found among them, 

 and that footmen will require to be imported from Africa and Asia, and 

 coachmen and grooms from Russia and Tartary. The tendency is this 

 way : every condition is rising into that which is above it, and the popula- 

 tion of poor countries ready to overrun countries which are rich. We 

 repeat that there is no safety for the young gardener, but in rising into the 

 highest ranks of his profession; or for his posterity, but in educating them 

 to the utmost. 



Whenever we have been consulted as to the wages of gardeners, our 

 advice has always been to increase their comforts by additions in kind, 

 rather than by additions in money ; to give a more commodious house to live 

 in, a proper office for seeds, &c., and a good library; fuel, lights, a cow, pigs, 

 poultry, flour or meal, potatoes, and to pay for the education of one or two 

 of the children, 



Ltombardy and Black Italian Poplars. — I have to thank Suffblciensis, 

 Cp. 185.), for correcting my error respecting the value of the timber of the 

 Lombardy Poplar, compared with that of the Black Italian. The former 

 being so full of knots is worth very little, but the value of the latter is 

 Is. 6d. per foot in this neighbourhood, which makes my calculation in (Vol. 

 III. p. 410.) still correct. In the beginning of the year 1826, I planted 

 upwards of 1000 cuttings, some of them 10 or 12 ft. long, of various sorts. 

 The Black Italian made the greatest progress, many of them being 6 in. in 

 circumference. They are planted on a poor wet gravel, which before pro- 

 duced little except rushes. — C.F. W. Drayton, near Fazeley, July 15. 



Tally Pegs. — I buy my garden nails of 2, 5, or 4 lbs. the thousand, at 5d. 

 per lb., and I should think that any cast-iron articles in quantities might be 

 had under 305. the cwt.; but they must be got from the country, where the 

 work is not only much cheaper, but infinitely superior to London castings. 

 I should think a young ironmonger might command a good business, if he 



