Foreign Notices. — Germany. 493 



lish manner of laying out grounds may be better learned in Bavaria than in 

 England, yet we make the assertion without the least hesitation; and we 

 refer to the parks and pleasure-grounds laid out by the late M. Sckell, and 

 by his nephew of the same name, the present director-general of royal gar- 

 dens in Bavaria. We refer, in particular, to the gardens of Nymphenburg, 

 of Berg near Wiirmsee, and to the park, or public English garden, of five 

 or six hundred acres, at Munich. We shall hereafter give plans and de- 

 scriptions of these gardens, and also a translation of what the late M. 

 Sckell has published on the subject of his art. 



The fifth day, Oct. 24., we visited the grounds of two noblemen in the 

 neighbourhood of Ulm, and examined the gardens round the city. Ulm is 

 celebrated for the growth of asparagus, which attains a larger size there 

 than any where else in Bavaria, owing to some peculiarity in the soil ; as, 

 at two miles' distance, it is found impossible to bring asparagus to the same 

 degree of perfection. Different gardeners with whom we conversed on the 

 subject, attribute its excellence to the deep dry sand, which is trenched 

 between 4 and 5 ft. deep, and made up with strata of manure. Two-years 

 seedling plants are transplanted in rows, 1 ft. in width between, and the 

 plants 2 ft. apart in the row; the plants in one row alternating with those 

 in the other. By this method, there is a space of 2 ft. between plant and 

 plant; though, on a given number of square feet, there are a greater num- 

 ber of plants than one to each foot. The object of the space is, to admit 

 of stirring the soil in spring; and, in order that this may be done without 

 injuring the crowns of the roots, a strong stake, standing a foot above the 

 soil, is fixed at each plant. Very little covering is put on the plants in the 

 winter season. The stalks produced are said to be near an inch in diameter, 

 and the beds last from twelve to fifteen years. 



On Oct. 25. we examined the gardens round Augsburg, having, as a guide, 

 Gaspar Schentz, a young man from the botanic garden of Stuttgard, a good 

 practical botanist, and well informed in his profession ; he is the gardener 

 of Baron Wohnlich, the greatest amateur here. There is a nursery by M. 

 Schultz, in which there is a collection of hot-house and green-house plants, 

 which quite astonished us for its extent. Considering Augsburg as a 

 country town, and comparing it with Bristol in England, this collection 

 seemed to contain a good many more species than the hot-houses of Messrs. 

 Millar and Sv.'eet there did in 1816; and, certainly, more than the hot- 

 houses in any nursery in Scotland contained in 1805. We state these 

 things, merely to enable our readers to form a comparative idea of the 

 love of plants and gardening in Germany. It is impossible to be even a very 

 short time in this country, without being convinced that, in proportion to 

 the wealth of the inhabitants, that taste is many times greater than in Bri- 

 tain. The scientific manner in which every thing is pursued in Germany, 

 and, we may say, on the Continent generally, will one day carry all the arts 

 of utility and enjoyment to a degree of perfection that it is almost fearful 

 for a mere Englishman to contemplate : but we know the greater part of 

 our readers to be citizens of the world ; and, for the rest, it may be sufficient 

 to state, that it will be a long time before the agriculturists of Germany 

 raise a sufficiency of green crops to support the quantity of live stock neces- 

 sary to enable them to make the most of their land ; and, after this is 

 attained, another long time to establish manufactures and commerce, to 

 such an extent as to cope with England in riches. For ourselves, we con- 

 fess, it is satisfactory to observe and be convinced that the Continent, gene- 

 rally, is making rapid advances in every description of improvement ; and to 

 contemplate, in future ages, a degree of perfection in arts and civilisation, 

 and of refinement in manners, beyond what at present exists in Britain or in 

 any part of the world, convinced as we are, that the property and happiness 

 of Britain will be rendered doubly permanent and secure by the prosperity 

 and happiness of all the other nations by which she is surrounded j and 



