Horticultural Society and Garden. 



249 



I should propose the following arrangement, 

 already hinted at in the Gardener's Magazine 

 (Vol. II. p. 359.) [and roughly indicated by the 

 accompanying sketch] {fig. 44.) : — 



44 



I would place the arboretum in the circum- 

 ference (a), rilling up all the irregular angles, 

 and reducing the space within to a perfect 

 circle. The ground thus occupied by the arbo- 





m ! 



return, I should suppose, might be about ten 

 acres. I would cut the main roots of all the 

 trees to be removed from the present arbore- 

 tum to the new one this spring, and, in the 

 next autumn I would remove them thither, 

 arranging as hinted in the Gardener's Maga- 

 zine. Having planted them, I would never 

 afterwards crop or dig the ground, but merely 

 keep it clean of weeds by hoeing. I wish this 

 to be particularly kept in view ; because, applied 

 to the arboretum and the orchard, it is one of 

 my main sources of lessening the annual ex- 

 pense of keeping the garden. The pruning, 

 hoeing, and rilling up deaths, of these 10 acres, 

 could surely not amount to more than 10(W. a 

 year ; I think I could get a nurseryman to un- 

 dertake it for seven years at half this sum. 



Within this arboretum I would have a zone 

 for a collection of herbaceous plants, and more 

 particularly of such as were ornamental. This 

 might contain one acre (b). 



A circumferential walk might contain ano- 

 ther acre, or three fourths of an acre (c). 



Another zone for roses, alternating with 

 georginas and hollyhocks ; and with a zone or 

 endless bed in front, to contain all the different 

 sorts of florists' flowers, and bulbs and other 

 finer herbaceous plants, of which there are 

 numerous cultivated varieties, might contain 

 another acre (rf). 



It will be observed that one walk serves for 

 the arboretum and two beds for these herba- 

 ceous and border flowers, instead of the hun- 

 dreds of beds, and miles of walks and alleys 

 and hedges, which are required in the present 

 arboretum, flower-garden, rose department, 

 and in different other parts of the garden, as 

 now laid out [See the plan, as originally 

 published by the Society, in Encyc. of Gard., 

 § 7508., and here repeated, to admit of compa- 



rison,./^. 45.]. The saving in the annual ma- 

 nagement, by my arrangement, 'will be great in 

 proportion to its simplicity. 



The next zone I have indicated as orchard, 

 and I should propose it to contain at least 

 15 acres. I would cut the main roots of all the 

 standard fruit trees now in the garden, in 

 March or April, and remove them in Novem- 

 ber next. Having planted them, I would never 

 afterwards dig or crop the ground, but keep it 

 clean by hoeing. The annual expense of hoe- 

 ing 15 acres could not exceed, at an average of 

 7 years, 15/. a year. Pruningthe trees, renewing 

 deaths, collecting, sorting, and keeping the 

 fruits, and making alterations, I do not take 

 into consideration, as this would form one of 

 the principal annual expenses of the garden. 



The border If) within the orchard I would 

 devote to collections of gooseberries, currants, 

 and raspberries. The walk (g) need not be 

 above 4 ft. broad. The border (h) I would de- 

 vote to a collection of strawberries ; the com- 

 partments (2) to culinary vegetables ; and the 

 borders (k and I) I would not dig, but devote 

 entirely to the roots of the wall trees. 



For the experimental kitchen-garden, 2 or 

 3 acres would be amply sufficient; nay, even 

 half that quantity : because, as all culinary ve- 

 getables cannot be proved at once, one sort 

 might be first proved, and then dismissed alto- 

 gether from the garden, to make room for 

 another. On this principle, half an acre would 

 be as good as 10 acres. 



The centre of the garden, open to the sun in 

 all directions, I have laid out as a forcing-gar- 

 den, containing about an acre, and surrounded 

 by about 850 ft. of walling. I have shown, in 

 the interior, one forcing-house for proving 

 vines ; and when that was done, it might be 

 employed in trying to grow other ligneous 



