Retrospective Criticism. 355 



cultural improvements have never, so far as I have seen, been explained in 

 any of your publications. As it is one that can be adopted by any society 

 without incurring expense of any consequence except the procuring of 

 articles for prizes, unless there are some extraordinary benefits to be derived 

 by the formation of experimental gardens, which must be attended with 

 considerable expense, I think it would be well to encourage an increase of 

 the merely competing, reading, and publishing kinds; and, as far as pos- 

 sible, to let their comparative merits be published to the world : for in the 

 present views of mankind it appears that the formation of a horticultural 

 garden is considered as an indispensable accompaniment to render the 

 labours of a horticultural society of any importance. Hence the great 

 discouragement to the exertions of those who cannot afford the means of 

 maintaining a horticultural garden, who, I am persuaded, were they aware 

 of the meed of praise that well conducted societies independent of the 

 accompaniment of such an appendage deserve, their diligence would not 

 only be doubled, but the addition of new societies would be increased in a 

 great degree* 



Perhaps I may be mistaken in the estimate which I have formed of the 

 value of the labours of horticultural societies, independent of their being 

 accompanied by the establishment of a society's garden ; if I am, my mistakes 

 could no where be more ably corrected than in your Magazine, nor is there 

 any work from which I would count it a greater honour to receive in- 

 struction. My sentiments are therefore offered with the greatest freedom ; 

 and, in order to come to the point at once, I totally disavow the idea of a 

 horticultural society's garden being an indispensable or even an essential 

 establishment in order to render their labours successful in promoting horti- 

 cultural improvements. 



The maintenance of an honourable spirit of competition, a free promulga- 

 tion of every mode of culture attended with particular success, an extensive 

 circulation amongst the members of interesting periodical publications on 

 horticulture, with the introduction and distribution of new or superior 

 articles, I consider to be the fundamental and essential grounds for pro- 

 moting the successful labours of horticultural societies. And as these are 

 means which it is in the power of any association to employ, although only 

 possessed of the most moderate funds, I think it would be doing an essential 

 service to the advancement of horticulture to exhibit to the world (or, 

 what is the same thing, in your Gardener's Magazine) as correct an esti- 

 mate as possible of the real value of such associations, which, without 

 intending to detract from the superior merits of those more opulent insti- 

 tutions which support also experimental gardens, might, I think, be shown 

 to be capable of producing very great improvements in the art and science 

 of horticulture. 



The correctness of the above sentiments I think have been verified in a 

 great degree by the labours of the New York Horticultural Society, which 

 was commenced about eleven years ago. Previously to this period it was 

 observed by a number of experienced horticulturists, that a great propor- 

 tion of the garden products raised for the supply of our markets were of an 

 inferior quality to what the natural soil and climate were capable of pro- 

 ducing. It is true there were some gardeners who had long before been in 

 the habit of raising superior articles, some of whom appeared to consider it 

 bad policy to adopt any measures calculated to advance a general improve- 

 ment, while others were of a different opinion, considering that because of 

 the great quantities of inferior produce which could always be bought at 

 a lower price, the more careful cultivators seldom realised an adequate 

 additional price to remunerate them for then - extra-pains. At any rate 

 they valued the idea of being publicly instrumental in promoting the 

 improvement of a useful and interesting art as paramount to every other 

 consideration. Premiums were soon offered by the Society for the best 



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