Jardin des Plantes. 389' 



' Would it be desirable to have such an institution as the* 

 Jardin des Plantes in this country? We do not think it 

 would. We are sufficiently advanced in the arts of culture, 

 have such an extensive intercourse with every other country, 

 and have so many wealthy commercial establishments for 

 effecting the reception and distribution of plants, and so many 

 books which treat of their culture, that the interference of 

 government is rendered unnecessary. In early stages of 

 society there are many things that should be undertaken by 

 governments, which they ought afterwards to cease doing, 

 on the principle of lessening their own labour, and, conse- 

 quently, lessening their expense to the governed. It was 

 laudable and wise in our royal and papal ancestors to take 

 learning, arts, and religion under their protection, and to esta- 

 blish colleges and academies ; but these institutions, and the 

 objects for which they were founded, now protect themselves, 

 and therefore ought to be left to themselves. Government 

 might probably be justified in establishing a Jardin des Plantes, 

 and a professor of culture, in Australia, and at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, but nothing of the kind is required of the 

 government for Britain. Let associations of individuals esta- 

 blish such institutions if they please; but by no means let 

 government have any thing to do with them. * While we 

 state this as our opinion, we shall also state that in all col- 

 leges, universities, and other institutions for education, we 

 should wish to see professorships of botany and culture, and 

 botanic gardens combining, as far as practicable, all the 

 features of the Jardin des Plantes. We should wish to see 

 something of the art of culture always taught along with phy- 

 siological and scientific botany. We have no wish to see, in 

 every provincial botanic garden, examples of the hundreds of 

 varieties of grafting and pruning, and all the forms of hedges, 

 ditches, fences, and implements, that are in the Jardin des 

 Plantes : but we should certainly wish to see, in every botanic 

 garden, specimens of all the principal domestic and medical 

 plants ; a few of the different species of grafting, pruning, and 

 training ; and some of the other modes of propagating ; because 

 we would wish every human being to know how to propagate 



* We know that it was the intention, some years ago, to try to get 

 government to take the Chiswick garden off the Horticultural Society's 

 hands; and we have heard it asserted that, if the Earl. of Liverpool had 

 lived, something of this sort would have been done. We hope, for the 

 honour of His Lordship's memory, that this report is not true. It would 

 argue the greatest imbecility in the ministry of a country so situated as 

 Britain now is, to have any thing to do with an institution which, even if it 

 were perfect in its kind, may truly be called, in a national point of view, a 

 trumpery concern. 



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