136 Division and Employment of Time. 



depend upon the ciixumstances in which he is placed. I shall 

 only aim at a suggestion or two, which may give a general 

 idea. 



In the first place, he ought to make an exact calculation of 

 his spare time during a week or day, and then make a prudent 

 choice of the several indispensable branches of learning in 

 which he finds himself deficient, not too many at a time. Let 

 his time be then divided in such proportions as are more 

 advantageous to his success and situation ; ex. gr. were six to 

 be selected, say Latin, botany, chemistry, mathematics, writing, 

 history or miscellany, then the first two occupy the morning, 

 the two next the evening, the last two next morning, and the 

 first two next evening, &c., allowing a given time for each ; 

 and in case any particular occurrence causes irregularity in 

 the observance, the breakfast or dinner hour may stand as a 

 reserve for time lost : but paying the most rigid attention that 

 not any one intrude on the time of another, as it must ine- 

 vitably confound such a system ; but, if strictly attended to, it 

 will not fail to reward such as observe it: in fact, I know not 

 how any thing like a general knowledge can be obtained, 

 unless some such system be adopted. I may further add, as 

 the student finds himself arriving at a considerable proficiency 

 in any topic, he may deduct a portion of the time devoted to 

 it, and whatever is next useful may be substituted ; for, as a 

 learned Greek observes, " He who knows useful things, not 

 he who knows many things, is wise." It may here be deemed 

 unnecessary for me to add any further observations on the 

 particular branches to be cultivated, as every ambitious young 

 gardener must have learned, less or more, what is most essen- 

 tial for him, particularly as he can be copiously furnished 

 with the necessary information in a preceding volume of your 

 Magazine. 



Consequently, I shall only now briefly advert to one; as 

 considering it indispensable in that stock of knowledge, com- 

 patible with the necessary acquirements of every w^ell-informed 

 practitioner, viz. vegetable physiology, so far as chemically 

 connected with the analysing of plants and soils; and a know- 

 ledge of the organic structure of the former, so far as illustra- 

 tive of the radical and epidermic functions* The result of 

 such information has not only a tendency to amusement and 

 pleasure, but is highly conducive to that expansion of intellect 

 which can account for many of the various phenomena pre- 

 sented to view, under our every-day practice. It also obviates 

 many of those vague proceedings which afFoi'd scope for the 

 censure of the connoisseur ; besides exciting confusion, mingled 

 with regret, in such individuals as witness a failure in produc- 



