112 A Catalogue of Books 



suggest to such gardeners to get the consent of their master to borrow the 

 necessary sum, which might probably be lent by the master himself on the 

 security of the books, which would always be on the master's premises, en- 

 gaging to allow interest quarterly, and something additional to form a fund 

 for repaying the principal out of their wages, and to retain from the weekly 

 payments of their labourers, apprentices, and journeymen, such a sum as 

 would enable him to do so, and to leave a little profit ; but not to let this 

 sum exceed 1 5 per cent, on the purchase money of the library. Some 

 gardeners might advance the money for this purpose themselves, or borrow 

 it from some humane clergyman, medical man, or wealthy tradesman, or 

 farmer, &c, in the neighbourhood ; and the arrangement could be per- 

 petuated ' by every master transferring, when he left his place, the library, 

 with its debt and profits to his successor. 



Nurserymen and other commercial gardeners cannot be expected to come 

 at once into our plan, and build a library or reading-room for their men ; 

 but we hope there are some of them to be found, who will be at the ex- 

 pence of a book-case, and a few books, which, to lessen trouble, might be 

 given in charge to the foreman or shopman, to let out to such as choose to 

 read them, the value being deposited, if deemed necessary. Probably it 

 might also be advisable to make a small charge on each volume borrowed, 

 to be allowed to the foreman or shopman for the trouble taken by him, 

 after the hours of labour, in giving out and receiving books ; — but this, 

 and various matters, we leave for the present to such nurserymen and 

 others as may adopt what we recommend. We may hint, that if the 

 shelves in these book-cases are kept about an inch from the back boards, 

 all the books can easily be kept dry in moist weather, by lighting a lamp, 

 and whelming a flower-pot over it in the bottom shelf, and then closing 

 the doors of the book-case. 



Botanic, Horticultural, and other public gardens, and also Provincial 

 Horticultural Societies, generally have libraries ; but none of these, as far 

 as we know, contain elementary books, and not many are very complete in 

 professional works ; or if they are pretty full in the latter, are they so 

 available by the working gardener, as to anwer the end which we propose. 

 The library of the Horticultural Society in their house in London is con- 

 siderable, and will in time be one of the first of the kind in the world ; but 

 though a few books are lent to the gardeners at Chiswick, there is no regular 

 garden library there, for the purpose of the working gardener, and no ele- 

 mentary books. In our opinion a library, both elementary and professional, 

 for the working gardeners, should be a main object with such a Society. In 

 the Royal Gardens at Kew, the men are not better paid than in the nurseries, 

 and they have no library whatever. Of Kew, we have no immediate hopes 

 of amendment; but the Horticultural Societies and Provincial Botanic 

 Gardens, we have little doubt, will, in due time, set about accomplishing 

 what they must agree with us in considering as the only effectual and se- 

 cure method, not only of promoting the progress of gardening, but of 

 embodying in general practice the present highly improved state of the- 

 oretical knowledge in the art. In fact, most of these public gardens and 

 societies have, to a certain extent, adopted the plan we are recommending, 

 as far as respects professional books ; but none of them, as far as we know, 

 have the school-books requisite to enable a gardener to work out for him- 

 self a certain degree of preliminary education, without which professional 

 books will not yield him that instruction for which they are intended. 



Having now shown the necessity of garden libraries, and developed our 

 plan of forming them, we have next to recommend it to the consideration 

 of our readers, and if they approve of it, to request their assistance 

 and advice in carrying it into execution. We confidently rely on every 

 master gardener and nurseryman seconding our efforts, either by doing 



