1 34« Depressed State of the 



as to be alike devoid of beauty and utility, as at Culzean Castle, 

 for example, we should by this time have had open, airy 

 groups of large trees, without fences, in the interior of parks ; 

 and round them marginal woods of trees, twice the size they 

 now are. 



(To be continued^) 



Art. II. Remarks on the depressed State of the Nursery and Gar- 

 dening Professions, more especially in Scotland. By J. G. 



During the last twenty years, nurserymen have increased 

 with a rapidity never before equalled. Even in the most re- 

 mote districts of Scotland, where only the shadow of a living 

 presented itself, nurseries have been established; and they are 

 actually to be found scattered over the whole land. They 

 are, however, at present, very badly encouraged. Of the 

 many millions of seedlings raised annually, very few are 

 transplanted to permanent situations ; and this is more to be 

 regretted, when we look upon the state of the country, and 

 see how much might be effected by planting. There are, in 

 Scotland, many thousands of acres of land well adapted for 

 growing any species of hard wood lying idle ; and there are 

 many places that might be particularly pointed out, which, 

 if planted, would not only beautify but enrich the country. 



Perhaps there is no district, possessing such a limited degree 

 of commerce, in which nurserymen are so thickly situated, 

 as in that line of country which embraces the shires of Aber- 

 deen, Banff, and Elgin. About twenty years ago, the trade 

 in this quarter was profitable, because it was in the hands of 

 a few; but no sooner had the number of nurserymen in- 

 creased, than the prosperity of the profession began to wane. 

 Year after year they have been anticipating a favourable 

 change; but, instead of any occurring, during the last ten years 

 particularly, their business has been gradually decreasing, till 

 it is now reduced to a degree never before known. It might 

 be thought that nurserymen must prosper as long as the 

 country in which they reside presents ample room for the 

 operation of the planter ; but the present state of things 

 shows that their increase has not been attended by a corre- 

 sponding quantity of waste land being planted, and that it is 

 quite possible the profession may almost cease to exist, though 

 the half of the country remains wild and bare. 



The causes of this depression are manifold : nurserymen, as 

 I have said, have become more numerous, without a correspond- 

 ing increase of traffic ; the times generally are in a state which 

 forbids landholders to invest much capital in planting; and 



