Metropolitan Nurseries. 249 



per week, a free house, and turf fuel, with as much potato ground as can be 

 spared, at a light rent, or what they can find dung for. I repeat, that I 

 have nothing to say against the present Lord Doneraile ; I merely wish to 

 expose the system prevalent in Ireland, of feeding good Catholic Christians 

 on pigmeat, as being unlawful and unconstitutional. I had once nearly 

 ruined two teams of horses, by feeding them on pigmeat ; it is true the 

 horses became as fat as pigs, but, at the same time, they became no more 

 fit for hard work than pigs. The system has also the tendency of inun- 

 dating the English gardens with Irish labourers ; thereby lowering the 

 price of labour, till the Englishman is reduced to live on potatoes, the same 

 as the Irishman. It is very natural, it is very laudable, for every man to 

 endeavour to mend his situation in life ; but it is very hard, and very humi- 

 liating, to come down in the world. When Lord Doneraile's men come 

 over to England they mend their wages 50 per cent, if they get but three 

 half-crowns per week instead of two half-crowns ; but the Englishman finds 

 that his income has diminished in a similar ratio. His 15s. per week is 

 reduced to 10s., and he has only the consolation of knowing that he has 

 half a crown per week more than the Irishman. I am no advocate for 

 keeping up the price of labour, where machinery can be employed to better 

 advantage ; but there are very few things in gardening in which machinery 

 can be employed to advantage. The training of peach trees, or the striking 

 of young heaths, for instance, can never be done by machinery; and I may 

 add, that they cannot be done by the common Irish labourer. Just such 

 common labourers were all I had at Doneraile, and a Thomas Small 

 among the rest. Should your correspondent, Thomas Small, near the 

 Church, Bexley, be the same Thomas Small, I congratulate him on having, 

 as the song says, 



" Tipp'd the captain six thirteens, to ferry him over to Park-gate." 



I am also happy' that he lives near the church, as he was a good Pro- 

 testant ; the only Protestant I had of all the ten men. The Protestants 

 in Ireland are, however, but very little better than the Catholics; they 

 have nearly as many superstitious notions, though of a different kind from 

 those of the Catholics. They are, however, proud of their superiority, and 

 despise their Catholic brethren ; ay, and oppress them too most shamefully. 

 I might give you a long description of the Irish customs and manners, but 

 it would not suit the Gardener's Magazine ; suffice it to say, that, from 

 Mr. Haycroft's letter, a member of the House of Lords, at this moment, 

 pays his gardeners with 5s. per week. If this be the maximum for all 

 Ireland, what must be the minimum ? Mr. Haycroft says, in a former 

 letter, that many of his young men have gone over to England, and proba- 

 bly brought over his new system of training vines. I can only say, that the 

 system was practised by Mr. Stuart, at Blackheath, thirty years ago ; and 

 that several of Mr. Stuart's pupils have been head-gardeners to Lord Done- 

 raile, so that the system was as likely to be carried to Doneraile as brought 

 from it. I would strongly recommend the horizontal system of training 

 vines, in preference to taking them either directly or indirectly up the rafter. 

 By the horizontal system, each vine enjoys its own element ; thus : — Hot- 

 house grapes may be trained across the upper part of the roof; green- 

 house or vinery grapes, along the middle part ; and hot or open wall grapes 

 along the lower part. Yours, &c. — John Howden. February 26. 1832. 



Art. IV. Metropolitan Nurseries. 



The Mile End Nursery. — This long established nursery, which was at 

 one period considered among the first in London, is now likely to be dis- 

 posed of. Our readers will observe in our Obituary the death of its late 



