1 10 Notes on Gardens and Country Seats : — 



and surrounded by a dead hedge of thorns, very ingeniously 

 constructed. This nursery, and that of Mr. Humphrys, were 

 in better order and keeping than any of the other Oxford nur- 

 series. 



The Botanic Garden at Oxford is a venerable establishment. 

 It is entered by a noble stone aixhway, through which is seen a 

 vista to the other extremity of the garden. The two principal 

 hot-houses have elevations of stone, massive and grand in an 

 architectural point of view, but scarcely suitable for preserving 

 plants, much less for growing them. There ai*e two other hot- 

 houses with very steep roofs, adjusted to the angle recommended 

 by Boerhaave as admitting the greatest number of the sun's rays 

 during the winter solstice. The walls of the garden appear to 

 be about 2 ft. thick, and 12 ft. high, with a coved Gothic cornice 

 on each side, under an elevated Gothic coping. The whole wall 

 is composed of large blocks of smoothly dressed stone, and forms 

 the noblest garden wall, speaking architecturally, which we have 

 seen in any country. Comparing this botanic garden with all the 

 others in Britain, it as far surpasses them in an architectural point 

 of view, as it is inferior to the best of them in botanical riches. 

 When we first saw it, in 1804, it was a very poor and apparently 

 neglected garden, hardly worthy of being called botanical ; but 

 since it has been put under the direction of Mr. Baxter, the 

 present curator, it has been in all respects wonderfully improved : 

 the number of species, as it appeared to us, has been more than 

 tripled ; and the whole is in far better order and keeping. Mr. 

 Baxter has also raised the entire surface of the garden 10 in., 

 and has brought into culture a space outside, the surface of which 

 he has also raised. All this he has effected without any extra- 

 assistance, in the course of a great number of years, doing a little 

 during the winter of each. It is, indeed, altogether extraordinary 

 that Mr. Baxter has been able to accomplish this, since he has 

 not half the number of men requisite for keeping such a garden 

 in proper order. In proper oi'der, indeed, it is impossible that 

 it can be kept ; we merely say that it is wonderful that it should 

 be so good as it is. In showing us round, Mr. Baxter pointed 

 out some box and yew hedges 9 ft. broad, which must be as old 

 as the garden itself. The branches of yew are, in many places, 

 grown together by a sort of natural inarching. These hedges 

 are of no use whatever; and are injurious by occupying space, 

 and affording a harbour to slugs, mice, birds, and other vermin. 

 The cistern for aquatics is a parallelogram trough of boards, 

 lined with copper, about 2 ft. wide, divided into squares of one 

 foot each, so that each plant is kept perfectly distinct. The upper 

 surface is about 3 ft. from the ground, so that all the plants are 

 near the eye. In this aquarium the plant which was the most 

 rare to us was the Caltha natans. The stages for alpines are built 



