Importance of visiting Gardens. 365 



Art. III. On the Importance, to Gardeners, of visiting Gardens ; and 

 on the Restrictions, in some Cases, throtvn in the Way qf their doing 



SO. By SciENTLZE ET JuSTITIiE AmATOR. 



When I consider the circumstances in which I was lately 

 placed, living in a country where gentlemen's seats so much 

 abound, I fear you will think me negligent in not having sent, 

 according to your request, a description of some of the gardens 

 in the neighbourhood. Various reasons have as yet deterred me 

 from commencing such an undertaking. I perceive that when 

 you, or any of your correspondents, give a description of a gar- 

 den, you generally accompany it with a notice of the site and 

 architectural style of the mansion, and the manner in which the 

 park is laid out, followed up by remarks upon the adjacent 

 scenery ; showing how all coincide, or fall short, in forming a 

 harmonious whole : subjects all very interesting and instructive, 

 as tending to give us, working men, some knowledge of the 

 leading principles of architecture and landscape-gardening, but 

 subjects which I do not feel qualified to discuss. Another reason 

 is, the great difficulty of giving an impartial account of a number 

 of gardens, without wounding the feelings of some worthy indi- 

 vidual; who, although well versed in the principles of his art, 

 yet, from the circumstances in which he is placed, finds it impos- 

 sible to obtain that success, or keep up that respectable appear- 

 ance, which he would desire, and which, perhaps, he had formerly 

 done in other places of which he had the management. Some, 

 convinced of this, when giving a description of a place, chiefly 

 confine their observations to what they consider denotes supe- 

 riority of management ; and the consequence is, that we are 

 frequently disappointed, when visiting places of which we have 

 read, merely because an impartial account of them has not been 

 given. Others, when they see a place badly kept, are too apt to 

 impute it to the slovenly habits of the gardener ; while, in the 

 generality of instances, it proceeds from the restrictions put 

 upon him by his employer. 



All gardeners must agree as to the importance of visiting as 

 many gardens as possible. The advantages to be derived from 

 this practice by the gardener, and, consequently, by his employer, 

 are so apparent, that many gentlemen not merely allow their 

 gardeners the necessary time, but frequently defray the whole of 

 their expenses ; and the only thing to excite our surprise is, that 

 any should be so blind to their own interests as to oppose it, or 

 be actuated by such an apparent selfishness as to deprive visiting 

 gardeners of the privilege of looking through their premises. In 

 many places, visiting gardeners, especially if young men, are 

 shown only part (and, often, the most attractive part) of the 

 grounds; and, even then, it frequently happens that the terror 



