THE 



GARDENERS MAGAZINE, 



DECEMBER, 1836. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. A summary Vietx) of the Progress of Gardening, and of 

 Rural Improvement generally, in Britain, during the Year 1836 ; 

 tjoith some Notices relative to the State of both in Foreign Countries. 

 By the Conductor. 



The progress of a science, or of an art, is not so readily measured 

 by the advances made in it, during the comparatively short space 

 of a year, as by a comparison of its pi'esent state with its state 

 at some former and more distant period. Accordingly, if we 

 ■weYe to look back six years, and to compare the state of garden- 

 ing in Britain in 1836, with its state in 1830, we should find a 

 wonderful difference between the two periods ; more especially 

 with reference to public institutions. In 1830, there were only 

 two zoological gardens in Britain, and these were both in the 

 metropolis. Now we have zoological gardens established at 

 Dublin, Liverpool, and Bristol ; and others are projected, or 

 commenced, at Cheltenham, Birmingham, Manchester, and vari- 

 ous other places. The number of provincial horticultural so- 

 cieties has, also, been nearly doubled during the same period. 



But, though surveys of the state of an art made at different 

 intervals may afford the most striking views of its progress, sur- 

 veys at short and regular periods appear better calculated to 

 stimulate to improvement, by speedily making known to all 

 what is done by a few ; and hence the utility of an annual sum- 

 mary view like that which we are now about to submit to the 

 reader. Our notices under each separate head will be very slight, 

 but the reader who wishes to enter into the details of any parti- 

 cular subject or improvement, has only to look for it in the table 

 of Contents. 



GARDENING AS A SCIENCE. 



The Ediication of Gardeners. — The most remarkable circum- 

 stance which has occurred during the past year is, the determi- 

 VoL. XII. — No. 81. zz 



