632 Summary View of the Progress of Gardening, 



improvement in agriculture, and in rural matters generally, has 

 taken place in Scotland since the Highland Society have adopted 

 the plan of holding their shows in different parts of the country ; 

 and this has taken place precisely on the principle above men- 

 tioned ; viz. that of stimulating locally one part at a time, as well 

 as in endeavouring to stimulate the whole country at once. 



The Improvement of Furniture^ Domestic Utetisils, and Clothing 

 is stilliept in view by the government; and a Meport of the Com- 

 mittee of Arts and Manufactures, forming a thick folio volume, 

 with illustrative plates, has just been published. A summary 

 of this Beport will be found in the Architectural Magazine for 

 December 1836. A gardener would not expect to find much 

 in this Keport that would be of any direct use to him ; but in 

 this he will be mistaken. In Vol. III. p. 250. of this Magazine 

 will be found an article compiled by us from a lecture given by 

 Mr. Reinagle at the Royal Institution, " On the Original Beauty 

 of Lines and Forms," which will, we think, be allowed to be ex- 

 tremely interesting and valuable to any gardener who professes 

 to lay out grounds. Now, in the Report referred to (p. 51 — 53,) 

 Mr. Reinagle has given the essence of his system, illustrated 

 with figures. 



Railroads. — The number of railroads and common roads, in 

 progress or projected, cannot fail to have a wonderful influence 

 on the general improvement and prosperity of the country for 

 many years to come. The grand and characteristic effect of 

 railroads is that of equalisation. Not only will the value of 

 landed property be rendered comparatively the same every where, 

 but the comforts and enjoyments of each particular class of 

 society will be comparatively raised to the same level. An im- 

 mediate effect of the completion of every line of railroad will 

 be, the erection along its margin of numerous villas ; and thus 

 rural architecture and landscape-gardening will be called into 

 exercise, and displayed to advantage. The prosperity of the 

 country, it is now generally acknowledged, has been promoted 

 by the working of the New Poor Law ; and we look forward to 

 the establishment of a rural police as a beneficial public measure. 



An improvement which, we think, would be second only to 

 that of the railroads, and before them, as far as gardeners are 

 concerned, would be the equalisation of the slopes of public 

 roads ; a subject on which we have already said much in different 

 volumes of this Magazine. (See Vol. VII. p. 450., and Vol. XL 

 p. 627.) Were all hilly roads reduced, so that no part of their 

 surface were steeper than the steepest parts of the Holyhead 

 road, viz. one in thirty-six, it would be as easy for three persons 

 to travel from one point to another in a gig, or any two-wheeled 

 carriage with one horse, as it is now with a four-wheeled carriage 

 and a couple of horses. This would greatly facilitate gardeners 



