148 Recollections of a Gardening Tour. 



The garden is cultivated in the Scotch manner, with flowers 

 in the borders to the walks, and crops on the wall borders ; 

 two things ruinous to all expectations of abundant crops of 

 fruit. Whenever we have represented this practice as no longer 

 followed in the best gardens in England, and in many in Scot- 

 land, the question has been put to us, How shall we get our 

 earlv crops of peas, potatoes, cauliflowers, &c ? The usual 

 answer which we make to this question is that supplied by Mr. 

 Erririgton, one of the most scientific and experienced practical 

 gardeners in England, viz. that there is not an early crop of 

 vegetables which could not be obtained within one week of 

 those on a wall border, by making in the compartments artificial 

 slopes to the south, and by careful protection. (See our volume for 

 1836, p. 129.) We believe, however, that the mode of cropping at 

 Garscube and many other places is followed, because, being that 

 of the country generally, if another mode were to be adopted, 

 and a failure to be the result, the gardener would probably lose 

 his situation. The masters and mistresses, therefore, must be 

 enlightened on this subject, before much can be expected from 

 their gardeners. We should like much to stimulate masters to 

 enquiries of this kind. 



We could wish that some dozen or two of Scotch gardeners, 

 who manage gardens that have been made and planted within 

 seven or ten years, would send us the statistics of their wall- 

 fruit, and the surface of walling which is or ought to be covered 

 with trees. We care little for the produce of one wall or of one 

 tree. What we want is, the number of square feet of walling 

 with a south aspect, and the kinds of trees that have been planted 

 against it ; the number of square feet covered by these trees, 

 and the number of fruit which has been produced by them for the 

 last three or four years. The same of all the other aspects. 

 What a difference would be found between the produce of such 

 gardens as Erskine House, Kilkeran, Airthrie House, and a 

 dozen others that we could name, and walled gardens in general ! 

 not so much from ignorance or want of industry on the part of 

 the gardener, but merely from a want of courage to depart from 

 the customary system. In the days of London and Wise, and 

 from that time to the middle of the last century, it was customary 

 for gentlemen who had first-rate kitchen-gardens, to have them 

 visited and reported on once a year, by the royal gardener of 

 the time, or by some other eminent practical horticulturist. We 

 have often thought, and more than once expressed our opinion 

 in this Magazine, that the revival of such a practice might do 

 good. At all events, it would justify gardeners in deviating from 

 the usual routine. At the same time, we would by no means 

 have gardeners so far interfered with as to render them mere 

 machines, and lessen too much their responsibility. 



