Progress of Gardening, S>-c, in 1842. 615 



ing by " heading in ;" for, though the phytologists have written much of late 

 years to maintain their favourite " balancing of the head to the capacity of the 

 mutilated root," they must give way in the end to that doctrine which is more 

 simple and more rational. Sir H. Steuart observes that " the great and 

 leading doctrine with the planters of England respecting the removal of trees 

 seems to be, that old trees and young possess similar properties, therefore, they 

 should be removed on similar principles ;" and he infers that if it were proved 

 that mutilation of the roots and tops of young trees were necessary, it would 

 thence follow that old trees should likewise be mutilated. I am convinced 

 that both young and old trees should be removed on similar principles, but 

 that no mutilation should be applied to the tops of either, and as little muti- 

 lation to their roots as possible. 



The newly planted trees were protected from cattle by the tabular tree 

 guard (or the dendrophylactic, see Gard. Mag. vol. vi. p. 48., communicated 

 by John Hislop, from Ashtead Park) ; and, of the various tree guards which 

 have come under my notice, it " bears the bell amang them a'." 



As it is very natural to suppose that every gentleman will insist on having 

 the stems of his newly planted trees protected from the mouths of cattle, it is 

 no less the planter's duty, for his own credit's sake, to insist that the roots of 

 the same should be protected from their feet, which double purpose the tabular 

 tree guard serves. — John Pearson. Kinlet, Oct. 24. 1842. 



Bicton Gardens, (p. 555.) — I have just received the last Number of the 

 Gardener's Magazine, and have hastily run over Mr. Barnes's account of his 

 proceedings at Bicton, with which I am much pleased. It would be well if 

 many of his brotherhood were to adopt his or similar rules. I have for some 

 time contemplated such a system, which is wanted in most large gardens. 

 All the Barneses are thorough gardeners. A younger brother lived near this 

 place several years, and he was an excellent manager. 1 hope you will induce 

 the Devon one to be a frequent correspondent ; something is to be learned 

 from such men as he. With regard to charcoal, I have myself tried it in 

 a small way, without perceiving the beneficial results mentioned by Mr. 

 Barnes ; my experiments, however, were only trifling, and imperfectly con- 

 ducted. I shall try it again on a larger scale. — T. B. Nov. 3. 1842. 



ANNUAL SUMMARY. 



A Summary Vietv of the Progress of Gardening, and of Rural Im- 

 provement generally, in Britain, during the Year 1842 ; with some 

 Notices relative to the State of both in Foreign Countries. By the 

 Conductor. 



The increments of knowledge that can be added to any science 

 in the course of a year must necessarily be very few, even 

 in times when that science is undergoing more than usual dis- 

 cussion and experiment. Our annual summaries, therefore, are 

 to be regarded in the light of a short recapitulation of, or refe- 

 rences to, the chief subjects which have engaged the attention 

 of the horticultural world during the past year. If we were 

 to confine ourselves to what is really new, we should probably 

 have nothing to say ; for there are few inventions or discoveries 

 which, at the time they have been brought forward so as to at- 

 tract general notice, have not been known to some individuals 

 long before. Thus, steam navigation had been tried nearly 



T T 3 



