THE DERBY ARBORETUM. SIS 



grounds, called the Derby Arboretum. It interested jne, in three 

 ■ways : first, as having bee^Jespdoially formed for, and presented to 

 the inhabitants of the town by their member of Parliament, Joseph 

 Sti-utt, Esq., a wealthy silk manufacturer here ; then, as containing 

 a specimen of most of tlie hardy trees that will grow in Britain ; 

 and lastly, as having been laid out by tlie late Mr. Lpudon. 



As a public garden — the gift of a single individual — it , is cer- 

 tainly a most noble bequest.. The area is about eleven acres, and is 

 laid out so as to, appear much larger, — the boundaries concealed by 

 plantations, etc. There are neat and tasteful entrance lodges, with 

 public rooms for the use • of visitors (where a lunch is provided, at 

 the bare cost of the provisions), and where boois of reference are 

 kept ; so that any person who wishes to pursue the study of trees, 

 can, with the aid of the specimens in the garden, quickly become 

 familiar with the whole, history' of every known species. During 

 five days in the week, these grounds are open to all persons without 

 charge ; and on the other two dayg, the admission fee is, sixpence 

 —merely enough to keep the plac^ in good condition. 



The grounds were in beautiful order, and are evidently much 

 enjoyed, not only by tlie good people of Derby, but by strangers, 

 and visitors from the neighborhood. I met numbers of young peo- 

 ple strolling about and enjoying the promenade, plenty of nurses and 

 children gathering health and strength in the fresh air, and, now 

 and then, saw an amateur carefully reading the labels of the various 

 trees" and shrubs, and making notes in his memorandum-book,— 

 doubtless, with a view to the improvement of his own grounds^ 

 Every tree/ or plant is conspicuously marked' with a printed label 

 (a kind of brick set in the ground at the foot of tlie, tree or shrub, 

 with the name under a piece of glass, sunk in a panel upon the top 

 ■ of the brick) ; and this label contains the common name of the plant, 

 the botanical name, its native country, the year of- its introduction 

 (if hot, a native), and the height to which it grows. The .most per- 

 fect novice in trees, can thus, by walking round the arboretum, ob- 

 tain in a short time a very considerable knowledge of the hardy 

 Sylva, while the arboriculturist can solve many a knotty point, by 

 looking af the trees and plants themselves; which-no amount of 

 study, without the living specimen, would settle. Then the whole 



