THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. 



■^P^ 



[July 



«n schools in connection with the Board — exclusive of ninety workhouse;*; 

 schools. When it is considered that, from three to sixty acres of landcj^ 

 are attached to these schools as model farms — and that improved sci- * 

 entitle and practical knowledge is made a daily lesson among the 

 ordinary subjects of school instruction, you will readily perceive the 

 value and importance of the machinery at work for "learning the 

 young — and improving the old" in correct methods of Irish hus- 

 bandry. The same system of agricultural education is going to be 

 introduced into the parochial schools of Scotland. England has done 

 so in many instances. 



Altogether the prospects of British agriculture are not on the 

 darkest side, and it is hoped ere long that the legislature will relieve 

 the landed interest of the unequal taxation it is saddled with, exact- 

 ing at the same time from other species of property its duties — as 

 weel as protecting its rights. 



We have endeavored to abridge this report but feared to spoil it ; 

 the importance of the subject requires our attention. — The report is 

 from the "Jlthenamm" ... » 



KEW GARDENS. 



We gave a few weeks back a statement of the public money wants 

 of the different officers of the British Museum. Since then we have 

 received Sir William Hooker's money estimate of his necessities at 

 Kew for the year ending 31st March, 1853. He requires, it appears, 

 10,929/. \§s* for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew,— 1,286/. 16s. 

 for' the Royal Pleasure Gardens at the same place, — and 150/. for 

 cases and other fittings — we suppose, for specimens. As Chancellors 

 of the Exchequer and Lords of the Treasury are, however, not ac- 

 customed to encourage claims, or Parliament to grant them (we hope), 

 without some fair show of reason, Sir William, on the last day but 

 one of the year, sits by his parlor fire at Kew (perhaps in the very 

 house in which Sir Peter Lely lived), and indites the following able 

 and satisfactory Report. 



Royal Gardens, Kew, Dec. 30, 1851. 



During the last ten years in which it has been my privilege to pre- 

 pare a Report on the state and progress of the Royal Gardens at Kew, 

 1 have on each occasion been enabled to show a progressive increase 

 in the number of visitors, and have also had the gratification of enu- 

 merating the various presents made both to the Gardens and to the 

 Museum. 



The past year affords a still more favorable Report. The number 

 of visitors has been 327,000 — a progressive increase, in the follow- 

 ing ratio : — 



1841 

 1842 

 1843 

 1844 

 1845 

 1846 



9,174 

 11,400 

 13,492 

 16,114 

 28,139 

 46 ; 573 



1847 

 1848 

 1849 

 1850 

 1851 



109^ 



64,282 



91,708 



137,865 



179,627 



327,900 



^Q$l 



