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■which did exist were of small extent, and were confined chiefly to 

 the cultivation of what were called " greens," such as Phillyreas, 

 Alaternus, &c. These " greens " were kept in houses or sheds 

 during the winter, whence the origin of the word greenhouse. 



It was in the year 1681 that the Brompton Park Nursery 

 was entered upon as a great commercial speculation. It con- 

 sisted of upwards of 100 acres, and occupied the whole of the 

 ground between the Kensington Eoad on the north, and the Old 

 Brompton Eoad on the south. On the east it was bounded by 

 the grounds of Kingston House, and on the west by those of 

 Cromwell House and the Gloucester Eoad, then called Hog-mire 

 Lane. The nursery was established by four enterprising gar- 

 deners under the firm of Lukar, Field, Cooke, and London. 

 Lukar was gardener to the Queen Dowager at Somerset House 

 in the Strand ; Field held a similar situation under the Earl of 

 Bedford at Bedford House, also in the Strand ; Cooke was 

 gardener to the Earl of Essex at Cashiobury ; and London to the 

 Bishop of London at FuDiam. Of Lukar and Field nothing 

 more is known than that they died about the year 1686. Cooke 

 was the author of an excellent practical work whic-h may be 

 consulted with profit even by gardeners of the present day ; it 

 is entitled " The Manner of Eaising, Ordering, and Improving 

 Forest and Fruit Trees," &c., 4to, 1679. He was the son of a 

 Lincolnshire farmer, and being brought ujd as a gardener, he 

 served the Earl of Essex in that capacity from 1660 to 1681, 

 when he joined in the formation of the Brompton Park Nursery. 

 Eveljm speaks of him in his Diary as " skilful in the mechanical 

 parts of gardening, not ignorant of mathematics, and somewhat 

 of an adept in astrology." 



