X PREFACE. 



have flarted up, by th€ ftrength of a little money, and a 



great" deal of allurance, now aflume that charadler, tho' unr 

 bred to, or unknowing in the meaneft branch of gardening, but 

 followers of the groffefl and moft unthinking employments, in 

 diredl oppoHtion to the cool obfervation and deliberate fludy of 

 Nature in her admirable produ6lions. Some of thefe gentlemen 

 have fet out, by amufmg mankind, under no meaner pretence 

 than ferving their coimtry, by reducing the price of trees : But 

 they are not confiderate enough themfelves to reflect, that an in- 

 telligent gardener will readaly difcover their pra(5lice as fubver- 

 live of every improvement he can poffibly hope foon to make 

 from the purchafe of their plants^ which are crowded together with 

 many times the number that ought to be in the fame quantity 

 of ground; from whence they can well afford to fell their ftunt.'- 

 ed, fmothered fluff, at a lower price than an honeft knowing 

 gardener can raife good plants for. To appear more formidable 

 too in this quackery,, they have publiffied pompous catalogues 

 of they know not what, collected I know not where, and flrange- 

 ly jumbled together no body knows how, of half, the plants in 

 the creation, and fome that L believe never were in it ; but they 

 have forgot to provide even fpecimens of many of thefe wonder- 

 ful productions, and when you go to purchafe them,, you have 

 the mortification to find they were fold the preceding week or day. 

 To thefe catalogues they have likeways affixed prices, in imitation 

 of fome petty nurferymen in the North of England, who, not 

 having abilities in their profeffion to pufh their way by the fale 

 of good plants to fldlful men, have had recourfe to this pradlicej 

 by felling bad ones at the expence of the ignorant and unwary; 

 I have been well acquainted with the pra(5lice of the mofl emi- 

 nent nurferymen in the South of England near thirty years j . 



