158 
HINTS ON FLOWER GARDENING. 
absolutely prevail by the adoption of the aerial system of moveable currents 
philosophically provided for. 
Such air can never propagate cold, because whenever it is employed as the 
propelling force in winter, it is already partly warmed, being obtained from the 
atmosphere of the house itself, though from the coldest part of it, that is, from and 
rather below its floor. Let any one witness a stove at work, or even feel the warm 
air that flows through the cold tank hours after every spark of fire has been 
extinguished, and he will doubt no longer. 
HINTS ON FLOWER-GARDENING. 
Although so much has been written of late years, not only in this but in many 
other gardening periodicals, on the management of the flower-garden, it is somewhat 
remarkable that either the principles are badly carried out, or, what is worse, in so 
slovenly a manner, and that, too, in places where better things might be expected and 
ought to be produced, as to make one think the managers do not take so much 
interest in first principles, as the progress of decorative art renders it necessary 
they should do. That much of this in too many places arises from a want of those 
means and appliances to boot, which can only be supplied by proprietors, is too true • 
but that there are other places in which every necessary aid is allowed with little 
better progress, is also equally notorious. This arises partly from the managers of 
our learned Societies considering, that as these societies were established for the 
promotion of science, such minor matters as decorative gardening are beneath their 
notice, and hence so many of the public gardens in the country have become recep- 
tacles for mere botanical curiosities, three-fourths of which are neither useful nor 
ornamental, and which, in the writer's opinion, are wholly unworthy of cultivation. 
Fortunately, the public are beginning to think the same, as is evidenced by the 
alterations which have recently been made in the Botanical Society's at Sheffield, 
Birmingham, and some other places, where botanical curiosities, which can only 
interest the learned or curious, have been replaced by plants which are gay, and at 
the same time interesting to the community generally. 
Other societies will doubtless follow this example ; and then, instead of hearing 
the several curators boasting of having a plant of this or that all but worthless 
weed, we shall visit their gardens for the purpose of seeing the progress which 
science, art, and cultivation are making ; and also view them as examples, to shew 
gentlemen how their private gardens ought to be conducted. We have always 
looked upon public gardens in this light ; and we contend they ought, in every 
department, to be kept in the highest possible order, so that instead of lagging 
behind as they have hitherto done, to be examples of the science of progress in their 
several neighbourhoods, which gardeners might look up to and copy. Then the 
