10 
OF GARDENING AS A SCIENCE. 
emulation, rivalry, the growth of fine specimens, and anxiety to win a medal or a 
pecuniary prize ; but what do they teach ? the question is significant, and we 
leave it to reflection. 
What we desire to see, is some grand comprehensive undertaking, wherein 
every material, everything that can be rendered available to the instruction of 
youth devoted to the profession, shall be collected, and maintained either directly 
by the government, or by the united efforts of zealous and affluent individuals, 
constituting themselves an influential body, (as for example, the now Royal-chartered 
Society of Agriculture,) and subscribing to funds to purchase a large breadth of 
land, whereon all the operations of horticulture shall be performed by the students in 
the open-air departments, and in every variety of glazed or defensive erections, 
under the supervision of directors qualified to undertake, note down, and record 
every observable fact and traceable cause. This system would imply courses of 
lectures on soils, water, moisture, vapour, fermentation, gases ; their extrication, 
mutual attraction, combination, and results ; air, light, heat, electricity, galvanism, 
magnetism. These are all employed by nature, and in full activity ; they consti- 
tute the class of great natural agents. 
Botany, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, would form a very 
important feature ; so would the natural history, climate, introduction of every 
known plant, and the best method of culture, subject to discovery and improvement. 
We only suggest, we hardly dare to hope, that any eflicient steps will be taken : 
in the mean time it will be our object to allude, to a greater or less extent, to each 
of the subjects mentioned — not with any expectation of doing it justice, or of being- 
able to elucidate satisfactorily the phenomena which, at present, we can only con- 
template, but in the hope to excite inquiry and admiration, to rouse attention, 
and stimulate others to do that which we might only expose our own insufficiency 
by attempting to perform. 
Thus far we have ventured upon an imperfect prospectus, introductory of a 
series of short articles which will follow in succession as far as space may be 
afforded. It remains to add, that although at the commencement w^e mentioned 
general gardening, we have not the slightest intention to notice vegetables. General 
cultivation is a subject by itself, one which differs widely from science but as 
the flower-garden, parterre, shrubberies, and lawn, are each and all dependent 
upon soil, water, and air, we must allude to those great agents ; and therefore the 
investigation of earth will include the operation of manures. So far, then, the 
staple of the garden will enter into our plan of analysis ; for unless these subjects 
be inquired into, we shall attain to no means of comparison of facts. 
These leading points being explained, we trust that our future articles will 
neither appear intrusive nor irrelevant. 
