474- 
joiinson's dictionary of modern gardening. 
and it is tlie modification of soils, and climate, 
and conditions, which forms the science, and 
occupies the skill of horticulturists. The 
agriculturist's business is to make the most of 
the climate and soil we have ; he may drain 
and dress his land a hundred ways to improve 
the soil, but as his business lies in the open 
air alone, unprotected and unassisted by arti- 
ficial means, his crops must stand the weather ; 
his seasons are regulated by the climate, 
which he has no means of changing or modi- 
fying. The line, then, between agriculturists 
and horticulturists, may be safely drawn 
where the gardener begins to protect, and 
that is, in the very walls or fences by which 
the gardens are surrounded; for there he arrests 
the north-east wind from those plants which it 
would injure ; and every further protection he 
uses, is only so many steps towards the higher 
grades of his art and science. From the 
simple border, screened from the north and 
east winds by a wall or fence, to the highly 
heated stove, he supplies any degree of heat; 
moisture is as easily supplied as heat, and 
where he cannot find sufficient light to agree 
with the heat a plant should have, his skill 
teaches him to moderate them, that the con- 
ditions may be a match for each other ; nor 
is he at a loss, when the sun is too powerful, 
for the other attendant conditions, for then he 
interposes his shades of different degrees, to 
carry out his intentions. We have already said 
that the climate of a garden is altered by the 
very walls that enclose it, at least all that por- 
tion which is protected against the north-east 
winds. Mr. Daniell thus describes what may 
be effected by these means, even to an extent 
not often practised; for after describing the 
effect of radiation, in producing cold when 
unchecked, he says : — 
" The most perfect combination for the 
growth of exotic fruits in the open air would 
be a number of parallel walls, within a short 
distance of one another, facing the south-east 
quarter of the heavens ; the space between 
each should be gravelled, except a narrow 
border on each side, which should be kept free 
from weeds and other short vegetables. On 
the southern sides of these walls, peaches, 
nectarines, figs, &c, might be trained to ad- 
vantage, and on their northern sides, many 
hardier kinds of fruit would be very advan- 
tageously situated. Tender exotic trees would 
thus derive all the benefit of the early morn- 
ing sun, which would at the earliest moment 
dissipate the greatest accumulation of cold 
which immediately precedes its rise; and the 
injurious influence of nocturnal radiation 
would be almost entirely prevented. Upon 
trees so trained, the absolute perpendicular im- 
pression could have little effect, and this little 
might even be prevented by a moderate coping. 
Mats, or canvass upon rollers, to draw down 
occasionally in front of the trees, at the dis- 
tance of a foot or two from their foliage, 
would, I have no doubt, be a great advantage 
in certain dry states of the atmosphere before 
alluded to, and in the case of walls which are 
not opposed to others, would be a good sub- 
stitute for the protection of the latter. 
" Experience has taught gardeners the ad- 
vantages of warding off the effects of frost 
from tender vegetables, by loose straw or 
other litter, but the. system of matting does 
not appear to be carried to that extent which 
its simplicity and efficacy would suggest. 
Neither does the manner of fixing the screen 
exhibit a proper acquaintance with the prin- 
ciple upon which it is resorted to : it is gene- 
rally bound tight round the tree which it is 
required to protect, or nailed in close contact 
with its foliage. 
" Now it should be borne in mind, that the 
radiation is only transferred from the tree to 
the mat, and the cold of the latter will be con- 
ducted to the former in every point where it 
touches. Contact should therefore be pre- 
vented by hoops or other means properly 
applied, and the stratum of air which is en- 
closed will by its low conducting power ef- 
fectually secure the plant. With their foliage 
thus protected, and their roots well covered 
with litter, many evergreens might doubtless 
be brought to survive the rigour of our win- 
ters, which are now confined to the stunted 
growth of the green house and conservatory." 
The point at which we shall close these 
remarks, having been reached, we think we 
may fairly, say that agriculture means the 
culture of things in the free open air and 
natural climate, and that horticulture ex- 
presses that science which, among its first 
objects, ranks that of altering the climate. 
JOHNSON S DICTIONARY OF MODERN 
GARDENING.* 
We approach a work of this kind with a 
presentiment that we shall find little more 
than we have already seen in other works, 
and discover but a small portion of original 
thought or novel matter ; nevertheless, some 
of the most useful of our works are compila- 
tions, and therefore, so that we are favoured 
with a good selection of useful information, 
no matter how or where obtained, the pur- 
pose of a dictionary seems to have been 
answered. It is impossible to deny that a 
great mass of valuable information is scattered 
* A Dictionary of Modern Gardening, by George 
William Johnson, Esq. F.H.S.I. C.M.R.C.M.H.S. 
author of the Principles of Practical Gardening, the 
Gardener's Almanack, &c. London : Baldwin, Pater- 
noster Row; IS 10. 
