394 
THE NATIONAL TASTE FOR GARDENING. 
to Dr. A. T. Thompson, in 1831. About the 
same time, Ledanois sent the root to Paris, 
and Schiede, travelling in Mexico, sent it to 
Germany. It was cultivated in the Botanic 
Garden of Edinburgh, in 1838, from roots 
sent by Dr. Coxe. It is also cultivated in the 
collection of the Horticultural Society, and 
that of the Society of Apothecaries at Chelsea. 
The plant has borne many names. It has 
been called Ipomcea Jalapa (Nuttal), /. 
Pur g a (Wenderoth), /. Schiediana (Zucca- 
rini), I. officinalis (Pelletan), Convolvulus 
Jalapa (Schiede, not that of Linnaeus), Exo- 
gonium Purga (Bentham). 
Treated as an ornamental plant, its culti- 
vation is very easy. The roots should be 
planted in spring, and forwarded in a green- 
house, or cold frame, and then planted 
out in May ; or they may be kept in 
pots and set out of doors ; in either case they 
will grow freely. The branches will require 
some kind of support suitable to the position 
they are placed in. Those planted out must 
be taken up before they are injured by frost, 
and the roots stored among dryish soil, and 
kept free from frost and damp. Potted roots 
map be partially dried off and set aside under 
similar circumstances. In the following spring 
they should be again excited. Cuttings taken 
at any time "will root freely, but if they are 
taken off early in the season, they will form 
good strong flowering plants for the same 
year ; they may be taken off almost in the 
same way as Dahlia cuttings are managed. 
The soil should consist of any light, rich 
loam. On the continent, according to Royle, 
it is cultivated in the open air. Frost will, 
however, destroy it ; a tuber in the Edinburgh 
Botanic Garden, the crown of which was in- 
jured by frost, was thus killed ; it was then 
grown successfully in a cold frame during 
winter and spring, and uncovered in sum- 
mer and autumn. 
THE NATIONAL TASTE EOR GARDENING. 
There is nothing conduces more to the 
interest of gardening in this country than 
taste exhibited in public establishments. No- 
thing has done so much damage as the absence 
of taste in the parks. Now, while we are 
expending millions on public works in Ire- 
land, and literally fooling away money in 
many other projects, where would be the im- 
propriety of laying out a few thousands to 
render the national gardens worthy of the 
high standing we hold among nations ? We 
encourage the arts and sciences in general 
rather extravagantly, if not judiciously ; why 
not show the world that gardening in this 
country is one of the sciences in which we 
excel ? Why allow the ornamental portion of 
St. James's Park to look like a botch, without 
order or system, and remain as it is, the mere 
receptacle for cheap lots of common shrubs, 
picked up at bankrupt sales ? Is there any 
thing unreasonable in a desire to see as good 
a garden for the public to walk in as the 
wealthy classes enjoy at home ? Is the inno- 
cent enjoyment of a luxury by the working 
classes of no consequence ? Surely the na- 
tional pride is worth encouraging and grati- 
fying when it can be done by the employment 
of a little labour in the royal grounds about 
the metropolis. If the lower classes have been 
taught to grumble at state extravagance in 
those things which they cannot enjoy, it is 
because there does not seem to be an attempt 
to provide any thing in which they can parti- 
cipate. We remember there was a great 
hubbub about spending seventy thousand 
pounds on Her Majesty's stables, because the 
grumblers neither saw the building, nor par- 
ticipated in the use of it ; but there has been 
no grumbling about the million expended on 
the Houses of Parliament, because every poor 
man feels himself a part proprietor. The 
humble classes exult in the possession of a 
noble structure ; the national pride is roused 
a little, and the most needy tax-payer feels 
he has something for his money. There has 
now been an enormous quantity of spluttering 
about the gardens at Frogmore, because the 
only notions the London public can form 
about Royal Gardens, is that founded on the 
abortion in the Park. Let John Bull have 
something to enjoy out of the public expendi- 
ture, and he i*ejoices rather than flags in the 
payment of his share. When was a voice raised 
by the most turbulent class against the pur- 
chases made for the British Museum ? The 
public runs a little wild sometimes when un- 
fortunately excited ; but there is never any 
outcry against improvements that benefit all, 
though there is naturally an objection to the 
sort of things from which the public derive 
nothing, or which appertain to the rich only. 
In laying out" the new parks and improving 
the old ones, everybody would agree to extra- 
ordinary costs ; but while the authorities form 
drives for the rich, let them not forget walks 
for the poor; and instead of raking up all the 
cheap lots at a sale of some bankrupt's stock 
to plant with, let us hope there will be some 
attempt to do properly all that is done. But 
we have always maintained that part of the 
enormous income of the state should be ex- 
pended in forming gardens as well as parks 
for the public. Whatever affords innocent 
enjoyment, does a national good. The thou- 
sands who resort to public-houses when they 
have done business should have every temp- 
tation to go where there is less expenditure 
and less mischief, and this should be placed 
among other things on the credit side against 
